The latest from our MD – Barry Charlton at the orphanage in Andhra Pradesh, India. You can read his previous diary entry here
.
“Thursday up again at the crack of dawn to try our luck at fishing again, we had promised to take 3 pupils with us, all level 8 students from my brothers science class, who were accompanying us to take some pictures of the local nature, birds, flowers and butterflies etc, which are all in abundance here. We had decided this time that maybe the other side of the lake would yelled a better result.
.
Crossing the playing field we stopped and chatted to the workforce of young children digging out the stones and levelling the ground to make this waste ground into their playing field. I don’t think they have any health and safety policy here with children swinging very dangerous looking how to chop the ground level. Watching the way they swing these implements with precision and conference hitting the ground very close to there naked or near naked feet was a little worrying. I should not be surprised at this skill because most come from peasant farming families where this is done everyday.
.
We eventually arrived at the waters edge to find that it was only about 6″ deep we could see the bottom and plenty of weed. It had already taken us about one hour to get to the lake with the children taking every opportunity to photograph the items of nature on there way. They were using an old iPhone4 that Colin my brother had given them and Colin’s long lens camera., there enthusiasm could not be faulted, constantly seeking to find the next item to photograph.
.
We sent only about 10 minutes fishing when we decided we must get back for breakfast or we would be late, so the journey back was started. Bargov the larger of the three student companions explained to me that he was the schools head boy, and that one day he hoped to teach at the school. This young man chatted to me all the way back to the lake, one topic of our conversation was that he knew of a better place for us to fish that was much closer to the school, so on our return to the school he took me to show me where he considers our pursuits would be better rewarded. Back in the school grounds “this way sir” Bargov directed me taking me to an ornamental pool where he showed me a number black koi carp and a fresh water crab swimming around in full view.
.
I suggested that this was not a good idea and that we could find ourselves in trouble with the vice principal if we started poaching from the school ornamental pond. I should mention there is so much building going on here with workers everywhere, and this rectangular pond with its 3 foot brick wall all around was serving another purpose, stood on the wall at the opposite side was one of the construction workers, with a cloth like skirt wrapped around his waist to hide is modesty, he was buried in soapsuds like a snowman, he lowered a bucket on a rope into the pond to draw water, he then proceeded to poor this water over his head washing a lot of the soap into the pond, This kind of thing is an every day event here and the purpose and appreciation of both the concept of fishing and washing in this ornate provision was somewhat lost here. However, efforts by the school are being made to create some environmental awareness , which was evident by these 3 young students showing us the trees they had planted earlier in the year.
.
Later, in the day during the morning break we were invited to see some of the lads perform a serious of human towers and yoga demonstration. The central taller guy being the head boy Bargov who is probably the largest boy at the school. The performance was directed by the PE teacher who called out numbers and the students would move smoothly and effortless into a different arrangement to the numbers as they were called.
.
The rest of Thursday unrolled in what seem now to me to be the normal routine”
