It was a sort of crisscrossing, through a part of Palakkad district, touching four panchayats accomplished within a day, exclusive of the ingress to and egress from the district!
We're to start from here by a half past 7 but by the time, we'd boarded a private bus to Vadakkencherry, about 30 km north of Thrissur, it was past 8. The morning's heat was oppressive and to top it all, the connecting bus to Nemmara that had fetched up soon after our arrival, went off without us as I'd gone to empty my bladder! But time wasn't lost because we could get the next bus and we're at the campsite of 'Anvita 2016' - a rural community interaction programme for the young MSW students of the Amrita University, Coimbatore. It was organised by their dynamic professor, Dr. Priya, who's a good friend of ours. The short meeting and the interaction was invigorating and as I'd told the students, I was indeed jealous of them for they seemed to have seen it all - from eye care to organic farming to interaction with the senior citizens - within a short span of one week!
The next stop was at the Kannadi Grama panchayat. One of the organisers of the Anvita - a Sanskrit word meaning, 'Bridges the gap between you and me' - Ramanand sir, a committed social worker, had chauffeured us. The panchayat hierarchy, along with those who were involved in the e-literacy programme, were assembled at their conference hall for interaction with us to clarify all their doubts. The interaction had taken a little over an hour.
A quick bite at a wayside eatery - a traditional Malayalee lunch for a paltry Rs.70/-! - along with, George, a dynamic Ward Member of the Thachampara Grama panchayat who'd gracefully agreed to be our chauffeur for the rest of the day! Our next stop was at the Kadamba Grama panchayat. Its president, a dynamic young lady had initiated the meeting, by reminiscing about the setting up of the village's first library, by my grandfather, during her childhood days. The salient aspects of the e-literacy programme was put across to the keen audience, by Maman.
And the last interaction was at the P Balan Memorial Library at the Thachampara Grama panchayat, where Maman had inaugurated the first informal meeting of the people nomenclatured as 'grama kootaayma'! George had got the idea from the Saturday interactions that we've at the PN Panicker Foundation. The 'kootaayma' would be every month for starters
Tailpiece.
A quick snatch of dinner and it was a two hour bus ride back to Guruvayur. A hectic, yet, satisfying day! A pleased as Punch, George was insistent that he saw us off!! Damn sweet of him!!!
We're to start from here by a half past 7 but by the time, we'd boarded a private bus to Vadakkencherry, about 30 km north of Thrissur, it was past 8. The morning's heat was oppressive and to top it all, the connecting bus to Nemmara that had fetched up soon after our arrival, went off without us as I'd gone to empty my bladder! But time wasn't lost because we could get the next bus and we're at the campsite of 'Anvita 2016' - a rural community interaction programme for the young MSW students of the Amrita University, Coimbatore. It was organised by their dynamic professor, Dr. Priya, who's a good friend of ours. The short meeting and the interaction was invigorating and as I'd told the students, I was indeed jealous of them for they seemed to have seen it all - from eye care to organic farming to interaction with the senior citizens - within a short span of one week!
The next stop was at the Kannadi Grama panchayat. One of the organisers of the Anvita - a Sanskrit word meaning, 'Bridges the gap between you and me' - Ramanand sir, a committed social worker, had chauffeured us. The panchayat hierarchy, along with those who were involved in the e-literacy programme, were assembled at their conference hall for interaction with us to clarify all their doubts. The interaction had taken a little over an hour.
A quick bite at a wayside eatery - a traditional Malayalee lunch for a paltry Rs.70/-! - along with, George, a dynamic Ward Member of the Thachampara Grama panchayat who'd gracefully agreed to be our chauffeur for the rest of the day! Our next stop was at the Kadamba Grama panchayat. Its president, a dynamic young lady had initiated the meeting, by reminiscing about the setting up of the village's first library, by my grandfather, during her childhood days. The salient aspects of the e-literacy programme was put across to the keen audience, by Maman.
And the last interaction was at the P Balan Memorial Library at the Thachampara Grama panchayat, where Maman had inaugurated the first informal meeting of the people nomenclatured as 'grama kootaayma'! George had got the idea from the Saturday interactions that we've at the PN Panicker Foundation. The 'kootaayma' would be every month for starters
Tailpiece.
A quick snatch of dinner and it was a two hour bus ride back to Guruvayur. A hectic, yet, satisfying day! A pleased as Punch, George was insistent that he saw us off!! Damn sweet of him!!!
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