Jaisamand lake's placid blue waters

Peace and serenity sometimes lie far away from civilisation. Where there is no mobile phone, no known faces, and no TV. You have to get there to experience it. Untill you drive through the narrow lanes of villages and arrive at the steps of a stone wall, you dont even realise what lies beyond it. Climb up the couple of steps and the vast expanse of Jaisamand lake's placid blue waters welcome you. Some 200 kms from Ahmedabad, I, who was craving for a short holiday and a break from work, would easily call it a small paradise. The cool waters of the lake were dotted by small hillocks, lush green and beckoning after the bountiful rains. A short boat ride brings you to the Jaisamand resort_a small miracle of sorts becasue it has been chiselled out of a small hill right in the middle of the lake! Well, get into your room's balcony and take in the breathtaking beauty of the surrounding lake and scenery. Put up your feet and you are nothing short of an erstwhile Nawab sitting in his palace and admiring the view! The landscaping of the resort is tastefully done giving you a feeling of being at a good place. The swimming pool is simply wow. And, the hospitality is such that the waiters and bearers keep your `spirits' high all the time. I was here with my most cherished, loving and life long friends_beginning with elderly Bapu, Tusharbhai, Dineshbhai, Sanjaybhai, Lucin, Pakoda, Hemel, Eldrin, Bunty and Meghal. Of course, the presence of Viyangbhai and his friends added a lot of fun.

July 11, 2006

July 11, 2006

When you write and read about terror attacks and deaths very often it probably makes you numb and insensitive. My fingers froze on the keyboard for a moment when that thought struck me as I went about calculating the number of Gujaratis dead in Tuesday`s blasts in Mumbai. The official list from Mumbai’s hospitals wasn’t matching with news trickling in from friends and relatives of victims, who rushed to Mumbai from Gujarat. In the hurry to complete the story on time, check and confirm the facts, I completely became unfeeling and insensate. That is, until I picked up the phone to talk to the victims` relatives.Many were besides themselves with grief; a family member or relative listed as injured was actually no more. A brother from Bhavnagar who rushed to Mumbai hoping to see his injured elder sibling was quietly directed to the morgue. Apparently, social workers and rescue personnel who called from victims` mobile phones to inform relatives could not bring themselves to deliver the bad news. They just said `serious` or `critical`.I called several mobile numbers listed alongside names of injured, hoping that the owner would answer. When a lady answered Haresh Shah`s mobile, the words stuck in my mouth. What to ask? Fortunately, Hareshbhai is recovering in a hospital but unable to speak or hear because his eardrums are still ringing after the sound of the explosion. But it was the voice of Harish Doshi`s daughter which brought me down with a thud to the reality of Tuesday night`s tragedy. She was broken and distraught and probably in a trauma after seeing her hospitalized father`s condition. With that came the realization that behind what were simple numbers to me, there were hundreds of people who were suffering, and, scared and frightened by the experience. It is easy to become insensitive and get down to body count. This is not the first time that terror attacks or mishaps have happened elsewhere and the bodies came to homes in Gujarat. When grenades were thrown on tourists in Srinagar in the last week of May, the body bags came to Surat. Eight pilgrims from Surendranagar died at the Gateway of India blast. A tourist bus overturns in Shimla and there is a pall of gloom in Vadodara. But the high number of victims from Gujarat in Tuesday`s blasts is unnerving. Like me there are so many who are left wondering if Gujaratis were part of the target.

Tribal Cuppa

From the scenic slopes of Araku valley on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam to markets in Europe, a success story is brewing. And the people behind it belong to a tribe so far known only for its colourful customs and traditions.

On December 21 last year, the Araku tribals set up a processing plant to produce their brand of organic coffee, 'Araku Emerald'. In less than three months, the brand's unique quality and aroma have won it customers in far away France, Norway and the UK. On Monday, a team from Tradecraft, UK, visited the coffee plantations while US-based coffee roasters Beans and Beans has evinced interest.


The first export order of 1,000 boxes of organic coffee has been sent to Norway for an IT company. 'Araku Emerald' will be built into an international brand. AN NGO trained the tribals of Araku Valley to produce high-quality coffee as part of a sustainable livelihood programme.


Today, the poor tribals, who otherwise produced pulses and occassionally coffee, are making at least Rs 30,000 per acre.
The foundation helped the around 8,000 tribals of the valley organise themselves into the Small and Marginal Farmer Mutually-Aided Cooperative Society, with support from the Green Development Foundation of the Netherlands, and assisted them in setting up a coffee processing plant with machinery imported from the UK.
The Tribal Cooperative set up by the farmers happens to be the only cooperative in the country to have both fair trade and organic trade certification.


The Tribal Cooperative set up by the farmers happens to be the only cooperative in the country to have both fair trade and organic trade certification.
Representatives of foreign companies coming here find it very exciting that these tribals living in the valley and still following their customs and traditions are producing high-quality organic coffee. They are surprised that the tribal cooperative also has fair trade and organic certification and they immediately want to do business with them.


Situated 115 km from Visakhapatnam, the extremely scenic Araku Valley overlooking the Bay of Bengal is a favourite tourist and picnic spot. It is situated at a height of 900 metres above sea level in the Ananthgiri hills in Eastern Ghats, and has thick forests and rolling hills. It is accessible by both rail and road, with 45 tunnels on the road linking it to Vizag.
The thick forests of the valley are an ideal place for growing coffee as the tall silver oak trees provide the right shade and light for the plants.
Before the NGO stepped in, tribals used to actually cut the huge silver oaks to clear land for agriculture, leaving many hills bare. Now, apart from helping them monetarily, the coffee trade has also helped the tribals realise the importance of conserving the forests.

Smiles are back as life limps to normalcy for tsunami orphans

KADAMBADI (NAGAPATTINAM), DECEMBER 25, 2006
AS you enter, they jump up and greet you with so much joy and affection that
you are overwhelmed. Little hands reach up and tug at your shirt. "Saar, how are
you, saar? You are coming from Mumbai? Welcome to our home? My name is Vainidevan.
What is yours? Will you take my photo?" For the 83 tsunami orphans at Awai Sathya Orphanage Home at
Kadambadi in Nagapattinam,
Visitors are often the
source of joy, and distraction.


The single-storey cottage
with a classroom on one side
and a small ground on the
other has been their home
for seven months after they
were moved from Sikal.
Her playful nature betrays
the tragedy they have now almost
overcome. Three-yearolds
Rishia and Arun are the
youngest and their shy smiles
tug at your heart. Arun, the
youngest of six siblings, is
looked after by his eldest sister
Arunmathi, 13.
"When he was two, he used
to utter a few words, but after
the tsunami, he did not speak
for almost three months.
Now he speaks and smiles at
everyone," Arunmathi says.
It is not known how but several
siblings, like Arun and
his sisters, survived the
tsunami while their parents
perished. In spite of the loss,
the children appear cheerful
and in good health.

"The younger ones came
quickly out of the posttsunami
trauma although
they sometimes weep and ask
for their parents. Those
above 10 haven't forgotten
the tragedy but are slowly
getting over it," says an attendent
at the Home.


The children are very attached
to S Suryakala, the
District Social Welfare Officer
and in charge of the orphanage
and call her Amma'.
"To keep the children occupied,
we organise games.
Every weekend there are
puppet shows or magic and
mimicry events," Suryakala
says. Some children, with
names like R Sonia Gandhi,
Parvin Babi, Babita, Rishia
are the cynosure of visitors'
eyes. The children also attend
yoga and karate classes.
"A majority of them have put
the tsunami behind. Immediately
after the tsunami, most
of them would draw or sketch
tsunami scenes. Now they
draw kids playing, vehicles
etc," Rajeshwari, one of the
three attendants, says.

The children have also
stopped asking if the big
waves will come again. They
don't talk about Cuddal or
sea anymore.
The orphanage has a big
room where students of class
1 to 5 are taught. "Others go
to the Nataraja Damayanti
Secondary School nearby,"
Suryakala says.
While the existing home is a
bit cramped for 83 children,
the district administration
and NGOs are building a
huge modern orphanage in
Samantampettai. "It being
constructed at a cost of Rs
3.20 crore. The place has
proper hostels and classrooms.
There will be separate
facilities for boys and girls
and a host of recreational
amenities. We will shift the
children in a few months,"
says District Collector Dr J
Radha Krishnan.
Although there is a flood of
applications to adopt the
tsunami orphans, the Tamil
Nadu government is encouraging
those who want to provide
support without adopting
the children. "The
government has not made
any special adoption procedure
for tsunami orphans.
There is a lot of interest in
those wanting to support the
kids." Krishnan says.