My Indian Tour by Sainath Raorane Our journey from Lonavala began with catching trains to Aurangabad. From the train I saw flat countryside with fields of sugarcane, grapes, guava trees, and later on fields of cotton.   Aurangabad is also called ‘the city of gates’ because it has 52 gates from the Moghul Era. Ajanta caves are 100km from Aurangabad in the Sahyadri Hills. They were discovered in 1819 by a group of British officers out tiger hunting. There are 30 caves, the earliest dating from the 2 nd century. They are decorated with beautiful paintings and sculptures made by Buddhist monks. The monks lived in the caves during the monsoon , on the side of a river, in isolated and peaceful surroundings. The walls and ceilings of the caves were covered with paintings, some of which have survived and tell of the Jataka stories about Buddha’s life and previous lives as a human and as an animal.   Pictures show palaces and ordinary homes, villages and towns...

We celebrated the festival of Sankranti. I was told it was famous for kite flying, especially in the state of Gujerat. I tried to make one but it only got 10 feet off the ground. Sainath was very patient and made his out of old broom ribs and newspaper. It was a champion flyer and survived being caught in a tree and on the roof of the outbuilding. At lunchtime we had ladoos - sweet sugar balls! The lotuses are back in the repaired pond and the solar electricity installation is nearing completion. There is blossom on the mango trees and the vegetables are growing happily between the orchard fruit trees. Walking the track I noticed  dew glistening on the coriander and the cabbage leaves changing from purple to green leaves as the sunlight struck them.

The Year End A Christmas treat for everybody was  lunch at the local Narayani Dham restaurant. A very good lunch was enjoyed by all, including me, as they made special non-chilly dishes for me! December 30th was the occasion for the filly races and the special one for the male staff. The courtyard plants were moved aside so that the lady staff and the men could entertain us. The younger staff ran the length of the angan and back again. The three fastest ran again and Manisha was the winner. The three fastest then ran with a bucket of water,  Phulabai and Boke Maucey held hands and, although asked to walk, they ran together and laughed all the way. The men had to run to the far wall and then back to put on a sari and carry a bucket of water to the finishing line. They provided much amusement for the onlookers.   The Prize giving began at 5pm We had  the "Twelve Days of Christmas song" with illustra...

 Jesus is regarded as a messenger of God among Hindus and so we were all able to join in celebrating the Birthday of Jesus. We began on Christmas Eve with the decoration and lighting  of our fir tree in the courtyard. The decorations were all hand made by residents and me.  After a short speech we all had a substitute for mince pies and mulled wine in the form of fruit samosas and warm pomegranate juice laced with spices. My idea of having music from You Tube on the TV was not successful as it was not audible in the courtyard. I  went to Midnight Mass in the local town, courtesy of a parishioner, who collected me in his car and deposited me at a convent where the sisters had offered me a bed for the remainder of the night. I returned to Awaas in time to start off the various competitions in Scrabble, Carom, and Snakes and Ladders. At lunchtime we had a nice meal with a special mango desert. Christmas cake The highlight of the day wa...

My Father  by Sainath Raorane   When I remember my father I think about his gardening, his discipline, and his courage when facing difficulties. He was in the military so he was a very disciplined man and this showed in his daily life. He used to wake up at 6am and brush his teeth in a particular way as recommended by his dentist. He ate only a small breakfast. He was of medium height and build. I had a photograph of him in his uniform. In that photo he looked very handsome, wearing a coat. I liked that photo very much. I kept that photo with me for many years and used to show it to my friends with pride. Later father was labour officer in an industrial company in Worli. When he came home from his office work he would bring many things from Dadar Market. He used to get vegetables and sometimes big fish and crabs. He would arrive in our chawl around 6,30pm, which was my playtime. When I saw him I used to run and pick up his bag filled with all sorts of materials. He...

 November/December Events Since Divali some of the resident’s rooms have been repainted. Their walls are all being done in a soft yellow colour but they have a choice of lilac, mushroom, sky blue and pista for the interior doors and wardrobes. I remarked that in Bihar I had noticed that many kirana shops painted their shelves lilac and was told that it is a colour that is reputed to keep mosquitoes and flies away. I was also informed that lilac is the colour of the goddess Laxmi so is associated with prosperity   - useful if you have a shop! We have a new resident in the Awaas goshalla. A girl calf was born at 1.30am   on 28 th November. She is creamy white and very pretty. When I walk around the track in the mornings I say hello to her and she turns to me, moving her ears at the sound of my voice, which is higher pitched than her usual male visitors. I have called her Anandi. I mislaid my ATM card one day, between the badminton court and t...

Prakash Gupte's photos Brilliant colours  Two regular walkers on track Sainath took pictures of Anandi and flowers in the new garden  Its a long way down to my food!