aage aage dekho...

Yesterday was a five star day – very useful, very well spent, very very tiring… beginning of a good day is reaching before time… all five groups turned up as per scheduled time… all of them were ready to give interviews, some to ready to take interviews, some willing to present… one group called itself “pragati” (progress)…

Rachel recorded, helped groups record, ask questions, saved and played those interviews… I took each and every subject after recording and made detailed note on aspects, points, interviewees, and linking clips with them… fishing, women’s options, alcoholism, need for dance schools, education and unemployment were the five subjects…

There was provision for light refreshment but this place is so far from anywhere that zainu and amit spent a good one hour getting garlic laden samosas…

We had an additional group who has promised something for Tuesday… Also there were additional members of panchayat, social workers, elders of the community… amit was exceptionally quiet… (Later we got it out of him that he and his friend had crashed a bike and he was hurt, scared, etc etc… these teenagers I tell you!) So no sher-o-shayari today – bhuki pyaasi Rachel aur zakhmi Amit…

There was some Bengali festival and women kept coming and blowing conch and making shrill, howly sounds (similar to namboodiri aripu) in front of the temple next to panchayat community hall…

Now more homework for us, me, Rachel, Amit… we must log all the interviews before Tuesday and make notes about what else is required per group… scripting should start soon… also electricity connection, setting up of the computer should happen by this week so that the groups start using the village knowledge centre and start conceiving ideas for further programming… I hope to have a narrow casting session in each community before I make an early exit…

We once again skipped lunch... that Rachel looked drained is an understatement… we went for a good lunch and a good well-deserved laugh… we came back very late (630 pm is laaaaate and pitch dark!) and everyone had left as it was Saturday… Rakesh got us home made rotis and that felt like a "sone pe suhaaga" reward… we did happy girlie talks and updating the blog was happily kept for later… the painful peaceful shiver that runs through your spine as u touch the bed after a 14 hour constructive day… and it is Sunday…