7th Report

Thursday – We finished our short tour by staying overnight in Vijayawada and then travelled back to Suryapet.  I was then invited to attend a Wedding that Pastor Samson was conducting in a local village with about 100 persons in an outdoor space. Most wedding are, ‘arranged’, believing it is better for parents to choose who their sibling should marry, rather let love play a part. There you go!  Anyway, the couple looked terrified; was this just nerves?

Shiva, the orphan who lost his finger when bitten by a snake, who I mentioned yesterday, greeted me with his nine and a half fingers (forgive me) and his handsome young face and led me to another 20 boys and girls from the Orphanage. Their greetings were as warm as ever, projecting their beautiful beaming smiles. The girls looked particularly elegant in their ‘Sunday best’; of course, still in bare feet, not having shoes.

I have been elevated to part of our Royal family by now and I am asked to be part of the ‘blessing’ and have to sprinkle flowers on the head of the newly married couple, which I do, to the amusement of the children.

After lunch, I go to the Orphanage, and am immediately directed to the room where the computers are being setup by three young men dressed in smart black uniforms from the suppliers. I ensure that all is good; 2 computers for the children with big screens to use with the Indian School syllabus software and a business computer.  I insist we must have Microsoft Office on all computers, not just two and we are missing a monitor and two cables, but that’s not bad for India. They promise to put this right and I hand over £850 of the £950 you kindly donated. “You will get the rest when I am happy”, I say with my best colonel ascent. “Tomorrow”, they say; that means Monday! (Final total collected £1150 and donated.)

It is then wash time for the children followed by ‘quiet hour’ as we called it at Eton, or homework time. It is nothing like quiet as the children sit on the concrete floors reading from their books aloud. “Good night children”, I depart.