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Pramoud's beatific smile as he hands us a plate of home-made borra and says (so loudly) "Hello! Good!"
Sitting in a mud hut with a women's self-help group with a gas lamp for light as all the women cackle and laugh and talk over each other. Children clustering at the doorway.
A 99-year old man who survived the cyclone, sitting and weaving baskets, holding the end of the cane strip with his toe.
The red-toothed pan merchant telling feeding us pan, telling us to give her either no money or RS 5,000 for the treat.
A cluster of the most beautiful faces in a Balikuda village, handing us gifts of baskets and a plaited straw fan (this is one of the poorest places in the world).
A gorgeous teenage girl shaking the choli tree (little sour apples) and handing us huge handfuls of the green fruit.
The mouse Sasha sent flying in the air as we spent a mouse-molested night at the Jagatsinghpur office.
Usha Nani making hot chappatis and Dum Aloo at the Js office.
Drinking fresh coconut milk at the village and being told that after the cylone, they lived for 3 days on coconuts.
hearing how people climbed up trees when the floods came (Panne! Panne! [water, water!]described one of the women, holding her hands around her neck). Some died in the trees of hypothermia.
Seeing how some people are able to support themselves with the Livelihood Restoration project. Before the cyclone they were paid labourers. Now they are incredibly poor, but free to work for themselves.
Hearing how women have come out of seclusion since the cyclone. Hearing them share, stick up for each other, pledge their support (if one women is being beaten by her husband, the whole SHG will sit on their porch and wait for the husband to come out and apologize.
Oria words:
namaskat- hello/goodbye
cusi lagila-it is a pleasure to meet you
pone de cahaybo -we will meet again in the future
peta-belly
porre-later
tik-ochi --Ok
bhar acha-really good
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1.18.2003
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