Streams of pilgrims
Stride purposefully down the Parikrama path
Sheathed and wrapped in sweaters shawls and chudders
Against the morning chill
Troops of monkeys
Reconnoiter over power lines
Eying everyone
With avaricious suspicion
As I sip my chai
A wandering cow
Lets loose a copious cascade of pee
Which makes a rivulet
At my feet

India has a great attitude toward holidays! Someone told me there are 125 officially recognized and observed holidays, this doesn't take into account wedding celebrations etc. We have already had five in the two weeks I've been here! This is a more humane way to live indeed! Unfortunately, I was too sick this week to take advantage of the days to go anywhere, nothing serious, just bronchitis and a head cold. However, when you are trying to put on a show, a 4 day hiatus is not optimal. It was predictable that many of the children would lose their scripts over the break, and that those who didn't lose them would not have looked at them. but I was gratified that a few DID ACTUALLY SEEM TO STUDY THERE LINES OVER VACATION!!!! But the rehearsals this week started on contentious and undisciplined grounds indeed! On Thurs. the primary teachers were busy with props and costumes, leaving me alone with the kids. They quickly disillusioned me that I had any commanding presence over them or any way to cajole, exhort or threaten them into working. Not so! They refused to listen, stop talking, stop playing etc. One of the girls hid under some desks, refusing to come out another laid on a bench refusing to get up, while others wandered around just ignoring me. How humiliating! Don't these kids know who I am? The star of the Brooklyn mandir who has come all this way to help them. Apparently not. Fortunately there regular teachers do have a modicum of influence over them- What is there secret? I it a tone of voice a raised eyebrow an unspoken threat of dire consequences? How do I get these kids to listen? Perhaps one of my readers can shed some light on this conundrum. I am glad to say that the rest of the rehearsals went better and we actually ran the show 5 times today! These hours of work mind you are for a 10 minute play! Those of you in theater will not be surprised of this ratio between prep time and on stage time. The kids will be adorable. It may not be the polished and smooth production I might like it to be, but the kids are adorable and they seem to have had fun, which is very important. We will see if we get the green light to do more. The author of the children's series of reading primers will be in attendance, hopefully she will say, Do some more! Hey, I'm game!