Manali Missives, 55/2014, Is there anything unique about Christmas?

Manali Missives, Christmas, 2014

Is there anything unique about Christmas?

I (David) have been in Delhi for 5 weeks, studying Hindi at a small company that offers foreigners tuition one to one or in small classes, and customised to students’ situations, ability and experience in the language. Teachers quickly perceived that I could write and read Hindi, but that I understood little of what was communicated to me; nor could I communicate much myself. I needed to know the structure of Hindi grammar, how it works. I simply wasn’t picking it up as children do - by listening to people speaking around them and to them. So they placed me in one-to-one situations with teachers who focussed on conversation for part of each lesson, then grammar. They helped me to speak in Hindi, correcting me as we went along. Importantly, each teacher spoke slowly and clearly, and was positive and encouraging.

My main teacher was a woman I’ll call “Indira”. She often guided our conversations to everyday events, and to topics that were important to me. Soon she discerned that I had a stronger than usual commitment for an “angrez” (westerner) to the Christian faith. It emerged that though she was Hindu she had attended a Catholic school. Within the constraints of her task she started asking questions. “Why,” she enquired, “do some Christian crosses feature the body of Christ whereas others did not?” That gave me practice in the mighty verb “lagna”, among whose 50 meanings “to be attached” is prominent. To say that Christ was attached to the cross sounds in poor taste in English, but works well in Hindi; the way a Hindi speaker says that they’ve been shot means, literally, “I’m attached to a bullet!” It also allowed me to speak, in an explanatory rather than an advocatory way, of the two central aspects of the Christian story the crucifix and the empty cross point to: the significance of Christ’s crucifixion and of His resurrection.

In the school’s small common area is a simple table upon which artefacts from several religions have been placed. Above the table a tiny shrine is attached (“lagna” again!) to the wall. One of the duties of the young man employed as a caretaker is to keep this religious area in good order. Though the school’s teachers and management seem all to be observant Hindus, they respect other religions. Respect for others is prominent in the school’s ethos. So as I produced a Black Forest gateau to celebrate the completion of my Hindi course last week the caretaker had placed a small Christmas tree on the table - yet another religious artefact, and a way of showing respect to a major religion and its devotees who attended the School.

Respect and tolerance are prominent among Hindus I’ve encountered over the years. These qualities are also popular in the West. Tired of religious conflict and corruption in churches, but drawn to expressions of spirituality, many westerners have found this tolerance for diversity and other aspects of Hinduism attractive. One could almost say that to be politically correct in the West today one must be tolerant in and of all things - except, perhaps, of intolerance itself! To the extent that some of the roots of this tolerance in the West come from Hinduism it may be helpful to examine why Hinduism itself is so tolerant.

It’s often been said that Hinduism is not so much a religion as a way of life. Its tolerance to variations in belief and its broad range of traditions make it difficult to define as a religion according to traditional Western conceptions. Some suggest that Hinduism can be seen as a category with "fuzzy edges" rather than as a well-defined and rigid entity. That is, while some forms of religious expression are central to Hinduism others, though not as central, still remain within the category. Indeed, Hinduism has been described having a "complex, organic, multileveled and sometimes internally inconsistent nature.” It does not have a "unified system of belief encoded in a declaration of faith or a creed", but is an umbrella term comprising the plurality of religious phenomena of India. Unlike other religions in the World, the Hindu religion does not claim any one Prophet, worship any one God, believe in any one philosophic concept or follow any one act of religious rites or performances; in fact, it does not satisfy the traditional features of a religion or creed”. Neither does Hinduism have a single historical founder. It is a synthesis of various traditions.

Also, Hinduism does not have a single system of salvation, but consists of various religions and forms of religiosity. Some Hindu religious traditions regard particular rituals as essential for salvation, but a variety of views on this co-exist. Some Hindu philosophies postulate a theistic ontology of creation, of sustenance, and of the destruction of the universe, personified in the gods Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva the Destroyer, yet some Hindus are atheists. I first encountered this diversity of views within the one religion while on a boat to the Elefanta Caves, on an island off Mumbai, in 1977. A Hindu pilgrim engaged me in conversation: “We Hindus believe in 33 million gods,” he explained. “But as a Hindu you can also believe in 3 gods, or 1 god. And some of us believe in no gods at all.” A western dualist, brought up to believe that “A cannot be not-A”, this casual, monistic incorporation of contradictory beliefs into one rattled my (then) 20 year old cage! Perhaps I need not have been so confused. Hindu atheists tend to view Hinduism more as a philosophy than as a religion. Alongside that, however, Hinduism is sometimes characterised by a belief in reincarnation (samsara), determined by the law of karma and the idea that salvation is freedom from this cycle of repeated birth and death. That summary view of Hinduism that has penetrated the West furthest.

It’s likely that Hinduism’s complexity and diversity of belief and practice is caused by India’s long, complex history. Hinduism has an unparalleled ability to absorb and indigenize foreign traditions, just as India has absorbed and “indianized” many foreign invaders. The best comparison with this complexity in European history, until the process of “reverse colonisation” in recent decades that has brought millions of people from formerly colonised territories to live in the very nations that had colonised them, may have been the emergence of modernity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Simply stated it went like this. During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church defined almost entirely how its citizens understood reality, both in this life and the next. The Protestant Reformation and the terrible wars it provoked changed that. Suddenly two versions of Christianity, both claiming to represent truth, competed violently for Europeans’ allegiance, and killed them off. It’s estimated that half of the population of the German states perished during the 30 years’ war! What could Europeans now trust? Where could they/we find meaning and purpose in life? The Enlightenment, the movement that elevated human reason and science, was one answer to this search. It, too, failed, as another terrible conflict, called “The Great War” by Europeans, demonstrated. And so, inevitably, the West has entered the so-called “post-modern” era, characterised by no trust in any worldview, institution or leader. “The new metanarrative is that there is no metanarrative” is one way philosophers describe this. Some even say that we are now in a “post-post-modern”period. No wonder, in the face of this sudden diversity of worldviews, the quality of “tolerance”, which includes religious tolerance, is now so highly prized in the West. And no wonder that there are also reactions that hark back to the certainties of previous eras.

But though understandable, is it true and helpful to assume that all worldviews and faith traditions are equally valid expressions of the same religious impulse? At the hearts of three of the great world religions are claims to uniqueness. The famous “Shema” of Judaism says, “Hear, O Israel,  the LORD our God, the LORD is One…” (Deuteronomy 6.4) Jesus showed his commitment to the Shema, then identified Himself with that “Oneness” of God: “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14.6) And for a person to qualify as a Muslim they must recite the Shahada: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger.” The faith placed in tolerance by Hinduism and Western postmodernity is commonly contested from within the Abrahamic faith traditions, which happen to be world’s largest, second largest and the one which helped give rise to both.

Call me a western dualist, but how can belief systems that make contradictory truth claims all be equally valid and correct? For example, is there anything unique about Christmas? While early Christians did appropriate pagan midwinter festivals that celebrated the return of the light, they insisted what is unthinkable to Jews and Muslims, though commonplace for Hinduism: that God came into the sphere in which humans live as a human. But, contrary to Hinduism and pagan religions Christians claim that God did this only once, and for a very specific, paradoxical purpose: He came to die, and to be raised from death, so that the whole creation could be released from the grip of its rebellion against God, and consequently, of death. The idea that God allowed Himself to be executed in the most degrading way was a complete scandal to ancient pagans, as it is for Muslims today. Christians, however, think this was the strange fulfilment of the Jews’ long wait for Messiah, who would set God’s people free, but that in Jesus the concept of “God’s people” was expanded to include the whole creation. Jews, of course, have another view. Speaking of Jesus’ resurrection, there are stories in various cultures of people and gods being raised from death. Some suggest that Jesus is a “remake” of the Egyptian god Osiris who, just as the Nile River provided new life each year by flooding, himself died and was restored to life annually to symbolise and provide new life. Christians, however, insist that despite the surface resemblance, Jesus’s one-time resurrection as the harbinger of God’s restored creation was fundamentally different from Osiris’ annual dying-and-rising.

To insist that religions are the same, when they are in fact different, deprives each of its unique character, and so disrespects it. Just because religions deal in the same issues doesn’t mean they do it in the same way, though there are certainly similarities. In multi faith contexts such as Manali, people commonly cooperate with those of other religions while maintaining their distinct religious identities and convictions. The “tolerant” assumption that religions are basically the same is also the wrong “tool” to use in the struggle against religiously motivated intolerance and violence. Religion is just one of many justifications that we broken, sinful humans use to oppress others. The right tools, I think, are mutual love and respect. It’s far better to engage in the kind of fact-seeking, relationship-building discussion “Indira” and I started than either to assume that our beliefs are the basically the same or to descend into religiously motivated conflict.

Christmas, the Hindu Diwali, Jewish Hanukkah and various other festivals, in their unique ways, celebrate the coming of the Light. A follower of Jesus, I am convinced that He is the world’s true light. But that does not prevent me from respecting and appreciating the convictions and traditions of others. After all, they, like me, are searchers for truth. Whatever your personal convictions, may you be blessed in this ending-and-beginning time of the year that many people around the world celebrate as Christmas.

Lena and David Reichardt,  Christmas, 2014

Manali Missives 54/2014, Meanwhile, Back at the Hospital…

Manali Missives 54/2014-11-28

Meanwhile, Back at the Hospital…

There is a lot of sweeping going on in the grounds of Lady Willingdon Hospital. The Robinia trees are shedding their golden leaves forming, a rustling carpet on the ground. In the distance I can see the snow capped peaks heralding the arrival of winter. On our balcony we have some flowerpots; in one of them are some tulip bulbs that came from the Dandenongs. The tulips are growing; I wonder whether they will bloom before the snow comes. Winter will follow autumn and then spring will come. So the year goes by, seasons follow seasons, death follows life. So life in the hospital mirrors nature here in the Himalayas.

Since we arrived back from Sydney in August the Obstetrician/Gynaecologist, Dr Saroj, has left. This has meant that my life has become much busier as I now look after pregnant women as well as babies and children. This area of medicine is rewarding and happy; occasionally, though, it can bring a lot of sadness and grief.

Maya, a Nepali lady came to us from Lahaul, a valley north of Manali. It was her first pregnancy and she was expecting twins. Maya's blood pressure had been high but she had not been given any antihypertensive medication and she had developed eclampsia. She arrived at Manali after having had 3 seizures and with 2 dead babies in her womb. Maya continued to have other complications - she was blind for a day or two. Her blood pressure continued to be high even though she was getting 4-5 different anti hypertensives, she ended up having surgery and the wound broke down. Maya has now been discharged and has gone home to Lahaul with her husband. Her blood pressure is now normal even without any medication and she is well. 

Monika was also pregnant with twins and came to our hospital in June with ruptured membranes at 28 weeks of pregnancy. We do not have facilities to look after such premature babies and I encouraged her and her husband to go to Chandigarh where there are big hospitals. In September Monika presented with her twins at our emergency room. The twins were very small weighing 1.5 and 1.8 kgs each. The parents had left the hospital against medical advice and now the smaller one was very sick with sepsis. He died in our ICU. His brother also became unwell and was treated in our ICU and last week the parents took this baby to another place closer to the maternal grandmother. There are no news from this family and I hope that this little baby has pulled through.

One little baby was delivered by Caesarean section as labour was not progressing well and she was getting distressed. The little girl was kept in the nursery and after some time became cyanosed even when receiving oxygen. She was healthy and well when she was delivered but the older she became and the more she cried the bluer she became. I suspected a congenital cardiac abnormality, which was confirmed by a visiting paediatrician. The baby was given some prostaglandins and referred to Chandigarh Hospital. The mother came back for check up and then told me the rest of the story, that the baby had died. The parents had been told that even if the baby had the needed surgery there was still only a 10 % chance of it being successful and so nothing was done.

Some days ago another pregnant lady arrived after having had no fetal movements for a day, she delivered a dead baby with 2 true knots in the cord.

2 weeks ago a little newborn girl was found in a rubbish bin, abandoned by her young unmarried mother. She was brought to the hospital suffering from hypothermia and anaemia. The police and child health department were involved and she is now in an orphanage in Shimla awaiting adoption.

Last week a 4 year old Nepali boy was admitted with severe stridor, he had been struggling to breathe for 4 days before his parents brought him here and on arrival was almost comatose. The history that the parents gave was of 10 months breathing difficulties. A God incidence - a visiting ear, nose and throat specialist was able to examine the boy and diagnose the underlying problem. The child has had surgery and now has a tracheostomy (a hole in his windpipe), through which he can breathe easily.

A week ago I was called to a delivery in the night. The baby showed no signs of life, but after resuscitation for 15 minutes we had a heart beat. On the second day of life the little boy started having seizures -? caused by hypoxia. After receiving drugs to settle his seizures he became very still, did not cry at all. He was referred to Chandigarh for further investigations all of which are normal so far, he now has good movements in his limbs and is crying.

In the midst of all this sadness and grief and the longing to be able to do more to help, there is joy of seeing new life and incredible joy at the birth of sons and daughters of India. There is joy in calming fearful mothers, incredible joy at seeing the little babies and children developing and growing. And most of the women and children I see are healthy and do very well! Most couples have no more than 2 children. The contraceptive methods that are available here are not as many as in Australia. Women can have tubal ligation done, they can have an IUCD inserted (copper T) or go on the OCP. We have a number of women present with bleeding due to an incomplete abortion after an unwanted pregnancy as the "abortion pill" is available at any pharmacy as an over the counter medication. 

I want to thank those in Australia who have provided clothes, beanies and little bears. The little "dresses" are so useful for the newborns with drip as they can be unbuttoned both over the shoulder and the front. The beanies are disappearing quickly now with the cold weather having arrived and the little bears are very much appreciated by the poor children who have very few toys.

With winter rapidly approaching we now see more colds, coughs and fevers. Some children are admitted with pneumonia and there is quite a lot of asthma around.

Last week there was a rabid dog in a village close to Manali, it managed to bite more than 15 people before it disappeared; I’m not sure whether it died or was killed. We stock the rabies vaccine; all those who are bitten need 7 injections each over a period of 2 months.

A 17 year old male came with a severely infected leg after stepping on a nail. The trauma happened some time ago and when he presented the infection had spread to the bone. The only way to save his life was by amputating his leg above the knee.

We always have a number of residents and registrars working here and there is such joy in seeing young Indian men and women training to become doctors, at seeing them grow in some of the difficult situations. One of the young doctors has been posted in Madgram, Lahaul, for some weeks before the Rohtang pass closes. He is doing a wonderful job in this remote area. We also have another young doctor posted in Jibhi, one of our clinic on the other side of Kullu. 

Of course there are times when I don't agree with what colleagues have been taught; every country has its own guidelines. To give deworming medication and antibiotics to all children with abdominal pain and diarrhoea without doing a stool test is not acceptable medical practice, I think.

There are a number of overseas medical students who come to Manali every year for their electives. Most of them have been Australians, but we have also had some Americans and also recently a student from Malaysia. I enjoy teaching them and it also encourages me to keep studying.

The staff at The Lady Willingdon Hospital and the Daystar school have been competing against each other in cricket. There have been 3 matches, all of them won by the hospital. There have been badminton matches played as well and a lot of cheering has been going on. Now the staff are preparing for the annual day where there will be skits, dancing and singing.

Last Sunday the Sunday school celebrated their Christmas party and all the parents were invited to see their children perform. The youngest ones enacted the Christmas story, and the whole audience really loved it. I will never forget the 4 year old girl, who was playing Mary, saying "But I am not married" in response to the angel’s promise of a son. It was so absurd, and everybody erupted in laughter.

The women of Manali, or maybe it is the whole of Himachal, are very industrious and do a lot of craft, especially knitting and crocheting. The women are knitting cardigans and socks when they get some free time. I have never been to a place before where the women keep on knitting while they walk! The socks and gloves are beautiful with colourful patters.

David is in New Delhi studying Hindi with the HindiGuru school. According to Facebook posts he is also visiting a number of shopping malls. That is where both coffee and internet are available. I have heard from a reliable source that he is now speaking more Hindi and that his language skills are improving. Hopefully this will mean that he will soon be back in Manali.

Only one month to Christmas now and soon Manali will be covered in a blanket of snow. There is nothing quite like a white Christmas!

Lena Reichardt

Manali Missives Guest Editorial 2 53/2014

Manali Missives 53/2014

Guest Blog 2

How time flies! A month ago 4 of our family were here in Manali. My mother Ailsa wrote last month's Guest Blog, which she titled "The Surprises of India". This month it's brother Ross's turn at the keyboard. He memorably compares his surprise in India with his nephew's "gobsmackedness" upon seeing Australian cricketer Simon O'Donnell hit a six right out of the Sydney Cricket Ground. Ross, now home with his customary cheerful equanimity restored, has contributed this month's blog. Thank you to you both.

David Reichardt

It's an interesting experience - sitting in a café in northern India, watching and listening to your brother teach Hindi to your father. Perhaps more interesting though, is how I got to have that experience.

I'm Ross, David's brother and when David first talked about going to Manali to work for a few years, I promised him that I would visit. I have just been there, along with my wife, Deb and my parents, Alf and Ailsa, fulfilling my promise and watching that Hindi lesson! In a trip of over 3 weeks, we spent 12 days with David and Lena – 5 days in Manali and the rest travelling.

This was a trip of multiple facets. We were to see some of India, we were to visit David and Lena in their home of Manali and we were to have a family holiday, travelling as a group.

Although both DnL (as we know them) have many years and many journeys of experience with India, this was my first time there and India has, shall we say, a reputation! Mention India to anyone and if they have been, they will likely talk about how India is an assault on the senses and it is too!

Years ago, when my nephew was about 12 years old, I took him to a one day international cricket game between Australia and Pakistan. It was the second innings and Australia was chasing. I can clearly remember one ball where Simon O'Donnell stepped down the pitch and hit a ball clear over the roof of the Ladies Stand at the SCG. 50000 Aussies leapt to their feet and roared while my nephew just stood there in wide mouthed amazement, trying to take in what he was witnessing.

Well, India had that effect on me. I kept seeing new things and chattering on about what I saw and how differently things are done there. Actually, it feels like everything is done differently. David just chuckled, like I did with my nephew, while I tried to take it all in. If you haven't visited India, you should. You don't have to like it - you don't have to like anywhere you visit - but unless you see it, you won't understand.

There are many different parts of India but our short trip only allowed me to see a few of them. I saw New Delhi, a city which could swallow Australia's population and have room left over. I saw the Golden Temple in Amritsar. I was greatly entertained by the border closing ceremony at Attari - a hoot of a show hiding the serious business of India / Pakistan border control. I learned about and came face to face with a great and fascinating history. There were good roads and awful roads. There was traffic! We sweltered on the plains and we enjoyed the cooler climate in the mountains. But the 2 places which I liked most were Manali and Shimla.

We finally got to see more of Manali than the background of the Skype conversations we have had up until now! David and Lena live in the compound of Lady Willingdon Hospital, a private hospital run by the Church of Northern India and the hospital where Lena works as Obstetric Consultant. Also in the compound are a church, a school and a number of apartments for staff and visitors so it is a good size and located in the heart of Manali. At the end of the day, it was always a relief to step through the gates and into the compound which offered sanctuary from the hustle, bustle and incessantly honking car horns of the outside world!

Apart from helping us to understand David and Lena's lifestyle (more on that later), there's no doubt that Manali was a tonic - a time to relax a little from a busy journey but sure enough, the time came to leave. It was sad in a way because it's a nice spot and over our few days there it had become familiar but leave we did. At 6am.

Shimla was next and the early start gave us a few hours on the road to avoid the worst of the traffic and get a good start on the 8 hour drive. So just how far is Shimla from Manali? Well, it's about 250km which gave us an average speed of about 30 km/h! Welcome to India. I needed to recalibrate so many of my understandings of life.

Set in beautiful and dramatic mountains, Shimla was my favourite part of India. No wonder the British moved their colonial government here for about 7 months of the year to escape the heat of Delhi. Not only is it cool, it is historic, very attractive and well worth a visit!

From Shimla, we turned back to Chandigarh, where we had met up with David and Lena 12 days previously but this time around it was for goodbyes. A few toots of the horn and they were gone - swallowed up by the endlessly chaotic, seething mass of Indian traffic.

While seeing the Indian scenery was great, for me the main purpose of the trip to India was to visit David and Lena and our four days in Manali is where we got to see them on 'their patch'. They have become an integral part of Manali which was clear every time we headed out for dinner or a walk. We continually stopped to meet people they know. Some of them were Lena's patients or work colleagues and some were David's contacts but they were all very welcoming and chatted away in Hindi and English like old friends do. The warmth of the Indian people is a joy and one of the memories I took away with me.

Although English is widely spoken in India, it is not the primary language, so watching DnL both communicating with the Indians was interesting to me. Having grown up in India, Lena is fluent in Hindi and her Hindi skills greatly augment her medical skills. Actually, it is difficult to see how she could work as a doctor in Manali without her language skills. Language is also important to David as he builds his programme of teaching ecological issues to school children. He recognises that he will be able to impart much more of his message if he can use Hindi. While he doesn't have Lena's fluency in Hindi (yet!), in true form he has jumped in, found a tutor and is paddling hard!

Travelling with a group has the potential to strain relationships and yes, there were some minor tensions but nothing that a glass of Indian red or Kingfisher Strong couldn't fix. Anyway, if the glass is full, it is much less likely to be thrown it at someone don't you think? The flip side of group travelling is that we got to spend lots of time to have punning competitions (I must be with David again) and chat about all sorts of things from ecology issues, to David and Lena's work, sport, politics and pretty much anything else. We had serious conversations and lots of laughs too. Notwithstanding the scenery and seeing David and Lena on home turf, the memories of a shared family holiday were probably the greatest part of the trip for me. David said that he was looking forward to sharing this part of his life with us and I'm very pleased that we made the effort to go.

India amazed me in ways which are both wonderful and horrifying. Back at home as I look at the photos and reflect on the trip, I'm sure I'll understand that India taught me a few things too.

So, if you feel like an adventure or just want to brush up on your Hindi, I know of a little café tucked away in northern India...

Ross Reichardt

Manali Missives 52/2014 Guest Editorial: Snapshots of India

Manali Missives 52/2014 Guest Editorial: Snapshots of India

Welcome to another issue of Manali Missives. Over the past 2 weeks Lena and I have taken my parents Ailsa and Alf, my brother Ross and his wife Debbie around 2 of the 3 states, the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, included within the bounds of the Church of North India’s Amritsar Diocese. They saw much of the extent of my work (only Jammu & Kashmir were missing) and by spending some days in Manali they were able to gain a feel for Lena’s work and our home

. Out of this we have two guest editorials for Manali missives. This month I’ll publish Ailsa’s “Snapshots of India”, and next we’ll read what Ross has to say.

David Reichardt

Snapshots of India

We came to India prepared, we thought, after reading all the advice of the travel guides, having the appropriate vaccinations, and learning how to keep our valuables safe. But stepping out of the arrivals hall in Delhi airport to face the confusion of the waiting crowds, we were apprehensive. That we quickly found our names on one of the numerous boards being held up was reassuring, but our first happy surprise of the journey was the driver handing us bottles of iced water before we stepped into the car. A small thing, yes, but so welcome.

Another point at which we had anticipated stress and confusion was at New Delhi railway station, as we set out by train to join David and Lena in Chandigarh. What looked like chaos in front of the station resolved as three porters took charge of our luggage, and led us to the correct platform. We thought that was the end of their duties, but they were concerned when Ross and Deborah went away to explore the station, and called them back in plenty of time to board (with the porters loading the baggage and seeing us settled). Such a pleasant surprise!

Having met David and Lena in Chandigarh, we set out the next day towards Amritsar. We were driving through the fertile agricultural lands of the Punjab, but the farmers had closed the road as a protest – apparently not an uncommon action – so we had to find another way. That is not so simple, given the density of traffic and the quality of the roads. David, who was unfamiliar with this area, happened to speak to another driver who was turning back, and this man said, ”Follow me, I know this area well.” He actually went out of his way to guide us through the city of Ludhiana. We gratefully went on our way and he has subsequently become a Facebook friend of David.

That same day, when we stopped for a late lunch, my camera slid off the seat of the car as I got out. It was found on the ground by a security man, and returned to us as we came back to the car. We were beginning to feel that some of our preconceived notions about India needed to be revised.

In our one day in Amritsar, we had three significant sites to visit, and they became more significant for us as we had further experiences of aspects of India. The first was Jallianwala Bagh, an enclosed area where, in 1919, British troops stormed in and massacred more than a hundred unarmed citizens holding a protest rally. Reading the tributes in this place gave us an understanding of the long campaign for self-determination that preceded independence for India in 1947.

Nearby, at the famous Golden Temple, pilgrimage site for Sikhs, we saw the gold, the colonnades and marble buildings surrounding a large pool. What we did not see were the kitchens in which meals for thousands of needy people are prepared and served daily. That care for the poor was another discovery about India.

Late in the afternoon, we drove 30 kilometers from Amritsar to the border with Pakistan where, every evening, with much military posturing – battle cries, high-stepping marching in ostentatious uniforms, fierce gestures at close quarters, but no actual physical contact – the national flags of both countries are lowered, and the border gates closed. As a prelude, with loud music playing on the Indian side, women came down from the packed grandstands of spectators and danced…..while we could see on the Pakistani side the women heavily veiled, and a lone male waving the Pakistani flag. So things are changing for Indian women, and we can expect these freedoms to continue.

But Manali is the heart of our visit to India. We came into the town at the end of a 6 hour drive from Palampur over a narrow, twisting, crowded, ever-rising road. Lady Willingdon Hospital, where Lena works, is something of an oasis near the mall at the centre of town. To come in through the gates is to enter a haven where traffic noise is subdued, where staff care for patients, and relatives sit patiently and wait. It is a community: many staff live onsite, the canteen serves food for all who come, and any townsfolk taking a shortcut through the grounds can glimpse a baby being shown to relatives at the door of the operating theatre. It has 55 beds, and more than 100 staff, many of whom live in the compound.  Such a community develops strong common concerns, so that all who come in through the gates experience the warmth of dedicated care. Smiles and “Namaste” greet us at every turn. We feel accepted and part of the community.

These snapshots of life in India have shown us features of life that surprised and delighted us in a country making the transition from a traditional society under colonial rule to an independent, modern republic.  

Ailsa Reichardt

Manali Missives 51/2014 Kashmiri Flood Update 14th September, 2014

From http://assembly.uca.org.au/resources/update/item/1587-nationalupdate-sept14

Overseas Partnerships, Relief and Development

Rob Floyd, National Director, UnitingWorld, Uniting Church in Australia 

UnitingWorld launches Kashmir Flood Appeal in support of our Partner Church

More than 250 people are feared dead and 400,000 are anxiously awaiting rescue after the worst flooding in

sixty years triggered massive landslides and submerged hundreds of villages in the North Indian regions of

Kashmir and Jammu. In an email we received on Thursday September 11, Reverend PK Samantaroy of the

Diocese of Amritsar, Church of North India, expressed his grave fears for thousands of people in the region

who have lost their homes, water supplies and livestock. Roads have been washed away hampering relief

and rescue operations. The Church has set up a Relief and Rehabilitation Initiative called “Love in Action”

to reach out to the people of Kashmir. As Uniting Church partners, we have launched an appeal to support

this vital work through UnitingWorld. Included is a prayer for our friends in North India. Reverend

Samantaroy writes: “I am thankful to all our friends and partners who have expressed their concern through

prayer and letter and are willing to help. In this time of great calamity God wants us to show our love to the

whole people of Jammu and Kashmir through out meaningful presence and action of solidarity.” You can

support relief efforts by donating to this appeal through our website http://www.unitingworld.org.au/

announcements/prayers-for-our-partner-in-north-india-kashmir-floods/ or by calling 1800 000 331.

People in other countries can send money directly to the Amritsar Diocese’s “Love in Action” fund:

Transfer of funds from foreign contributions

Title of Account : Diocese of Amritsar

Account No. : Saving A/c 630410100006228

Name of the Bank : Bank of India

Address : Mall Road Branch, Amritsar Swift Code : BKIDINBBASR

Indian residents can contact the Bishop Samantaroy’s office on 0183 2222910 for details of how to make

the transaction, & for news. Aid is now (14 Sept.) reaching Srinagar, & Bishop Samantaroy has travelled

there himself.

A prayer for people experiencing flooding in India

Leader: God who silences the storm we pray now for our friends in India:


For those who have lost family, lost friends, homes, possessions.
People: In the midst of this darkness we pray light.
Leader: We pray for those who bring rescue, for relief workers, medical staff and all who bring shelter.
People: In their weariness we pray strength.

Leader: We pray for those who bring comfort, warm meals and gentle words,


People: In their caring we pray hope.

Together: God who silences the storm we pray for our friends in

India. Amen.

Grace & peace, David Reichardt 

Manali Prayer Partnership Bulletin September, 2014 Special Issue: Flooding in Jammu & Kashmir

Manali Prayer Partnership Bulletin, September, 2014

Special Issue: Flooding in Jammu & Kashmir

This issue of Manali Prayer Partnership is prompted by the floods devastating Kashmir, the most northerly region of India; Jammu, which lies just to Kashmir’s south; and Pakistani Kashmir. Flooding has also reached the Pakistani city of Lahore, and Amritsar, holy to the Sikhs and just 50km to the east in India. I gave a paper at a workshop for health workers in Amritsar on September 4, and escaped the flooding the following day.

I’m sending this prayer bulletin to the whole list that normally receives notice of our blog, Manali Missives. Quite a number of people I send notice of Manali Missives do not share my particular religious perspective, but this natural disaster is, I think, reason for us to at least think good thoughts for its many victims. These victims include Muslims in Kashmir and Pakistan, Hindus in Jammu, as the submerged temple shows, Sikhs in the Indian Punjab, and small minorities of Christians and other religions in various places. 

As spiritual leader of the Amritsar Diocese of the Church of North India Rev “Bunu” Samantaroy feels this crisis keenly. This from a post to his Facebook page:

“Devastating flood has crippled life in Kashmir. Flood water entered Srinagar city in the early hours yesterday when most people were sleeping. The All Saints Church was already under 5 ft water in the morning. Till yesterday evening water level was rising in Tyndale Biscoe School. In some areas single story houses were completely under water. Some families were evacuated to higher grounds while others were anxiously waiting for rescue. I am not able to contact anybody in Srinagar or Anantnag because all communication networks are down. Many anxious relatives are phoning me to know about their dear ones. I feel so helpless. I am grateful to all those who are praying for Kashmir. Kashmir disaster needs your intervention.”

I have made 2 visits to Jammu & Kashmir. On the second I helped 4 Christian schools conduct their annual 3 day camps and hikes in mountains near Srinagar. So my concerns are particularly for the mainly Muslims and Christians associated with the Tyndale-Biscoe Boys’ School, Mallinson Girls’ School, The Kashmir Valley School and the Tangmarg  School in Kashmir; the mainly Hindus and Christians associated with the Alexander School in Jammu; and the staff and patients of the John Bishop Memorial Hospital in Anantnag, about an hour’s drive south of Srinagar. Though the schools are Christian by ethos and leadership most of the staff and students are Muslims. I was received and treated with a hospitality, respect and warmth that completely belied the horrors that are being perpetrated by fighters for ISIS in Iraq and elsewhere. During the Kashmiri insurgency of some years ago the Hospital treated the wounded of both sides. Although it was at one point taken over by insurgents, remarkably, an unarmed, female, Christian doctor was able to resume it and its activities.

Of much else to like about this part of the world I think its sheer beauty is remarkable. So I ask for your prayers/good thoughts for it in this hour of need. 

Prayers:

for the people and institutions I’ve mentioned;

for the relatives and loved ones of those who have already died, and those who will die;

for support for building up shattered communities and lives when the floods have subsided;

Give thanks that the Indian government, which has been formed from a party that represents Hindu interests, has nevertheless seen fit to already send a lot of money in relief aid. 

that adequate aid will be forthcoming.

that common suffering might draw the diverse, warring communities of this part of the world together.

There is another matter. My tasks on the camps and hikes were, apart from assisting the less keen and able hikers, to help put students and staff in touch with nature, and to teach them about climate change and human-caused environmental threats of other kinds. I understand that these huge floods have come very much at the wrong time of the year. We all know about the vagaries and excesses of Indian monsoons, but the fields of almost ripe crops being drenched as I drove through the Punjab were testimony to the belief that this should not be happening. Yet all over the world it is. Terrible drought in California, enormous dust storms, then record rain on the one afternoon in Arizona, these floods: the list goes on. 

Beyond asking for your prayers, good thoughts and, as this becomes possible, practical action, probably in the form of donations, towards ameliorating the effects of this and that natural disaster, my deeper prayer is that you will consider well what we are doing to our planet, and take steps to reverse this dangerous process.

Grace and peace,

David Reichardt

Manali Missives 49/2014 The First Time Out was Time On

Manali Missives 49/2014

The First Timeout was Time On

Lena and I are back in Manali after our first “Timeout”, 6½ weeks in Australia with contradictory goals: rest and reflection, and meeting, informing and inspiring people about what we are doing in India. 

It was wonderful! It was exhausting! It was, in fact, almost entirely “Time On”. We met old friends for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, golf, breakfast, Saturday morning cycling before breakfast. We made wonderful new friends who put us up overnight, sight unseen, in a strange city, and with whom we bonded instantly, sharing stories of life as ministers’ families, praying together. In less than 24 hours it felt like we’d known each other for decades. We also met the man whose extraordinary generosity has underwritten our whole project, but whose humility is such that he does not wish to be recognised in any way. It was enough for him to come to a strange church to hear and see our presentation of what we are doing, and to shake our hands. I had long discussions at public bars with old schoolmates whom I had barely known then, but whom I’ve got to know through Facebook over the past few years. Almost best of all, we deepened friendships with neighbours, developed trust into love with in-laws and, by dint of going home to mum and dad, received, opened and enjoyed the gift of knowing them as friends, adult to adult, white-haired as all four of us now are! My home congregation, Gordon Uniting Church, received us with open arms, immediately and enthusiastically taking on Lena’s suggested project, knitting beanies for new-born babies. 

Then there was the ministry that just crops up: encouraging the young couple struggling in his first placement as a minister; visiting an old friend and onetime employer 2 hours before travelling to the airport and 2 days before he died), catching up with colleagues and friends from our previous employments. And both of us met our respective professional supervisors for significant debriefing sessions.

We also checked in with our current sending agency, UnitingWorld. They had arranged our dozen or so speaking engagements, the first of which was 2 days after we arrived, for us to communicate our project. These were great occasions; we felt well received, and able to tell our story effectively, but at coffees with our supervisors, whose function differs significantly from that of our professional supervisors’, we agreed that next year we’ll go into hiding for some days as soon as we arrive home. We did have a couple of  days off in the middle of our stay, at a schoolfriend’s Bed & Breakfast in Katoomba, but this was not nearly enough. We also attended and spoke at a long overdue (not for us but for some who served overseas decades ago) but no less welcome thank you lunch UnitingWorld hosted for returned missionaries from the era when they were still sent out for years at a time, and for more recent volunteers such as ourselves.

There was seemingly endless household administration: major bills that had to be paid, new credit cards to be received and tested, an application to Council for the removal of trees encroaching on our house, and many doctors’ appointments to check whether our bodies, now in late middle age, are holding up to the rigours of life and work in India. (They are, more or less!)

There were also some occasions of particular significance. Of several family get-togethers the most important was my father Alf’s 85th birthday party. I’m not sure which of two other occasions I feel prouder about: organising a boys’ night out to the amazing final of the annual Super 15 championship, a rugby competition between the 15 best provincial teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, which the New South Wales Waratahs won in the last minute; or participating in the annual “City To Surf “, the world’s largest community run years after being told I should never run again.

In summary, we failed entirely in the quest for rest but took some valuable opportunities for reflection. Meetings with professional supervisors, our UnitingWorld supervisors, and our closest friends and family, and the work of preparing and delivering presentations were particularly helpful in this regard. And we have succeeded in meeting, informing and hopefully inspiring people about what we are doing in India, the life of the Church of North India and its Amritsar Diocese in particular, and a rejuvenated UnitingWorld. 

One of the last meetings I held was with two fellow ecotheologians. One of them is a retired electrical engineer, eminent enough in his field to have helped the Chinese develop their power supply. His PhD topic has to do with developing a theology of power. In the way of these things this topic sounded unlikely until he started speaking about it. We had a fascinating discussion about the science, technology and ecology of power supply, the state of the transition the world is making from “old”, carbon-based energy supplies, principally coal, oil and gas, to “new”, renewable energy supplies such as solar and wind power. Eventually  I asked “Where is God in all of this?” At that point our conversation plumbed new depths.

Lena and I really need to ask this question of ourselves. For a year now we have been engaged in a blizzard of activity which our “Timeout” in Australia only exascerbated. She has been thrown/ thrown herself into the work of a chronically under-funded and under-resourced hospital doing wonderful healing in a highly diverse, remote community. Twice she has been the hospital’s acting chief medical officer. She has been stretched to the limit of her capabilities, has periodically fallen ill as a consequence, but has helped many, many people and has grown into her role as the hospital’s paediatrician.

I’m starting an “Eco-Care” project in a Diocese that stretches across 3 states. This involves getting to know and to be trusted by many people for whom ecological care is a relatively new concept, and stimulating their interest in ecology, ecotheology and ecopraxis (the practical out workings of the first two). Consequently I have been learning Hindi, their major language, and have driven thousands of kilometres in highly diverse, hazardous conditions to meet them. I’ve worked with or at least contacted 11 schools, a number of congregations and their pastors, several hospitals and Manali’s local tourism authority. While Lena’s work has been focussed upon the hospital, with the occasional outside clinic, for me the hospital, and the school and church which share the compound with it form my community from which I travel. Lena focusses upon healing people (she calls what she does “Lena’s Healing Ministry”); I try to teach and encourage people to participate in healing the environment in which they live. Our work is highly complementary. 

But where is God in all of this? My now deceased mentor, Rev Dr John Mallison, used to encourage me not to get so caught up doing “the good” that I neglect “God’s Best”. Discerning the specific will of an invisible God is part of the fine art of being a Christian. But discernment must be based in part upon good theology, the study of God. The reverse is also true: discerning specifically how God would have me live my life, in day to day, even minute by minute decisions, expressed attitudes and actions powerfully affects my theology.

Here, summarised, are some of the theological themes that have developed for me over the past year:

1. Ecotheology has powerfully affected the way I understand the Gospel, the Christian Good News. When I was a young Christian I thought God’s plan was about rescuing from this earth those who put their faith in Jesus. Now I think that God’s plan, of which the critical part was the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is to restore God’s rule on this earth. That incorporates my previous concerns, but so much else as well. The Swiss theologian Hans Küng has put it succinctly: “God’s kingdom is creation healed.”
2. The key verb in my enhanced understanding of the Gospel is “restore”. God is restoring God’s reign on planet earth, fixing what is broken. Other images fill this out. In his great passage in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 St Paul enjoined his readers to be “reconciled” to God. The Bible and Christian theology use a number of words starting with “re-“, including, first and foremost, “resurrection”, to describe the Gospel.
3. This changed perception of what the Gospel is does not alter what Brian Medway calls “the primary purpose” of the Church. Every Christian is charged by texts such as “The Great Commission”, Matthew 28:16-20, to proclaim the Gospel by our words, our deeds, our whole lives, individually and corporately. But it does alter radically what we think we’re doing. I still believe the classic evangelical doctrines (though just what I think they mean might provoke discussion) but I no longer think that intellectual assent to a set of propositions is what produces salvation. On the other hand, although working for social justice (and that includes the kind of eco-care I’m involved in) is doing the work of God it’s not enough by itself. There are many secular agencies and groups inspired by other religions doing wonderful social and environmental work, thereby participating, even if unwittingly, in God’s restorative work on planet earth. But the essential restoration is restored relationship with God, and Christians are convinced that that is done through Jesus Christ. Without that restored relationship no other restorative project will ultimately succeed. And while that restored relationship can be enacted, it must also be explained.  We must “walk the talk”, but it’s just as important to “talk the walk”.                                                             

So what are we - Lena and I; all Christians - doing here? Well, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 St Paul called himself [an] “ambassador[s] for Christ”. Earlier, in chapter 3, verse 3 he called the Corinthian Christians “a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” And in 2:15 he wrote, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” There’s a “sentness” about each of these images. Ambassadors communicate and act on behalf of the sending agency. Letters communicate. Aromas communicate too, but different way pointed to by Rev “Bunu” Samantaroy, Bishop of Amritsar Diocese. When asked why it would not be better to send the Diocese money instead of people, with all the cross-cultural complications we entail he replied, “When you send people,” he said, “we know that you love us.” 

I’m aware that some who read this blog do not identify themselves as Christians. I’m really grateful for your interest, and invite your comments as well as those “of the household of faith”. But now, tired though Lena and I are, we begin our second year of this project. Time On for some more loving! We wonder what this month will bring.

With good aroma!

Lena and David Reichardt

Manali Missives 48/2014 Summer in Himalayan India

Manali Missives 48/2014

Summer in Himalayan India

Summer has come again to the Indian subcontinent. At the beginning of June a new record maximum of 47.8°C was noted in Delhi. It was hot enough when I, madly, started a game of frisbee in Connaught Circus, the heart of Delhi’s shopping precinct, in July, 1981; Delhi is notorious for its ferocious summers. But nearly 48°C in June? That is insane! At coffee after work yesterday a young doctor gave a previously unmentioned reason for doing another short stint at the hospital in Manali: in her hometown, Ludhiana, it reached 50°C!

Having survived Manali’s long-drawn-out winter we are now revelling in the relative mildness of its climate. Mind you, 30°C would be quite enough for some but when I returned from trips to Kashmir and Shimla recently it was great to see all the foliage on the deciduous trees and rose bushes everywhere in full bloom. And the mornings are still cool. When I’ve gone running in the forest during the few days I’ve managed to be at home it’s been almost chilly, and the mass of melted glacier water rushing down the Beas River and its tributaries makes the air above frigid. 

The high peaks around Manali are still snow-capped, and Rohtang Pass, 50 km north of the town, remains difficult and dangerous to cross. Having finally done so last week, en route to conducting medical camps in the Lahaul and Spiti valleys beyond to assess needs and report back to the Himachal Pradesh government, I can say that the roads up to the famous, 4,000 metre high pass on both sides are narrow, precipitous, and at points resemble fire trails. Traffic jams can develop at a moment’s notice as passing vehicles, most of them driven by newly rich middle-class Indians in cars of their own or by hired tourist operators, trapped between rock wall and precipice on crumbling road, manoeuvre, sometimes with only centimetres’ play room. Frequently someone further back in the queue, impatient and unaware of the drama being played out ahead, decides to overtake as many stationary vehicles as he can, assuming that he’ll be able to get back in line at some stage. That, of course, completes the bottleneck, which can then take hours to clear. But the spectacular Lahaul valley beyond was more than worth all the trouble.

While not over-impressed by many of the private drivers and tourists operators - there are cowboys who have no idea about or regard for defensive driving - my admiration for India’s truck and bus drivers has been reinforced. I didn’t drive over Rohtang Pass, but since we returned I have driven 6 hours southwards to an ordination service at a place called Kotgarh. This involved passage over a number of similarly narrow, precipitous tracks, including driving twice on the same day, there and back, over Jalori Pass, rated one of India’s most dangerous roads. Lena and I first traversed it while returning from Shimla a couple of months ago. Several times I met vehicles where the road was simply too narrow for us to pass each other, so one of us would have to back until we could get enough vehicle off the road (without, of course, going over the edge!) so that the other could pass. Human character is writ large on India’s roads!

So over the past two months we have been avoiding India’s intense summer heat, not simply by mingling with Manali’s annual influx of tourists, but by travelling in the highlands. In mid-May we visited Srinagar, the capital of famed Kashmir. While the trip involved some descent, and the Kashmir Valley is warmer than Manali, Srinagar itself was pleasant. We took my Hindi tutor, Krishna, with us on the two day journey in SFX2, the Mahindra Scorpio SUV. Krishna comes from a village near the old British hill station of Dalhousie, so we stayed with his sister, sister-in-law and their families on the first night. Lena and I were given the double bed in one room, while the family of 6, including 3 adults and 3 small children (both husbands were away on duty with the Indian army) crammed into the second room, which had a double bed and a small sofa. Normal, incredible Indian hospitality that doesn’t even seem to realise that that is what it is!

The next morning we rejoined National Highway 21, passing so many wayside groves of jacaranda trees in full, purple glory, silky oaks and eucalyptus that we might have been in Australia, and drove to a city called Pathankot, which is where the 3 states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir meet. We waited a couple of hours there at the main bus stand for a diocesan worker to arrive from Amritsar with SFX2’s original certificate of registration. This turned out to be a credit card-sized, plasticised card which I wanted mainly to be exempt from the ₹300 “green tax” I’ve had to pay every time I’ve driven back to Manali.

We drove on, at first on dual carriage way over flatlands, which was fine until we had to deal with motorbikes, vehicles and ox carts coming at us on our carriageway; then on brilliantly constructed dual carriageway over increasingly mountainous terrain. The towering bridges and tunnels reminded me of Germany’s autobahns. But this being India the project is incomplete. Soon we found ourselves creeping up narrow, damaged roads in vehicle queues behind desperately underpowered lorries, and throwing up curtains of dust as we sought the least undulating routes across fields of potholes. Later again, as we made our way up and down roads that appeared to be but diagonal slits on the massive mountain sides we frequently had to wait as herders took their sheep, goats, cows, buffaloes and horses up to the pasture in the high country, recently uncovered as the winter snows melted.

We drove on into darkness, stopping at a rickety structure that claimed to be a tollbooth that took toll from foreigners, passing through a tunnel and out into the Kashmir, and negotiating another chaotic toll station that was in almost complete darkness. And on we went, down into the broad Kashmiri valley and on to Srinagar, growing tireder and more disgruntled until I decided to pray for help. Pulling up and asking directions of the first person we saw (At 11.30pm there weren’t many left on the streets!) we discovered that we were standing outside our destination! God has a sense of humour, it seems!

And then, more fabulous Indian hospitality. Mr Parwez Kaul, Principal of the Tyndale-Biscoe Boys’ School and Director of an association of 4 Christian Schools in Kashmir Valley (The others are the branch school at Tangmarg that was burnt down a few years ago, the Mallinson Girls’ School, located on the Tyndale-Biscoe School’s property and Kashmir Valley School) and one of his senior staff were there to greet us. They sat with us as the chowkidar provided us with dinner, and Parvez soothed our consciences about arriving so late by telling us that, because of Kashmir’s reputation for violence, they rarely receive any visitors, and the last visitors had arrived at 3am! He had never seen an angrez (westerner) driving in Kashmir, he said, which of course tickled my ego!

The following day we backtracked an hour to the John Bishop Memorial Hospital in Anantnag. This hospital was taken over by Muslim insurgents during the late 1980s, before being reclaimed by the current medical superintendent, Dr Sarah, a single woman. We were shown around and treated to lunch. On the way back to Srinagar I inadvertently held up a column of military police for about half an hour by refusing to allow them to push me off the road when overtaking. Clearly not used to this lack of deference they were not only very annoyed but armed to the teeth. Fortunately they had become so late for whatever their appointment was that they kept charging down the wrong side of the road, and I escaped with life, limb and vehicle intact! The following day we were taken sight-seeing, through wonderful Mughal gardens, and a Muslim centre that reputedly houses a lock of the Prophet Muhammed’s hair; in a shikara (like a Venetian gondola) on the famous Dal Lake out to one of the equally famous  houseboats; to the home of our guide, a Muslim school teacher, where we prayed for his sick mother; and then to Srinagar’s CNI church. The next day we were chauffeured “down the hill” to Jammu by Hilal, one of the School’s drivers. Never have I praised God so much for not having to drive! Early the following morning Hilal took a taxi back to Srinagar and we visited the Alexander Memorial School, where I spoke about my work with the Principal, Mrs Esther William and her teachers. We then participated in a delayed Mothers’ Day function, of all things! I resumed at the Scorpio’s wheel the day after; we left Jammu & Kashmir, got back mobile reception, and crossed the northern most corner of the Punjab and into Himachal Pradesh. A detour took us to Dharmsala, and McLeodGanj where the Tibetan government in exile is located. Our purpose, however, was to meet Carissa from Lena’s DaySpring church, who was in the area for a little while. After an early lunch with her and her friend Emily we continued to Kangra, where we met Rev Poonam Masih, the local “presbyter” (minister) and her husband Michael. And then, another 6 hours’ hard driving later, we were home in Manali.

My purpose with this trip was to establish contact with leaders of congregations and other institutions of Church of North India’s Amritsar Diocese in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in the hopes that they would invite me back to do some eco(theo)logical work. That paid off immediately. Parwez Kaul invited me to participate in the schools’ annual camping and trekking program in the mountains beyond Srinagar a few weeks later, and Esther William later indicated that she would organise a one day seminar in her school similar to the one that Mrs Vidhupriya Chakravarty, Principal of St Thomas’ School in Shimla, had by then accomplished. Making contact with Poonam and Michael was a bonus! I hope to return to Kangra.

But it was to Shimla I went only a few days later. There I was the guest of St Thomas’ School at a one day seminar on ecology that was the School’s contribution to Shimla’s sesquicentenary celebrations of becoming the summer capital of the British Raj. Some days later I represented the Uniting Church at the Amritsar Diocese’ triennial Diocesan Council, held in Auckland House, yet another school that I’m likely to return to. Soon after that experience I returned to Kashmir, driving to Jammu and flying to Srinagar, and participated in the remarkable camping and trekking program. Then off to the Lahaul valley. I don’t get many chances to share in Lena’s side of our project, but this experience was really valuable. And finally, that trip over dangerous Jalori Pass to Kotgarh where I shared the joy of 9 probationers being ordained. What a summer!

Today Lena and I will take a bus to Delhi, where the monsoon is due to arrive soon. We’ll miss that by boarding a flight to a winter-bound Sydney, where for 6 weeks we’ll reflect and communicate upon a remarkable first year of missives from Manali.

With much love,

Lena & David Reichardt