I left for New Dehli on 5th October 2014. I stayed with Nomi Unikrishnan a long-time friend and supporter of TLTF. Two days later I took the 2-hour flight to Bhubaneswar in the East and then the Tapaswani Express to Rourkela.

We were due to arrive in Rourkela at 8.05 hrs. In fact we were there at 8.04 - Deutsche Bundesbahn, please take note! Fransisca was on the platform accompanied by Gulab, Manohar and one of the lads from the school, Vivek. We went straight to the hotel so that I could have a quick shower and then we drove into town to buy some saris, shirts and trousers for the teaching staff. We had intended to buy some bed clothing for the children but we couldn’t find anything suitable.

Rather tired, primarily as a result of the searing heat, we went for lunch and then I said “goodbye” to the welcoming committee until the next day. In the afternoon I caught up on a couple of hours sleep and then took off in a tuktuk to one of the local markets. Crossing the railway line, my head nearly went through the roof of the tuktuk. After lengthy negotiations over the price, I finally came away from the store armed with four badminton racquets, two cricket bats, fours hockey sticks and an array of various balls, including a rather nice football which won’t last long on the stoney fields of Kutra. I think the kids need to be doing more sports.

As always, the children and teachers had gone to considerable effort to provide an exhilarating “Welcome”. It was so nice to see the children again, looking healthy and happy.

We danced into the school and after a short refreshment-break, it was off to the new building, filled with new beds, for the official opening. It was my great pleasure to perform the opening ceremony. The previous old walls have been completely refurbished, a sturdy roof has been erected and the whole site looks totally different to what was there before. The beds are sturdy and stable and the children are obviously proud of their new sleeping quarters.

We then moved to the stage area where the kids performed an array of dance, song and theatrical e interludes – excellent entertainment! Fransisca made a very moving speech, thanking all our supporters from Germany, the children and staff for their hard work, the builders and contractors and Nomi from New Delhi for her advice and support (which cannot be underestimated!).

I then retired with Anas and Pascal to the computer room to save the picture material and exchange data. I posted a lovely picture of all the kids on facebook and we looked at some sites on the internet which could be of use to the kids when learning English. Learning English has to be a major priority. The more one moves around this vast country, the more apparent it becomes that English-speakers will have considerable advantaged in this new and vibrant economy. After a sumptuous meal cooked on open fires (better than thing the Mayfair hotel is able to offer), we sat under a large tree in the garden and the kids sang some songs. I managed to get “London’s burning” done as a cannon (not easy at around 40 °C!!).

I spent the day playing with the children and talking to the staff. Enjoyable minutes were also spent eating the delicious meal prepared over the open fires in the kitchen.

Kutra is always a bit exhausting, especially at the present, unseasonal temperatures, so I’m going back and forth to the hotel to recharge the batteries. They are expecting a cyclone in Bhubaneswar on the 13th October. In a way I would like to experience something like this – I love thunderstorms – but perhaps it’s a good thing that I won’t be caught up in the midst of it.

I left Kutra, lifted by the high spirits and humour of the children and staff. We had a great games afternoon, with the lads displaying their considerable skill with a hockey stick and the girls playing badminton with the newly acquired equipment. Play was interrupted by rain, the product of the cylone which is hitting the coast at the moment. The news is full of it, the pictures on the TV look fairly impressive. Unfortunately, I can’t understand anything as we have no English language news programme here and by Hindi has got a bit rusty.

I got a map off the BBC and it looked as though I may be lucky. I had to get the train to Bhubaneswar on the 15th and fly back to Delhi on 16th.

Saraswati and Mukul came to see me last night and we had a nice chat. The biggest surprise, however, was when I had a call from reception to say that Maria had arrived. She had been rather unwell and I hadn’t seen her at all. She was accompanied by Gulab, and another lady from the Ashram, whose name I unfortunately cannot recall and three of the Ashram kids. My hotel room was getting a bit crowded!

The next day Vivek and Pascal (two of the older boys) were punctually at the hotel with the taxi driver to pick me up for the hour’s trip to Kutra. I think Fransisca was rather worried to let me travel on my own, in case I got abducted by the Maoist terrorists. I did have my Chairman Mao t-shirt on, so there was no danger of that! The road from Rourkela to Kutra is in itself a danger. The government has started to turn it into a dual carriageway to reduce the number of accidents, caused primarily by the large trucks transporting raw materials for the iron, steel and cement industries.

This widening should cut down the time it takes to get to Kutra. The road hosts accidents on a daily basis. It is strewn with wild dogs, goats and cattle which take virtually no notice of the hooting and honking. (I’ll have to find out the difference between the two one day!) A very small puppy was just trotting down the middle of the road, cars and lorries missing him by inches.. I hoped I would see him alive on my return journey the next day.

The weather cooled down considerably and a pleasant breeze made sitting outside very pleasant. The power was often cut off. They often have power cuts but at the moment they are more frequent because of the cyclone. Trains to Bhubaneswar were not running either. They had approximately 48 hours to clear the tracks or I would have to speak to the management!

Sitting where I was I could hear the sound of orderly teaching going on. A fair bit of chanting and reading from the black-board, discipline rules in all classrooms. They now have a pet parrot which they reared after he had been found abandoned in the jungle. His name is Metoo and is very popular with the kids.I do feel it would be nice to get him a larger cage. The livestock population in the school is in decline. The chickens have dwindled to one, a conscious move, as they were making too much mess. There is a flock of doves which generate a feeling of peace around the place, not only symbolically, but also with their cooing. This place is generally very peaceful. There is very little aggression among the children, just the opposite, a harmonious atmosphere is to be found.

Fransisca is doing a great job here. She has a 24-hour job and is responsible for everything in Kutra. Maria and Gulap run the Ashram in Rourkela. It would be good to train someone to take on more responsibility, as Fransisca’s deputy so that she can devote more of her time to the important administrative duties. There is a dedicated body of staff, who obviously love their jobs. Here again it would advantageous to all, staff and children, if more training could be financed.

The gong has just been given a good bashing, time for a well-earned break. Before lunch I sang a few songs with the kids. They successfully completed “London’s Burning” as a canon and Three Blind Mice are going down well, although “They all ran after the farmer’s who cut off their tales with a carving knife” is a bit of a mouthful, but we slowly got there. Aren’t these lyrics barbaric! Probably just as well that not too much is understood. Don’t want to offend any mice-lovers! Talking of mice, I think they multiplied in the room where I was sleeping. I could hear a lot more scratching. Hope it wasn’t rats! Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door went down rather well, too.

That afternoon at about three o’clock power returned so I tried with Anas get to grips with excel and get logged into skype. The internet is so slow. It’s even worse than in Hohenhain! We’ve drafted a mail, asking the provider for help, but we couldn’t send it! This is something we may be able to address from Germany.

For the evening meal I managed to get the girls who always cook and serve to sit down and eat with us. The male-dominated Indian society is even apparent in a little school like this. The girls do the cooking and cleaning. Not once have I seen a boy sweeping the floor. I’ve told the boys, the next time I come I would like to have a meal cooked by them. And who was later in the kitchen cooking papads? Pascal! He’s a great lad! (As they all are!)

The older boys and girls do have an immensely important role to play. They look after the tiny kids extremely well, they make sure they do their homework and generally regiment everything requiring it.

I slept in the next day, not getting up until 5.15 am. The older children were already sweeping the courtyard and the toilets had already been cleaned before my crouching acrobatics had started. A highlight for me was the karate lesson which was done with so much enthusiasm. Some of the things they were doing looked rather dangerous but thankfully no one got hurt

A little boy passed my window, singing. It’s moments like that that lift one’s heart in the midst of all this poverty.

I have spent the most enjoyable day with the kids and staff in Kutra. The taxi picked me up at 7.30 am and I drove with Gulab, who had come from the ashram in Rourkela, to the school and orphanage in Kutra. The journey took about an hour and when we arrived, we had the usual, impressive welcome from the children and staff. We danced into the school and after a short refreshment-break, it was off to the new building, filled with new beds, for the official opening. It was my great pleasure to perform the opening ceremony. The previous old walls have been completely refurbished, a sturdy roof has been erected and the whole site looks totally different to what was there before. The beds are sturdy and stable and the children are obviously proud of their new sleeping quarters.

Farewell speech

Dear boys and girls, dear teachers, dear Fransisca.

Coming to see you all makes me so happy. Leaving you makes me very, very sad. It makes me so sad that I cannot talk properly. For this reason I have asked Fransisca to read this speech to you.

You are the greatest kids in the world. I love your spirit, your hard work, your helpfulness to each other. I am always filled with happiness when I am here. Not only do we have the greatest kids in the world, we also have the greatest teachers, and I would like to thank then very much for their hard work and loving care. I also need to thank the girls for the fantastic food and Pascal for his fantastic papads! The next time I come, I would like to eat a meal prepared only by the boys. The world is changing. The woman’s place is no longer only to be at home, doing household chores. Domestic work needs to be shared by men and women, by husband and wife, by boys and girls. So, boys, please help as much as you can with the cleaning and cooking. Cooking is great fun. You’ll enjoy it! And girls, it’s your job to teach the boys how to prepare the delicious food that you cook. It’s the best curry I’ve ever eaten!

I would also like to thank the older boys and girls for making the school run so smoothly. Your care for the youngsters is absolutely impressive. My thanks go to Anas, Pascal and Vivek who have looked after me as a father! Just as the boys need to cook and sweep, the girls must not shy from world of computers. Ask the boys to show you how things work, get on the internet (when it’s working!), explore the world outside Kutra; broaden your horizons.

Raising money in Germany to support this wonderful school is sometimes hard work. But I and fellow supporters love every minute because we know that you are making the most of your opportunities.

Conclusion

As ever, the time spent in Kutra was uplifting, motivating and thoroughly enjoyable. The change in the lives of children and staff made possible by the new building, financed by Friends of The Learning Tree Foundation has been considerable. The beds and benches manufactured by the older students have increased the quality of the childrens’ lives, not least because they are now able to sleep under mosquito nets and thus lowering the danger of catching malaria. Both Fransisca and Dibya have suffered from this disease in recent months.

The new sari uniforms for the teachers were very well-received. They are very proud of them and I hope they see this gift as a reward for the great job they are doing. In the near future the children will require some new uniforms, too.

The teachers also need some help with their language teaching methodology. I shall be producing English-teaching materials which we can then send to them to ease the load placed upon these slender shoulders. One of the main aims for coming months must be to increase the speed of the internet in Kutra. The children could profit very much from a well-functioning internet. At present one just gets frustrated. I shall be endeavouring to contact the Indian provider, if not directly, then through friends in Rourkela or The Smile Foundation.

I discussed the issue of space and further investment requirements with Fransisca. Due to lack of space, It is still not possible for boys and girls to sleep in separate dormitories. Anew single-storey building is being financed by the Indian rural development authority. This will cost approximately €4.000. I have suggested to Fransisca that she finds out the cost of strengthening the foundations and building an additional floor. FOTLTF could finance this.

The children are in good health and are eating very well. Fransisca said that they are no longer receiving regular visits from a doctor. We shall be looking into this.

e-mail to Smile Foundation:

Hello Ashok, I have recently visited the orphanage and school LOVE Society / The Learning Tree Foundation in Kutra, near Rourela in Orissa. I would like to compliment The Smile Foundation on the work you are doing and to thank you for making the childrens’ lives so much better. I do have a request. During my stay I tried to install Skype in the PC so that we can communicate with (and perhaps even teach) the children online. The internet is, however, painfully slow and I am writing to ask you whether it would possible for you to contact the provider with a view to increasing the speed. The solution may be a hardware as well as a software problem. Our organization would be willing to help finance any investment necessary. If you could help us in this matter I would be most grateful. Once again, many thanks for your tremendous efforts. Kindest regards, Mike Keylock