South India – Day 9
Thursday, February 13, 2025
A new language zone
No one ever told me what the BGT stands for in my hotel’s name, and I didn’t think to ask, so feel free to assign whatever words fit best. Google suggested Britain’s Got Talent, but I have my doubts about that.
No big plans are on the schedule for today accept to rest and kick this cold. I’m finding that major hotels also double as restaurants and this place was no exception. This being my first time to order my own food, I was at a loss for what to do. There wasn’t even a menu. The waiter, however, understood my predicament and asked in English, “breakfast?” To which I replied, “yes, please” and waited to see what would happen next. What happened is that I was served a breakfast far bigger than my appetite, but the curries were great for my sinuses. I am starting to recognize some of the foods, though I still don’t know names.
After working hard to learn Malayalam, I now found myself in a different language zone. Here in Karnataka, they speak Kannada. So, when my waiter brought my food, I tried the one Kannada word I had already learned – Dhan’yavāda. His reply was, “no Kannada – Hindi,” though I’m sure he understood that simple thank you. Many of these hotel workers come from other parts of India, usually from poorer regions. It seems to be the same for hotel workers the world over.
Brake inspectors
Compared to Kerala I feel there are more cows and less trees in Karnataka. All day long I saw sacred cows wandering up and down and around, amid the traffic, always moving, but with no place to go. Roy David calls them brake inspectors, an appropriate name, for if you hit a cow, the owners will demand compensation, even though they likely didn’t even know where that cow was the whole day. And while the forests are plentiful, the trees in town are sparse. I miss their shade and colossal presence in Kerala. Please don’t take these as any kind of all-encompassing truths about Karnataka, though. They are just an observation limited to the small parts I saw.
Shammi and a Shoma
Late in the morning Roy David invited me over to his house to meet Shammi, who is an ARI graduate of 1996, and his wife! The two of them studied at ARI in separate years and since then have sent three more CORD staff. They are also great promoters of ARI, introducing our training to the people and organizations they collaborate with in the region.
Shammi seemed to be having trouble walking and explained that she was suffering from nerve damage in her feet that started after knee surgery. Honestly, it looked painful, but she didn’t speak of it much, preferring instead to talk of her memories at ARI. I also ran into Kavipriya working in the CORD office. She came from her university in Tamil Nadu to do an internship and had joined the meeting with the Adivasi yesterday.
I’m afraid this is about it for today. After a packed schedule it was time for rest and recovery, so unless you want to hear about my afternoon nap, I will conclude by describing the amazing Shoma I had for supper. It is like a kebab, made from meat slow cooked in front of a flame. The difference is that the jolly cook minces the meat, cabbage, yogurt and hot chilies together before serving it with chapati. One wasn’t enough, so I ordered another!
