SEWA cared and continues caring.......

DREU CITU, DREU CITU, screamed a lot of red banners in Kerala, my son then aged  five commented angrily ‘What’s this DREU CITU up to! What does ‘He’ WANT,!!

At that time I too was under the impression that Trade Unions were a nuisance, what  did they want, what was their agenda. And then I went to SEWA in Ahmadabad on an assignment as a Portuguese translator. 

At the SEWA Conference I learnt about a sector of people called unorganized labor, these were the people I took for granted, these were the people I barely glanced at. And these included so very many people, the roadside hawkers, the  people who rummaged the garbage , I looked at them with distaste, such dirty people, the mobile vendors with their pushcarts, and so many people selling little things on Bombay trains.

And then came SEWA a Labor Union.  SEWA tries to organize these marginalized workers  and to see that they are provided with the full benefits that regular workers enjoy. 

But the most important aspect for SEWA is that all these workers, vendors should be treated with respect and dignity. Yes I wept, when I heard how those illiterate women started their own Bank! Who would give illiterate women any loans, they have no collateral and did not even know how to sign. 

This Bank the first of its kind in India, was started by women like Chandaben who said

"We may be poor, but we are so many. Why don't we start a bank of our own? Our own women's bank, where we are treated with the respect and service that we deserve."

They started a BANK!! It is a story of grit, determination. and passion. 

My stint at SEWA was an eye opener because I now  look at people differently. I now know  how hard people work, sometimes for very small salaries,. How much even small amounts of money mean to the mobile vendors with pushcarts. And how everyone needs to be respected 

 Do you care how these women live? Are they just a bunch of illiterate women? 

But SEWA cared and continues caring.......... 

Recently I went to Cividep for a Session of interchange of Ideas, four women from Nicaragua who belonged to a Union called MEC (Maria Elena Cuadra) came to Bangalore for interchange of ideas with the Garment and Textile Workers Union which deals with Garment Workers in Bangalore, the focus was of course the Rights of Women in the workplace and different aspects of a Woman’s life. This time unlike at the SEWA Conference I had a great deal of time to interact with the Nicaraguans on a personal basis, one in particular, Teresa astounded me, her grit and determination to get out of the slums, educate herself all this when she has four small children. Their poverty appalled me, a staple diet of beans, rice and a small bit of cheese is what they can afford at the moment, food prices in Nicaragua are so high that meat of any type is a distant dream.

Nicaragua a Catholic country prohibits legalized abortion but allows Family planning by other methods. As they do not get proper education about these other Methods of Family Planning; their only recourse is Abortion which of course is prohibited. So the slums are full of young pregnant teenagers and orphans. On discussion with the Garment Workers here in Bangalore they realized how women who have the same life style as they do, the same wages as they have, (did I ever know that Garment Workers work for around 2.5$ Dollars a day around 106.00 Rupees a day?) managed to have only 2 children because they planned their families so very carefully with very rare abortions. They also realized that 61% of Garment Workers in Bangalore were single mothers bringing up their children single handed just like in Nicaragua, some of course have help from their extended families and those who did not, managed it somehow.

A concept in India called Self Help Groups (SHG) teaches Women a great deal about Finance. This is a simple process; a group of women consisting of maybe 20 or more members pool in a sum of Rs.100/- per month for each member. They then open an account in a Bank and when required give out Micro loans at a rate of interest of 2% as compared to the high interest rates at the banks. The Nicaraguans were however appalled at the concept of Dowry, they felt women were sold as objects to the highest bidder, a mere commodity

Life for Women Garment Workers is difficult, long hours of work sometimes with no overtime, abuse from the employers, sometimes sexual abuse, hardly any leave and if you do not belong to any Union you can be asked to leave at any time. In Nicaragua they battled long and hard for Equal Wages for Men and Women, in this age of Globalisation with techies earning millions and not knowing what to do with their money did we think there are women like Teresa, Connie, Yashoda and Hema who budget so hard and have to think of every penny they spend.

That should be an eye opener for us too! In this age of inflation.

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
Author: Umberto Eco
Translator: Geoffrey Brock

It has a been a long time since I have read “The Name of the Rose’ it is one of the most fascinating books. Since then the Catholic Church and its politics have intrigued me. So when I got ‘The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana’ I was thrilled, would it be like 'The Name of the Rose’ so beautiful, so intriguing? No it isn’t, or am I missing something. The reviews that I read mention that it is deep, a profound meditation, the fog a metaphor for Yambo’s amnesia, the review by Tamara Straus that quotes
“These novels tend to be hard to read not because of their arcane subject matter but because Eco sacrifices plot and character to semiotic digressions” describes this book and my feelings about the book as well.
However, there are certain parts that are good. I loved the memorabilia, the picture books or comic book stories that run parallel to the ongoing war. Imagine Yambo’s confusion when he found that the most American comic heroes had Italian names now! This was because after January 1939, publication of foreign comics was forbidden, the Italian race was to be glorified, and Italian heroes should belong to the most superior race. Most Italian publishers found a way round this problem. They simply renamed the heroes, they all had Italian names, even Mickey mouse was Topolino ! Imagine Yambo’s surprise when one fine day Topolino was killed off. Yambo listens to songs which urge the country’s men to die with a rose between the teeth. Yambo however is surprised, nowhere is there a mention of the African colonies lost during the war.
At the close of the WW II there seems so much confusion going on, The Italian Partisans who incidentally killed Mussolini, the Black Brigades, the Badogliani, the Garibaldini. All of them changing their allegiances as fast as they could change their scarves or shirts. There is an interesting story of how Yambo’s grandfather has his revenge when he makes a Black brigade who had earlier forced him to drink a bottle of castor oil, is now forced to drink a bottle of castor oil that has his own (the grandfather’s) faeces!! Another interesting story is how Yambo with his friends learns to climb a gorge in fog; this helps him to later guide a group of Cossacks, to join the Allies before the end of the WW II.

Was a tad disappointed with this book

Where have the spices gone....

I am fascinated by Kochi.....It has an old world charm. It speaks of Vasco da Gama landing and swooning with the aroma, redolent of spices.
It speaks of the gracious Raja who not only allowed Jews to settle in his kingdom but permitted them to build a Synagogue.
The antique shops always a pleasure for a quiet afternoon of browsing.
What intrigues me however are these majestic doors, beautiful doors leading to once prosperous warehouses laden with spices of such a variety.
What stories do these doors speak off? Surely they must be narrating tales of those glorious days when the spice trade was at its peak.
On one of my walks around, I stumbled upon an open door leading into a vast courtyard, which touched a river. The courtyard had its own wharf and I could imagine, coolies staggering under heavy sacks, crossing a plank, dumping those sacks laden with precious spices bound for distant shores.
On that day however, there was hardly any activity, the air was warm, scented with the smell of drying ginger did it have the spicy tinge of cardamom, it did.
On a wooden bench slept an old man and on the arm of a chair slept a tabby cat, what a picture of contentment a picture of peace....

Mattanchery and its magnificent antiques......

One thing you can always be sure of in Mattanchery are the antiques, so many shops and such a variety. Whether an antique lover or not there always will be something for you.....Sadly much of the stuff is hardly of a good quality and the prices are well, sometimes very expensive.
But one place that really has very good stuff although expensive is the  Crafters Antique store.  A huge store it has practically any article you are looking for, ranging from huge wooden columns and intricately carved doors to tiny lamps and metal statues.
Browsing through its well organised rooms you are lost in time, the rear of the showroom overlooking the sea, women polishing wooden articles and everywhere you are enveloped with the smell of wax polish.
So much to see......Out of those thousands of articles what really caught my eye was this lion trying to look oh so ferocious, did he succeed maybe he did, it is after all in the eye of the beholder 





Another article which never fails to amaze visitors is a huge Varppu, now a Varppu is generally used in Kerala to cook rice  and this one could have fed an entire village. Made specially for Crafters Antique it has a diameter of 12 feet and weighs 3184 kgs.
No do not try to buy it. It is not for sale !

Mattanchery a piece of quiet away from bustling Ernakulam.

Just one of the many boats that pass by. View from the Anchor house

The magnificent Port Trust building also taken from the Anchor house

If you want a trip which takes you back to those days when the intrepid Vasco da Gama braved the seas, turned around the mighty Cape of good Hope or Cabo das Tormentas as it was then known, head to Cochin. 

Getting to Bazar Road Cochin, is a trip through the land of ‘hoardings'’. Ernakulam is full of them, on both sides of the road, huge giants looming out of the darkness, advertising real estate and Gold. Kerala brides are bedecked from top to toe with the yellow metal, no part of their body left unadorned, just a tiny  square of their faces.  

But once in Cochin it is a different world altogether, a world of peace and quiet.

Anchor House, where we stayed for a couple of days is a little gem tucked amidst warehouses that once must have been the hub of the spice trade much before Vasco da Gama landed in Cochin some 500 years ago. When you walk down the road you see a lot of these disused warehouses, some in ruins and you realize with a pang of regret that the spice trade has moved to Ernakulam. 

All these warehouses have their own wharves and a wave of nostalgia and imagination, carries you back in time when Arabs sailed down the sea in their dhows, the bargaining and haggling, the hustle and bustle, the noise and colour, the exotic smells of ginger, nutmeg, star aniseed and of course pepper. The sound of waves lapping the sides of these wharves transports you back to a time long gone by.
Bazar Road is now a sleepy area, with baby goats running around, some wharves are used for mundane activities such as drying prawns and clothes. Other more enterprising owners have converted these warehouses into hotels, the little wharf usually the dining area, the view always magnificent. One such place is Fort House Hotel which has amazing food.

Anchor house is very comfortable, the service excellent and everyone very friendly. The best part of the hotel however, are the dining areas, both overlooking the harbor. You can spend hours watching all sorts of boats and ships passing right in front of you. It was a favorite spot to sit with a cup of tea. Gulls flying overhead, fishermen discussing their catch, fishing boats docking alongside to refuel, fishermen getting their pictures taken by guests and of course gulls quarreling over who should get the best of the catch. Some fishermen fish late at night in little canoes which can be seen only because of a tiny kerosene lamp. It is really peaceful but for the mosquitoes which are taken care of with the ubiquitous mosquito coil. 

Anchor house is located somewhat between Mattanchery and Fort Kochi and is a renovated Warehouse. When you walk down the road you see a lot of disused warehouses, some in ruins and you realize with a pang of regret that the spice trade has moved to Ernakulam. 

All these warehouses have their own docks and you can imagine Arabs coming out of the sea, the bargaining and haggling, the hustle and bustle, the noise and colour, the exotic smells of ginger, nutmeg, star aniseed and of course pepper. The sound of waves lapping the sides of those wharves which once upon a time carried a brisk trade in spices. Bazar Road is now a sleepy area, with baby goats running around, warehouses with huge doors, you peep in and see the little dock now a place for drying prawns and clothes. 

Some warehouses have been converted into hotels, the little dock usually the dining area, the view always magnificent. One such place is Fort House Hotel which has amazing food.

Go down the road towards Fort Kochi and you get to the very elegant Brunton Boatyard which is truly unique and sophisticated. Unique because nothing has been changed, it truly is a place where time has stood still. The place is enveloped in a silence, added to this is the all pervading Dutch influence. The lobby with its old fashioned fans (punkhas) in pristine condition, little tables laid out for afternoon tea, the lawn so green and inviting, everywhere artifacts and curios of the Industrial age of steam and sail. Brunton Boatyard is truly a classy place to be in. 

Fort Kochi has a lot of very elegant boutique hotels, one of them the Koder House. 

However Menorah the restaurant was quite disappointing it did not serve authentic Jewish cuisine as promised but only seafood which you get all over Cochin.

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