TV, Valentines & Gulsaar

So this week the TV finally became operational at the mobile school. It was kindly donated by a school in Australia (c/ a lovely expat family who were living here for 6 months) but we couldn’t hook it up until we got the inverter installed by the bijli wallah (electrician) last week. The kids were very excited and were soon singing along to the English alphabet song being taught to them via one of the new educational DVDs we’ve acquired. It’s another useful tool for the teachers and is hugely appreciated.

Since the inauguration of the mobile school numbers of kids attending has swelled. Manju is now teaching 52 kids in 3 shifts 6 days/week. They’re all from the surrounding slum and live in homes like this one:

Valentines day seems to be making more and more of a mark here very year but not necessarily in a good way. In the paper today there was a big story about how security has been beefed up at malls and at places where couples are likely to be hanging out today. Why? Because there are quite a few groups who disapprove strongly of this “western” tradition which supposedly promotes immorality. Self imposed moral police are likely to be doing the rounds breaking up rendezvous of couples who are meeting in secret today.

On a positive note though – Gulsaar has recovered really well from his surgery last Thursday. He was back at school on Tuesday and apart from some pulling where the stitches are he says he has no pain for the first time in nearly a year and a half. We are all hugely excited and relieved for him. He will get his stitches out on Saturday and then its all over!