The Trip to Chhattisgarh

On Saturday morning, February 7, I realized how really sick I was and that I was not getting better.  Deepak brought me some Cipro and then left for the hospital.  He sent Sundeep, the driver, and the car back to be with me just in case.  After contacting Sunita to get Dr. Gita's contact information I called her and she said to come in before 1 pm.  I did that and she ran an IV drip and gave me lots of medications.  The little clinic at Panscheel Marg is clean, efficient and over flowing with patients and their families.  Deepak sat with me while the IV ran and as the anti-nausea medicine kicked in I began to revive.

He took me back to Abha's place at E22 Def Col where she had Chandermani fix me kitcheri and other wonderful soothing things for lunch.  As usual there was a big group of the Arpana family.  They were all terribly concerned about my health and had lots of advice.  Some time that afternoon I returned to Vasant Vihar and packed a suitcase with the intention of staying 2 nights at E22.  Abha and I had a quiet and delicious dinner of mashed potatoes, creamed baked vegetables and tomato soup.  Early to bed was the best.

On Sunday morning Barbi Mahajan who had invited me out for lunch at Lodhi Garden restaurant, a favorite if extravagant destination, but because I couldn't go she came and sat with me in the sun at E22.  I had had the chance to send a big LWVE message to all members using the wifi which was very helpful.  Also washed my pj's which had not been laundered in two weeks - dried them in the sun up on the roof.  We had a lovely, long visit and she stayed for the usual group lunch.

Jack was due in that night, actually early Monday morning, February 9.  I had been worried about what I would do in those three days between Lori leaving and Jack arriving - I managed to be sick for most of the time which took care of that worry.   Late in the afternoon Deepak returned to say that Abha was very sick and going right to bed and that Laxmi the maid was also sick and that I really shouldn't stay and run the risk of a new bout of illness.  So after we ate dinner he took me back to Vasant Vihar - and agreed that I should be the one to go and get Jack.

Jack's flight had been due at 12:05 am which would have been great but it was delayed 3 hours because there was a blizzard in Munich.  I got Sundeep to the airport (somehow - he had never driven to IGIA before), got him parked and ran to the terminal.  The new parking ramp is massive and about a mile away from the terminal.  I was only at the gate about 10 minutes when Jack appeared.  Thank God we were together again!

Part 2

Having Jack with me made all the difference. I had a car again for the day so we could run errands. There was lots to do and not too much traffic because it was just a plain Monday.

Probably the most fun errand was delivering the shoes to Doma that she had requested when I visited her the first time.  She had the brand, style and size written down so I went online and ordered them to be delivered to Jack in Evanston.  He brought them in the extra suitcase and we had a great time giving them to her.  She was smiling and pleased.  She ordered tea and made us eat biscuits - it would be bad luck if we didn't accept!  It is always delightful to see her, vigorous and healthy at 87.

From my long list we managed everything including taking mother's gold bangle to a gold dealer and exchanging it for a new little diamond pendant.  It was a fascinating process from weighing the gold, to cleaning it, and then waiting for the computer transaction to confirm the sale. 

 

My two brothers, Arum and Deepak with Jack.

 On Tuesday Arun had graciously agreed to treat us to lunch at his house so that was the first order of business. The food was delicious as were the drinks.  Deepak picked us up and after a brief moment when we thought we would go to watch polo with Arun we returned to Vasant Vihar to rest up for our 4 am get-up on Wednesday.

The next morning we were up early and off to the domestic airport with Om Prakash.  It is so new and shiny and very efficient - we had to pack into smaller cases as the weight limit is 30 pounds each.  The real suprise was in Raipur - the new airport is just plain stunning.  And no one seemed to mind when I took several photos ...

 We arrived right on time in Raipur and Ajit's driver was waiting for us with a sign that said "Cate & Jack."  He brought the old Qualis from Khariar which is rather beat up but suited our purposes just fine.  Arriving at the Mayura felt like a homecoming - we think we've stayed there about 6 times now, the first time with dad and all the aunts and uncles, and Marianne, in 1991.  Even though it was 10 am we were checked into our room immediately, thanks to the paid Expedia reservation!

From 1991 - Back Row, L-R: Jack, Uncle Dave, Staff members (5), Dad. Front Row, L-R: Cate, Aunt Dotty, Uncle John, Aunt Maisie, Uncle Tom, room staff.  Marianne must have taken the photo.

I told the driver we would just take it easy for the day as Jack was sniffling with a cold and it looked like it would rain.  After a cup of tea we decided to head out to find a chemist to buy some tissues for Jack and some cold medicine.  That turned into a major hike because the big mall at the chowk was filled with stores - all of them selling cell phones and electronics.  After walking around in a huge circle through spitting rain we did find a box of tissues and directions to the chemist which was way down the road in the opposite direction.  While we were in the chemist, where a charming little girl practiced her English on us, it began to pour rain so we waited for several minutes before going back.

We stopped at a sweet shop because I knew I needed to bring the methi from Raipur for the khanna on Friday.  Calling Anil I found he had a friend in Raipur who was already in negotiations to get 1800 gulab jamuns.  I began to panic when he told me that the church said there would be 1800 at the service and khanna.  It seemed inconceivable that there could be that many but that is in fact how many we ended up feeding.  But first I had to connect with the person who was getting the gulabs ordered.  I did and set a time to meet him.  The bill was Rs. 11,400 and I needed to give him Rs. 5000 as a down payment to the shop.

It began to feel like an undoable task - 1800 people was mind boggling.  I was just short of panicking but that wouldn't have helped much.  We ate an early dinner of grilled chicken and chicken sizzlers and decided on Thursday we would drive out to Bisrampur.  I met Anil to give him the money for the gulab jamuns.  Thursday morning after the full buffet breakfast (paranthas, omelets, toast, piles of fresh papaya and pineapple) I called the driver to tell him we were going to Bisrampur.  It was raining on and off but we went anyway.

The first thing of note on the road, after crossing the curvy bridge, was a stretch of 4 lane, poured concrete highway, with a median strip planted with flowering oleanders. 

Finished section of the road, with signs, painted curbs, and regular traffic ... on the way north out of Raipur.

The drive was going well, with traffic streaming in either direction on the double lane highway until we were about half way to Simga.  The traffic came to a complete halt and we discovered, after about a 40 minute wait, that there had been an accident - a tour bus and a lorry.  The driver's compartment in the bus was smashed flat.  By the time we returned in the evening the lorry was gone and the bus was off to the side of the road.

We got to Bisrampur and found the Pastor meeting with the women planning the service for the next day.  I told him we just wanted to look around and see how things would be the next day.   It was drizzling a lot and there was mud everywhere.  The mistries were at work creating the headstone for the grave.  If it was going to rain on Friday it would be a hopeless mess.  My weather forecasting app on my phone said it was going to be clear so we could only hope.


Then we went over to Dekhuna to see Aunty Lily.  I had tried to call her on both numbers I had for her and kept reaching other people, not her.  So after a round-about approach we went to the gate and started calling her.  The dog, who turned out to be "Facebook," started a huge ruckus and soon she came out of the house.  I was glad to ask to use the bathroom.  Aunt Lily kept apologizing that she had eaten her lunch and she had nothing for us to eat.  I told her we had food in the car - we did, some oranges which would have been fine as we had a big meal at Girnar ahead of us that evening.  Her daughter-in-law, Sonu (?) David's wife, came over and said she had left over sambar, then Aunty Lily said she had beans and potatoes, dahl and some rice.  Next thing we knew we were in the dining room with Sonu fixing hot chapattis and we had a regular feast. 

We toured the new addition of Sonu and David's house which was great - big, spacious and very well laid out.  The drive back to Raipur only took an hour and a half.  I gave the driver the rest of the money and he got directions to get the gulab jamuns which would sit in the back of the car until we left in the morning. 

Back at the Mayura at 6:30 Ajit and Pushpa called from the lobby, and we went down to meet them, discovering that Ajit's sister Maya was also there visiting from Australia.  We had visited her, and her family, in Melbourne in 2000 on our 8-nation, 30 day trip back from India to the States.  It was wonderful to see her again.  We went to the Girnar, down the street (which also meant crossing the street which is a hair-raising enterprise) and had rogan josh, nan, doupiaza lamb and for desert, of course, mishti doi (sweet Bengali yogurt).  Ajit had introduced us to mishti doi at the Girnar in 1999 and we have thanked him for it every since.  They are planning on retiring in the next couple years - Ajit is 70.

Friday morning, February 13 dawned clear and warm.  The weather app seemed to be correct.  We ate a quick breakfast of omelet, toast, bhaji of some kind and more paranthas.  We left at 8 because we wanted to reach Dekhunna to have coffee with Aunty Lily before the service.  There were no accidents so the drive was uneventful other than heavy fog that began near Simga, where the road is closest to the river.  Google on my phone did a good job of estimating the distance (61 km and about 1 hour and 14 minutes).  

That is exactly how long it took so we arrived to find Aunty Lily dressed but the rest of the family dressing.  They (Sandhya and Jerry) had been disappointed to not see us the day before as they were on their way but they stopped in Bilaspur and got an impressive array of things to eat with our coffee.They tasted absolutely delicious and we each had one of each.

We had a chance to call Jenny on Jerry's phone and talk to her in Bangalore where she has a job.  Mom and dad had helped to pay for her college so it's good to know she has a good job.

Then we made our way over to the church - it was a complete transformation, the rain was over, the sun burned off the fog, and the two red pandals that Anil had arranged for were constructed and men were laying down mats so people could sit.  The meal preparation was underway and there were five or six clergy moving around, putting on their vestments and testing the sound system.

It was a magnificent day in so many ways it is hard to describe.  Anil had called while we were enroute to tell us he was going to Raipur to meet the U.C.C. people coming - Jim Moos.  He had not purchased an urn and called me back from a place where he could buy one and got the perfect thing. 

 There were eight clergy - Pastor Kumar from the Bisrampur church in the gold vestments.  The order of worship:

• Prayer
• Hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus
• 23rd Psalm
• Special Song
• I Corinthians15:24-
• John 14:1-6
• Special Hymn by clergy
• U.C.C. Rev. Jim Moos, Called to live for others
• Kiran Lodge, Bisrampur a place of peace and love
• Pastor Vikram, prayer
• Hymn, How Great Thou Art
• Recessional to grave
• Burial and prayers

Seated at the front with us were Anil Henry, Aunty Lily Wany and Kiran Kapur.

Pastor Kumar came with out with me to put the ashes in the urn that Anil had purchased and we brought it in to be placed beside the family photograph.

 Girls from Bisrampur, Ganeshpur and Jhanakpur danced a welcome dance.

 Anil got garlands along with us.  He had been the master-mind behind the rebuilding of the church when it was close to falling down for which we are all extremely grateful.

Rev. Dr. Jim Moos,  Executive Minister, Wider Church Ministries of Global Ministries.

Kiran Lodge, having spent his life as a school principal, in retirement has started a church and spoke beautifully about dad and our childhood together in Bisrampur.

There are many malas and bouquets which later were ideally situated on the grace.

Carrying the urn from the church to the grave.

The service at the graveside.  These are the pastors:
1. Rev.Samsher Samuel 

2.Rev. Ajay Marteen

3.Rev.Aseem Vikram

4.Rev.Nirmal Kumar

5.Rev.Sushil Masih

6.Rev. Shailesh Saloman

7.Rev.Pranay Toppo

8.Rev. Atul Arthur

Meeting Rev. Moos

Family photo with thali and lota gift for mother.

Some of the 1800 who were fed lunch - the khana that dad had dreamt about.

Lighting candles and prayers as the grave was being finished.

Sheila and Khusal Samson, my childhood friends, could not come on Friday but came to the hotel on Saturday to meet me - after over 50 years.  They were as familiar as ever and they said I look like mom!

With Isreal Samson at his house in Bisrampur after the service on Friday.