Self Discipline

Every day I think about the Blog. do I have something to say? Is is important enough to write about? Clearly, this line of thinking is not productive.

Every day should be moving forward towards our trip, making it more productive, educational, fun, etc. And most days we do move forward, especially if you count tangential contacts. For example, I met with Arvind Vora, Chairman of the Multi-Faith Forum of the Long Island Council of Churches. Through him I have met other members of the Council, some of whom are Indian. Every new contact has the potential to open new doors.

Yesterday I spoke with my dear friend, Shaan Mehta. Shaan's mother, Birjees and my mother were very close friends so we are family to one another. Shaan tells me her mother will be thrilled to see me when we are in Delhi, which is very good news. And she has messages for me to share with a shopkeeper or two in Darjeeling.

Jimmy has made some wonderful contacts for us and we will be meeting with educators in the US and in Delhi who are well known for their knowledge of Dalit Theology. We have much to learn.

And now I must reach out again to see if I can connect with someone in Etah. Even though the General Secretary of the Church of North India is trying to help, I think I need to give it another try.

I am reading a very good book lent to me by my sister, Eleanor. "The Age of Shiva" by Manil Suri has many references to Hindu beliefs and traditions and to the effects of Partition. It is the human story of love and desire, motherhood, and all the nuances of familial responsibilites and relationships. A great read.

Self Discipline

Every day I think about the Blog. do I have something to say? Is is important enough to write about? Clearly, this line of thinking is not productive.

Every day should be moving forward towards our trip, making it more productive, educational, fun, etc. And most days we do move forward, especially if you count tangential contacts. For example, I met with Arvind Vora, Chairman of the Multi-Faith Forum of the Long Island Council of Churches. Through him I have met other members of the Council, some of whom are Indian. Every new contact has the potential to open new doors.

Yesterday I spoke with my dear friend, Shaan Mehta. Shaan's mother, Birjees and my mother were very close friends so we are family to one another. Shaan tells me her mother will be thrilled to see me when we are in Delhi, which is very good news. And she has messages for me to share with a shopkeeper or two in Darjeeling.

Jimmy has made some wonderful contacts for us and we will be meeting with educators in the US and in Delhi who are well known for their knowledge of Dalit Theology. We have much to learn.

And now I must reach out again to see if I can connect with someone in Etah. Even though the General Secretary of the Church of North India is trying to help, I think I need to give it another try.

I am reading a very good book lent to me by my sister, Eleanor. "The Age of Shiva" by Manil Suri has many references to Hindu beliefs and traditions and to the effects of Partition. It is the human story of love and desire, motherhood, and all the nuances of familial responsibilites and relationships. A great read.

Shanti

Arvind Vora, an Indian American, has been active in promoting peace and religious understanding through the Shanti Fund (shanti means peace) and the Multi-Faith forum on Long Island. They provide education in schools at every level and community groups. He has been recognized for his leadership in this field by the President Bill Clinton of the United States, Pope John Paul XXIII, the Indian President and international bodies. Mr. Vora's own religious background is Jainism and he is a Founding Member of the Jain Society of Long Island, the Federation of JAINA and Secretary of the Jain Center of America. He is also a founding Member of the India Association of Long Island and Executive director of the Federation of Indian Association , NY.

Lois and I met with him this morning at the Bagel Chalet in Commack and were pleased to learn of all the people we may meet through his contacts. And there may be people in Bombay, representing different religious backgrounds and educational institutions that he may connect us with.

As for his own feelings about Partition, he says his family was "far removed from any tragedy."

Lois and I wondered if this was because of their geographical location or the fact that as Jains their outlook was calmer and more accepting of the way things are.

I will send him a pamphlet from Lend a Hand, India as he is interested in learning about the group.

A very good start to the day and to our Partition Project.

Kick Off Meeting

Today Lois hosted Jimmy, Margaret, Gerard and me with a lovely Indian meal at her home. We talked about the trip, and hashed out dates and itinerary. We plan to leave for Mumbai on 10/8 and return from Delhi on 10/29. Along the way we will visit Nagpur, the site of the founding of the Church of India 40 years ago. Enos has invited us to attend the ceremony with him and the Archbishop of Canterbury!

From there we will go on to Agra and visit Etah from there. Hopefully attend a church service, meet with school people and see Villages, hospital, and whatever elswe they may think we should see. I hope we have a chance for some real talk about their vision for the Christian community there and for the schools. I would like for us to be able to make a contribution that will be meaningful. It may be that the support we send every year is the most meaningful thing we could possible do.

After Agra/Etah we will go to Delhi to reconnect with Enos and the Church of North India staff. We expect to stay at the Bhavan and to visit outreach projects of CNI. Then on to Kalimpong with Enos and Darjeeling before heading back to Delhi and home.

We talked today also about our project to explore with Indians we know and will meet their family history surrounding partition. This cataclysmic event informs so much of what we see today between India and Pakistan and effects their relationships with the US. And it has an impact on everyone on the subcontinent. Lois, Margaret and I are reading Freedom at Midnight, the story of the events immediately leading up to and following partition on August 15, 1947. I remember how upset my mother was about this and how she blamed Ali Jinnah for the bloodshed and horror that followed. And the fight rages on with Kashmir as the desired prize. We have some leads from Tom Goodhue of the Long Island Council of Churches of people we can talk to about this. Hopefully they will be able to feel some catharsis from talking to neutral parties (not really) and can help us to formulate a good way to go about having conversations with people we meet during our travels.

Our next meeting is not for another month, but in the meantime Jimmy will be speaking with Dave Hudson and Bill Edwards. Margaret suggested pursuing an end run around the Presbytery committee that did not fund our grant request. We are still seeking funds to cover her airfare and internal transportation costs. Hopefully that can come from the Peacemaking Committee, chaired by Rev. Bill Edwards, Pastor Emeritus of FPC Smithtown.

Funding

Our proposal was submitted and we received the full amount requested from the Synod of the Northeast. It will fully cover the cost of lodging for the four of us for 3 full weeks in India. The proposal to the Presbytery of Long Island has not been reviewed yet. Update to follow.

Buffering, buffering...

Every day I go to the mailbox hoping for a letter from Etah. It was only just today that I checked to see when I had mailed the last letter, and it was a scant 4 weeks ago. Hardly enough time to reach its destination and elicit a response. So I just need to chill for a couple more weeks.

In the meantime I've worked on proposals to various bodies of the Presbyterian Church, USA. The Session (governing body) of the Smithtown church has pledged $3300. towards airfare for Pastor Jimmy Hulsey, me and Deacon Lois Netter. The Baldwin church has pledged $250. towards travel expenses for Elder Margaret Cook. Tomorrow is the day two submissions will be made; one to the Presbytery of Long Island, hopefully for the balance of the travel costs and one to the Synod of the Northeast, hopefully for lodging costs.

This Sunday Lois, Margaret and I are going in to the city to see a program of Indian Classical Dance. One of the performers, Satya Pradeep, and her students presented an outstanding dance program at our church and is willing to do so again. we are looking forward to some good Indian food afterward. Seeing as how we will probably be sharing a room for three weeks in India, some bonding time beforehand is a good thing.

The Blog, Resumed

Hello Friends,

It has been a very long time since the last post and a lot to catch up on. I have been troubled about the upcoming trip this October, as a different opportunity was presented. And it has taken some time to come to terms with the change because of the commitment I made for a group trip in October 2010. I am now convinced that the change will benefit the group and the mission.

Jimmy Hulsey, the Pastor of my church, and I have been invited by the Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, General Secretary of the Church of North India (CNI) to spend time in Delhi in October. I expect we would stay at the Bhavan, which is headquarters for administration and has housing for visitors. We would meet with staff of CNI and become more familiar with the Church mission and outreach. This opportunity is most important as Rev. Pradhan is retiring. During the time of transition, Presbyterian partners are welcome to maintain and build the relationship which has already been established.

We have contacted partners in Etah to determine the possibility of spending about a week there. Relationship building is critical to our ability to go forward with meaningful support of education for dalit children. The community in Etah is involved in other outreach such as

the Christian Hospital in Kasganj, and we would be able to visit there. Hopefully we will visit rural villages and learn firsthand the circumstances in which village folk live.

The third and final week of the trip will be to Darjeeling to visit Rev. Pradhan at his home. His retirement plans include vocational training, so we will become familiar with those efforts. Darjeeling is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a very beautiful and serene place. It will give us a chance to digest some of what we will have seen and learned.

We are in the process of seeking grant money from our church, and the Presbytery of Long Island. And we are partnering with another Presbyterian church in Baldwin. We have identified a group of 4 people representing both congregations to participate in this mission trip.

For those who planned to go to India this October, I hope you can adjust your plans to October of 2011. That trip will be all the more meaningful for the relationships to be developed this year. And you will still get to see the Taj and much, much more.

On a personal note, November through the present has been a good and interesting time for me and Gerard. We enjoyed a family vacation with our daughters, son in law and grandchildren in Cancun over an extended Thanksgiving vacation. While we enjoyed the sun, the first phase of kitchen renovation, demolition, was accomplished. We spent the next month confined to our small (but cozy) den. nevertheless Christmas cards were sent out, gifts wrapped and preparations made for guests to arrive on Christmas day. The job was 97% complete two days before Christmas, leaving time for clean up and minimalist decorating.

The following Monday Gerard and I drove to Bloomington, Illinois to visit the Jones family and new puppy Snoofie. We stayed a week and went up to Chicago to the Art Institute which neither of us had previously visited. We spent the day, saw much of the collection and were able to join two tours, one of Asian art and the other of Modern. Then homeward bound, staying one night in Indiana.

Now we are back in the bustle of lessons, meetings, choral groups and the like. We have joined a bridge group and did pretty well on our first time out. I am a member of Bread for the World and we are preparing for the annual Lenten soup supper. Gerard is now working for the Census, an eight week full time stint. He is enjoying going out to different group living to verify the presence of residents in preparation for the actual census. A cell phone is a job requirement, so believe it or not, he now has one.

As of yesterday, the kitchen was 100% complete, and the dining room which had collateral issues will be 100% again by tomorrow afternoon. After the back fence gets painted I will turn more focused attention to India. I want to be able to speak at least a little Hindi before we go.

And let's not forget the Rev. A. G. McGaw. Upcoming posts will share more of his story.