November update

Time has been flying by, and it is strange to think I have been in Ujire for almost three months now. Here is an update on the last few weeks...

A number of farmers have asked to order one of the threshing machines we tested. This is very positive news, and Anand (head of the rural lab) said he has not seen so much interest in a new machine before. I’ve been following up with the thresher manufacturer and local workshops to investigate the feasibility of some modifications to the machine which were suggested by farmers (such as mountings for electric motor drive, pedal power, carrying handles). I’ve also been searching for a motor supplier and arranging transport for the motors and threshers. This is easier said than done as the motor suppliers are based several hours away in Coimbatore, and the machine manufacturer is in West Bengal, on the other side of India. 

I’ve had some interesting phone calls to various motor manufacturers and the transport offices, and my Indian colleagues have been taking calls for me when the suppliers don’t speak English. It was a nice change when Sudarshan came across a supplier with whom he didn’t share a common language, so had to resort to repeating “do-you-speak-eeenglish?” into the phone – something I have been picking up a reputation in the office for doing. Hopefully the threshers will be ordered by the time I leave.

As the dry season approaches, farmers have started to prepare their fields for a second crop of rice. First buffalo or a diesel powered tiller are used to churn up the field, which is then flooded for a few days in order to let the mud settle. Rice seedlings are cultivated for about 15 days in a small area of the field before being transplanted by hand into the rest of the field. 

Workers gather the seedlings into bunches ready for transplanting

Hand transplanting is a very slow process, and it can take a team of eight people all day to cover less than an acre. Selco has been testing a transplanting machine which is about four times faster than hand transplanting. To raise awareness of the machine amongst farmers, we arranged a demonstration at a local farm.

A farmer checking out the transplanting machine 

The transplanter is powered by hand cranking and plants two rows at a time

About 30 farmers and local agri officials came along to the demo, and there were mixed opinions of the machine. Testing the transplanter is not as clear cut as the thresher testing. While the transplanter is significantly faster than hand transplanting, farmers are understandably cautions when using a new machine which could affect the growth of their plants. It takes three months for the crops to grow before farmers can check yields, so I expect it will take some time for this machine to be adopted. 

We visited a local school last week for "Childrens' Day" celebrations. The kids were really well behaved, and very sporty

November started off with Diwali, the festival of lights. This is an important celebration across India, and Yashwin invited me to his home in Mumbai for the Diwali long weekend. 

On Saturday we caught the metro into central Mumbai, to explore the city.

Riding the open doored meto between New and Old Mumbai

This is not rush hour

First thing in the morning we made our way to the flower market. The market was jammed with people buying garlands of yellow and orange marigolds, and many other types of flowers.

From the flower market, we set off looking for the Dhobi Ghat outdoor laundry. We wandered though some narrow passageways between the closely packed houses until a friendly local showed us the way.

The open air laundry washes clothes and bedding for nearby hotels and businesses. Clothes are washed and beaten by hand in open cement tanks before being hung up to dry

Mumbai is famous for its street food, which is know for being very cheap and of good quality. Yashwin and I took full advantage of this! 

Panipuri cart selling bite sized crispy balls stuffed with potato, chick-peas & onion and drizzled with salty water and a sweet sauce

Jalebi sweets are made fresh on the roadside

There are many carts selling fruit juice scattered all over the city. This is a hand powered press for sugar cane juice

This cart sells "Gola", a type of ice-lolly drizzled with sweet fruit flavoured syrups and sprinkled with a masala flavoured black pepper

Kulfi ice cream is sold by weight & wrapped in dry leaves to take home

Paan is a popular snack eaten after meals to refresh your mouth and aid digestion. Various powders, rosewater, jells and seeds are spread and sprinkled onto a betal leaf. 

To me it tasted like swallowing a small bottle of powerful Omani perfume, mixed with mint 

The Diwali shopping crowd near Yashwin's house to choosing a lantern for the apartment! Most balconies were decorated with strings of lights as well as lanterns

Stocking up on fireworks - interesting packaging!

The whole neighbourhood was filled with the smoke & bangs of fireworks throughout the night

Due to it being a national holiday, we were unable to book seats on the crowded, 16 hour train back to Mangalore from Mumbai. We sat on the door steps until the evening and then bedded down on some newspaper on the floor, below the bunks and between the rows of the shoes of the lucky bunk occupants. I slept surprisingly well, occasionally being woken by the tickling of a sari on my nose which was trailing down from the bunk nearest me.

6 hours in to the train journey

Following on from Diwali, we celebrated a late Halloween back in Ujire by carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples. I made spaghetti bolognese for dinner (one of the few Western dishes for which most of the ingredients are readily available in Ujire, although the spaghetti was from Mangalore!).

Carving pumpkins for the first time

Girish showing off his pumpkin carving & a scary face!

Otherwise life in Ujire has been ticking along. These are some of the photos I have taken while out for lunch.

The flowers are part of a blessing which is meant to protect the vehicle and driver from bad luck. Owners will drive their vehicles around like this for a few days after the blessing!

Earlier this week a cow trotted into our restaurant during lunch and was casually shooed out after having a drink from a bucket and wandering around for five minutes