Dhobi -The Indian Iron and Laundry man

The dhobi  or  laundry and  iron man in India  is  an institution in himself. In  fact  a dhobi caste exists and  is  recognized  and scheduled  by  the  government as  a  caste  in  need  of  empowerment.

With  the age  of  the  washing machine and  dhobis turning  to more  educated  and respectable  professions - (they  have special privileges  and  education and job  allotments,)   fewer  dhobis remain in the  fray.

There was  once  a  time  when every one (except  for  the  economically  backward) used  the  services  of  a  dhobi.

The  dhobi man  came  to  your  house  on his  bicycle to  collect  your  weekly laundry . Everything from  linen, to  all  sorts   of  garments , kitchen cloths,  bed  covers, sheets curtains even under wear (if  you so wanted) was  unloaded from  the family 's  laundry closet or  bag by  the dhobi. He  would then  seperate  each item according  to its nature and  gather  them  into  orderly piles. The  lady  of  the  house would  then come out  with  a  laundry book in which she  had  a list of all the  clothes to be  washed . As  she  called out the  name of  the  item,  the dhobi would  count the  number and  and tell the   memsahib. She  would  then enter it  in her  laundry book.  For  example
Saris -5
Towels - 8
Shirts - 11
Tablecloths (big)- 2
Tablecloths (small) -5 and so forth.

After that  the  dhobi would lay  out the  freshly washed  and  ironed  clothes which he  had  taken last  week and   lay  them out neatly on a  clean  spread  or carpet. Then  the accounting would begin in reverse  order. This  ritual would  be  repeated  once or  twice  a week.

The  dhobis  were   very  honest  and reliable,  but  occasionally clothes  would  disappear. Everyone  had  a  family  dhobi. Ours  was an ancient man who died  several  years  ago. His  sons  all have   very   good jobs  and  no one  pursued  this  lowdown laborious  profession.

The  dhobiji would  carry  the  laundry   wrapped  up  in  a  large  cotton sheet on the  back of  his  bicycle. They  also  used  donkeys -  specially  to  transport laundry to the dhobi ghat ( community washing  areas) or  riverside .

The  clothes  would be  pressed  with a  charcoal fired  iron box,  they  had  modern  electric  irons  too.

Now  of   course with modernization set  in, very  few  dhobis  are  around. They  are  more expensive  too. Laundry women (dhobins) can come to  your  house   and   do  your   laundry  by hand, then take the  dry  clothes (in the  evening) to  be ironed   in their  homes. And then there  are   the  advanced  , state  of  the   art dry cleaners  and laundries.

In the  good  old days I  was  given the  chore  of maintaining  the laundry book. It was fun. I  miss them old  times - the  smell  and touch  of  the   dhobi 's laundry.

Just  down the  down from  our  gate  a iron man sets  up  his  street  business.
He  presses  people 's  clothes. Different rates   for each item. He is  using  the  ancient iron, filled  with  charcoal embers. I sometimes give him   the  more  tricky clothes  to iron like  cotton  and  silk saris. He  does an excellent job.

( the  above  3  photos  were  shot  by me)

Did any one  of  you  use  a  laundry man  like him?

PS

This morning my Sheeba (dog) killed

a field rat - a huge  one.

Well done  Sheeba-

she ' s really in the hunting  mood  now.

We  are  harvesting lots of  tomatoes .

When (no ifs here) you come  to visit me

I will give  you a  bag full.

Soon instead of  blood  I will

be having tomato juice running

in my  veins.

I  am making  lots  of puree to  preserve.

Mind Your Ps and Qs

Do  they speak  the  same  language  on

either  side   of  the Atlantic?

India  has  leaning  towards  the British-

the  colonial influence.

On  the other  hand  several Hindi

or  Hindustani  words have  found

a  place  in  the  English lexicon.

Jungle

Bungalow (bangla)

Mantra

Avatar

Karma

nirvana

curry

chutney

tandoor

guru

serpent (sarpam)

pyjamas

juggernaut

khaki

loot

pundit

veranda

There  are  many   more

and  still  being  added.

On the other  hand  India has

its  own   form of  Hinglish.

Look  at  the  sign above.(left  one)

I  find  it  hilarious.

Ashish and  Megan took this  photo

somewhere in NE  India.

Enjoy  while  I  run  along

powder  my  slappy  ham

grab a  packet  of   chips,

load up  my  rooty tooty point  and   shooty

and dash off

to  my Anguish , sorry English Class.

I  want  to  ask them

what  is  the  connection  between

blueberry  pancakes

and  clammy rogers

Which words from  your part  of  the  world

have  enhanced  the  English  language?

Do you  use words  of  Indian origin?

Morning Glory

Tuesday  morning presented  a  glorious

spectacle  in the  eastern sky

and I  was  out  with my  camera  taking

early morning  photos.

Sunday was  exceptionally  hot

but  after  that temperatures

dropped  a  few  degrees.

We had  strong  winds with

  shadow rain,  I  like  to  call  it.

On Wednesday night   there  was 

thunder and lightening

but  the  clouds  were  dry   as cotton.

Our  very  first  amaryllis Lillis  have  just  bloomed

Our  first  tube  roses or Raat  ki Raani

(Queen  of  the Night)

Soon the  summer  blaze will

petrify  our  roses.

They will  try  to   bloom

but  will  be  turned  in

paper fossils in  a short while.

The  monsoons  will  produce

a wilder, thorny crop.

I made  my  home made  peanut  butter

and  mulberry  cordial  this  week.

I will take  pictures  to  show  you.

These  photos  remind  me  of  the

dry, wet  and  cool  seasons  of  my  life.

Last Sunday my sister Sonia (in  Lucknow)

was  attacked  by  a  stray  cow.

When she  stepped back to  avoid  the onslaught,

she slipped  and fell  badly bruising   her arm and

neck. She  received  home  treatment.

She  is   in a lot  of  pain .

Please pray for her  wound to heal.

Each year thousands of  people  are injured

or  meet  with accidents  due  to

stray animals  on Indian  streets

but  the  civic authorities  hardly

do anything   about this  menace.

Yesterday we  got   my mother' s  blood work

done. All reports  are  clear , Praise  God.

Only her blood  urea is  one percent

over the  border line.

I will  consult our family doctor  for that.

____________

I want to  share  a  short  devotional  article  by Joni.

She  is  a  great inspiration  to me.

Joni was  paralyzed  in a diving accident  when she  was 16

years  old. Her  life  struggles  and  growth

in faith   has  been  a blessing to  thousands  around  the world.

Life  would  be great if  only

- Devotional  by  Joni Eareckson  Tada

In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been
given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
-- Colossians 2:9-10


What do quadriplegics (people whose hands and legs are paralyzed) daydream about?
Running a marathon? Ballroom dancing? Climbing a mountain? Many of us have scaled
down our fantasies. In my weaker moments, I'm tempted to think life would be great
if only I were a paraplegic - then I could use my hands. I see paraplegics transfer
themselves out of their wheelchairs into their own beds, reach for items in the
refrigerator, wash dishes at a sink and quickly sort through the mail. Then old
feelings of disappointment start to slink back into my heart.
Even able-bodied people look at others who seem more attractive, smarter, richer,
healthier, and who get all the breaks in life. In comparison, our minor defects
begin to look like deformities. Thankfully, the Bible has good advice for people
prone to compare. Paul tells us we have been given "fullness in Christ." In other
words, we are complete in Him. We have everything. We lack nothing. There's no need
to compare. Once we comprehend this truth, our so-called defects become reminders
of how "full" we are - because we have "fullness in Christ." The inferiority complex
releases its grip. We become content.
I wouldn't be happier if I were a paraplegic rather than a quadriplegic. The fullness
of Christ dwells in me, even with my infirmities. Therefore, I will gladly boast
as a quadriplegic. After all, you can't improve on "complete."
In what ways do you feel incomplete, inadequate, or less than you had hoped? Rather
than seeing these as insufficiencies, realize you are lacking in nothing. Why? Because
Christ dwells in you. Bask in that knowledge for a few, quiet moments and feel yourself
relax into contentedness.

* *

Lord, help me to keep from drumming up "if only" scenarios in my mind. Fill my thoughts

with satisfaction in you and in whom you have fashioned me to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many  times  I  feel  very weak and  insufficient  for the tasks  and  duties  I am called  to  perform. I  stumble  and  fall physically  an d spiritually. It  seems  my  disabilities  are  ridiculing  me. Many   times  I don 't  get  the respect   due  to me as  a lonely, handicapped reclusive  woman, I get  wounded. I wonder  about  the  future.

If  I  look at a Python on the ground I  will most  probably  be  afraid  of it, but  if I  let  it  be  draped  around  my  neck (for  a  short  while) I  can  overcome  my  fear of it. So  I  have  to  tackle my problems  head  on - I cannot back away  from them.

I  had  delegated   2 people to  help  me in a small  church business which  would  earn us  a  few  rupees each month.  But  they were   lax  and  careless  about it resulting  in  our losing ten thousand five  hundred  rupees.  US $ 234.   That 's  a  lot of  money  for us.

So I  have  to  take over  the  duty  of  managing it. It will be  a  physical strain on me, but  I have  to  do  it, till I can find someone reliable enough for  the job.Please  pray for this.

Things are  difficult but not  impossible.
God 's grace is  sufficient for  me.
His power is  made  evident  in weakness.

Long Distance

(In  a  gift  shop  in the old  city  market)

People  used  what  they  called   a  telephone

because  they  hated  being  close  together and

they  were  too  scared  of  being  alone.

- Chuck Palahnuik

The Book That Made Your World -Dr Vishal Mangalwadi

If  you   live  in Atlanta  Georgia or  near abouts,  please  plan  to  attend  this  book launch by  Dr  Vishal Mangalwadi.

Please  share  this  with your  friends  and  church.

Coming in April to The Areopagus Forum

A very special opportunity presented in cooperation with Thomas Nelson Publishing:


Must The Sun Set On America?


Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi
Indian philosopher and author
Launches his latest book,

The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization.


THURSDAY, APRIL 21st

7:30 PM

Perimeter Church -- Fellowship Hall


Dr. Mangalwadi demonstrates that the beliefs that make the West distinctive and successful all have their roots in the Bible. So then, what happens when America, in its modern wisdom, ends up rejecting the Bible?


About the book:

Discover how the Bible became the West’s source of human rights, justice, heroism, optimism, compassion, capitalism, family, and morality. Vishal Mangalwadi, an Indian philosopher, takes readers on a historical journey through the last millennium, exploring why and how the Bible reformed Europe and made the West a uniquely thinking civilization: technical and tolerant, scientific and free, just and prosperous.

Diamonds in the Dust

January was an up and down month.
Many battles won and lost , lots of experience gained and knowledge gathered from dealing with unforeseen situations.

These are photos of a troupe of grass cutting ladies who came to our church yard. They belong to a nomadic tribe which travels
as migrant workers seeking employment on building sites.They are very poor and often sleep on city side walks out in the open. They gather grass and sell it to cattle owners for a paltry amount.

During the freezing weather we allowed many poor people take grass and fire wood from our church yard.

By God 's grace we are doing good. Mama and I have a little cough and cold. We are taking hot vapor inhalation with eucalyptus oil, works well. Today was a very peaceful and 'kind ' day. My younger sister 's wedding anniversary too.

The following is a devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada

The Poor Shall Be Rich

"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?"
-James 2:5

George is an evangelist in Malawi who uses an old badly battered wheelchair. Not long ago he wrote to ask me to send him my husband's used shirts - his were wearing out, and he wanted to dress his best as an ambassador for Christ.

George wheels himself from village to village over bumpy, rutted dirt roads that connect the small towns in Malawi. He longs for a power wheelchair during such exhausting journeys but realizes such a luxury is beyond his grasp. Despite sore muscles and calluses on his hands, he keeps going. His deepest desire is to share Christ with others who are handicapped, to tell them that despite their poverty, God is in control for their good and His glory.

George is dirt poor. The people to whom he ministers are even more poor. But there is none so rich in faith as George.

Remember, Christ willed to be born poor, and He chose disciples who were living, for the most part, in poverty. Christ made Himself a servant of poor people. And He reminds us that whatever we do to help the least of the brethren - those most poor - we are personally ministering to Him.

"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do" (Galatians2:10).

Lord, let me see those who are poor through Your eyes. And when I see them, may I not turn my back on their need... for if I do, I would be turning my back on You.



Taken from Diamonds in the Dust. Copyright © 1993 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Blessings,

The Gift

This is a lovely poster from Calvinistic Cartoons. The creator Eddie Eddings has a great sense of humour and he has some very sharp cartoons. But some of them fly over my roof.

Friendship is a gift I treasure most of all. This vintage graphic from Holly is so sweet.

I want to share some photos of my American friend Diana (I stole them from her Facebook album). Her husband Dave is Indian. He was our spiritual mentor several years ago before he migrated to the US.He lived there for a long time and returned to India. They got married a few years ago. Dave is a professional photographer , video-grapher, and graphic designer etc. etc. They have a flourishing business. He has promised to teach me some photo editing. They live so far away I don 't get to see them very often.

Here Diana is judging a poster competition at a Christian Girl 's School .She wears Indian clothes, they look very nice on her.

Taking a ride in a camel cart in Agra I think.

With her husband in front of the Taj Mahal.

Yesterday we did not have electricity for 11 hours and it just sucked the life out of me, but today there was a 2 hour cut.

I went to attend an evening meeting at a Christian Conference. I have some photos from there.

Colors of Happiness

Come awhile into our garden and

enjoy the colors of happiness.

Our flowers are smiling at you.

These days I am reading a daily devotional

by Joni Earickson Tada called

"More Precious Than Silver"

It has many gems in it.

I love this quote by Peter Kreft

" The state of mind is like light:

travelling faster than matter,

yet making no sound,

no perturbation.

Pleasure is like the restless mind moving

along a line never reaching the end.

Happiness is the mind resting at the end.

Joy is the mind eternally moving

at the end

motion at a point;

the cosmic dance.

Pleasure is moving;

happiness is still;

joy is moving while still.

Pleasure is like work,

happiness is like sleep,

joy is like play.

Pleasure is like action,

happiness is like rest,

joy is like contemplation.

Pleasure is a river running to the sea,

happiness is the full , calm sea;

joy is like a great and glorious storm on the sea."

When was the last time you did something childlike out of sheer joy?

Said something childlike?

If these thoughts energize you express your delight in God in the way a child would...

Greetings

Dear friends, I spent a very long time composing a new post with

pictures, but something happened

and it got wiped out.

I will try again tomorrow as its past midnight and I 've had a long day.

Sonia and Abner arrived this evening, so we had More excitement.

I am responsible for everyone 's well being.

In Hindi we have a saying -

"One pomegranate - 100 sick '

Flowers in the Sun

Have a look at our garden.We had 2 or 3 showers lately

The rain made some of them droopy
but they still look pretty.

In October , Jags our helper pruned

and fertilized the rose bushes.

Without his help we would never

have such a display

Thank you Jags.

I 've been busy preparing the house for Namrita and her sons

as well as shopping .

Nam and family will drive down to Guwahati (Assam state) tomorrow morning.

Their train is on the 22nd, but they have to travel

2 days earlier because the highway will

be closed on the 21st and 22nd. for repairs.

It means 2 days extra hotel expense, but it can 't be helped.

The boys 9 & 12 are very excited.

Its the first real trip of their lives.

They came here when they were

very small.

Nam is excited too she is coming after 3 years.

The train journey is 23.45 hours long, if it is on

time, which is quite rare.

I will go to the train station to receive them with my Pastor

and Jags.

She is arriving on her birthday (23rd)

So I have to prepare a birthday lunch for her.

Hope I get everything done.

Quite jittery about it and

miss my right hand Sonia.

She will arrive on Dec 26th.

I bought a home basket ball set for the boys to play with.

At Christmas we give little packages (like Christmas baskets)

to those who help us and are from

underprivileged backgrounds

Store bought cakes and sweet and salty snacks, cookies,a little money

and second hand clothes -(to some of them)

sometimes new ones if they really need them.

I have to assemble 7 or 8 of these gifts.

Today we3 took our our little carpet

to sun and clean it.

And Sheeba immediately took up her post on it.

She is ever so watchful

Looking out for feral intruders.

Last night she warned us of a buffalo

who had wandered into our campus.

A milkman deliberately put his

milch buffalo into our yard.

Can you imagine what she would have

done to our flowers and vegetables?

Thank you Sheeba.

You deserve an extra bone

and treat.

Here isn n another Christmas carol, in English.

The little group was conducted by my eye surgeon cousin.

He is playing the guitar.

He plays all sorts of instruments.

There a 2 Koreans in the chior.

Tghis service took place in the Anglican church.

I was sitting in the third row

as you can tell by the video