A fortuitous intrusion into the shot!

The hotel I am staying in is government owned and the customers are 99% Gujeratis (neighbouring State) who come here to Nathdwara to worship at the temple. The hotel is built round a courtyard of grass and is very basic, with high ceilings and large rooms for families to stay in. My room has a huge ceiling fan, one light bulb, mirror, built in shelves, two chairs, 2 beds, small table and ancient tv. There is a western loo but the shower is by the bucket and plastic jug from a geyser.  I was happily pouring hot water over myself when the phone rang – it was Jamnalal wanting to know if I was ready to come over.  I managed to delay the arrival of the auto (another name for tuktuk) until after I had had breakfast. The night was long – I kept dreaming of Ganesh and wondering whether he wouldn’t find it more fun nowadays and suddenly saw him on a motorbike, wearing a turban and his scarf floating out behind.  So I did a sketch and today that is what I made with a little help from J. see the extra. In the morning we walked around the village together exploring different parts – many Jain houses have been abandoned by their owners who are business men and have ‘shifted’ to Mumbai and other large cities.  After a delicious lunch of vegetables, rice, chapattis and dal I played with clay before going on the back of a scooter to visit a wonderful school in a farming community, with 65 pupils, started and run by a man who, with a trunk and large ears would resemble Ganesh in build and temperament.  He never wears shoes, does it all for love, teaches maths and has 3 other teachers – 1- 5 grades – but the government only pays for one teacher so two volunteer and they rely on donations.  This school is the only one in the state of Rajasthan that was visited by the President for it has become famous.  The grounds are filled with 95 different plants and trees and from all the larger ones hang nesting boxes made of wood, ceramic, cardboard and tin, catering for the many species of birds that are attracted by multiple feeding stations around.  At 3p.m. each day as the children prepare to go home huge numbers of pigeons and parrots are fed on a large platform while there are smaller stations that have wire around them for the smaller birds to enter – a huge variety of beans and other pulses and grains are provided. Rabbits and a tortoise are in residence and the children all have nesting boxes at their homes and are involved in looking after all forms of nature. We had the obligatory chai and I had to write a citation and take photos.  I expect the ones they took of me will go up on the board.  The children recited, sang a prayer and sang the ABC all in English – so I sang the ABC backwards for them which the teachers applauded! It has been a useful tool for me.  So now I am back in the hotel again and hopefully you will enjoy looking at photos tomorrow as link to picasa won't work tonight.
 Again, thank you so much for your appreciative comments and awards - I have little access to wifi at the moment so cannot reciprocate.

THE LINK IS HERE NOW!