I arrived in India last week

Unbeknown to me the Prime Minister, Mr Modi, had a surprise waiting for me.

I thought I would save my back and leave my big case at the airport left luggage while I spent one night at my usual Delhi city centre hotel. The counter staff told me that they would not accept 500 or 1000 rupees notes. but gave no explanation. Luckily I had small notes with me, left over from my last visit to Brighter Future, which I had intended using for the Airport Express train  and the auto rickshaw at the Delhi end of the line. I asked about the 'notes'  at a nearby cafe  found out that it was a snap decision, of only a few hours previously, by the Prime Minister. to withdraw all 1000 and 500  rupee notes from circulation,( £10 and £5) in an attempt to stop money laundering, hoarding  money, bribe paying and not paying income tax -  all generally referred to as Black Money.  

All ATM's were closed, banks were closed for two days and only a few airport ticket offices and the metro would accept the banned notes. No auto's, food vendors, cafe's, restaurants, hotels or money changers  would accept them . I managed to change 1000 after a wait at the station while they accumulated change from ticket sales to people with 100 or less. but was given a 500 as part of my change for the 60 rupee fare.

I decided that I could not afford to use my precious change on a rickshaw and remembered that if I walked through New Delhi  station, from platform 16 to platform 1, including crossing bridges and going through a scanning machine, I would be at the Pahargang side of Delhi, just a few hundred yards from my hotel. I was wearing a backpack and pulling a small wheeled case. Luckily I had paid for the hotel in advance so only had to use my debit card for meals.  I returned to the airport the next morning by the same route.

Victor met me at the Visakhapatnam airport and told me of the mayhem the banning had caused to traders and in paying wages. So many people do not have bank accounts and the banks would only change 4000 rupees per person, If you had more the money it had to be paid into a bank account.   We saw such big crowds outside banks, with the police trying to keep order,  that the rules are now changed  and one person can only change 2000rps.! Hands are marked with indelible ink to prevent the people returning on the same day. The papers reported small traders not being able to get stock and goods in markets rotting because no one had small change to buy them.The new 2000 rupee notes are being issued in this way.

 Pydi and Vidya painting

Meanwhile, I am staying at Prem Nivas, dividing my time between teaching in the Primary school, supervising some VTC boys repainting the playground furniture, with careful sanding, red oxide and then using the colours they have chosen.. 





We had to mend mosquito nets.

The High School children conveniently had a day off school yesterday for a Hindu festival, so some of them volunteered to make Christmas cards for Victor to send to his friends and people he has met on his world travels connected with leprosy work.

Jessie made angels.

It is still rather hot for November - we don't seem to have the winters that we had a few years ago -  I blame Global warming! 










The young children come to my room after school to play on the tablet, use the toy computer and  play with the speaking teddy bear. 

Vijay

Favourite toys

Peace comes at 7.30 when I'm brought my dinner and the children disappear to have theirs.At 9 o'clock I am brought hot milk. I put up my mosquito net and after a few chores I go to bed and read or do word puzzles. A large rat woke me at 2am last night!  I chased it with a stick and it returned from whence it came, up the roof beam and into the next room and out through the roof.

  

Time to Pin a Poppy or Two

The First World War officially ended at 11 a.m. on November 11^th 1918. The following year, as some traumatised  soldiers began making their way home through France and Belgium, they noticed the profusion of red poppies in the fields which had been their battlegrounds. It is known that poppies proliferate on ‘turned earth’. 

Returning American ex-servicemen decided to make the red poppy their emblem. They found a woman in France to make poppies to raise funds for children who had suffered because of the war and asked her to make more for them.

Meanwhile in Britain, soldiers returning from the grimness of war found that life at home was hard. Many of the soldiers were wounded, disabled, suffering from shell-shock or the effects of gas. Many were physically or mentally unable to work. State provision was inadequate and they did not get the hero’s welcome they had been led to expect. So the various ex-servicemen’s societies united together in 1921 to form the British Legion. It was to become one of the most successful British charities ever.

The French woman who was helping produce poppies for the Americans suggested to the British Legion that they might like to sell poppies in Britain for their cause. The Legion approved the idea and in 1921, 1.5 million poppies were made and sold. The British Legion then decided to set up its own poppy factory with ex-servicemen making up the workforce.

Thus the Remembrance Red Poppy became an established part of British life, and it is still an important part of the Services of Remembrance up and down the country on and around November 11^th each year.

In the meantime, back to the First World War. The Women’s Cooperative Guild (founded in 1883) declared in 1914 that “Civilised nations should never resort to the terrible and ineffectual method of war for the settlement of international disputes.” Most of them were wives, sweethearts, mothers and sisters of the men who had been killed and they embarked on a campaign for peace.

In 1933 they were searching for a symbol which could be worn by their members to show they were against war and were for non-violent conflict resolution.

The CWS came up with the idea of the White Poppy. These are becoming more and more popular every year and are often seen worn together with the Red Poppy.

Sadly, ever since the Great War, there has been war taking place somewhere in the world. We are made aware of these dreadful wars and their impact on innocent civilians every day in the media, and particularly focusing on Syria at the moment.

Wearing the White Poppy proclaims a desire to renew our commitment to work and pray for World Peace and to remember the true costs of war and conflict on everyone. The Red Poppy remembers veterans and the fallen and wounded from all past wars.

Wearing both poppies will show people you are thinking of the future as well as the past.

My daughter, Karen, has been busy over the summer making long-lasting, felt poppy brooches. They are embroidered and have a safety pin on the back. You can buy a Red poppy (£2.50), a White Poppy (£2.50) or a Dual Poppy (£4.00) brooch. 

These poppies held raise funds for Brighter Future to care for our children and adults with HIV and leprosy in India. We also give 50p from the sale of every poppy for the British Legion (last year we sold 73 Red Poppies and sent a cheque for £37 to the British Legion).

If you have a group of friends at work, church or elsewhere, we will be pleased to send you a selection of poppies ‘on account’ for you to sell to them.

Give me a call, or text on 07505 792915 or email me at pmanya.norris@gmail.com.

They actually make a pretty year-round decoration for a coat, jacket or hat!

A New Little Boy in the Hospice

Manoj is a 7 year old boy.  .He is an orphan who was born with HIV.because his mother had been infected by his father before Manoj was born.  
Both of his parents passed away due to full blown AIDS. His father was a daily wage earner. 
After his father died his mother took care of both of her sons by working as daily wage earner. Sadly she also passed away  8 months after  Manoj’s father.
After the death of both of his parents Manoj's elder brother took  responsibility for Manoj. 

Manoj frequently became ill with fevers, digestion disorders, colds and coughs. His brother took him to doctor saying that for some months he is not well. From blood tests Manoj was found to be HIV positive.

. Manoj’s brother was doing a small job and looked after his brother and himself. Unfortunately he has  lost his job and now it is very difficult for him to look after his little brother. Manoj's brother is still a teenager and cannot earn much money in any job. 



Manoj was started  on anti-retroviral treatment (ART)  as soon as his status was confirmed but he is 
very ill.

One of our Outreach Workers noticed Manoj at the ART centre in the Government Hospital and learned about his circumstances. He brought the matter to the Director of Brighter Future and with his brother's consent it was decided to admit Manoj immediately to our hospice for HIV children at Shanti Nivas.  

The word from India is that the  present condition of Manoj is very bad. "He is very skinny due to lack of nutrition, rest and proper care. He is very weak his present weight is only 15 kgs, His CD4 count is drastically decreased its only 190. He is now under observation and palliative care,"

 Manoj is receiving nutrition and medical support from Brighter Future. He needs a protein rich carefully balanced diet because his body cannot respond to the very strong ART drugs in its present severely malnourished condition.
In the pickford Memorial Hospice Manoj is receiving palliataive care,  but we hope and pray that he can recover enough to be able to respond to treatment.  . .  

The College Students

Special thanks!

Brighter Future is very grateful...

.... and extends a special thank you to a relatively new supporter who sent £100 towards the repair of the wall. Victor sent these photos of the completed wall.

.... and to the gentleman who sent £100 towards H's college fees, Coincidentaly his son also has the nickname  'H'!

... and also to the Indian donor who gave two bikes for the older  Prem Nivas Children to share. They will be very useful to go on little errands to the nearby town.

Meanwhile the VTC boys get to learn how ...

to fit taps and pipes in the new Mother's Home bathrooms and toilets. 

 Fitting taps

 Water supply  - pipes from the roof tanks

 Then they tackled the broken grinder with their teacher, Mr Apalla Raju. After that it was time to learn how to service a fan. With five children's homes and ther hospice there are many repair and servicing jobs that they can  and learn about and practice on .

The Story of H

I would like to tell you about one of our boys

While filing and printing children's biodata today I came across the story of H..... 

He is 15 years old and comes from a little village near the town of Bobbili in Vizianagaram District. He was an only child.

When he was four years old both his parents died of HIV/AIDS. Both of his parents had worked for a daily wage as casual labourers - which means they would present themselves in the place where unemployed people go to look for work. It is not a building and is usually a crossroads or a tea stall  somewhere in the village or town.  Rather like the biblical account of the vineyard workers they go and hope that someone will hire them.  People who are desparate have to look for work even if they are very ill -   for example even if they are having a bad day with their HIV/AIDS.

After both of his parents died H's fathers' relatives didn't want to look after H. His mother's sister took H into her home and she looked after him with her own children.

 

H went to school every day and he studied well. He is an intelligent child and was always top in his class. However, when he entered the 10th class he was often sick, got fevers, and had coughs and colds. His aunt took him to a doctor for a check up, saying that he had been unwell for months. H had various tests, including a blood test and he was found to be suffering from HIV. 

H took three months off school when he heard that he was HIV positive, He felt broken. Despite his depression and worry he went to school just to sit the National exams at the the end of 10th class in April and May. When the exams results came out last month H found out that he had passed with 89%. H  was not  pleased with that mark. He felt that due to the three months leave the marks in his matriculation had been hampered.

 

One of the Brighter Future Outreach Workers found H at the Government Hospital department where HIV/AIDS patients go to collect their anti-retroviral medicine. He enquired about H and came to know his history. he brought the matter to the Director of Brighter Future India and the Director joined H into Thompson House. H had regular counseling and now he is feeling much better and has resigned himself to the fact that he has HIV.

 H has been registered and admitted to 1st year of Intermediate College to do his 10+2 . H is joining the English Medium stream at one of the best colleges in the district - Gayitri College. 

  

Brighter Future is now supporting him, emotionally, educatinally, medically nd nutrition-wise. H is now happy and pleased that he can continue his studies. 

We would like to find two sponors for H - one to sponsor his accommodation and board, and the other to sponsor his college fees. Each work out at about £250 a year.

We do not use photos of H or his full name  - these will only be revealed to his sponsor or sponsors.