Asia 2006: Random Bozo goes to Kerala

Nedumkandam: Thursday 8th June

Kerala

Idukki district

flower on a tank near the church

algae on a tank near the church

in the service

lighting up the madonna and child

JC and his sacred heart

prayers (movie)

the bride and groom

the bride and groom

filming the happy event

'Mr Picasso' filming the happy
event. (He has a photo and
video studio in Nedumkandam.)

the bride and the guitarist

tablas

the happy couple and the
musicians

by the power of Kerala!

posters in a café after the
wedding

The café's TV was showing
Idukki's own channel:
'Idukki Vision'.

the wedding 'dining hall'

I was very thirsty but I didn't want
to drink from this well.

The bishop(?)

I love his hat!

wrapping up

the church gate sign

Reena Mol, Josekutty and Ajeesh
at Josekutty's parents' house,
after the wedding and meal

flowers at Josekutty's parents'
house

Blog entry

Today I was taken to yet another wedding: this time Balagram Roman Catholics: they acknowledge the Pope as boss yet use orthodox (possibly even 'old believer' style) liturgy and do it all in Malayalam for around three hours.

All I can do is sit and try to prevent my head from exploding. More detail when I can get my head around it.

Paper diary entry

Balagram Catholic wedding of Josekutty and Reena Mol

ice-cream ingredients:

It had never even been near a cow!

(As I write this web-page, I recall how long the ceremony went on and that Ajeesh and I escaped to a nearby chai-shop/café so that we could indulge ourselves in paan and other things we couldn't do in church. We went back in time for the meal: over 360 guests eating in 2 sitting!)s

Email news: a former Granada Learning colleague is coming to Goa: would I like to meet up?

Just realised part of the reason I'm having the time of my life is the child-like, carefree existence I'm currently enjoying. Is it any wonder I'm slightly reluctant to return to adulthood?

And yet it's all around me: cardamom pickers might earn Rs50 (£0·63 or $1) a day. A local child needs an operation that will cost RS20,000 (about £250) for an operation to sort his cataracts. His parents live in a shack made of plastic and straw. Ajeesh says 'we are trying to do something for him...'

© (except the blatantly ripped-off bits) Random Bozo 2006