Inoubliable

Quelques regards inoubliables .....

Des souvenirs pour toute une vie.....

A few pictures of unforgetable scenes ......

Last days in India: Rotary Club Bombay Seacoast

ROTARY CLUB BOMBAY SEACOAST

Le 10 fevrier a Mumbai: President Jean Yves, PP Martine, Rotarien Vasdev et Innerwheeler Lata ont profite de leur passage a Mumbai pour rencontrer La Presidente du Rotary Club de Bombay Seacoast, Dr Aban Movdawalla, le PE Deepak Killawala et PP Ajaykumar Vakharia. Nous avons echange nos fanions respectif. L'un de leur projet est "Empechons la Cecite" ("Avoid Blindness"). Un fanion d'Innerwheel a egalement etait remis a Innerwheeler Lata de la part de la Presidente du Innerwheel, Kety Vakharia, qui malheureusement n'a pas pu etre des notres. Ce fut un moment tres agreable et amicale.

Wednesday 10th: While in Mumbai, President Jean Yves, PP Martine, Vasdev and Lata met with officials of the Rotary Club of Bombay Seacoast (President Dr. Aban Movdawalla, PE Deepak Killawala and PP Ajaykumar Vakharia). Exchanges of club banners. One of their projects AVOIDABLE BLINDNESS is of prime importance. A banner of Inner Wheel was also offered, as the representative of the Inner Wheel, Mrs Kety Vakharia could not make it to the meeting, arranged within a short time.

Back to Kolkata

Depart de Dhanbad a 5hr du matin!!!!

Pourquoi partir sitot? Nous avions ete informe qu'une greve de 72hrs etait prevu dans le District de Jharkand et qu'elle devait debute a 9am. Le mot d'ordre etait que toutes les roues devaient cesser de rouler! cad les trains, les cars, les autos, les auto rickshaws et meme les bicyclettes.... La veille au soir des voies de chemins de fer avaient ete endomages afin d'empecher certains trains de circuler! Nous avions donc decider de quitter Jharkand avant 9hr et de traverser au plus vite la frontiere du West Bengal. Nous avons reussi.

Early morning 5am, the coach picked all the visitors and we left for Kolkata. Why so early? A 72 hour state strike was announced in the Jharkand district, two days ago and from information obtained, the strike is enforced from 9am and all wheels had to stop; that is, trains, buses cars, auto rickshaws, bicycles, etc…..the previous night some rail tracks were damaged so that trains would not run…..So we had to leave the Jharkand border and reach the West Bengal border before 9am. So we did.

Etonnamment tout etait devenu vert sur la route. Les rizieres etaient remplies d'eau et tout avait germe et verdi. / We were all suprised to notice that all the land were green. The rice had grew in a few days.

President Jean Yves profita de la longue route pour montrer quelques photos de Maurice a nos amis d'Amerique et les inviter a venir visiter notre magnifique ile qu'ils avaient quelques difficultes a placer sur la carte du monde. Une petite lecon de geographie a aide a passer le temps. / On the way back, President Jean Yves showed some pictures of Mauriuius to our fellow rotarians from USA and invited them to come and visit our island. They were quite interested with the "tuition in geography" as some of them still had some difficulties to situate Mauritius properly.

Le trajet du retour fut mouvemente! Pour une raison propre au chauffeur nous nous sommes retrouver a un moment, sur une 4-voies rapide, a toute vitesse ... en sens inverse .. ! La frayeur de notre vie! On arriva a Kalkuta sain et sauf.

The journey back, though on good roads, was as “risky”, due to the road code ethics of truck drivers and other vehicles on the road…..Have you ever witnessed on a four-lane motor way(two in each direction), one truck coming at full speed in opposite direction one the second lane of your side of the motor way? Our driver fortunately avoided a head on collision…..We reached Kolkata safely.

Le groupe se dispersa; Les americains prirent un vol pour Delhi avant de s'envolver pour les USA; 5 des Mauriciens partirent pour Mumbai, 4 resterent a Kalkota encore quelques jours. Nous sommes tous rentre change, enrichi et desirant partager avec le plus grand nombre de personnes possible cette experience riche et inoubliable!

The groups parted on different destinations, most Americans were travelling to Delhi for their onward journey. The Mauritians, 5 left for Mumbai and 4 stayed back for few days. We all came back to our country with the desire to share with others this richful and unforgetful experience!

Party at Dhanbad Club

Fairwell Party

Rotarien Luv Kamra, au nom du Rotary Club de Dhanbad, nous a tous convie a un repas fort sympathique au club de Dhanbad. Nous etions tous reunis pour feter la reussite de notre "mission" dans la joie et l'amitie rotarienne. Rotarien Vasdev avait porte un CD de musique en BHOJPURI que nous avons joue pendant la soiree. President Jean Yves a entraine les amis rotariens des USA, de Dhanbad et de maurice a danse sur la musique enchanteresse. Rotarien Vasdev offrit le CD a nos amis Rotariens de Dhanbad qui furent tres heureux de ce present.

One Rotarian, Luv Kamra invited the whole group for drinks and dinner at the Dhanbad club, around the swimming pool…..lots of fellowship with the Indian members as well as with the Americans. We had brought a BHOJPURI CD, which was played during the night and under the impulsion of President Jean Yves, we went into a sega dance with many guests joining in and one of the local Rotarians asked if he could keep the CD, though the bhojpuri language in Mauritius, differs from their Bhojpuri…..it was offered.

Visit of coal mine

VISITE DES MINES DE CHARBON EN FEU!

La nuit du 8 fevrier, nous avons visite une mine de charbon, guide par Rotarien Sanjay. Plusieurs des mines a ciel ouvert sont en flamme. La region et meme la ville de Dhanbad, est recouverte de poussiere de charbon. Impossible de voir les etoiles dans le ciel. La mine que nous avons visite, qui etait semble-t-il petite de taille, produit 25000 tonnes de charbon chaque jour au Gouvernement! La region compte plusieurs centaines de mine similaire. On dit souvent que le Bihar est l'etat le plus riche de l'Inde ou reside les gens les plus pauvre du pays.

Rotarian Sanjay took us to visit a nearby coal mine at night. A large area of the mine was aflame and on fire. Extraction of coal is done from top by digging. The whole area is dusty with coal dust; that explains the dust all over Dhanbad and its surroundings and never one could see a clear sky; the stars at night, forget it. That, supposedly a small mine, supplies 25 000 tons of coal every day to the Government…..and there are hundreds of mines in the region. It used to be said that the state of Bihar is the richest in India with the poorest people; the mines have been nationalized since 1992.

Visit to SAHELI

Pres de l'Ecole des Mines (la plus importante en Asie), apres avoir marcher dans des chantiers, le long de drains pas tres propres, et beaucoup de poussiere, nous avons visite le centre de femmes , "Swaheli". / Next to the Indian School of Mines (the largest in India) and after a long walk in the dust, through drains and gutters we finally reached the Women Centers, "Swaheli".

L'un des dortoirs de l'Ecole des Mines / One of the Hostel of the Indian School of Mines.

Marche dans la ville pour rejoindre le Centre des Femmes / Walk in the town to the Women Center.

SAHELI CENTERS

Il s'agit de centres ou les femmes apprennent a broder, coudre, peindre etc.. Le centre sert egalement aux enfants du quartier. Ils viennent les apres-midi, apres les classes, faire leur devoir ou recevoir des lecons particulieres si necessaires. L'encadrement scolaire est assure gratuitement par un groupe de 800 jeunes etudiants universitaires regroupe au sein d'une association nomme "KARTAVIYA" (Devoir Moral). A tour de role, ils aident les enfants selon leurs besoins.

We visited a centre, for ladies, SAHELI, where they are taught skills (knitting, stitching, painting, etc) and for children, who attend special classes after normal school hours; they are monitored for their home work and further tuition if necessary. All free of charge from a group of about 800 University students who had formed an association called KARTAVIYA, (meaning MORAL DUTY); serving in rotation.

EYE TEST CAMP

Dans la cour de la meme ecole, il y a le "Eye Test Camp" (depistage de cataracte). Les enfants et principalement les vieux des environs viennent se faire examiner les yeux. / In the school yard there is also an Eye Test Camp where everyone comes for a check up.

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