A great event in my life history:

A week with Jutta, Karin, Winni, Brigitte, Thomas, Doris, Franzi, Moni and Thomas Kirchmayer (in spirit)!

Since my close friend Thomas Kirchmayer, the organizer of the tour, could not join the tour due to health problems, I felt responsible to take more care and also to make use of the time to the maximum of memorable experiences and quality entertainments.

It was well planned that three days in Kerala was of a good start at Sameeksha Ashram, Kalady; nice opportunity we had in Kalady for dance concerts of Indian classical forms – Bharata Natyam, Mohiniyattam and Odyssy in the evenings.

Fr. Sebastian Painadath made the friends experience the real life of the people in India (Kerala). There was Indian simple food; we used auto rickshaws (auto) for local transport.  Boating in backwaters costed us only Rs. 135/- for 9 of us (Rs. 15/- each). Travel to the Alappuzha beach and back was by city buses; return journey was too crowded that many of us were standing very well balancing sudden brakes.

30^th morning we visited the grand tower of Adi Shankara, the pioneer of Indian philosophy who was born at Kalady. We had a useful shopping for spices at Kalady personally accompanied by Fr. Painadath.

Crowded train journey from Angamali to Ernakulam was a bad experience; many got crushed. Our friends well adjusted to these situations. When we got settled in the reserved coach the train journey was pleasant; we had a nice chat.

CIM staff made 30^th December night to 3^rd January, days of festive celebration. On 30^th night at 9.30 pm they waited at CIM and had the traditional welcome of Sandal garlanding and flower showering, Aarathi etc.

31^st we had the Sunday Eucharist at a village church at Palayam. Jutta conducted the choir. Our friends did the singing along with playing of instruments. At 11.30 am we came to CIM and had exchange of Bavarian music-dance and south Indian music-dance; planning for next day’s New Year celebrations too. Evening we took a government transport bus to Kanyakumari; there were children of few CIM staff members also. On the way back, we visited the house of CIM staff Syndiga.

New Year day celebrations were again with music and dancing. Our friends were with the Bavarian costume and CIM staffs were in uniform dress. We had the Eucharistic celebration at about 11.45 am. Singing was shared between our friends and CIM staff.

Afternoon Moni was the heroine; Monika with Harmonika. She was leader teaching Bavarian music and dance to CIM team; Miss Jeni was teaching Indian music and they all understood. There was grand performance of music and dance with lot of fun. Few of CIM team joined Bavarian dance including me; whole team learnt Bavarian folk vocal music beating on our chest and performed together. Jutta and Franzi played Guitar; Karin joined with recorder flute.

What an energetic and enthusiastic shopping next! It was the biggest shopping mall of the town named Pothys. Our friends bought Indian style of dresses Saree, Dhothi, north Indian Chudidar etc.

2^nd of January CIM staff with their children and our friends totaling 43 had a picnic in a mini bus; as usual crowded; I remember Thomas and Doris dancing with our staff inside the bus balancing very well the Indian driving style. Evening visit to three staff houses made our friends feel the real poverty situation of our staff. They were also so simple to bend heads to enter small houses of the staff, to listen and comfort the struggling families of few staff and to entertain children of the staff with affection giving gifts and accepting gifts. Emotional communication was more than verbal communication; language was not a problem at all. The places we visited on the Picnic day:

1. St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral Church of the diocese of Kottar
2. Thanumalayan Temple at Suchindram
3. Vattakottai (round fort) near ocean
4. Martyr Devasahayam Shrine at Mountain at Aral
5. The irrigation channel bridge at Mathoor (River down and channel up)
6. Visit to three staff houses

Our visiting friends had brought nice handmade gifts and sweets well distributed to the staff and children.

3^rd January was devoted for teaching each other Bavarian and Indian art forms. The afternoon school experience at Little Flower Nursery Primary School was also great. Our friends witnessed in person CIM’s field work; they observed our CIM staff teaching music & dance in schools; then the music and dance performance of our friends to the children was much appreciated by the principal (Reverend Sister) and the teachers of the school.

Evening shopping went on for more than 5 hours. After shopping there was trial of wearing new Indian dresses; CIM staff taught them how to wear the Saree in the south Indian style; trial was successful.

4^th January at Kovalam beach was a relaxing afternoon till evening.

In general:

CIM arranged Indian food at Coordinator’s house. We had varieties of Indian menu (more of sea food), Indian fruits and vegetables (varieties of banana). They all liked the spicy varieties of food. (Karin feels missing this menu at Penzberg; I come to know that she is getting tuition from Miss jeni about cooking Indian food items: congratulations.)

Our friends became Indian: Moni repeatedly said “we want to be Indian here”; all could understood the Indian culture in Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu and act accordingly.

Thomas Kirchmayer, the organizer, had well motivated the friends about Indian cultural situations and travel difficulties (bad roads and odd driving styles) that the touring friends were settled in mind and they were not shocked to see the different conditions here.