March 23, 2010 - Against All Odds !!!

Woke up in the morning at 0630hrs. The room was cozy and comfortable, so forced myself to sleep till 0730hrs. Came out of my room and encountered a beautiful chilllllllll morning. It was our first day to the office. So gotta get ready soon and try to be punctual (???!!!). Armed with a toothbrush and paste I went out to find the water frozen in buckets. Then I had to take water from the tank which was being filled by a solar pump. Next step was to get this water to a bearable temperature using a solar heater. My hands became numb as I finished brushing my teeth; First lesson: never allow your hands to stay wet. Next came the primary morning ritual. The loo was a cabin with a hole in the middle, constructed on a raised platform above a pit. Now for those who have seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, this is the same kind of loo as shown in the movie in the beginning. It was a pain relieving oneself, with the chill winds blowing at the rear making the body go numb. Acute water scarcity and the climate, makes bath a luxury, and hence is a ritual reserved for weekends. However, in case the climate is favourable the frequency can be increased to twice or even thrice a week.

As soon as I was done and ready, the breakfast was ready. There were hot rotis, apricot jam, butter and tea. Now these rotis were twice the thickness of the tandoori rotis that we get in hotels in Mumbai. Post breakfast we got ready to go to the office. We were given a route map to the office. It was supposed to be a half an hour walk. We got lost on our way and then were rescued by the office vehicle. Finally we reached the office.