Farm days - part deux

                                      My cousins who are studying in a nearby university invited me over for their Diwali celebrations. The program consisted of a mix of classic dances and Bollywood style singing and dancing. Students show their appreciation for the fine arts in strange ways in India; mostly it’s by howling and making a thorough racket. There's dancing and merrymaking in the aisles and you can always count on some guys getting drunk and having a fist fight to mark the grand finale of the program. As an artist if you can perform nonplussed in an Indian college environment, you can make it anywhere in the world. It's the same with driving in India! The ensuing dinner and open air discotheque reminded me of my college days, the bravado of the men, the coyness of the girls and the latent sexual tension in the air...

Aurovillians are a curious bunch, and you get the feeling of complete normalcy and 'shanti', but just below the surface there’s a thin sheen of insanity. Very subtle but it’s there, and something that I like as well. Normal can be the old librarian who's so grouchy and unpredictable that a lot of people avoid the library on his behalf. Somehow there's something pathetic about seeing a man shriveled up with age using the 'f'' word indiscriminately.

The roads in Auroville are mostly red earth and so when the monsoon gets going, cycling on it is like riding a wild horse. Galloping around the town at night in pitch darkness with just starlight and moonshine to guide you, its exciting stuff despite the sore bum at the end of the ride. Another small pleasure is to have the farm cat curl up in your lap when you are  flopped down in the hanging armchair. The cat's got good manners; it always puts a paw in your lap first asking for permission before jumping on board....

I also did a heat test on my capsule. Despite the name, the test is more severe on the occupant than the accommodation. The deal is you have to stay put in your residence for the whole day without any electrical devices to help you beat the heat. It got really sticky sweaty around noon for some hours but apart from that it wasn't too bad. So people can survive in the capsule, provided it's not summer. During my stay here, I have spent a disproportionate amount of time in the capsule. The sunsets are something to die for and different each day! Also spotted some wild rabbits and the lone deer.

The last two weeks it was raining non stop and the farm flooded. But it was great working and getting soaking wet. Felt like a child again. Being run exclusively by volunteers all sorts of people come and go. Most come to Auroville for less than a week hoping to mix some volunteer work with their stay to get an "Auroville experience'. Too little time in my opinion...