Tales from the Island of Serendip 4 4

[Flex Mentallo]

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

[Flex Mentallo]

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

[Flex Mentallo]

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

[Flex Mentallo]

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

[Flex Mentallo]

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.
 

[Flex Mentallo]

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

[Flex Mentallo]

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

[Flex Mentallo]

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Human family

Maya Angelou

 

[MrBedrock]

It is so hard to look at the photos, to scan the backgrounds and realize that they are places I have been...and took for granted.

[Flex Mentallo]

8 hours ago, MrBedrock said:

It is so hard to look at the photos, to scan the backgrounds and realize that they are places I have been...and took for granted.

I feel your pain - I had tears in my eyes posting, and I've only visited Houston twice.

[Flex Mentallo]

Well, on a - hopefully - lighter note, this could be your once in a lifetime opportunity to befriend an alligator, Richard! Just be careful in the kitchen!

[MrBedrock]

A alligator would be cool. We had turtles seeking high ground in our yard. We had fish flopping out of the water. Unfortunately we also have lots of fire ants too.

[Flex Mentallo]

2 minutes ago, MrBedrock said:

A alligator would be cool. We had turtles seeking high ground in our yard. We had fish flopping out of the water. Unfortunately we also have lots of fire ants too.

Those fire ants are freaky - how does such a survival mechanism evolve? They even change position so each ant takes a break to get dry. Downright unsettling.

[Flex Mentallo]

Of course, it could have been worse... hippos are mean.

[MrBedrock]

2 minutes ago, Flex Mentallo said:

Of course, it could have been worse... hippos are mean.

Yeah, that would be a frightening sight. I was happy to see the rabbit that wanders our yard was still around.

[Flex Mentallo]

1 minute ago, MrBedrock said:

Yeah, that would be a frightening sight. I was happy to see the rabbit that wanders our yard was still around.

Welcome to Bedrock City Zoo!

[Flex Mentallo]

Of course, there's more than one way to handle a crisis.

[Flex Mentallo]

After Harvey comes Irma, Jose, and Katia.

Even from a safe distance, it is hard to watch.

To everyone here who might be affected, to everyone not here who might be affected, as Irma bears down on the Florida coast, we can only pray that everyone has found a place of safety.

 

 

[Flex Mentallo]

The Scholars

For the past six months or so, Roshni has been working to establish the Luke Holland Scholarships. Meanwhile, having finally completed their PhD theses, both Purnabha and Lucina have quickly found jobs far from Kolkata. Lucina went to Cuttack - a city in the adjoining state of Odisha. Cuttack is close to Puri, a holy city I visited and described here in Serendip a year or two back. Meanwhile Purnabha is in Jamshedpur, the first planned industrial city in India, located in Jharkhand - most famous for being the home of Tata Steel Corporation. They still await the formal outcome of their PhDs.

Some time ago I had asked for biographies of the scholars to share here, which have been slow in coming because they are all so busy. The quality of the English varies according to whether it is in Shahina's  or Lucina's translation. Hopefully, the voice of the young scholars will come through regardless...

 

There are now 17 scholars, two more than we'd planned, so they are finding ways to stretch our donations for maximum impact. Here is a photo of eleven of them. I will begin to post their stories here as and when they come through...

[Flex Mentallo]

Nahid's Story

However, before introducing the young scholars, I would like to tell you the story of Nahid Parvin, a young woman with her own abiding aspirations, and what has happened to her recently. Nahid is representative of all the oppressed women in Rajabazaar...

 

Through the scholarships Roshni seeks to  persuade  families that a different future is possible for all their daughters....

"I cried to my mom. I tried to convince her day and night that a woman can drive car without exposing her to the outside world wearing her Hijab. I also told her that no one from our community will ever know my identity and what I'm doing. Apart from that I'll always do what I did so far to assist our family. Importantly, whenever, I'll start making some money from this job we can have a better living and get rid of our poverty."

 

Edited October 31, 2017 by Flex Mentallo
Name updated