Friday July 18th

We all had a lazy morning as the pace is catching up on us. Later that day we went to Swabhumi, a cultural center which is focusing on preserving the ancient heritage of this country. Not too much there I am afraid although we had been told there was lots to buy. Maybe I am just too picky and not a shopper.

On our last evening in Kolkata we visited the neighborhood of Dr Mulick and had a very nice dinner at his house. We visited both Hndu and Muslim areas and temples and then a Catholic school called St. Aloysius. As all 16 of us paraded through the streets the neighborhood stood and watched and smiled. The people in India are just so incredibly friendly. We also met lots of people in the apartment block during dinner and had a great view from the roof tops of the block. The hospitality is so great and we were indebted to Dr Mullick for this taste of real Indian home-life.

Saturday July 19, 2008
We are staying at the Taj President in Mumbai. We checked in and immediately went out to see the home of Mahatma Gandhi when he was in Mumbai and it is also a museum now. We watched a 30 minute video of his life but the highlight for me was to meet the daughter of his second son, in other words, Gandhi’s granddaughter. It was so ironic that she was visiting today and came in to speak to us as I had met his other granddaughter, the daughter of his third son when I was in Durban, South Africa. She gave us an insight into her life with her grandfather and she shared that he always had time for his grandchildren even though he was so busy. He was also meticulous about the length of his white robe he wore as it had to be just above his knees. She told us that when Martin Luther King visited Gandhi at this home, he decided to stay as he felt a complete peace so they had to find him a bed for the night. She was a very gracious lady and I enjoyed listening to her very much.

I can tell you that Mumbai is very cosmopolitan and right beside the Arabian Sea. There are no cows here on the road although I did see one being led on a rope. There is not a lot of litter either, thank goodness. We will be here for 5 nights so I will sign off now and get some sleep.