Jan 18

Jan 18
Or at least, that’s what should have happened. Fate, however, had different plans for me. Right before leaving to our hotel, I was briefed by Krish with my future tasks-list. One of them included writing an article (a mere draft, I have to add out of my usual honesty) for the Times of India on the Barshi Project & the stakeholder meeting the next day. Due date : the next day , at the press conference). I worked (with the patient and very helpful help of Rashmi, may I add) till 2.30 on this. (my work was slightly prolonged by the fact that I had deemed it unnecessary to take my laptop on the trip. Oh woeful choice. I had to borrow Som’s laptop).
The next day I had the article finished (if finished it could be called after such a short period). It was approved (with a few minor changes) by Krish at breakfast.
After breakfast the Validator arrived (basically : a person who comes to check the validity of our claim to CDM status for our project). He was a nice guy called Jimmy. While most of the team remained behind with him, I left with a small group to the 18th Century Gopalkrishna temple in Gopalpur (Pandharpur). We did a tour of the assorted temples there (one, in particular, I liked. It was a big copper wheel that you had to turn for a few turns while the two priests/monks/acolytes/temple attendants/? Chanted a few verses. I thought it rather symbolic and nice. ) We then proceeded to prepare the area for our Stakeholder Meeting. I was wearing (unlike the day before) a GVV shirt (yellow with the GVV logo imprinted upon it) & a fancy blue cap with the GV logo. Fancy.
After spending a couple of hours preparing everything, the meeting started and I, once again, took charge of the camera. While performing a heroic leap up some stairs, however, I missed a step. Horizontal/diagonal movement quickly turned into vertical/diagonal movement. In other words, the ground soared towards me. Luckily for me, my cellphone broke my fall (feel free to drop the first three and last two words of this sentence). I am limping still (it is now half past 8 on the 19th of Jan). I then, cowardly, I know, relinquished my control over the camera machine to Sandip, who seemed slightly better in control of his limbs. Slightly less flailing, slightly less exuberant liveliness (mind you, I have nothing against flailing, exuberant liveliness. On the contrary, my best friends are flailing, exuberant livelinesses).
After a lot of speeches in a lot of languages I did not understand (aka: two: Marathi & Hindi) (In my defence, my colleague Sandip isn’t really fluent in those either, so néh!), we were, once again, presented with flowers. And coconuts. Obviously (there is nothing that says “thank you for the efforts and the CFLs” better than a coconut, don’t you think?).
We then went back to the hotel where the press conference would happen.
I am afraid to admit I was extremely tired by this point (the lack of sleep & the lack of jetlag recovery & my rather abrupt fall & my not being entirely cured from my light cold the week before might have something to do with this. But I might be mistaken). I managed to sit through most of the conference, however, and even managed to scribble some notes. (Notes I, for some reason, am unable to read any more.)( I must have been temporarily able to write some other script. Must have been one of those “talking in tongues” things the bible mentioned. )
After this we had a short break (I had a nap) & then we had dinner. Around 11 PM we took a train back.