Visit to Gharwali village

It was another busy day in the office as I start to wrap up our work here and update the finding aids. Because I was busy, I didn't take any new pictures.

I mentioned that SF had gone with some staff and students to a Gharwali village beyond Kempti Falls on Sunday -  here are some of the pictures she took.

The snows from the road to Kempti:

Grain field near the village:

 some buildings in the village:

 Old stone pestles for grinding corn - now they have access to electric grinders:

 Washing dishes in a culvert:

Corn drying from the rafters.  You can see a couple of small dark panels behind the corn - this is for beehives. The villagers now have the benefit of bees for honey for their own sweetener and to sell for additional income.

Glorious sunshine!

In the late morning I walked with SF down to Ridgewood, where she was meeting up with the outreach coordinator and some students for a trip to a Gharwali village beyond Kempti Falls.  Then walked back up to school, started organizing my stuff (as we leave Thursday), had lunch, took my nap.

After nap it was still so beautiful and sunny, with no clouds - so decided to start walking up ZigZag path to see how far I could get .. and I made it all the way to the chakkar!  My 10 or 15-year old self would have been mortified that it took me over 30 minutes to make the climb, but my 70 year old self is quite proud of the accomplishment!  In fact, I found it an easier climb than I had on previous visits - the 'challenge fitness' class I have been taking at home paid off!

The "Lollipop Tree" - a family landmark near the top of ZigZag path:

Arrived at Sisters' Bazaar to find the snows still out .. Bandar Punch straight ahead and the Gangotri massif to the east both very clear .. some clouds over the peaks between the two.  So then walked around the back side of the chakkar and enjoyed the quiet and the deodar forest.  I thought of MG as I walked above the cottage she had lived in when we were here in 2017. 

My cell phone camera does not pick up very well ...

Back chakkar towards Lal Tibba:

 Looking back at the cemetery:

Lal Tibba area was full of tourists - at least 25 cars plus a dozen motorcycles .. ugh!  Walked on to Char Dukan and rested a bit with a cup of chai.  Then took the path down from there past Ivy Bank .. I swear that path has gotten much steeper in the last 18 months .. and was so glad I had both hiking sticks with me!  Then stopped at a fruit stall below the hospital and bought some oranges .. and made it back to the school about 3:30 pm with very tired legs & sore knees.

Bonus round #3

Another spot to identify --

Bazaar day #2

On Saturday morning we took it easy and then headed to the bazaar around 11. We stopped in a chemist shop to get some vitamin C (I feel a slight cold coming on) , at the Kashmir shop on the top of Kulri hill so SF could get some small gifts to take back to friends in the US, and then at the optical shop for her to pick up the eyeglasses she ordered.  The glasses weren't quite ready, so we went up to the Rice Bowl and had a good lunch of momos, Tibetan chicken soup, and (for me) ginger lemon tea.  By the time we were done with lunch the glasses were ready.

SF took these pictures in the bazaar:

From there we walked on almost all the way to Library Bazaar, and up to Christ Church to attend the memorial service for Lillian Skinner Singh, an alum of Woodstock and a long-time Mussoorie resident, who passed away last December.  There were about 50 in attendance, including her sister and a cousin, representatives from Wyneberg-Allen (where she had been on the board), Woodstock, and the community.  Those who spoke of her emphasized her sharp intelligence, her kindness, her sense of humor, and the twinkle in her eye. She is also a descendant of Colonel James Skinner, and important figure in British-India history.

SF took this photo of the altar and window at the front of the church:

After the service we walked back with CW to the guest house where she is staying, which is below the Picture Palace area.  We had a delightful visit with her, the owner, and a former leader of St. George's College, and were able to see a great view of the road up to Mussoorie and the growth of development on those lower elevations.

When we got back to the school at about 10 pm, the Jazz Jam was still taking place in the Quad - students dressed up, dancing, being typical high school teenagers - until about 11 pm.

Another busy day

As Friday was the last day that CW and LO were to be in the office, we wrapped up a lot of loose ends. We have essentially processed all  but one category of the material that was to be added to the archives. What remains is a bankers box of slides - maybe around 1500 or so - that need to be viewed and the good ones digitized.  It is our hope that the school can find a student or a volunteer to take this on once a good scanner has been obtained. We also met with some of those responsible for the physical plant to discuss possibilities for new furniture (to replace the hodge-podge of filing cabinets and shelving) and possibly expand the space.  Their comments seemed encouraging, but we shall see how the ideas progress.

Thursday afternoon had been the start of the annual Mussoorie Mountain Festival, this year under the aegis of the Hanifl Centre.  The program opened with a showing of a selection of short films, produced in India by Indians, of outdoor activities - mountain climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding, white-water kayaking. Coinciding with International Women's Day, several women climbers were featured speakers. I was able to see the opening films, but was busy most of the day Friday so wasn't able to hear the speakers.

Busy day in the Alumni office

Because we have been doing our work in the Development/Alumni Office, we get to see the various visitors that stop in.  On Thursday there were several. One was a man who was a 'chut' in our days at school, but now teaches in Mumbai, had come up for the Mountain Festival.  Another was a British couple from Scotland.  The man's mother and aunt had gone to Woodstock (though he said that as kids they thought she had made this all up and so his visit was partly to confirm whether it was real or not!). We found both of their pictures in Whispering Pines in the 1940s, and we were able to answer a number of questions for him.

And because we had made a presentation to the staff about the archives, we've had some staff drop by or talk with us regarding material in the archives.

• The choir director wanted to revive singing of Woodstock songs, and to know more about Robert Fleming Sr. who wrote them. We were able to provide him with a copy of the song book and of a short bio. of Fleming written on his death - and we discussed the idea of having a student contest to write a new song for the school to reflect the great change in character and demographics from when the old songs were written in the 1930s and 40s.
• A staff member whose spouse works at the Landaur Community Hospital wanted to see what information we had on it - and we have a couple of folders of miscellaneous materials.
• A history teacher who wants the students to do some oral interviews with staff and student alumni on the hillside, and possibly look at artifacts (we have very few because of space issues) to write about. 

My friend SF has been able to accompany the social outreach coordinator on several volunteer outings with students.  Yesterday they visited a center for handicapped children in Thathur (down from Seokoli on the Aglar River). She learned that one mother carries her son on her back for 6 km several times a week to bring him to the center,  and that an Australian physical therapist at LCH comes periodically to work with the children. On the way there is one spot where she finally got to see the snows!  This is the picture she took:

Bonus round #2

More stairs . and a tile floor ...