It's not that I have nothing to write about. It's more that I am cocooning, trying to get myself together. I also have India on my mind.
It happened like this. A new friend and her husband have for years worked on land reform in India. They've been organizing a march of the landless that will take place this October. As founders and key organizers of this march, they've mobilized between 25,000 and 100,000 of India's poorest. The march takes place over 30 days, walking about 16 km a day. She returned to India this week for the pre-march set up.
But before she left, she asked me to join her, for either the whole or part of the march. Chief Phil Fontaine is going. Because they are so well organized, my food and shelter will be taken care of, as I will be a foreign guest. I just need to take care of my flight.
The Man tells me to go. He calls this low-picking fruit. That is, the fruit is easy to get, everything is set up for me. The experience can be tremendous and maybe life altering. I am tired of thinking about doing something but never doing it because of cost, mothering, and wifely concerns.
Already, I am calling on videography resources to advise me on how make a documentary of the march. Maybe sell the film to Vision TV or W after the march to recover the cost of the trip. Even if the film doesn't get produced, I still want to take part in the march. Think of all the weight I will lose.
I have applied for my passport and had photos taken for a visa. I can recruit help to take care of my home responsibilities. It's only for one month at most.
So I fumble with raising the funds for the trip. I am one phone call away from booking the flight.
4 comments:
Book the flight, book the flight. Book 2 tickets. Can I come along?
Visiting India is a good idea. From the travel documentaries and from the 2 assistants that I've had who grew up in India, I've learned much about this country. While the documentaries paint a wonderful exotic picture, the reality of the inner cities and the poverty is quite the opposite. I'm really concerned about spending a whole month camping with the poorest people of India. The poor are often the most desperate. Desperation leads one to act in ways which may lead to personal danger for yourself. I'm worried for you.
I think poor desperate people may be too busy doing desperate things to cause harm on the march. The marchers are idealists with a cause who have saved their grains for the last six months so they can have provisions on the march and still leave enough at home for the family that's left behind.
One of the key organizers is Canadian. There will be foreign guests who are put up in roofed accommodation where there are washrooms. I will be in one of these unless I insist on camping with local marchers.
What attracts me is the safety of this venture, and that I have an in with the organizers. But of course, if the government objects to such marches, they could open fire on the marchers. Then there is little I can do about that. Life is full of risks. You risk being run over by a bus or bicycle downtown Toronto. I think sometimes we go with our gut feeling for what is okay to do.
Having said all this, I don't know if I can actually get a flight out. I'm told I am booking rather late for an economy fare, which is around $1,500. I don't want to pay $10,000 for business class. I won't go if that's the only flight I can get. I shall know by next week.
Thanks for your concern.
You know if you want to lose weight walking, there's always the foot courier gig. I've always wanted to do that when I retire. You buy a day metro pass or even a monthly one and be a foot courier for 8 hours a day in the downtown core. I read an article about a retired man who did just this and lost a tremendous amount of weight. You'd lose weight and make a little money as an added bonus.
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