[meteorite-list] Orissa India--- Of Floods,meteorites and Man-and Turtles too
From: Atul Kumar <Atul_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:24 2004 Message-ID: <008601c38f5d$6b147860$6400a8c0_at_CPQ10328228826> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0081_01C38F33.805D2D40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Dear All- and Mike Farmer While poor people of the area have just had their thached (straw) roofs = blow off their Mud houses ,and their mud houses are turning into more = mud,and people are dying and even more will die from the diseases to = come,we get to hear about the carnage ,and learn about their misery = sitting at our computers. Into this mayhem that is India arrives one Foreigner(as they are = called) in 2 cars/jeeps with a purpose.He wants the rocks that fell = from the sky. Mike travels exactly half way around the world for meteorites,and ends = up with a flood,starvation,and disease.Not to mention he is among people = who have never seen a refrigerator- and would not know what to do with = it even if they did see one. They have never known electricity- unless they travel to town. Maybe he can do something to help the poor people there,even if they = dont have METEORITES TO BARTER FOR FOOD. COWS- They are a part of the household- almost a member of the family- like a = pet dog is- sort of- They wander during the day looking for foliage,and in the evening come = back home - to be milked.The reason they are on the road in Mikes way is = because they are lost- or decide they dont want to sit in the flooded = area today.They are trying to stay dry, or maybe their way home is = blocked by water. Milk is the major source of protien and fat for most of India.The milk = extracted is usually gone fast -They dont need refrigerators- there are = more mouths in the household than the cow can fill. ROADS Mikes description of the road travel left out this- As the only decent part of the road is the middle every vehicle travels = in the middle of the road.There is nothing dividing oncoming traffic = from your vehicle. When you see a vehicle coming- you have to make a quick decision whether = you want to get off the road or if you want to get him off the road or if you want to see if he wants to play the who,s going to get off = last game. The larger (read TATA) usually wins the middle ground. I must tell you about the TATA tramplers - (These are 7 ton trucks loaded with 20 -30 tons of freight- i call them = Tramplers) hopelessly overloaded ,usually leaning to one side,engines = over-revving under the load,and they do trample everthing in their path. Travelling in rural India can be great fun.I go as often as i can,doing = volunteer Wildlife work while i am there. INDIAN HOSPITALITY If there is one bed in the home- the guest sleeps in it- the rest on the = floor. If there is one meal- for the whole family to share- the guest gets it. It is very very humbling to learn that there is so much we can learn = from these poor people. The tone of mikes email seems to suggest he has finally found what = enthalls people of the world with India.There is so much to love - and = so much to dislike. It is a land of paradoxes. His emails exude a sense of resigned acceptance about the things he is = seeing.makes me homesick just reading his emails. Anyway my contact reports that Recovery efforts have been dismal.The = water is everywhere as the mini cyclone from last week brought the ocean = to the peoples doorstep in more ways than one. MIKE- Ask about when the Arribida is- Millions of Indian Sea Going = turtles come to the very beaches you are near to lay their eggs and then = even more millions hatch and go back to the sea to continue the cycle = that has continued from times immemorial .It is a sight of a lifetime. The turtles that hatch here- will only come back to the very beach they = were born - in a few years to lay their eggs.Radio telemetry has = established this recently. And it took us 2000 AD yrs to discover GPS.The turtles have us beat by a = few million years. PS- the word Arrabida was coined by the spanish inhabitants of India-I = think it means the arrival. Regards Atul kumar ------=_NextPart_000_0081_01C38F33.805D2D40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2730.1700" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dear All- and Mike Farmer</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>While poor people of the area = have just had=20 their thached (straw) roofs blow off their Mud houses ,and their mud = houses are=20 turning into more mud,and people are dying and even more will die from = the=20 diseases to come,we get to hear about the carnage ,and learn about their = misery=20 sitting at our computers.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Into this mayhem that is India = arrives one=20 Foreigner(as they are called) in 2 cars/jeeps with a purpose.He = wants the=20 rocks that fell from the sky.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> Mike travels exactly half way = around the=20 world for meteorites,and ends up with a flood,starvation,and disease.Not = to=20 mention he is among people who have never seen a refrigerator- and would = not=20 know what to do with it even if they did see one.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>They have never known electricity- = unless they=20 travel to town.</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Maybe he can do something to help the = poor people=20 there,even if they dont have METEORITES TO BARTER FOR FOOD.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>COWS-</DIV> <DIV>They are a part of the household- almost a member of the family- = like a pet=20 dog is- sort of-</DIV> <DIV>They wander during the day looking for foliage,and in the evening = come back=20 home - to be milked.The reason they are on the road in Mikes way is = because they=20 are lost- or decide they dont want to sit in the flooded area today.They = are=20 trying to stay dry, or maybe their way home is blocked by water.</DIV> <DIV>Milk is the major source of protien and fat for most of India.The = milk=20 extracted is usually gone fast -They dont need refrigerators- there are = more=20 mouths in the household than the cow can fill.</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>ROADS</DIV> <DIV>Mikes description of the road travel left out this-</DIV> <DIV>As the only decent part of the road is the middle every vehicle = travels in=20 the middle of the road.There is nothing dividing oncoming traffic from = your=20 vehicle.</DIV> <DIV>When you see a vehicle coming- you have to make a quick decision = whether=20 you want to get off the road</DIV> <DIV>or if you want to get him off the road</DIV> <DIV>or if you want to see if he wants to play the who,s going to get = off last=20 game.</DIV> <DIV>The larger (read TATA) usually wins the middle ground.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I must tell you about the TATA tramplers = -</DIV> <DIV>(These are 7 ton trucks loaded with 20 -30 tons of freight- i call = them=20 Tramplers) hopelessly overloaded ,usually leaning to one side,engines=20 over-revving under the load,and they do trample everthing in their=20 path.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Travelling in rural India can be = great=20 fun.I go as often as i can,doing volunteer Wildlife work while i am=20 there.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>INDIAN HOSPITALITY</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>If there is one bed in the home- the = guest sleeps=20 in it- the rest on the floor.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>If there is one meal- for the whole = family to=20 share- the guest gets it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It is very very humbling to learn that = there is so=20 much we can learn from these poor people.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The tone of mikes email seems to = suggest he has=20 finally found what enthalls people of the world with India.There is so = much to=20 love - and so much to dislike.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It is a land of paradoxes.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>His emails exude a sense of resigned = acceptance=20 about the things he is seeing.makes me homesick just reading his=20 emails.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Anyway my contact reports that Recovery = efforts=20 have been dismal.The water is everywhere as the mini cyclone from last = week=20 brought the ocean to the peoples doorstep in more ways than = one.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>MIKE- Ask about when the Arribida is- = Millions of=20 Indian Sea Going turtles come to the very beaches you are near to lay = their eggs=20 and then even more millions hatch and go back to the sea to = continue the=20 cycle that has continued from times immemorial .It is a sight of a=20 lifetime.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The turtles that hatch here- will only = come back to=20 the very beach they were born - in a few years to lay their eggs.Radio = telemetry=20 has established this recently.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>And it took us 2000 AD yrs to discover = GPS.The=20 turtles have us beat by a few million years.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>PS- the word Arrabida = was coined by the=20 spanish inhabitants of India-I think it means the arrival.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Regards</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Atul kumar</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0081_01C38F33.805D2D40-- Received on Fri 10 Oct 2003 02:36:25 PM PDT |
 StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit Yahoo MyWeb
|