Working 9 to 5, just tryin' a make a livin'...

This will teach me to check websites in future. Really it will.

I thought I'd chosen wisely when I put my name down for Manushi as the host for my excuse to travel way back in January. Human rights - check. Bit of research and getting out and about around India - check. ENJOYING A RELAXING FEW MONTHS LEARNING ABOUT THE INDIAN CULTURE, SOCIALISING AND SENDING POSTCARDS OF THE TAJ MAHAL - A BIG CHECK.

At least that was the plan. Instead I have found myself in an environment of dynamicism, ideas, passion and genuine, inspiring action. It's taking alot of getting used to.

'Manushi' is a bimonthly magazine, the tenderly nurtured babe of Madhu Purnima Kishwar, cultural commentator and Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi University. And after my first week at work, it really is something a little bit special. Madhu herself is abit of a legend. Surviving on 5 hours sleep a night, one meal a day and a heck of alot of yoga she single handedly controls the operational and policy side of Manushi, occasionally berating her minions to print off more emails or make more tea.

Currently I still count as a minion, though today I was 'honoured' to be able to assist with making a Powerpoint presentation. But so far the work trips are making up for it. In the past week I have been to a Human Rights Conference at a university in distant Rajasthan, only 40kms from the Pakistani border. Madhu was the chief speaker, and as it was a last minute decision to take up the offer to go she spoke for 30 minutes without notes on, erm, well...something interesting - the whole thing was in Hindi so you're bemused narrator had an interesting time watching other people look interested. The university itself was amazing. Funded by by one philanthropic family who achieved great wealth by importing textiles from Manchester, but had the conviction to leave the importing trade altogether at Gandhi's behest in 1922. Amazing. During Partition and the spread of religous uncertainty in 1947, the Muslim population of this small town were all set to leave for fledgling Pakistan. Dr Kumar's father asked why. 'Fear,' they replied. He offered to put up all those with their bags packed in his 108 bedroom house, and this he did, swearing to defend them all himself armed only with his hunting rifle if necessary.

In four hours I was offered 3 places to stay were I to return, including by the town's Chief Justice, and had lunch with the President of the University. I was also invited to join an English group so they could make tapes of my voice to listen to after I'd left. Hmmm. Maybe next time.

After four hours heavy sleep on the return from Rajasthan I went straight to Sewa Nagar market to a bless a pavement with Manushi. One of Manushi's projects is assisting the street vendors of Delhi. Incredibly, considering the number of vendors pushing fruit trolleys and maintaining their sari stands, it is illegal to vend if you do not have all your stall on the pavement. Seeing as pavements in Delhi are few and far between Manushi has established various projects to build them, thus legalising people who are doing perfectly legitimate business. In Sewa Nagar bazar they have built about 200ft of pavements, as well as building attractive gates and entrances to the park that sits contiguous to the market and building the first public toilets in the area. This is a great facility for the people of the neighbourhood, and quite inspiring for me to be involved in.

At the end enough food was given out for about 300 people to eat lunh free, which though also very inspring wasn't something I could help with. So in wandering off into a park to avoid the curious children I ended up having a theological chat with a load of lads, who were so impresed they gave me a round of applause and an orange as a token of their appreciation! I'll have to go into this in more depth on a slow week because I've already rambled for too long, but this just about topped off a bizarre but pretty life affirming couple of days.

I know you'll all be pleased to hear I'm immersing myself in the local culture like a Kumbh Mela pilgrim cleansing himself of sin on the banks of the Ganges. I bought a copy of the Dhoom 2 soundtrack! For those uninitiated into the joys of contemporary Bollywood, it's like Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge but with the E number colour and OTT songs turned up to 11. I also got a copy of the Best Reggae hits of the 90s, the best of the 60s and the new Shakira album so I don't know what's going on. In my defence it's mainly because whenever I ask people what to do in Delhi they get very excited and say "Shakira's playing in Mumbai next week!" or "Shakira's playing in Mumbai tomorrow!" or "Shakira played in Mumbai last week!" It didn't help me one jot in finding out what I can actually do in DELHI TONIGHT, but it did brainwash me into thinking my hips aren't lying.

And quite a few more things happened too involving a man at a cashpoint and a 2 pound 50 (notice the lack of pound signs on the keyboard) three quart bottle of rum, but they will have to wait for another day.

Take care of yourselves, and each other.

Tom.

Namaste!

STOP PRESS: The light works in the bathroom! I can see what I'm doing when I shower!

And apoogies - I don't know what's gone wrong with the font