TRADITION ENVIRONMENT FLAVOUR BUSINESS NEWS

www.scribd.com/thelocalweekly VOL 4 ISSUE 4, NOV 15, 2010, The Nilgiris District, India. www.scribd.com/thelocalarchives
Pic, courtesy: IPAN

Incisive
Intervention.
“ We hope this [the WVS
program] will have an impact
on the public and people start
bringing their pet dogs for
vaccination and for neutering,
further improving the success
of the program as less
unwanted pet dog puppies
will end up on the roads. “
- Ilona Otter, Veterinarian

Inside: Snapshot: Kalhatty Waterfall Canine birth control: IPAN-WVS History:Mountain Home School Profile - ESAI Trust Enterprise: Sruthi Herbal

Complete range of Pet food & Pet accessories. Also visit us for all your home requirements. Ph (0423) 244 2678 /244 7353
local issue
Incisive Intervention.
The elimination of all dogs (owned
and ownerless, pedigree breed and
mixed breed or country dogs) in India
by killing them or banning them or by
taking them to shelters is not possible.
As long as there are free-roaming dogs,
they will take the place of those that
were removed. Habitat matters. The
poor garbage disposal system all over
the country and the presence of
chicken stalls and small butcher shops
in and around the city markets and in
the suburban surroundings means that
there is edible waste for animals to feed
and live on. If dogs are eliminated by
any method, it is likely that their place
in the feast is taken over by another
species, e.g. rats, monkeys, cats or wild
pigs. All of them will carry their own
risks for public health not to mention
the harm that is caused if all that waste
is just let to rot on our streets.
The common policy in many western/
developed countries is to take in all
stray animals in shelters where they are
neutered, vaccinated and then re-
homed. Unlike in India, stray dogs in
those countries are often actually strays,
meaning they are run-away pets or
abandoned pet dogs that would not
survive on the roads on their own
because there are no open garbage bins
nor butcher shop backyards. As the
numbers are limited, those animals can
be taken in to rehoming shelters where
they are neutered, vaccinated and re-
homed to responsible owners.
Streets without stray dog problem in
Singapore, Stockholm, San Francisco
or Sydney are not the result of
indiscriminate killing of thousands or
millions of dogs but a fact that the
problem has never risen to the extent
because of different sanitary and
ecological conditions, dog licensing
programs, public education for
responsible ownership and well
developed re-homing shelters.
A zero-garbage city or even better, a
Zero-Garbage-India, would be an
excellent benefit for the citizens in
many ways, including the fact that
stray/feral animal numbers would go
down dramatically, if there was nothing
for them to eat on the roads and
advertisement
Blue Hills Restaurant, Commercial Rd, Ooty.
Multi cuisine restaurant Modernised kitchen
Its not uncommon to see an old student of the Nilgiris revisit with his family, relive the good old times and show
them his favourite haunts. Its certain, you will see them at Blue Hills for a meal.
backyards. This is 'the' challenge that
the solid waste management
department of every district in India
should be made to take really seriously,
by centralized incentive/penalty system
if so required for compliance.
An observational report from the
Wellington Cantonment, Coonoor,
Tamil Nadu, by the Health
Superintendent in 2010, states that
since they started door-to-door
collection of garbage in the civilian area
of the Cantonment the dog population
that used be very big, has drastically
declined.
The objective of the Animal Birth
Control (ABC) program, is to reduce
the population of dogs in a given area.
To be effective in that, the work has to
be intensive – 70% of the dogs should
be neutered during one breeding cycle,
that is during six months. This is
possible but requires strategic planning
and an experienced veterinary surgeon
with trained assistants who can
perform the operations without
complications.
Having a dog neutered doesn’t prevent
it from getting infected with rabies.
Usually all the ABC programs include
rabies vaccination to the operated dogs.
However, the main benefit of the ABC
program in rabies control is in the
Tasty biriyanis
overall reduction of population growth. By
doing ABC we aim to stabilize the dog
population to a level where sufficient
rabies vaccination coverage can be
maintained by annual vaccination days.
Success of ABC program in controlling
the stray dog population has been
demonstrated scientifically in India.
The Worldwide Veterinary Service
(WVS) International Training Center
(ITC) located in the Nilgiris,Tamil Nadu,
provides training for animal charities,
arranging effective rabies control
campaigns. The program consists of three
modules that are to be attended by
different people of the charity; managers,
veterinarians and assistants/dog-catchers.
While we initially target charities as
participants, the courses will be open also
for municipalities and corporations who
want to train their staff to significantly
reduce rabies in their areas for the benefit
of the public.
The training center, known as the ITC,
has an operation theatre for five surgeons
to operate at a time, custom-made kennels
to hold the dogs and several classrooms
as well as dining and accommodation for
30 people.
Visiting foreign volunteer teachers as well
as the experienced WVS ITC staff
conduct the courses and all participating
charities will be supported by advice,
volunteers and materials to carry on the
rabies control work in their areas after the
courses. Participation is free of cost but a
participating charity/municipality/
corporation has to commit in
implementing the rabies campaign as
planned for that specific area during the
course immediately after the training.We
hope this will have an impact on the public
and people start bringing their pet dogs
for vaccination and for neutering, further
improving the success of the program as
less unwanted pet dog puppies will end
up on the roads.
Dogs are territorial animals and therefore
a small group of sterilized and vaccinated
dogs protect and defend the community
they live in from any outside dogs
wandering in search for mate or new
territory.
Worldwide Veterinary Service(WVS)
International Training Center (ITC)
‘Gramya Bhavan’ RDO Complex,
Aruvankadu, Nilgiris - 643202
Ph: 0423-2204538/9626877538 email : ilona@wvs.org.uk
news & events
St Hilda’s does Tamilnadu basketball proud
‘Basketball is a 50:50 game.’
Coach Venugopal, the basketball
trainer for the prolific basketball team
at St.Hildas School, Ooty, is not
talking of luck - as we would, when
we toss a coin with a fifty-fifty chance
of either side - not in the least. ‘Fifty
percent mind and fifty percent body.
It ’s an equal demand on one’s
psychological make up and physical
abilities,’ he explains.
The young achievers seem to have
finely balanced this equation, else they
would not have gone to the finals of
the recently held junior Nationals
(ICSE schools) acquitting themselves
well, in this exacting game of
basketball.
This is the first team from Tamilnadu
to make it to the Finals. The only team
to have fielded its entire school team
(the top 12 in the State are from St.
Hildas). This achievement - national
status - is a first for Nilgiris, making
it a historic feat by the Hildas’ twelve!
Practice sessions on the solitary, hard-
surfaced court at the high altitude (and
chilly) hill station is an everyday affair.
It is common to hear the hoarse-
throated shouts of the•coach
instructing, encouraging and inspiring
the team to give the game their all.
‘Watch your wrist, not the ball’, he
advises the girls as they practice
shooting into the net. ‘Don’t look at
the ring, watch your hand; everything
else will be taken care of.’
What makes this game tough is that
the ring - the goal/objective - is only
slightly larger than the ball. Precision
is therefore utmost. Concentration is
key. Here is where the mind and body
meet.
Were you all tense at the finals? ‘We
had just played a district tournament
and were confident and warmed up,’
said the excited team. The boost to their
confidence came with the drubbing
Maharashtra (last year’s champions)
received, in the opening round!
The team of twelve play as one unit
and yet have unique traits. Lubna, for
instance - the tiniest - according to
her coach, is the playmaker. ‘She can
pass the ball so accurately and with
good judgement, there is no way the
receiving player can miss her throws.’
Equally, this young mid-court player
understands the speed and skills of
her team mates, as they do her’s and
each others’. “We spend a lot of time
together and make it a point to pray
before every game (like the English
club footballers’ huddle),” they
exclaim.
The team, which came close to
pipping the eventual winners,
Karnataka in a hard fought final,
returned from the event held at the
Heritage School, Kolkota, earlier this
month.
What is the secret of their success? -
question to the coach and the team
members, separately. ‘Their team
work,’ says coach Venu. ‘Our coach’,
say the team. Yet another 50-50!

The super team:

Standing (left to right) Sanjana G, Aaditya V, Anushree A (Capt), Faheema A, Rashika G, Lubna S, Sivasamyuktha S, Harini S,
Famiya R, G Venugopal (Coach). Kneeling (left to right) Sowmya R, Poornima N, Sai Vanjeeswari S.
<< home page next page >>

Hotel Preethi Classic Towers, Ooty-Coonoor Main Road, Ooty - 1. Ph: (0423) 2223666/7/8/9 www.preethiclassic.com/preethi
local flavour
All in the Mind
A social organisation, helping those with Mental Illness shows the will to lead, inspite of low resources.
It will take longer than usual to find
this place - ESAI Trust - hidden from
view; other signboards, including that
of a government liquor shop on the
busy stretch of Kotagiri, between
Johnstone Square and Selma theatre
are more prominent.
Nevertheless, this low-roofed, old
structure is home to a social activity of
a very high order - that of treating
those with mental illnesses.
‘I have been coming here for four
years’, says one of the beneficiaries, a
tea estate worker in her fifties.
‘Medicines are subsidised and the
treatment here is very good’.
The woman’s story is compelling: ‘I
remember, four years ago, I was not
paid my due wages and had decided
to demand for it. I was quite agitated
that I was being dealt with unfairly and
was preparing to ask the supervisors
why I was not paid. I can remember
the incident where, upon my asking,
the supervisor retaliated in a harsh
manner. After that, I can’t remember
what happened.’
She was told that her relatives took her
down to Coimbatore for treatment,
couldn’t afford the medicines and
Step by step progress: The ESAI (Education and Social Action Initiatives) Trust, notwithstanding its funds crunch, is making
headway into the identification and treatment of mental illnesses. Contact ESAI Trust, Kotagiri on tel nos 94880 71079 or email
toesaitrust99@rediffmail.com.
returned; They discovered the ESAI
Trust in Kotagiri and now, with regular
treatment and counselling she is
coping well with her anxiety attacks,
back to work and living a routine life.
Today, 119 people with mental illnesses
visit the centre routinely, to secure their
medicines and for counselling. Dr Valsa
Koshy, their volunteer-psychiatrist, has an
intimate understanding of each of her
patients, patiently listening to the progress
the individual and the family is making. Hopeful: Trustees are positive despite challenges.
Remarkable it may seem, that over a
hundred people are receiving had been supporting the Trust with grants
treatment and incredible that there are for medicine, has itself withdrawn
so many needing attention, the substantial funding owing to its own lack
alarming reality is that there are several of resources. To compound the situation,
more. ‘In the combined Gudalur block government hospitals in the district do not
alone, there are over 500 people who have a psychiatrist!
are coping without medical or
counselling aid,’ says Alphonse Raj, a ‘We invite institutions and interested
donors to come and see the ongoing
trustee.
A study done in 2006 with the help of activity and understand the challenges. It
will give a fuller perspective of the
another NGO, ADD India, gave
ESAI Trust an idea of the magnitude situation and encourage them to
participate,’ says Mr Raj. Hopefully, this
of the situation - nearly a thousand
individuals across the district need participation, on the part of society, to
timely treatment. ‘Funds are hard to help alleviate the troubles that some
come by. Donors seem more interested among us face, will
in causes like HIV-AIDS. Mental happen sooner than
illness is an equally serious problem,’ later, otherwise the
says the social worker, who has been predicament, as it is
addressing local business people with the address of
and service clubs like the Rotary the place, will stay
to secure help. The NGO who obscure.
 tradition

Sacred Buffaloes, Dairies and Dairymen in South India Anthony R. Walker

contd. from previous issue

Gods of the Mountains and Gods of the Sacred
Places
Todas recognize two broad categories of divinity.
There are the “gods of the mountains”,
anthropomorphic beings believed to reside,
principally, on particular Nilgiri peaks, although
the category also includes river gods. A number
of these “gods of the mountains” are intimately
associated with specific dairy-temples, for they
are said to have created the “chief hamlets” of
the clans where these temples are located and to
have instituted the particular dairy procedures
that must be followed at these places. But these
“gods of the mountains” do not constitute so
immediate a divine presence as do the “gods of
the sacred places”. These are the gods of the
dairy-complexes themselves, or more accurately
the gods which are the dairy-complexes.
The Cult of Sacred Dairies and Temple
Buffaloes
Among the Toda people, virtually every major
activity associated with the dairy-temples and
buffalo herds receives the imprint of ritual. Thus
building or rebuilding a dairy, re-thatching its
roof, consecrating a dairyman for it, introducing
dairy equipment into the building, lighting the
dairy lamp and fire, processing milk into butter
a n d ghee and distributing the byproduct,
buttermilk, are highly ritualized acts, as
also are the milking of the temple
buffaloes, the naming of all buffaloes,
giving them salt water to drink on
specified occasions, migrating with
them to fresh pastures, burning
A Toda hamlet on the Wenlock Downs with modern-style
homes; only the dairy-temple (centre foreground) retains the
traditional architectural style. (Photograph: Anthony R.
Walker)
off pastures to provide them with new, succulent fodder, offering them as
gifts or fines, and sacrificing them at funerals. All these activities we shall
revisit later in this series.
Dairy temples, their furnishings and equipment, no less than the dairyman
himself, must be maintained at a high level of ritual purity. The higher the
grade of a dairy, the greater its sanctity and, consequently, the more stringent
the rules for maintaining the purity of every person and thing associated
with it. Ritual purity is achieved through rigid avoidance of physical contact
with persons (especially sexually-mature females) and objects of the
inherently impure secular world of domestic life, birth, menstruation,
copulation and death, and of social interaction with peoples and objects
outside of the caste.
Dairy Architecture and Location
Most Toda dairy-temples, like traditional Toda homes, are half-barrel shaped
and grass-thatched; today there remain only two of the especially sacred
conical dairy-temples. Architectural and decorative innovation over the last
sixty or so years has been confined to the replacement of wooden plank
walls with slabs of stone and to having non-Toda craftsmen of lowland
Hindu origin embellish the stone with such motifs as sun, moon, a buffalo
head and, in one case the five Pandava brothers of the great Mahabharata
epic.
The majority of dairy-temples are located within the confines of the
hamlets, where, more often than not, they constitute the sole remaining
examples of traditional Toda architecture. They have their own sacred space,
clearly demarcated (usually by a special stone or a pile of stones) from the
hamlet’s profane domestic space.
To safeguard the purity of the dairy, no Toda woman
must ever walk directly in front of this sacred
building, although she may approach up to a
certain distance along a well-defined path
in order to receive buttermilk from the dairy.
Strict adherence to this ritual prohibition is
evident in an interesting example.
The mountain railway that links
Ootacamund, the seat of the

A splendid bevy of thoroughbred Toda buffaloes (to enhance milk yields,

Murrah bulls from North India were introduced more than half a century ago
and Toda animals that have inherited their genetic material tend to be darker
<< home page in colour and have much shorter horns. (Photograph: Pauline H. Walker)

What makes your child happiest is you. If Picture taken at CMS (Christian
Mission Service), Upper Coonoor,
you are having fun he is having fun too. If The Nilgiris, shortly after their
you can create a connected childhood, its Children’s Day program conducted
the best step to a happy adult. on campus. To donate to CMS’s
orphanage and children’s home pls
Issued in public interest by TheLocal
contact: (0423) 223 0317).
 contd. from previous page
Nilgiri administration, with the town of
Mettupalayam on the Coimbatore plains, just
before it reaches “Ooty” (as the town is
affectionately called) passes directly in front
of a Toda dairy-temple. Todas say that no
woman of their community has ever ridden
the train over this stretch of track; rather the
ladies alight one station before Ootacamund,
from where they either walk or take road
transport to complete their journey.
A dairy-temple has its own special dairy
stream, or, if a single waterway must be shared
with the lay community, then its own upstream
section. Here the priest obtains all the water
he needs for his own ablutions and for the
performance of his sacred dairying activities.
Inside a Toda dairy-temple
The majority of dairies have two rooms,
front and rear. The front room has a raised
earthen platform on each side. These are the
sleeping and resting places for the dairyman
and, if he has one, his assistant. Between the
two platforms is an earthen hearth, not for
cooking but merely for warmth. Certain
appurtenances not associated with the dairy
ritual are kept in this front room: a bamboo
water vessel for the dairyman’s ablutions, an
axe for chopping firewood, the firewood itself,
a woven cane basket for carrying rice or other
food grains into the dairy, and the dairyman’s
secular clothing.
This outer room is separated by the inner
one with a wall constructed just like those at
the front and rear of the building. Access to
the inner room, which constitutes the ritual
heart of the temple, is through a low, narrow
opening, just like the temple’s main entrance.
The sacred dairy equipment is stored in this
Dairy temple located inside a hamlet, but set apart from the domestic area; the front wall displays
relief carvings of sun, moon and buffalo horns. (Photograph: Pauline H. Walker)
<< home page
If your child is very active - most these
days are - get outside or play or simply
run around the house for a few minutes.
The fun run always cheers them up.
Issued in public interest by TheLocal
inner sanctuary and it is here too that the dairyman performs the most
important duty of his office: the churning of milk into butter and
buttermilk.
There are two principal areas within the temple’s sanctum sanctorum,
corresponding to the two categories of dairy equipment.
On the right hand side (as one enters the room) is a raised earthen
shelf on which is kept the less-sacred of the dairy equipment, which
Todas call ertatfar. It comprises earthenware and bamboo vessels used
to store and carry away the products of the dairy, vessels that the
dairyman uses to cook his own food (on a second hearth, to the left in
this inner room), the firesticks he employs to produce fire by friction
(matches and lighters may not be used inside a dairy-temple), and the
dairy lamp. Because some of these items come into contact with the
impure world outside of the dairy, the whole category is considered of
inferior sanctity as compared to the objects kept on a second earthen
shelf that runs along the back wall of this inner room.
On this second shelf are to be found the vessels and related artefacts
used for milking, for storing the milk, and for churning. The most
sacred of these is the large bulbous earthenware pot in which the
dairyman-priest churns the milk. It is called a po:tat, from which the
entire collection of more sacred dairying equipment derives its name,
viz. po:tatfar, literally “the articles of the po:tat”. Besides the churning
vessel itself, the po:tatfar include the rattan ring on which the churning
pot sits when in use, the rattan churning stick with its associated rope
pulley, a small earthen pot for the wet butter the dairyman-priest adds
to the milk during churning, rattan straps he uses for carrying the various
earthenware vessels when they must be taken to another dairy (for
example, to the dairy located in a dry-season hamlet, or to a temporary
dairy-temple set up in the home hamlet while the principal structure is
being rebuilt or rethatched), the tubular bamboo milking vessel, and
the herding cane the priest uses to keep the calves at bay as he milks
their dams.
The requirement that this most sacred—and therefore most pure—
po:tatfar category of dairy equipment be totally separated from the
impure outside world necessitates that the first products of the
dairyman-priest’s churning—butter and buttermilk—must be
transferred to vessels of the less-sacred grade before they may be taken
out of the dairy. Contd in next issue
Picture taken at CMS (Christian
Mission Service), Upper Coonoor,
The Nilgiris, shortly after their
Children’s Day program conducted
on campus. To donate to CMS’s
orphanage and children’s home pls
contact: (0423) 223 0317).
 enterprise

Sruthi Herbal opens promotional feature

retail store in Chennai.

Local enterprise spreads out. Good initial response
Nilgiri-based Sruthi Herbal Laboratories opened an exclusive
Herbal Product showroom, Ayush Vriddhi, at Mylapore, the
heart of Chennai.The 600sq.ft.showroom is stocked with over
50 herbal products that include balms, food supplements, general
body and health care products and herbal remedies for common
ailments. Asthma Arrest BP Nil Diabcurb Pileless
Sruthi herbal products are also available to outstation customers Gas Relief Refreshing Herbal Drink Herbal Weight
by mail order. According to the management, popular demand Reducing Powder A range of health remedies
was the primary reason for opening this exclusive store outside Cosmetic creams Oils Gels
the Nilgiris.'The most sought after products in the store are the
Sruthi Diabcurb and Sruthi Herbal Weight Reducing Powder,' Sruthi Herbal Laboratories, 9/A2 Wood Cote,
says Mr A G Ayyappan, co-founder of this decade old enterprise. Coonoor - 643102, The Nilgiris; Tamilnadu. S. India.
Sruthi Herbal was founded in 1999 by the husband and wife Ph (0423) 220 6290 , 94431 13860/ 9443575106.
team who qualified themselves in Ayurveda-Siddha medicine
and Cosmetology (see inset). email: sruthiherbal@yahoo.com www.sruthiherbal.com
Their first product was Sruthi Hair Oil. In the first year the Ayush Vriddhi Herbals, 132 Kutchery
enterprise added four new products and continued enhancing Road, Luz-Santhome Rd, Mylapore;
the product-line each passing year. Today, Sruthi Herbal Chennai - 4 Ph: 044 24985106
packages and delivers the herbal remedies to several thousand
customers both in India and overseas by mail order. The first
time someone visits the Nilgiris, he or she is likely to stumble
upon the herbal products, made available locally, at departmental
stores and multi product outlets in the district. Thereafter, the
mail order process takes over. A customer from Moga, Punjab,
writes in saying 'we bought your product "herbal Diabcurb,"last
month from Ooty, which seems very effective for us. Now we
need to buy three more packets of this product.'
The company is due to get its ISO certification as well as the
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) by the end of the year.
They are also accredited by the Dept of Ayush, Govt. of India.

Enterprising couple
A G Ayyappan and his wife A Andal,
both Diploma holders in Ayurveda-
Siddha medicine and Cosmetology,
respectively, started Sruthi Herbal in
1999, in Coonoor, Nilgiris District.
Starting with one product - hair oil -
in 1999, the enterprising duo have
targeted 150 different health and
cosmetic remedies by the end of 2010.
Customer feedback and keen
innovation is the key for the two
entrepreneurs - Herbal tea, a favourite
among their clientele, is one such
innovative creation.
Store is open on all days.
<< home page

With kids, we are often in a rush to find an Picture taken at CMS (Christian
answer to their problems or simply brush their Mission Service), Upper Coonoor,
The Nilgiris, shortly after their
queries away, like it didnt matter. Its often Children’s Day program conducted
more helpful to stop and listen on campus. To donate to CMS’s
orphanage and children’s home pls
Issued in public interest by TheLocal
contact: (0423) 223 0317).
snapshot
Kalhatty water falls: Tucked away in a small nook, snapshot brought to you by:

on the Kalhatty-Masinagudi road, about 13 km from Ooty,

the Kalhatty falls promise a pleasant discovery at the
end of a 100 odd stone-stepped climb down. The water
may be a trickle but peace and quiet is in abundance.
MAS
Warehousers
Ideal for a short hike with biscuits and tea.
3 DECADES OF WAREHOUSING

<< home page

Picture taken at CMS (Christian

Children are happy when surrounded by Mission Service), Upper Coonoor,
kids, family and friends. Allow children to The Nilgiris, shortly after their
play together. It teaches them the joy and Children’s Day program conducted
skills of interacting with others. on campus. To donate to CMS’s
orphanage and children’s home pls
Issued in public interest by TheLocal contact: (0423) 223 0317).
 local event
What resort have I?
I am Maramma, a 40-year-old Irula woman. I have lived in
Bokkapuram always. I was abandoned by my husband and
Sisters get together.
now take care of my three children. I have to work. And very
hard work it is. I work in a resort for Rs 4,000. Too many Sisters, a newly formed organisation at Ooty, with a vision to
people chase the same jobs, so owners dictate terms and we equip teenage girls, face the challenges of growing into
are powerless. I do leave every-so-often. The owner withholds womanhood with confidence and maturity, conducted its first
my pay; I return. I am known as a good worker so am welcomed conference at St. Hildas school, Ooty.
back. The owner only pays every two months. Working at 240 students from 7 schools in the Nilgiris participated. Local
another Bokkapuram resort is not tempting. They are all the businesses supported the conference generously and Mrs.
same. Archana Patnaik, Collector of the Nilgiris, endorsed the event.
The other option is, I work outside, that is at Singara estate, The workshop and events were led by professionals from
workand travel time will keep me away from 6.30 am-to-7.30 Bangalore, Chennai , Pune and the Nilgiris.The sessions covered
pm. That would be worse for me. I would not have time to help issues that girls encounter as they pass through their teen years:
my aged mother who helps me with the household chores. self-esteem, body image, relationships, self-protection, career
My life is no better in 40 years. My home is still a mud hut, options, understanding oneself and communicating with parents.
daily life still requires the same hardship . We cook on wood Prior to the conference, Sisters enabled seven 11th standard
picked from the forest, we have no toilet and water must be students from St Hilda’ s and Hebron to spend a week in Pune
carried on our heads. researching organizations that are working with the less fortunate
I did the same as a girl; I do the same today, except now the sectors of society. The studentswere exposed to a HIV/AIDS
tap, if it provides water, is closer. My old mother who takes clinic, a school for children of construction workers, a
care of the home so I can work, must perform the same old government observation home and a training centre
chores in the same old way, the only change being that she is for impoverished youth. The group made a
older and less able. presentation at the conference on what
No, our lives are not good, but the resort owners have a good they had seen and learnt. They also
life. Or why would they be living here and so many more coming highlighted ideas on how
every year? More guest rooms are built, water flows for guests teenage girls can use their
and the gardens. talents and skills to
Last year I borrowed Rs 4000 – the same as my withheld impact society for
salary - to keep my eldest son in school. My only dreams are the better.
for my children.
My eldest boy quit school after 10th and joined a resort.
He now has a mobile phone and a digital camera is next. I am
not happy about this. My dearest wish is they stay in school
and get secure government jobs - with better conditions of
service making for better conditions of life.He says he will
continue his studies by correspondence. I don’t have a say.
Will my life ever change?
As narrated to
Priya Varghese
Team work: Rebecca Parks,(in pic, centre) the co-
founder of Sisters seen with participants at the
recently concluded program for teenaged girls.

The Sisters conference gave the girls the opportunity to mingle

with girls from other schools. It also encouraged and challenged
them to address issues that fall outside the school curriculum
but are close to the heart of every teenage girl.
The highlight for all 240 of them was when they baked their
own bread on sticks around five huge bonfires , ending the session
with a lively karaoke session.
Sisters has made a good start and we hope that their efforts to
make better women, helps structure better homes and society.
<< home page Info & pic, courtesy: Sisters www.sistersinternational.org

You cannot call a child happy or Picture taken at CMS (Christian

unhappy. They are content or not Mission Service), Upper Coonoor,
The Nilgiris, shortly after their
content based on something in their Children’s Day program conducted
immediate environment. on campus. To donate to CMS’s
orphanage and children’s home pls
Issued in public interest by TheLocal
contact: (0423) 223 0317).
history

File shot (1965)

With a long history of sporting tradition, some of Mountain Home

School’s achievements at various levels are commendable.

Tracking Mountain Home School’s Sporting History

The first record of school sports, at Mountain Home, finds place in the Principals’
Register ( Jun 3, 1916) which states ‘Day scholars, their parents and friends
were invited to participate in an elaborate programme of sports. The proceedings
opened with the singing of the National Anthem.’ The same register carries
mention of the school’s first participation at the Inter School Meet at the MRC
(Madras Regimental Centre) grounds: (Sep 14, 1957) ‘The Inter-school sports
were held at the MRC grounds, Wellington. Our school entered two teams - Junior
& Sub-Junior Girls.’
It took just about 15 years, for the Mountain Home sports contingent to lift
the All Round Championship at the Inter School Sports of the English
Speaking School of the Nilgiris (Principal’s Register, Apr 8,1972). A remarkable
achievement, considering the modest sports infrastructure available then.
Entering the new millenium, the school extended its sports field in 2005 to
accomodate a 100m track on the diagonal. Today, the school fields both a boys’
and a girls’ contingent at the Inter-School Meet. Mountain Home School
facilitates the following games for its children: Cricket, Football, Handball
and Basketball for the outdoors with Chess, Carrom, Dartboard &
Table Tennis as indoor events. Ebenezer R, the present sports
captain, has done the school proud with his achievements
at the National Meet winning the 1500m and
3000m event in 2007 and 2008, held at
Bhopal and Hyderabad, respectively.

Estd: 1911

Mountain Home School & Junior College Surging ahead: Every young student is
Balaclava, Coonoor; The Nilgiris District, given equal and ample opportunity to shine
South India. Ph +91-423-2206471 in sports and games.

Statutory disclaimer: TheLocal disclaims liability of any kind whatsoever, arising out of the readers use, or inability to
advertisement use the material contained in it. Adequate care has been taken to compile stories for the reference of our users. TheLocal
makes every effort to maintain accuracy of the information but does not accept responsibility for any and disclaims
responsibility for any loss or damage which may arise from the information provided. All opinion expressed in the issue
in the form of articles or any viewpoint is solely that of the individual or advertiser concerned and TheLocal accepts no
liability thereof. None of the Authors, Contributors, Sponsors or anyone connected to TheLocal can be liable for any
reproduction of the material.

Healthline: Brings information and updates on healthcare, for the whole

family. Look for a range of timely tips and advice from experienced doctors
on child care, women’s health, elder care, general health and well being.
Brought to you by DIAGRAM HEALTHCARE, Bangalore.
www.scribd.com/thehealthline

The Local is an online edition bringing news and views on the Nilgiris district.Published on behalf of The Local Media Publishing Co,. by Edwin David from 10/363-Y-1, Indiranagar; Avk Post, The Nilgiris. Editor: Edwin David