We packed our bags and headed to Nandurbar on the Sharpline bus after picking up a whole lot of goodies. Nandurbar is about a 10 hour run by road from Mumbai and we arrived at our destination at 8:45 in the morning. Fr. Godfrey who is  incharge there came chuggin’ along in an autorickshaw to pick us up and escort us to  Jana Seva Mandal.

One of the initial things that you notice about  town is that it is a typical Indian town, with a lot of shops and various establishments and  does not look like a cut-off tribal area. However this is not the catchment area of the Jana Seva Mandal – who target the Adivasis who live about 40 to 60 kms in the interiors of the Taloda and Shahada districts.

After a good breakfast of eggs, bread and chai, Godfrey took us on a ‘grand tour’ of the place.  Apart from the main administrative building and the boarding for about 70 boys, the campus now boasts of  halls and restrooms that cater to large groups of individuals. We sat and chatted with him about the work he is doing and the plans he has for Jana Seva.  KJD  and I went for a botanical walk of sorts around the campus and had a poke around at the various plants and trees.

Lunch and a much needed rest followed. I spent some time by myself in the evening. The rest of the gang joined us in the evening and we headed to town for a while.  Had a hilarious dinner  and hit the sack – or tried too

Sunday morning saw us walking the kilometer to the house of one of the parishoners where morning mass was going to be celebrated.  It was the couple’s 21st wedding anniversary that day. It was really nice to see the community come together to celebrate the Eucharist. After mass in Marathi,  KJD  and Kenneth being ‘ordained’ and a lovely home made breakfast we walked down to the sister’s place. Sr. Lillian chatted with us about the work she is involved in and the herbal dispensary and course that they run.  We spent the morning setting up some computers and wi -fi connection.

We were due to leave in the night and then realised that the bus back to Mumbai left earlier in the evening! I spent the afternoon in a long heart to heart conversation – just the type I love We packed up and took the same rick back to the bus station.

I must say that the journey back was a lot more comfy We got in at around 5.30 in the morning. KJD, the gentleman as always,  dropped me home and I managed to get some sleep before I headed to work.

I had a lovely time on the trip (Thank You KJD) and am so looking forward to the next one

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