Having completed a fortnight of an experiment to dramatically pivot our lives from living in secluded academic communities to creating a homestay in a fishing village, I finally (seven months after we quit our jobs at IIMU and stepped out of an academic career that lasted 34 years!) change my profile on social media from ‘Professor at IIMU’ to ‘Trying to build a home for others, too, to stay’.
The men among our neighbours head out to sea at 3 am; the women set off at 4 am to sell fish. Over the fortnight we haven’t had occasion to speak in English. [PS: Trousers/ jeans haven’t been used, the Duster is not driven!] No one here has heard of the IIMs or the IITs. ‘Faculty’ is a strange sound that they can barely mouth; Professors they have never met. We are just 2 nobodies.
The humble abodes of our neighbours are 10 feet from us; we must eat, drink, and live simply. Neighbours walk in with gifts of mangos, papayas, drumsticks, jackfruits, and tender coconuts. We have even had dosas and puttu delivered home for breakfast. There are also the honeymoon poopers: two guys came asking for an Rs.500 ‘loan’; just like that! The village is full of colourful characters and stories of their exploits. For those who have read Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, this is it!
And then there is tiny Aneeta, daughter of our immediate neighbour, who walked in saying ‘Teach Me’! Joshua, Josephyn and Siji joined in the next day (the four in the pic). And Abhiraj and Steven. Josephyn wants to be a fashion designer. Tongue-tied Abhiraj, the star footballer of the Panchayat, wants to be an underwater welder. Siji wants to be a policewoman and Aneeta wants to join the Army! Come, help us help them realise their dreams!
Howard Schultz in ’Pour Your Heart Into It’ advises: Care more than others think wise, Risk more than others think safe, Dream more than others think practical, and Expect more than others think possible. Suma and I are aware that we have already been a little unwise, unsafe, and impractical. We are also prepared mentally to be proven very unwise, unsafe and impractical, but hope to heavens that it does not happen that way! And for that, we depend on you. Give us ideas. Lead us on our social media pages.
PS: Ruchi Galande! Recognise those books? Arul/ Anuj’s books that you donated just as we were leaving Udaipur !!! Never thought they would be so valued (by the village kids!) so soon 
