A Day of Hope and Mercy--Visiting 'Homes' with Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Sunday, February 17, 2019
Bombay

A Day of Hope and Mercy--Visiting 'Homes' with Society of St. Vincent de Paul 

     Namaste from Bombay!
     I had a day with a difference! I spent most of it doing things I have never done before--and I felt deeply gratified.
     But to begin at the start of my day...I was up at 6.00 am. I had no time to blog today as I had to leave my studio at 7.00 to get to St. Peter's Church close by for the day-long excursion for which I had signed up. I washed and dressed swiftly and had my breakfast (muesli)--no time for coffee. At 7.10, I left home and walked briskly along the quiet streets of Bandra in the crisp wintry air to get to the bus outside St. Peter's Church on Hill Road. My cousin Meera who is a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) at St. Anne's Church, Bandra, had told me when I met her mid-week (at our Cousins' Luncheon) that she would be spending the coming Sunday on a mission of mercy--visiting 'Homes' run by the SSVP. I was very keen to go with her and asked if I could join in too. She had arranged for me to be a part of the group that included SSVP members of three Bandra-Khar churches: St. Peter's, St. Anne's and St. Vincent de Paul parishes. I got there on the dot of 7.30 am--a few more people arrived after I did and we were off and away.

Journey by Bus to the First 'Home':
     We stopped at Chuim in Khar to pick up member from that church and then began our journey to the first location--Kalyan--which is outside the precincts of Greater Bombay. I thought the journey would take us a minimum of one hour, but, in fact, it took exactly two hours. Although it was a Sunday, we found that the very distance from Bandra made it a lengthy journey. En route, we stopped somewhere to have a breakfast break--one of the ladies had made hot dogs and they were served with coffee. Meera had not eaten her breakfast and was hungry by the time breakfast was served: I was very thankful that I'd eaten mine or else I'd have been starving by then.
   
The Home for the Aged in Kalyan:
     Our first stop was at the Home for the Aged in Kalyan. It is funny that although I have visited Assisted Living Communities (as they are known in the West) in the UK and the US, I have never been to one in India. I thought it was high-time I had an idea of what they are like here and how they are run.  There was so much I learned on this visit. My Dad, who for years, used to be the President of the SSVP of his parish, St. Anne's, used to undertake this mission of mercy for decades and my brother Russel had often accompanied him. Russel had also accompanied my Mum and Dad when they had gone on this same annual trip with the Senior Citizens (The Goldies) of our parish. What I discovered was that this facility (to which my Dad also made regular visits to see one of his aunts, Aunt Maggie, for many years before she passed away), is actually run by the SSVP through support it receives from the vast number of donations it gets from its contributors all over Bombay through its branches in every church. Hence, one cannot opt as an individual to come and live in this place--the applications are made through the SSVP in a local Bombay parish. They then direct the application to this place.
     The building consists of three floors--the ground floor houses the Office, the Parlor (where visitors can have tea, coffee and biscuits) and the Dining Hall for the unmates. The first floor houses the Ladies wing and the Second houses the Men's Wing. As we went from one floor to the next, we had a chance to see the kind of rooms in which they live--I saw a minimum of three beds in each room--in some there were as many as 8 beds in the same room--a much larger room, of course, and preferred by those who like communal living. Each bed was beautifully covered with a cotton printed counterpane and each bed was equipped with a woolen blanket. The place was spotlessly clean and the inmates were very well clad. We spoke to several of them--the majority are Catholics but I found a few who practiced other faiths. There is a chapel on one of the floors were Mass is said daily.
      The place is run by two nuns--an overall in-charge administrator and her assistant, the junior in-charge person. Some of the people could only speak Konkani but since my cousin Meera speaks fluent Konkani, we were also able to communicate with them. They all said that they were really happy in the home and lacked for nothing. I think the most difficult thing for them to deal with is the distance from their children. It must be tough for them to know that they have children who are located too far away to see them regularly. A few said that they receive family members once a week. Others said that their family members phone them regularly. They also said that they are kept occupied by assisting in the kitchen with the peeling and chopping of vegetables for their meals.
     The place is bright, airy and has lots of lovely natural light with wrap-around balconies that encircle the upper floors. They allow for freedom of movement (should one wish to get exercise without leaving the building). The building is surrounded by a small and very well-kept garden and overlooks a developed residential area--there were no slums anywhere around. In other words, I suppose it was as pleasant an environment as one can possibly expect in a busy city like Bombay.
     The inmates pay Rs. 1,500 per month (about $20) for their maintenance. Their medical requirements (individually prescribed tablets, for instance) are additional. Needless to say, this is a steal...but then the place is run only on donations by nuns who are obviously devoted to their vocation and carry it out selflessly as a mission of hope and mercy. The nuns, however, are assisted by several women who comprise a staff of cooks, cleaners, women whom I found making beds, changing bed linen, etc.
     An hour after our visit, we went to the office where each parish handed over a check to the main nun (whose name I forget)--the check comes from Catholic donors at their parish who donate to the SSVP all year round. Individual members could also make their own personal donations. We then moved on to the parlor for coffee and biscuits before we boarded the bus for our next destination--the Nirmay Niketan--Home for Leprosy, AIDS and TB-infected Patients in Trombay, which is next to Chembur in Bombay.

Off to our Next Destination:
     This bus ride too was very lengthy as traffic had picked up by this time. However, it had gotten much warmer too so that the cold winter air of the morning had ceased and it was much more comfortable in the bus. About an hour later, we were at our next stop.

Visiting the Nirmay Niketan at Trombay:
     Once we alighted from our bus, we were made to assemble in the main parlor where we were greeted by the Nun, Sr. Joylin, who runs the place--if you can believe me--all alone! She has absolutely no assistance. She introduced us to the place and its mission. The premises were donated by a wealthy Parsi couple--the Alblesses--whose grand-daughter still comes to visit the place.  The home was founded at the end of the 1800s, to accommodate patients infected by leprosy at a time when the disease was rampant in Asia.  Today, leprosy is close to eradication and there are only 6 people in the leprosy award--who live almost in isolation.
      However, the main focus in this home today is AIDS-infected patients of which we found males and females (living on separate floors). They wear masks throughout the day. The home also relies exclusively on donations (it receives substantial donations through the SSVP of the various parishes) and focusses on getting the patients back on track by providing them with high-protein nutrition and their cocktail of medication. Sr. Joylin told us that if they are mentally fit enough to look after themselves and their needs and motivated to get better, their success rate is actually very high and many of their patients leave to go out into the world and run productive lives.  This was very heartening indeed. Without the help of a place like this, they would simply die horrible deaths from AIDS. That said, I found so many beds available in so many empty rooms--there are not enough people in Bombay who know of such places or are willing to seek admission. Patients are sent to the home by Catholic parishes and by NGOs in the city that support humanitarian and philanthropic work in the finest traditions of St. Vincent de Paul himself and the founder of the Society, Frederic Ozanam.
    What is on the increase in the city of Bombay is tuberculosis (TB), a disease that is 100% curable today and does not require isolation. Pollution, unhygienic and unsanitary living conditions and poverty (poor nutrition) contribute to the spread of this disease which means that a lot of the inmates have TB and are treated for it. Sr. Joylin does a tremendous job in trying to run the place single-handedly in which the majority of the patients are seriously ill (although it is not a hospice and none of them are at death's door). I have decided to remember her very specially in my prayers because she needs them. She only came to this mission a few months ago and I was struck by how cheerful and happy she looks and how much she laughed when she interacted with the inmates. It was pretty heartening.
     Once again, we trooped into Sr. Joylin's office at the end of our visit to hand over checks from the SSVP 'conferences' of each of the three Bandra churches as well as from us, as individuals. I felt such a deep desire to give and give generously after I visited these places. It is unbelievable to me how much we can do with our money that is given so generously to us--far in excess of our needs. It was truly an eye-opening experience and I kept thinking as I walked among the poorest of the poor, the least of my brothers and sisters, that but for the grace of God, there goes I.

Lunch on the Bus:
     After our visit, we got back on the bus where a lady called Beverly Almeida had woken up at 4.00 am to make sandwiches for the entire lot of us--her coleslaw sandwiches and her chicken sandwiches were simply delicious and were much enjoyed with bottles of lemonade. Someone then passed around carrot cake which was also great and finally a packet of Hershey's kisses did the rounds. It was a very good picnic lunch that was eaten with Sr. Joylin who joined us and made a small speech to thank us for our generosity.

Back Home:
     The bus journey back home took us about an hour and a half. I was happy to be out in the far reaches of Bombay and to get a chance to see how beautiful the express highways are and to see places like Vikhroli (where the vast acreage of the Godrej factory could clearly be seen along the highway). We looped through Chembur to get back to Bandra and were dropped off near St. Peter's Church by 2.30 pm. I walked home and arrived at 2.45 pm where, surprisingly, I was not tired at all.
     
Back to Work:
    I had about an hour and a half before I had to leave for Mass--and so I got down to blogging and to begin the drafting of the presentation I will make on Thursday at the University of Nagpur (to which I will be flying, courtesy of the University) at their conference on 'Race, Caste and Gender'. I worked steadily and got about six pages down before I stopped for a pot of tea and to get dressed for evening Mass as I had not heard Sunday Mass. There was one at my church at 6.00 pm and I made it there on time.

An Evening with Dad and Russel:
     After Mass, I went to Dad's to tell him and Russel about my day. Dad was not home (he had gone to see his cable TV man to purchase a new 'bouquet'  as their packages have changed). I was able to chat with Russel for a bit but then our neighbors, Reggie and Rachel Fernandes from the fourth floor arrived to visit with Russel. A little later, Dad returned and also joined in. Russel, they said, is showing great improvement and every one is happy at his progress.  Let us hope he continues in this manner.
     After they left, I told Dad and Russel a little bit about my day. I also found that the wound on Russel's leg needed a dressing and so I put one for him.  I told him to leave it on overnight. Tomorrow I will go back and do the dressing again (if needed)and put on the crepe bandages to control the swelling which is already looking better. Russel does not like the exercises which are challenging but as Rachel has also been to Valerian as did her son-in-law for various physical conditions, they are all praise for him, and Russel knows that he is in good hands.
     When it was time for Dad and Russel to have their dinner (now being furnished by their new domestic helper, Rohit), I left and went home.
     I spent the rest of the evening eating very lightly--a cup of soup with two crackers, the last of my cauliflower and a bit of Waldorf Salad and chocolate ice-cream for dessert while watching A Bus Tour of Oxford which is taking me back to my past in this glorious city and allowing me to relive it. The tour is actually the one you'd take on the Hop On Hop Off Route--so I am really getting to see parts of Oxford that I remember with the fondest affection apart from the City Center--such as North Oxford where I had been a lodger in a Victorian Gothic mansion, the shopping area around the Oxford Castle and Prison, the Railway station and main bus stop area--it is fascinating and I am loving every second. Indeed it is a lot of fun and I am enjoying these strolls down Memory Lane.
     What a day I had! What an unusual day--and yet what a fulfilling one. I am so glad I was able to join Meera who was wonderful company throughout the trip.
     Until tomorrow...