School prep

The last few days we have spent trying to put together footage for the film while Champu completes the various tasks associated with getting the girls, Snayhar & Mehek, started at school. The first of these was to pay for and complete registration (or "money for nothing" as Champu put it!) which cost around £160 and took Champu 2 mornings due to a festival preventing the right person turning up at the school on the first day, and then a lot of negotiation the second day as Snayhar is starting school 2 years late. Once that was done he had to go back this morning to get their uniforms, bag, water bottles and book & equipment list. The total cost for all that came to around £90. They need 2 different uniforms - a white one for Wednesdays and Fridays and a grey one for the other days. The grey ones won't be ready for 2 days, but as school is closed again tomorrow for another festival, their first day will be Wednesday, a white uniform day, so no more delays. Champu has just gone off to source their books, pens, note pads etc from the cheapest place possible and tomorrow we'll go out to the house again and get photos of them in uniforms. Snayhar will be getting a couple of extra hours tuition a day to help her catch up. They will be learning English and Hindi right from the start so hopefully it won't be long before we can communicate with them in English. They are really great kids - extremely happy and playful. I'm just so pleased for them about all this, as is Champu.
As far as the rickshaw goes, Muna is still at the helm as Champu is waiting for his driving lessons to start (they were delayed by the fact that all gvt offices were closed for the Commonwealth Games!!). He is looking forward to adding rickshaw tours to the services he offers tourists, but is also thinking about the possibility that he can rent his rickshaw out when he's not using it. In this way he has a secure income even when he can't work and for this reason said he felt I'd given him an older brother! I feel a big weight of responsibility has been taken off his shoulders, and he is really deserving of that. During this whole project I was aware that I didn't know him that well and that he could have changed a lot over the years - however, he is everything I thought he was when I first met him, and more, and I am over the moon that I've been able to give him a break from worrying about how he's going to provide for everyone. He's been doing that since he was 7 or 8. He is a truly amazing person. If anyone is going to Delhi he's waiting to meet you.