Mutton Rolls and Whiskey - The Spark

19th of October 2018, Amma’s 60th birthday, cue the mutton rolls and whiskey. We’ve had a few of these parties. Friends and family… food, drinks, dj, dancing and even some singing - a trusted combination. But what do we do about the gifts?

Unwanted gifts are a difficult one, “no box gifts” - as good as asking for money, have to agree with the old man on that one. Luckily there was another option, which became a bigger motivation for the party altogether. Through a cousin, we chose to ask for donations instead of gifts, we thought we would self cater for the whole thing, thanks to a lot of help from aunt’s and friends of ours.

On the day I was in charge of the bar, where you’d usually find me anyway, but this time it was my job! It all went to plan, even overstaying our welcome and losing some of the deposit.

We didn’t have a target but we felt we did well, we were able to raise enough to provide 3 braille machines. I was going to Sri Lanka for the second time ever, the previous time was just 4 months earlier. Understanding where I came from was done, this time was about more, it was about the future, with Paul. SO, we snuck all three machines into our luggage, sweating as we walked through customs, dragging three 15Kg braille machines in suitcases.

7th of November 2018 First stop - Iniya Vazhvu Illam charity to deliver these braille machines. We didn’t know what to expect, we arrive after a 6 hour bus journey from Colombo greeted at 5am by Sabaratnam Thiruchselvam and a couple more staff, welcomed with tea and smiles, a sense of calm and assurance that we were meant to be there. Me- a man who speaks broken Tamil, three braille machines and an English man. On the menu was some roast paan (this was a luxury, someone had been sent out for it, it was a statement - we must treat these guests… properly) parupu and warmth, the kind of warmth which you don’t usually feel with strangers.

We then tour the place, unfortunately on a school holiday, we didn’t see the place in full flow. We were told up to 80 are housed at any one time, a massive operation. The few children we saw were very polite and smiling. The most humbling aspect of it all, was how… with little funds and only land to cultivate, this school is doing what the developed world is trying to race back toward, sustainability. There was no huge bins out the front and no deliveries of goods. The school instead was growing their own grains, livestock, eggs, fruit & vegetables along with filtering their own well water. Making use of every bit and composting what they don’t need.

This school isn’t just providing shelter, it provides a lifestyle and culture, all while being kind to the Earth. And we were fortunate enough to see it, through helping them with their desire for education.