 |
| Two village outreach workers
pose with the bike helmets of Joe James and John Hay,
Jr. |
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2006
To borrow from the title of Tour
de France champion Lance Armstrong's bestselling book, out
project to ride 2,000 miles thru India is "not about
the bike."
It's about...
...Recognizing the faithfulness
and commitment of people who have served the medical
needs of hundreds of thousands rural central Indian residents
for 55 years.
It's about...
...Rebuilding for a new generation,
replacing deteriorating 1920's-era buildings with a modern
facility that will provide for advanced medical interventions.
It's about...
...Regenerating support and making
new friendships within India, support and friendships
that are vital to long-term vision, sustainability, and
growth of UCH as an important healthcare provider for underserved
people.
It's about...
...Celebrating a future of hope
that professional medical care, community health outreach,
dedicated caregivers, and sustained support make possible.
Our commitment to ride
2,000 miles thru India isn't a matter of "having fun"
on wheels for six weeks. It's about riding through villages,
towns and cities, talking hundreds of times to people along
the way about UCH, encouraging their support, and enlisting
their commitment to celebrate its opportunities. The bicycle
entourage is a method that makes possible such face-to-face
contact that UCH needs to win the hearts and minds of people
within India.
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the top ^^
THURSDAY,
DECEMBER 14, 2006
Meet our Team Members
Bishop Joe James
British Columbia, Canada
When he learned of the planned project
to ride 2,000 miles thru India to raise awareness and funds
to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital, Free Methodist Bishop
Joe James became very interested.
ON A SABBATICAL? The ride coincided
with the time of his upcoming Sabbatical. It was in an area
in which he was invested and familiar, having served in
an oversight capacity as a Bishop of the Free Methodist
Church and making semi-annual visits to India. And he had
some experience with cross-country bicycling, though he
was not currently active in cycling.
TAKING WINGS. It didn't take long for Joe James to decide
to spend his Sabbatical on wheels. He threw himself into
the effort. He bought a bike and gear and began to train.
Outside, he rode his bike around Indianapolis International
Airport. Inside, he rode it on a trainer in his living room.
He dieted and took off excess weight. He talked about the
project with lay and pastoral leaders across North America.
When he committed to the project, it seemed to take wings.
750 BICYCLES. On a visit to India
a year ago, Joe James realized that bicycles were a basic
mobility need for village outreach workers. Without bikes,
their efforts to help villagers were limited; with bikes,
they might multiply their effectiveness. So, Joe spearheaded
an effort to raise funds to purchase 750 Indian-made bicycles--each
costing $50. Children, youth, congregations, organizations,
and individuals contributed the full amount by October 2006.
The bikes are being purchased in local Indian villages,
towns, and cities. Even before the Bicycle India 2007 team
hits the roads of India, Joe has already made a big difference.
RIDE OF HIS LIFE. Joe is from British
Columbia, Canada. He now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana,
USA, his base of service as a Bishop in the Free Methodist
Church of North America. He's a husband, father and grandfather.
And now he is a prepared cyclist looking forward to the
ride of his life--a mission unlike any other he's taken
on.
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the top ^^
Tuesday,
December 12, 2006
Meet our Team Members
John Hay, Jr.
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
NOT IOWA...INDIA! It's true: I've
never been to Iowa, though only Illinois separates Iowa
and Indiana, where I live. But that's what I thought about
when I was asked to participate in Bicycle India 2007 by
tour organizer Bob Yardy a little less than two years ago.
No matter, as soon as Bob discussed with me the charitable
cause and the challenge of the 2,000-mile ride, I was "on
board."
INDIANAPOLIS LOVING. I've invested
all most all of my adult and professional life in Indianapolis,
Indiana. You might say I feel "called" to this
metropolitan area. I've served as an urban pastor, a community
center director, a regional metropolitan planning coordinator,
director of a homeless day center, and now an urban pastor
again. I graduated from Plainfield High School, adjacent
to Indy, and have been living, cycling, serving, and learning
around Central Indiana ever since, leaving only for college
and seminary. If you've got the time, I can show and tell
all about the best of Indianapolis!
THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE. It wasn't
until our other North American team member, Free Methodist
Church Bishop Joe James, invited me to tag along with him
on his semi-annual administrative trip to India back in
January 2006, that I'd been outside the United States as
an adult. That three-week visit took us from Hyderbad to
Kolkata (Calcutta) to Nagpur and, finally, to Mumbai (Bombay).
It opened my eyes and heart in powerful ways. I wasn't in
Kansas, er, Indiana, anymore. Mark Twain was right, India
surpasses the experience of all other places combined. Since
our return, I've been so looking forward to getting back
India for this unique adventure.
ON THE HOMEFRONT. I'm grateful to
my community of faith and family for their support and readiness
to allow me to leave my place of service for six weeks.
Our church leaders have been gracious. My wife and four
children are both excited for me and anxious about the project.
During these last two weeks before we ride, I'm busy trying
to do all I can to make preparations for smooth operations
and care for all in Indy during this special mssion. I hope
to get on the Air India jet and be able to focus fully on
the challenge of our ride and effort to raise awareness
of--and funds for--Umri Christian Hospital's important work
within India.
IOWA...SOMEDAY. I also hope I get
to go to Iowa someday. I've always wanted to ride the RAGBRI.
Maybe next year!
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Sunday,
December 10, 2006
Meet Our Team Members
Bob Yardy
Mahomet, Illinois, USA
This is the instigator of this crazy
dream to ride 2,000 miles thru India in 6 weeks in order
to raise awareness and funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.
BORN IN INDIA. Bob Yardy lives in
Mahomet, Illinois, USA. He works as a physical therapist
at a university hospital in Champaign, Illinois. But a little
over half a century ago he was born in India, at Umri Christian
Hospital. His father, Dr. Paul Yardy, was the founding physician
of UCH. Bob lived in Umri in the Yavatmal Disrict of Mahrashtra,
India, until he was in middle school, when he moved to America.
FIFTY YEARS LATER. When Bob returned
to UCH five years ago for the hospital's 50th anniversary,
he was struck both by the wonderful outreach of the hospital
and its ancillary services...and by the deteriorating physical
condition of the facility. He vowed to try to make a difference.
Bicycle India 2007 is the way he hopes that difference will
be made.
PUTTING A HOBBY TO CHARITABLE PURPOSE.
Bob has been an avid cyclist since his early days in India.
He's pedaled thousands of miles since then on individual
and group cross-country tours. But he's never done anything
like what he's attempting now. He recruited John Hay, Jr.
and Bishop Joe James--both of Indianapolis, Indiana--to
join him in this project. Two Indian riders will accompany
these North American cyclists as they make their way from
the southern tip of India northward to New Delhi. The ride
begins December 30.
Please track their journey for charitable
contributions on this blog. Updates and photos will be posted
as often as the team can access Internet cafes along the
route.
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the top ^^
Thursday,
December 07, 2006
NOT NECESSARILY FLAT TERRAIN. Enhanced
satellite photos of the southern tip of India, where our
2,000-mile (3,218 km) trek begins on December 30, 2006 reveal
something of the terrain we will encounter--not necessarily
flat! The weather in Nagercoil, India today is 88 degrees
and sunny. Heat index is 94 there. The night-time low was
74 degrees. Ahh...the January you've always dreamed of!
MAKING A LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE.
As our December 26 departure date moves closer, we're getting
into countdown mode. We continue to train, riding our bicycles
indoors on Cyclops trainers now that the American Midwest
weather has dropped below freezing. We also continue to
work on checklists both for our work and families from which
we will be away for six weeks, as well as for our trip and
ride.
RIDE ALONG WITH US. We hope you
will join us for this project--go with us via this blog.
Check in on our progress as we wind our way northward toward
New Delhi at an average of 100 km (62 miles) per day. We
hope to post photos, updates, and insights on this blog
as often as possible. So, save this site in your "Favorites"
(bookmark it) and return often in January and the first
week of February.
PRAYER PARTICIPATION. We also welcome
your participation in prayer. One community of faith is
signing up friends to pray for us each day of our journey.
Thanks! Please pray for our safety on the roads, but also
for completion of our mission--$600,000 raised to rebuild
Umri Christian Hospital.
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 |
| Left to right: Marylyn
James, Joe James, Donna Yardy, Bob Yardy, John Hay,
Jr, Becky Hay |
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006
North American members of Bicycle
India 2007 met this evening in Indianapolis to make final
plans and preparations for the 2,000-mile trek from the
southern tip of India to New Delhi beginning December 30,
2006.
Here we are with our spouses, whose
support for this effort is critical. While we ride 100 km
each day, they'll be working and caring for many homefront
challenges. We simply could not make this investment of
time and mission without them.
During our meeting, we conferred
on medical forms, documents, and schedules. We divvied up
tire tubes and other supplies. We talked through financial
issues and walked through our checklists. It's hard to believe
we're just four weeks away from living this dream. Everything
seems to be coming together for a successful launch.
After our meeting, we broke down
one of our bikes and boxed it to check the fit and weight.
What a handy and compact package a 23 lb. bike makes. The
durable box should be easy to process as one of two pieces
of checked luggage in Chicago.
We hope our ride will inspire
folks in North America to contribute to help rebuild Umri
Christian Hospital. If you can help, you can go to and
print out a mail-in donation form. $50
sponsors us at $1.5o per ride day. $200 sponsors at $.01
per mile. Every gift in any amount is important to reaching
the goal of $600,000. And each donation goes directly to
rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.
We also hope Bicycle India 2007
raises awareness of UCH in India. We hope it inspires
residents of India whom we encounter along the 2,000-mile
route to support and sustain UCH as an important medical
resource in rural central India.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2006
Consider one these four ways to help rebuild Umri Christian
Hospital:
- Sponsor our ride @ $1.50 per
ride day = $50 for UCH
- Sponsor our ride @ $.01 per mile
= $200 for UCH
- Sponsor our ride @ $.50 per mile
= $1000 for UCH
- Sponsor our ride @ $1.00 per
mile = $2000 for UCH
Umri Christian Hospital in Umri
(village), Maharashtra (state), India, has been serving
rural residents of central India for 55 years. UCH is in
desperate need of a new facility. Serving the poorest of
the poor, UCH is led by an international Board of Directors
and is supported by charitable donations. Click here to
donate to help rebuild UCH.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2006
READY TO ROLL? We're just six weeks
away from starting to roll on "Bicycle India 2007"
- our 2,000-mile ride through India to raise awareness and
$600,000 to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital. Hard to believe
we're that close! Yikes!
BOXED BIKES. Our North American
team members meet together on November 28 - our final preparation
and planning meeting before getting on an Air India flight
to Mumbai on December 26. We will box up the second of our
three bikes. Our three bikes - boxed carefully in containers
designed especially for bikes - will be checked as part
of our baggage. One of our significant hopes (and prayers!)
on logistics is that our bikes arrive in southern India
when we do! The difference between riding a single-speed
40-lb. bike (the typical bike used in India) and our multiple-speed
lightweight (22-25 lb.) bikes is vast.
ITINERARY FIRM. We have firmed up
our daily itinerary, at least to the point of identifying
what towns and cities we hope to arrive in each afternoon.
We plan to ride over 100 kilometers (62+ miles) five or
six days days a week for most of the six weeks. Our goal
is to start early each day - around 6:30 am - and try to
be at our daily destination by early afternoon. This, we
hope, will keep us out of the hottest portions of the day
in India's "winter." While the American Midwest
will be experiencing freezing temperatures in January, we
anticipate 85-95 degree temps and full sun during the day.
It will be "cold" in the evenings - down to 75!
We anticipate cooler weather as we approach New Delhi during
the first week of February.
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006
Here is an architect's rendering of the
ground floor plan for a rebuilt Umri Christian Hospital.
It provides for 100 beds in three medical wings, as well
as a central receiving and administrative area. When built,
the new Umri Christian Hospital will offer high quality
medical facilities for the next generation of rural Indian
residents from the surrounding area. At $600,000, it is
a fraction of the cost of a medical facility of comparable
size and quality in North America.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006
 |
| Bob Yardy and Joe James take a break
as we enterd Hymera, a small town in southwestern Indiana.
We traveled well, albeit very cold, and had only one
flat during the two-day training camp. |
Bob Yardy and Joe James take a break
during the first of two 60+ mile training rides we made
on Monday and Tuesday in southwestern Indiana.
It was 42 degrees and quite windy
by the time we ended the ride Monday evening. Quite a cold
trek. But it took us past beautiful Shakamak
State Park. Our second day took
us from Clay City to Spencer and back on a beautiful--and
a bit warmer--sunny day. The ride between Clay City and
Spencer is hilly and quite colorful. We don't anticipate
this cold in India. In January and February it may get as
low as...a chilly 75 degrees.
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 |
| Photo: the aging facility of Umri
Christian Hospital is in desperate need of replacement
after 55 years of free and low-cost medical care to
thousands of Indian residents. |
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 18, 2006
We need your help! We're preparing to ride 2000 miles over
six weeks in India. Why? In order to raise awareness and
funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital. The cost is $600,000--a
fraction of what a new medical facility would cost in North
America.
Your contribution goes a long way
to ensure that a 65-year old respected medical tradition
is renewed and rebuilt to provide healing to the next generation.
Please click on "how to donate"
and follow the easy instructions
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the top ^^
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006
It started with a conviction back
in January that if we were going to bring our sophisticated,
lightweight bikes to India to ride 2,000 miles to raise
funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital, we ought to at
least make sure that those in India who need bikes for basic
mobility in their village outreach work should have bikes,
too. Before we ride, let's make sure those who are on the
front lines every day have a ride!
Well... Friends across North America
have helped us raise funds to reach our goal of 750 Indian-made
bicycles @ $50 per bike. THANK YOU! Atlas and Hero bicycles
will be purchased locally in cities and towns across India,
contributing to the local economy. We know that this will
make a significant impact in lives for years to come.
Any further funds contributed for
bicycles will now be applied to the hospital construction
fund.
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 |
| Photo: Joe James with 15 bicycles
donated to Indian outreach workers during our viist
in January 2006. We hope to purchase 750 bicycles when
we return in January 2007. |
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2006
While the main purpose of this
project is to raise $600,000 to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital
in rural central India, our team has also challenged
North American friends to help us purchase 750 bicycles
@$50 per bicycle for outreach workers in India.
Bicycles are the primary form of transportation
for most Indians. Increased mobility means more effectiveness,
greater access, further reach, and higher quality of life.
Bicycles like the Indian-made Atlas or Hero models are sturdy
and last a lifetime. We're happy to report that, as of this
date, funds have been contributed to purchase 635 bicycles
in India in January, 2007. Thanks to all who have contributed...
especially to the children!
Only 120 bikes to go! Can you help us
make it a full 750 by contributing $50 or more to this effort?
If so, please follow the donation instructions to print
out a donation form. Thanks for what you are able to do.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2006
We've updated our Bicycle India 2007 logo.
We also launched this new website -- www.bikeindia.org --
for those who prefer traditional web pages to blogs. We'll
continue to work with both formats. You will find similar
content on each site. However, during the ride from December
30, 2006 through February 8, 2007, we hope to post daily
reports and photos on the blog - http://bicycleindia2007.blogspot.com.
Why not bookmark both (save as "favorites") for easy future
reference?Joe J together in India.
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 |
| Photo: Cyclists in Kolkata transport
freight from place to place in the city. This tricycle
is a common commercial vehicle on the streets and roads
of India. |
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2006
Our team, together and individually, has
been hitting the hot pavement of Midwestern roads and biways
this summer especially hard. Why? Because mid-summer in
North America is similar to mid-winter in India. Sunny.
Hot. Humid. Temperatures in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad
were in the upper 80-degrees Ferenheit when Joe James and
John Hay, Jr. were there the last few weeks of January 2006.
And that was unseasonably cool, we were told.
So, we're riding as much as we can, day
after day, while the weather's hot in order to simulate
what will be a daily experience throughout the month of
January and the first week of February 2007.
Heat/weather issues we're preparing for/anticipating:
(1) adequate and consistent hydration
(2) access to lots of purified bottled water
(3) preventing heat exhaustion
(4) adequate salt/sodium levels
(5) UV protection from cloudless skies day after day
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to the top ^^
TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2006
We are just about six months away from
"launch" for Bicycle India 2007. We plan to fly
to India on December 26, 2006 and begin our trek two days
later. Hard to believe we are this close; the months are
rolling by quickly. There is still much to do by way of
preparation and training.
Summer weather in the American Midwest
on a hot, sunny day is similar to weather in India in January.
January is one of ten dry months in India; the rains fall
mostly in August and September. The rest of the year is
mostly hot and dry. We experienced 85-degree Fahrenheit
weather in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad in late January
and early February of this year.
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to the top ^^
|
| Photo: Cyclists in Kolkata transport
freight from place to place in the city. This tricycle
is a common commercial vehicle on the streets and roads
of India. |
TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2006
Joe James and John Hay, Jr drove to Mahamet,
Illinois on May 13 to join Bob Yardy for a 63-mile (100-kilometer)
bike ride. This is the number of miles we plan to ride each
day while in India. We had hoped May weather would be fair.
But this day brought rain and temperatures in the mid-40
degrees (Fahrenheit). Our feet and hands were numb by the
midway point of the ride. It was so cold! It won't be like
that in India. Temperatures in January in India are routinely
above 85 degrees Fahrenheit; it may be hotter in the southern
part of India, where we will begin.
While we were cold during the ride, we
rode well together. We plan to ride together for a week
in July. We will join a Champaign, Illinois youth group
that will ride across the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.
We will ride at least 100 kilmeters each day. It is important
that we train together. It helps us become more aware of
each other's manner of bike riding. It also gets us better
acquainted with each other before the "real thing"
in India. Getting along well on the road and off the bikes
is important since we will be spending six weeks on the
road together in India.
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to the top ^^
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2006
Three of us who will ride 2,000 miles
through India to raise awareness and funds to rebuild Umri
Christian Hospital are from North America. Two of us are
from the United States of America and one is from Canada.
Joe James (on the right in the photo) is from Canada; Bob
Yardy (middle) and John Hay, Jr.(left) are from the Midwest
of the USA.
We will be joined by two riders from India.
In addition, a driver in a support vehicle will follow us
along the trek that will take us from Nagercoil at the southern
tip of India to the nation's capitol--New Delhi--in the
north. We hope to tell people whom we meet on the road and
in the cities about Umri Christian Hospital and our project.
We also hope you will follow our journey online via this
blog.
This photo was taken during a break in
the meeting of the Umri Christian Hospital Support Group,
an international committee of advocates for the hosptial's
important work among the rural poor in central India. Joe
James and John Hay, Jr. were able to ride our bikes to the
meeting and make a presentation about our trip to India
this past January. The Support Group is enthusiastic about
Bicycle India 2007.
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THURSDAY, MARCH 09, 2006
 |
| Photo: Joe James dons a helmet before
one of our rides between Yavatmal and Umri. |
The North American members of our team
met recently to discuss some of the findings Joe James and
I made during our January 23-February 11 visit to India.
Here are a few things we discovered:
1. Based on our rides between Yavatmal
and Umri, along with our observations of the many bicycle
riders along urban and rural roadways, we feel that we will
be able to ride the 2000 miles in relative safety. There
appear to be many more bicycles, motor scooters, and motorcycles
on Indian roads than autos. I have noted that auto and truck
drivers there are significantly more aware of and yielding
to bicycles than in America.
2. We gained insight on a number of logistics
issues, such as how to travel with our support vehicle (with
supply trailer in tow), ways to communicate with each other
on the road, access to Internet sources, lodging and camping
concerns, connections with friends and supporters along
the way, cell phone capacities, etc.
3. Joe charted distance estimates for
each day and projected ways for us to be in communities
with friends and contacts for public speaking on weekends.
We estimate the journey will be over 3,500 kilometers (just
about the distance for the Tour de France!).
4. We explored two possible routes: one
takes us from Nagercoil in the south and up to New Delhi
in the north; an alternative route moves us from Nagercoil
to Mumbai, on India's west coast. Both routes would bring
us through Umri, which is where we hope our efforts will
be most helpful.
5. Our team also did some planning for
fundraising, training and some upcoming rides together.
Training begins in earnest now, with the ride to begin December
29, 2006.
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to the top ^^
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006
We finished our exploratory visit to India
on Saturday, February 11, 2006. What a whirlwind of activity!
Much groundwork has been laid for the 2,000+ mile bicycle
tour through the nation that will begin, officially, on
December 29, 2006--less than 11 months from now.
Here are a few photos from the last week
of our visit.
 |
| We drove past a herd of camels
on our way to Chandrapur on Tuesday. About 30
of these animals then flowed around our Tata Sumo
as we stopped to take a few pictures. |
 |
| One of the street market stops
we browsed in Chandrapur.This little girl in Mumbai
was not too sure about the camera at first. |
|
|
 |
| Ice is one of many necessary
items transported by bicycle in India. This block
was used in the restaurant we visited in downtown
Mumbai on Friday. |
 |
| The Victoria Terminus, the last
train station in Mumbai (Bombay) is the epitome
of gothic architecture. I'm told the trains that
leave from this station are so crowded you really
don't walk, you just move with the flow. |
|
|
Sunday, February
05, 2006
We are in Nagpur, the geographic center
of India for a conference. On February 2 & 3, Joe James
and I rode bikes from Yavatmal to Umri (Thursday) and from
Umri to Yavatmal--a total of 120 km. Here's the kicker:
it was rolling terrain and we were riding heavy, single-speed
bicycles. We were accompanied by 12 Indian village workers
and support vehicles. The following photos cover the past
four days. In two days we fly to Mumbai.
 |
| On the way from the Nagpur airport
to Yovatmal, we made a brief detour to visit Sevagram
and tour the ashram and home of Mahatma Gandhi.
This is the extremely rural home from which Gandhiji
led India to independence. This was a very moving
experience for me. |
|
| Upon arriving in Yavatmal, we
viewed the 15 Indian-made Atlas bicycles that
had been donated for 15 villages outreach workers.
12 workers joined Joe and me for the ride to Umri
and back. Joe is standing with some of the bikes. |
|
|
 |
| We were welcomed graciously
at the Umri Christian Hospital campus. We were
given a tour of the Helen Rose School of Nursing.
Started in 2001 under the passionate leadership
of Amirson and Esther Jacob, it focuses on training
young women who are disadvantaged to be certified
nurses. |
 |
| Dr. Selwin, the resident physician,
gave Joe and me a full tour of Umri Christian
Hospital. It is clear: while this facility has
served well for over 50 years, its condition has
deteriorated critically and needs to be replaced. |
|
|
 |
| Dr. Selwin shows one of the
treatment rooms. Along with the physical structure,
Umri Christian Hospital is in need of new or more
recent medical equipment of every kind. |
 |
| As I pedaled between Umir and
Yavatmal, this family rode up on their motorcycle
and chatted with me for awhile. He is a civil
engineer, focusing on road construction. |
|
|
 |
| A typical landscape in central
India. This area seems to remind me of Oklahoma
in the summer--gently rolling, relatively dry,
sunny, hot. |
 |
| This is NOT typical of Oklahoma,
but it IS typical to see monkeys along rural Indian
roads. |
|
|
 |
| Here's Joe James posing behind
one of the 40 lb, single-speed bikes we road 120
km. Wish we had more days to ride. Next year we
will--45 days worth of riding! Hope you'll support
us and Umri Christian Hospital! |
|
|
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
These are the last photos from Kolkata,
"the City of Joy." We fly inland to Nagpur on
Wednesday. On Thusday and Friday, we ride!
Pedestrians cross the Howrah Bridge, the 3rd largest cantilever
bridge in the world. 200,000 people cross this bridge each
day.
 |
| It spans the Hoogley River between
Kolkata and Howrah. |
 |
| Forty young people receive credentials
at the Immanuel Free Methodist Annual Conference |
|
|
 |
| The crypt of Mother Teresa of
Calcutta at the Mother House of the Missionaries
of Charity |
 |
| A typical Indian bicycle, the
kind that is ridden in large numbers on the streets
and roads of Kolkata. This is NOT the kind of
bicycle we will be using when we make our 3,200
km trek from Nagercoil to New Delhi next year. |
|
|
 |
| Typical intersection in Kolkata!
At first it seems like one big game of chicken,
but there really is some rational flow to it...I
just haven't figured the rationality yet. |
|
|
BEHIND THE SCENES. I realize that
I am being given a very privileged introduction to India.
I am coming in not so much as a tourist staying in the finest
resorts, being pampered with the best accommodations. I
am coming in as one privileged to see and experience a more
authentic India, its real side, perhaps. I know I am not
seeing it completely, but what I have seen helps me begin
to understand and appreciate this people.
TEACHING AND LEARNING. From Friday
through Monday, Joe James and I participated in a conference
and training retreat. We shared the teaching/training responsibilities
for 200 rural workers from across India. I taught four sessions
at the conference. Many participants had traveled 12-18
hours by train to participate.
HOWRAH BRIDGE WALK. We walked on
the Howrah Bridge today. It’s the third longest cantilever
bridge in the world, a massive structure that spans the
nearly one-mile wide Hoogley River. 200,000 people cross
between Kolkata and Howrah each day, perhaps half on foot.
We walked on the bridge among this incredible mass of humanity.
Many people carry large, heavy bundles on their heads.
MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY. We visited
the mother house of the Missionaries of Charity and sat
awhile by the crypt of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The Missionaries
of Charity, a Catholic order founded by Mother Teresa, have
committed themselves to serve and love the poorest of the
poor here and around the world. I came away with a sense
of awe and thanksgiving for the depth, magnitude, joy, and
simplicity of the Missionaries of Charity’s work.
Monday, January 30, 2006
KOLKATA AT NIGHT. It is Monday night.
Kolkata is smokey at night. It must come from the vehicles,
small cooking fires beside the roads, incense being offered
to gods, and lanterns that are used in the small shack shops
along the roads. It's a heavy haze that smells like, well,
all of the above (and a little bit more, given the lack
of sewers in the makeshift dwellings).
CHILDREN ON THE STREETS. As I see
school children, I miss my own children and the children
at our home church. All the school children here wear uniforms.
They are so cute. I saw two little boys rolling bicycle
tires down the street, pushing them with sticks. Things
seem ancient here. A man weighed my purchase with a hand-held
scale with weights and measures. Also, I saw a man take
up his sleeping mat and walk away.
CONFERENCE IN KOLKATA. We just finished
three days of teaching at a conference that was held at
a Catholic retreat center here in Kolkata. Some of the 200
participants will board trains this evening and travel between
12 and 18 hours to get back to their homes across India.
I spoke this morning and taught four sessions over the previous
two days. I spoke through atranslator. Sometimes it was
for Hindi and sometimes for Oriya. Very interesting
SINGING BY ALL. You should hear
these conference participants sing. No accompaniment other
than a drum and tamborine. Imagine 200 men and two women
singing Indian songs they love and know well in their own
languages--clapping, some dancing. It is inspiring. Joe
James and I sang as a duet to them on Sunday, the participants
joined us for a well-known song in their respective languages.
TWO KOLKATAS. Kolkata is at least
14 million people. There's no way we will see it all before
we leave for Nagpur early on Wednesday morning. We plan
to visit Mother Teresa's mother house of the Missionaries
of Charity on Tuesday. There are two Kolkatas. One is an
up and coming, middle class, high-tech Kolkata. New buildings
and office developments are rising on the city's edge. But
this Kolkata exists side by side with people who have nothing
but bikes, carts, and baskets. They literally live underneath
the billboards announcing new condominium developments.
A man pulls a cart laden with cabbage next to a sign advertizing
Ford automobiles.
Here are a few more photos I've
taken. We continue to be fascinated by traffic and street
life. This has got to be the most culturally diverse places
on the globe.I attended the Republic Day parade last week.
January 26, 1930 is the day of India's "Declaration
of Independence" from Britain. Actual independence
would not come for 17 more years. The parade in Kolkata
was very impressive.
 |
| A parade-goer watches the bridages
of soldiers and drum & bagpipe corps march
by for over two hours. |
 |
| A parade-goer watches the bridages
of soldiers and drum & bagpipe corps march
by for over two hours. |
|
|
 |
| We visited the Victoria Memorial,
an imposing monument in Kolkata. Completed in
1920, it houses English museum pieces as well
as a historical museum of India. |
 |
| Here's another parade-goer who
played through much of the parade. Over 500,000
people viewed the parade. When it was over, people
fanned out across massive fields in front of the
Victoria Memorial for all kinds of festival activities. |
|
|
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Joe James and I have been in Kolkata
since Tuesday and we are getting to know the "neighborhood"
around our hotel in the heart of the city. Here are a few
photos that say more than I can describe.
Friday, January 27, 2006
This is primarily a three-week teaching
and administrative visit, but Joe James and I are also gathering
information and taking in as much cultural and local input
as we can in preparation for the 2,000-mile bike ride to
raise funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital next year.
Thus far, we have participated in
an Annual Conference, visited locations, and been in meetings.
Joe James has been meeting with the three Indian church
leaders. Yesterday it was my privilege to speak to this
group. I have been preparing to teach in training sessions
that begin on Saturday. In all, we will have six days of
worker training. I will teach on Leadership, Stewardship,
the the distinctive characteristics of our organization.
This conference alone will have over 200 participants in
attendance at these trainings.
One does not need to go sightseeing
in Kolkata to be overwhelmed by the sights, smells, people,
and the spirit of the place. Already one of the largest
cities in the world, it is growing rapidly as villagers
move to the urban area. Many live literally in tents along
the highways or on the streets. A walk down six blocks and
I see: numerous fruit stands and vendor shops, people bathing
on the street corner, cows roaming wherever they want, goats
tied up, monkeys on leashes, people begging, people busy
trying to make a living any way they can, lots of humanity
on the sidewalks (sometimes I am stepping over them). All
this is beside busy streets jammed with trucks, cars, auto-rickshaws,
rickshaws (Kolkata is the only city in the world were men
pull rickshaws), bicycles, carts, pedestrians...and no street
signs, no lane markings, no signals. Lots of honking...but
no one gets upset. They just yield when they have to and
honk and take advantage of another driver when they can.
No one gets hurt. It's rather amazing.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Our North American team members recently
met for planning. They are, left to right, Bishop Joe James,
Bob Yardy, and John Hay, Jr. Joe James is from Canada; Bob
and John are Midwesterners. These three avid cyclists will
be joined by two riders in India, who have yet to be named.
Together, this international team will cycle from the southern
tip of India northward to New Delhi in six weeks beginning
in January 2007. We ride for a clear purpose: to raise awareness
and raise funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.
Friday, January 06, 2006
India is home to 1,068,572,000 neighbors,
second only to China in country population and growing at
a rate of 16 million per year. Its area covers 1,269,221
square miles (3,287,270 sq km). Its religions range this
way: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7%
Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other. Life expectancy is 63,
literacy rate is 60%, and the dominant language is Hindi.
India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Source: National
Geographic.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Bishop Joseph James, one of our riding
team members, recently recommended a book, Riding with the
Blue Moth. It's the journal of Bill Hancock, a 50-year old
NCAA official who undertakes a 36-day, ocean-to-ocean bicycle
ride across the United States after the tragic death of
his son in a plane crash that killed the entire Oklahoma
State University men's basketball team in 2001.
The ride covers 2,743 miles. I am looking
forward to covering this book...and the 2,000 miles our
team will cycle through India one year from now. We will
not be riding in an attempt to overcome personal grief,
but in the hopes of a hospital being rebuilt.
We hope you'll be along for our ride.
Read
a review of Riding with the Blue Moth.
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Thursday, December 29, 2005
Why ride--and raise funds--for this
particular hospital? Umri Christian Hospital is the primary
medical facility within in a 300-mile radius in central
rural India. It serves residents who would be otherwise
not be served medically. And the facility, built in the
1920's, is crumbling. After 54 years of 24/7 use, this 100-bed
hospital needs to be rebuilt. We envision a cooperative
international awareness and fundraising effort.
A RANGE OF CHARITABLE SERVICES.
UCH provides services in primary medicine, obstetrics, surgery,
pharmacy, radiology, and laboratory. Areas of special attention
include tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria prevention and intervention.
Other services developed around the hospital's core include:
- Community health service...reaching
many small villages
- A nursing school...focused on
assisting young women from poor families to acquire certification
- An on-campus school
- Jehoveh Jireh Home...a boarding
home for underprivileged children
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Certainly there must be easier--and
perhaps more sane--ways to raise support for rebuilding
a hospital than riding a bicycle 2,000 miles. Our interest,
however, is not only to raise funds but also to raise awareness
of Umri Christian Hospital's unique and enobling mission,
to gather support for its opportunities, and to bring North
American and Indian participants together in a shared concern.
ADVENTURE & SERVICE. Why ride
a bike to accomplish this? If you were an avid cyclist,
you would understand what an energizing adventure this represents.
It's a once-in-a-lifetime challenge for most cyclists. Our
dream is to combine this personal challenge with an international,
humanitarian service mission.
ENGAGE THE CHALLENGE. We invite
you to engage our ride with the spirit of adventure and
outreaching service that has captured our imaginations.
Umri Christian Hospital offers service
to individuals and households as the primary medical care
provider within a 300-mile rural area in central India.
Operated under the auspices of Free Methodist World Missions
with an international Board of Directors, UCH has faithfully
served the neediest residents for over 50 years. Time has
taken its toll on the main structure and nothing short of
rebuilding will preserve Umri's reach to the people of this
area. We invite you to join us in contributing to this rebuilding
effort.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
This is a recent photo of Umri Christian
Hospital in central rural India. Over 50 years of daily
service to thousands of rural residents has taken its toll
on this facility. The physical structure of the hospital
has deteriorated to the point that major reconstruction
is necessary. Through individual, group, and organizational
gifts, we hope to raise $600,000 to rebuild this primary
healthcare facility.
In addition to providing medical
care for central India's rural residents, Umri Christian
Hospital is also a primary support for other initiatives:
Helen Rose School of Nursing, Jehoveh Jireh hostel for tribal
boys, the Marathi school and hostel, and English elementary
school, and TB and community health programs.
OUR GOAL. Approximately one year and one
week from now, a small group of cyclists from Canada, USA,
and India will begin a 2,000 mile bicycle ride from the
southern tip of India to New Delhi in an effort to raise
awareness and funds for Umri Christian Hospital. Our goal
is to raise enough funds (approximately $600,000) to rebuild
this small but vital hospital in rural India. It is a primary
healthcare center for several hundred thousand people. We
hope you will join us with your attention, your prayers,
your gifts--and by information and appeal that you can share
with your associates.
OUR TEAM. I am proud to be part of this
effort that is the heart and brain child of Bob Yardy of
Champaign, Illinois. We are both avid cyclists, riding in
cross-country events, with local ride groups, and solo trips
for years. Bob grew up in India. I am from Indianapolis,
Indiana. I have never been to Iowa, much less India! We
will be joined on this ride by Joe James, a native of Canada.
We are all avid cyclists. We will be joined in India by
riders as we pass through various regions of the country.
YOUR PARTICIPATION. Please tune in to
this blog for frequent updates throughout out 2006. This
is the official "journal" of our effort. We hope
to upload daily updates and photos during our six-week ride
that begins the last week of December 2006 and concludes
early in February 2007. We also hope there will be a variety
of ways you can participate and have input with us. Your
comments are one way you can share your ideas, insights,
contacts, etc. as we plan and prepare in 2006.
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|
BISHOP
ON WHEELS 
I'VE
NEVER EVEN BEEN TO IOWA
TOUR
ORGANIZER: BOB YARDY
