Sunlight, Suryas, and Sunsets
My memory of BIRDS, Bharati Integrated Rural Development Society, sometimes is overshadowed by such dramatic experiences at Visthar and the children’s home. But the very fact that made it blend in so well was also the reason I loved it so much. It was India, in real life. Well, except for our air-conditioned rooms, which were much appreciated in the transition from Bangalore (70 degrees F) to Nandyal (105 degrees F). In the mornings at BIRDS, when I wasn’t in the bathroom trying to manually flush the toilet with a bucket of water, sometimes I would think about going up on the roof to do my surya namaskar (sun salutation) that I learned from a crazy Indian martial arts fighter at Visthar. When I got home I had to youtube it to make sure I was doing it right because at the time I was pretty distracted by his bare upper body and loosely fashioned dhoti. But I do remember that after he taught us the exercise, he assured us that “if you do this 10 times every morning and