Originally for work,  I  have  visited  India  very regularly  during the last  twenty  years, and  gained  the strong impression that people with disabilities have a much harder time there than in Britain.   And this is not just a question of money.  Even in a booming city such as Bangalore in the south, a highly competitive society means that many people have a hard life, such as can hardly be imagined by us here.

Which  made it all the more satisfying to find myself  witnessing  a  joyful  reunion of  women  who  had all  first  met  at the Cheshire Home there.  This took place on  14th September  last,  at the bungalow  of a  British lady  who played a  vital role in the life of the Home for around  30  years, as its (voluntary)  Secretary.  She herself has a pretty interesting story to tell;  brought up in  Stockbridge,  Hants,  and  having  served in the Royal Air Force,  she  later married an Indian test pilot  who came to the  aircraft  company  where she was working.   She is Mrs. Veronica Das, and she lives at the house which he and she built after she arrived in Bangalore in 1960.  It has a garden which does not look very English, but which serves very well for large open - air gatherings of enterprising women. 

Twenty - five  former Cheshire Home ladies turned up  for  their first  joint  party;  two of them  -  Mesdames Bhuveneshwari and Yellamma  -   having organised the  gathering,   and  the large quantities of delicious food,  spontaneously.   Some were in wheelchairs, as you would expect; others had crutches.  Their ages ranged (I guess) from mid 20's to mid 30's, and all had spent long years at the Cheshire Home during their youth.  They  don't  come from wealthy backgrounds and  have  all  had to overcome  major social as well as physical difficulties   - but you would not know it, from their  positive, enthusiastic personalities. 

The usually tranquil garden became alive with fun and laughter, as children ran about happily and tiny babies slept in the arms of their mothers.  A little distance from the main group, young husbands chatted together and admired their wives talking with "long - lost" friends and exchanging details of their jobs.  A qualified engineer sat in her wheelchair with her seven year old adopted son, telling the others of her Government job and comparing notes with Nalini, employed with Barclays Bank.  A Master's degree in social work led Venkatalakshmi to a charity working with AIDS victims, whilst Yellamma and Bhuveneshwari and several others hold senior positions in BPO's.  Telephone operators, a beautician, a hostel manager, call centre workers, and many happy mothers and housewives were all there.  One or two were still struggling and glad to take advice and help from the more successful.   They are all fluent in English  - a big advantage in modern India  -  which they first learned at  the Home,  more precisely  from a succession  of  young British volunteers  enticed to Bangalore. 

Their  conversation   - and its volume -  flowed continuously for about four hours;  there was plenty of wit and banter, along with  laughter at reminiscences  ("go to your room,  you naughty  girl !!").   Nobody was spared, including me.  I soon realised that I was witnessing a unique occasion; you can tell when a party is going well, but there are not many with such wholly admirable participants, really pleased to see each other.   For many,   "normal" life requires a daily effort, and they cannot turn to their parents for assistance (rather the reverse) - but on that Sunday afternoon, that wasn't the point.

The occasion provided an opportunity not only for lots of photographs, but also to construct a list of everybody's contact details, including mobile phones which were universal.  Mutual support can always be useful.  And  it must have brought joy to the hearts of  two  energetic ladies whose work was celebrated by  "the  girls":-   Englishwoman  "Twinks" Das  MBE, and  her Indian colleague,  former Head of Home  Mrs. Delma  Evarts, both now retired.   Neither of them  is  prone to outbreaks of sentimentality  -  but  it was quite clear to me that this party was also intended  as a fitting  tribute to  two remarkable  people  who have done a lot to change  lives for the better.  I felt privileged to have been there.

Michael Ashfield

(Michael is a frequent business traveler to India, who has on few occasions visited the Cheshire Home in Bangalore. An avid observer, he sent us the above account of a party held at the house of Mrs. Das, a Trustee of Cheshire Home, Bangalore)