Pondicherry here I come

Not so fast. I got an email response from the Park Guest House (seafacing recommended in the travel guides) saying it is not an hotel, no mischief making etc. Sounds a bit like the Kshetram except we occasionally get to watch TV. For some reason the singing talent show is very popular with the fathers. And I go to chill and pretend I am learning Malayalam. Anyway 450 rupiyah a day, at seven days. About 3k and still sounds cheap. October is when they have the end of year break so I'll head off then. Also have a three week tour of Indian Contemporary Religions Ting in August. That's me done with travelling.

I made a little stir with the prior general. I think he is more like a Jesuit general than some of them back home. He wanted to have a discussion. First question was a bit tame. He said are we really saying yes to all the good things on offer. Now I thought he meant there was some way that I could partake in extra-mural widow finding otherwise known as pastoral visits. So I asked him what opportunities in concrete terms did he mean. And he clarified. Going to the library, prayer, studies. Ah well.

Then he mentioned the mission of the CMI and part was to help the poor especially in education though he admitted at their local university it was mainly the upper and middle classes who attended. Peeps asked a few tings. The Franciscan was a bit daring and raised the spectre of scandalous sexual behaviour among priests and how our troubled brows may be soothed. So after that calmed down I said that I had read the wiki page on the CMIs before coming and their criticism was that although standards were now higher in the education the CMIs had sacrificed outreach to the poor in terms of education for better academic results and prestige. He seemed stung by this. I only meant to say that I would pay a surcharge of 10 or 20% because it wouldn't amount to much for the rich if he passed that on to further scholarships for Dalits and Tribals. That's when I decided I would leave my worldly tings to the CMIs for scholarships for Tribals and Lambadis. The Yolanda Coutinho Scholarships. About five of the sixty came up to me separately later to say they were very pleased with my input. And a couple also came to suggest that they were not so pleased. All in all a good evening.

Tomorrow am pressing ahead with the Syriac I'll try purchase some books. A basic textbook and something of Mar Ephrem or Mar Isaac would be keepsake and a solid pose. It's always a bit sad when you have learnt all you can about a subject. I could read more about Syriac Liturgy but all it's going to be is the dialectial polarity between infrarational and suprarational narratives. And you know when you are reading terms like that you've probably read too far. Now I can just attend and participate. I did wonder whether when I meet that eligible french-indian widow sous chef we could have the matrimonial sacrament in the syro-malabar rite even both of us are roman rite.

I could ask a canonist but they'd just give varying opinions. I think it's similar to being British Citizens wanting to partake of the benefits of a legal ceremony usually taken by Irish Citizens. We could ascript into the syro-malabar but that smacks of legalism to me. What and this train of thought isn't, of course not. This is part of my master plan to re-establish a joint patriarchy of the East Indies in Goa and the Gate of All India in Crangamore. So that I may breathe with both lungs. And since it is my Master Plan then the Crangamore Patriarch should be granted the title of Catholicos.

Although I am settling in well. Still distracted by thoughts of what woman back home but I feel once I get that August course underway and start making the home run towards an MA of some sort to start next June then best not to do anything and let it all just unfold. I think I shall return in March 25 2010 as planned just to tidy up things and maybe try to get OCI. I'll have to talk to a grown up about that. Loads of lawyers here mind. Not sure if that is a help though. If there was one lawyer.

I had something I really wanted to say. But I'll say it next time. Still no sign of the ID card. Maybe tomorrow. For now I help the local economy.

Oooh and her title shall be Martha Leoni la Pauvre de Caen