Group Study Experiences by Magnus

1.Homing cows: I was expecting to see the odd bovine wandering around India as I gather that they’re sacred and holy animals and worshiped in the Hindu religion. However, they’re all over the place and are absolutely fearless with regard to the mental traffic in Bangalore. With two and three wheeler vehicles swerving around a sea of battered old bangers it feels like you are travelling in a computer game. To make things even more hectic, cars don’t need to get tested until they are 15 years old. Consequently, I’ve seen vehicles stall and die in front of the car I was in and people frantically pushing an ancient Suzuki to jump start it. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that despite manic traffic conditions, you frequently see a placid cow wandering down the central reservation, udders swinging in the breeze. They spend the day roaming around the city eating whatever scraps and rubbish they can find and then make their way back to their shed to join three or four of their stable-mates where the City Farmer milks them and locks them up for the night.
2.Yoga: Tracey and I were taken to the meditation pyramid outside Bangalore by a Yoga Guru Rotarian to practise the great Indian art that has recently become very popular in the west. This was at our request to Manju who is organising our teams time in India and proved to be exactly what the two of us were after. We arrived after about two hours on the road from the city centre with a brief stop on the way to enjoy two Tender Coconuts each sold by a bloke beside the road with a bike loaded with the fruit. The vendor hacked the scalp off each one and then stuck a straw in the top, handing it over to each of us to drink the juice. Feeling energised, we were both in the mood for some stretching and bending when we arrived at a beautiful green tranquil lawn in the middle of the jungle. We were taught the basic principles of yoga, which basically involve posture and deep breathing. After teaching us a few basic poses our teacher went on to explain that the highest level of yoga involves focus and meditation and he explained how to sink into a state of elevated relaxation. This I managed perfectly as I started snoring much to Tracey’s amusement. To finish our experience we were taken inside the huge pyramid to have a go at some energised meditation, which would be aided by the concentration of cosmic power that happens inside the specially shaped building.
3.Orthotic Ankle Support: when I visited the Limb Centre Hospital that Rotary helps to fund in our first week in Bangalore the Doctor in charge identified that I should be wearing a support to correct my gait as I stumbled around the workshop with the Team from Britain. I explained that I’d tried wearing one that the NHS had made me, but it had been more painful than enduring the pain inflicted by the lack of lateral support from my leg muscles following a brain injury ten years ago. Without any hesitation, a team of experts quickly took a cast of my leg and to my surprise made me stand on the wet cast allowing my foot to expand and they constantly smoothed the Plaster of Paris coating to get a good fit. ‘They never did this in Ipswich’ I mused as I watched the excited experts execute their trade. I wasn’t at all surprised when the Orthotic Ankle Support fitted perfectly when I collected it a week later and the difference it makes to my walking is amazing. Many people have commented about how upright I walk now and I feel like this is going to make a huge difference to my life – both professionally and socially.