Seeing the Sights of Bangalore and Mysore--January 2016

On 27 January 2016, Republic Day in India--the day they celebrate when their first constitution was established after independence was won from Great Britain--we went to a flower show in Bangalore.

Elder and Sister Henrie enjoyed it with us.

Oddly, there were flowers there too...

More flowers...

Lots of people too.


Hey, that rock hill looks like a good sledding hill...

No snow in Bangalore?

Oh.

This tree is related to the cottonwood tree we know in Utah.

Then we went to the Industrial and Technological Museum.

There was lots of cool stuff to look at.

Larry found an old train.

Here is a panorama picture of the Karnataka State House building


On January 28, 2016 we went about three hours south of Bangalore to an old former kingdom called Mysore.

The Maharaja of Mysore royal family ruled from 1399 to 1950.

Mysore is one of the most visited monuments in India, second only to the Taj Mahal. The annual footfall to this royal attraction is 3.5 million.

There are twelve Hindu temples on the grounds. They do not allow photos taken inside the palace. But it was absolutely beautiful. The last of the royal family still lives on the grounds towards the back of the palace.

Checking Out a Potential New Clean Water RO Project with Elder & Sister Henrie--22 Jan 2016

We visited seven villages in the Nagonda Mandal.

With us were Elder and Sister Henrie--water specialists from Orem, UT; our project monitor, Shekar Alamury; and Mr. Sudhakar, our project community "champion".

The Murthapur village.

We stopped and visited with the village Panchayat--the first level of elected governance at a village. The next level is called the Grama Panchayat and is usually made up of several Panchayats.

We were impressed that each village was prepared with a building to dedicate for the
new RO filtering system.

The women and the children always gathered separately from the men--except when we asked them to come talk with us.

These children asked to have their picture taken with us.

We were always an attraction to the kids where ever we went...

The women always came to see what was going on.

Here are two women from a Lambani Tribe with Sister Newton.

The old systems always looked neat and tidy.

These villagers take water seriously

Sister Henrie also loved to talk to the children...

Some of them have never seen a white face before and were afraid at first.




We were glad to see that most of the old RO systems--that date back 8 to 10 years--are still being maintained well. Each village had a plan to maintain the filters and membranes as well as replace equipment as it wears out.




























In the back room of one of the RO system sheds we found a man weaving silk sarees. It takes four days to weave a silk saree--which is just over six yards of cloth.

On the way home we stopped to take a picture of a tree-climber. These guys climb really tall palm trees and place small pots in the trees to collect the palm oil. They go back every few days and harvest the oil. Notice he has no shoes and bare legs to climb the tree. His harness is home made.

Celebrating Reverse Osmosis Inaugurations--20 January 2016

We helped celebrate the opening of seven new R.O. Clean Water systems in the villages of Nalgonda, Bibi Mandel, Telangana State.

Elder Henrie is cutting a ribbon.

A Hindu priest was present to ensure traditional blessings took place.

We each received a red dot on our foreheads, flower leis and colorful shawls to honor us.

Two students from a local high school spoke about how they had been worried about the sickness caused by high fluoride in the water and their future families. But now that the clean water is there, their future is brighter.

Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mr. Reddy holds the ribbon as Elder Newton cuts it at the opening of a new clean water system.

Part of the tradition is to crack open a coconut and pour out the milk. 

Elder Henrie, Elder Newton and MLA Reddy do the deed.

Part of the Hindu tradition is to light oil wiks.

This was at a high school and the Principal thanked us for participating in and honoring their traditions. 

Children, school staff and the community look on at the RO Celebration. M. Julius, a teacher at the school for 6 years said "Healthy water, healthy life--you gave us living water. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a good name because you are saints to us."

Sister Henrie especially liked making contact with the children where ever we went

We presented the school with cricket bats and balls, jump ropes, ring toss and soccer balls.

We were invited inside a Hindu temple to participate in their Hindu blessing. We were blessed and our children were blessed by the priest.

Sister Newton spoke to the crowd of about 200 people. She said in Telugu "Namaste, na peru Sister Newton." (Good afternoon, my name is Sister Newton). MLA Mr. Reddy almost fell out of his chair with delight and the crowd cheered! [Thanks to Mike and Laura for the "Learn Telugu in 30 Days" book!]

A young girl from Zilla Parishad High School said: "You fill me with happy to have clean water."

More joy and celebrating.

More shawls and leis to honor LDSC. 

Sooo many ribbons to cut...

The women of the villages were excited to know they will have clean water to drink and cook with as they feed their families.

The press and local television news people were present also. Here is a pile of five newspaper articles in the local newspaper the next day. 


Youtube Link to TV interview at Zilla Parishad High Shool

Sightseeing in Hyderabad--19 January 2016

Gonconda Fort, Hyderabad--14th to 16th Century--the Kakatiya Dynasty

We entered through the "Clapping Gate". One hand clap at a certain point below the entrance dome can be heard at the highest point of the fort, almost one kilometer away. This was used to warn the royals in case of an attack--which occurred rather regularly.

The region is known for the mines that produced some of the world's most famous gems...including the Hope Diamond.

It was 375 steps to the top. There was a special trail for the King that no one else was allowed to use. Usually the King was carried up to the top in a carry chair.

They had a sophisticated water system that brought the precious liquid to the top of the fort.

They virtually had no tools to erect this fort. Every stone was hand cut and carried to its place. It stands today as a monument to early 14th Century architecture and war planning.


Later in the day we went to the "Seven Tombs" garden. Our guide was very informative and entertaining. It is the Royal Cemetery of Seven Qutub Shahi Kings, who ruled Golconda for nearly 170 years.

The complex has approximately 30 tombs. To distinguish the tombs of the seven Kings from the other tombs, a golden spire was fixed over the tomb of the Kings. The tombs were built before the King died so it would be ready when needed. The tomb at the lower left above was never finished because the King was overthrown and killed before his tomb was finished.

Even the King's personal physicians received a large tomb. The two twin tombs above were for the doctors of the King. 

The architecture of the tombs was ornate, customized for the person and highly influenced by Persian culture. We were joined by Elder and Sister Henrie, water specialists from Orem, Utah.