January 22, 2001 - Kumar

Kumar Last year, Kumar was 12 years old. This year Kumar is 15 years old Next year, Kumar says he will be 18 years old. This is possible because age is not measured in years. Age is a social status. (Under 13, you are a child. Over 50, you are dead. Vela's very old Grandmother is always 50.)

This is Kumar's mother and grandmother with him. This is the side street they used to live in.

The Helpful One With Kumar, nothing is impossible. If you need something, he will try to help. If there is a problem, the other kids tend to wait until you solve it. They are still very timid at times. With Kumar, he always keeps coming up with new solutions. His solutions do not always work but at least he tries his best. In this picture, my lens case broke so Kumar went to the shoe repair man to have it sewn.

This is Kumar's front door and the door of his neighbor next to it.  What you see is the entire width of his "house".

Kumar's Family In 1999, Kumar's family moved to a shanty town near the rail road station. When I first came to Madras, Kumar lived on one of the side streets off of Triplicane High Road... along with his mother and sister, aunts and uncles. His grandfather had a rented a tiny space in a camping area which cost him 200 rupees a month. ($5) The conditions there were not good. Holes in the tin roof, no walls, very tiny. By saving the money I sent Kumar each month and borrowing the rest, his family was able to move to a government sponsored housing area in the Armenian cemetery near the British cemetery. Therefore, his extended family of about 8 people was able share a one room brick building with no plumbing. Then Mumtaz's family also moved to this area. Later I rented houses for Mari and Vela here. Click here to learn more about Kumar's government housing project.

Kumar's Fan The room (or house as it is called) is normally rented, not purchased. These houses come without a fan or any electricity except one bare light bulb which is lit three hours a day. To get more, you need to tap into someone else's electricity and to add a switch box, lights and fan. The buildings have only a light asbestos shingle roof in weather which reaches 120 degrees with 100 percent humidity. (That is why you only visit India in the cool period after the rains - December to March.) Without a fan, the room can be very hot. The problem is the cost of the electricity is considerable ($5 per month) for a room which rents for $10 per month.

At Kumar's insistence, I paid for the installation of a fan in his house. ($30 total). I never know if this is a good idea or not. The only way is to try it. Therefore when Kumar wants something new, I will let him try it. If it works, then I get the same for Vela and the other kids. That was how I rented houses for Mari and Vela and got fans for Kumar, Mari, Vela, and Mumtaz.

This web site is written by Robert Purser. Contact me at robert_purser@usa.com Back to Table of Contents