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Day 75 : Tuesday May 25th. RTU
Brother James had not been in his home country, England, since the early 1970s and he'd not had a plate of chips since. I'd not had any chips myself for two an a half months and I was feeling it. But 40 years was a bit much! The poor man needed sorting out. Something had to be done.
Day 82 : Tuesday June 1st. Chennai to London
This was a strange day, because it didn't really have a beginning it just carried on from the previous day, because I hadn't slept the night before.
Day 80 : Sunday May 30th. Chennai
In the morning there was a fire nearby and a huge cloud of thick black smoke formed. It didn't look at all healthy. After about 30 minutes or so, the first fire engine appeared. It wouldn't be the last.
Day 77 : Thursday May 27th. RTU
I'd set off from Manchester with the aim of raising £8,000 to build ten quality homes for ten poor families to replace homes like this one. I wanted to see houses under construction before leaving RTU.
Day 72 Saturday 22nd May. RTU
Brother James had disappeared to Bodi, a couple of days before, as he tends to spend three or four days there each week, and I'd been prevented from going to see him there as, apparently, Brother James thought I would be 'taking too much of a risk' if I went there by motorcycle. This was a bit rich coming from a man who, at 85, is still riding on a two-wheeler around RTU.
Day 74 : Monday May 24th. RTU
For some reason, there was a big staff meeting for all the departments of RTU, and it was to be held at a different venue - a village where RTU was doing some work. This was a perfect opportunity for me to escape to Kodaikanal - if I could get my hands on a motorcycle.
Day 73 Sunday 23rd May. Brother James 85 today.
It was 23rd May, Bro Jim's 85th birthday! I'd cycled a long way for a slice of his birthday cake, and, thankfully, Jo and David Cassidy, two very special old friends of Brother Jim, had sent a beautiful cake.
Day 76 : Wednesday May 26th. RTU
Having read about some of the terrible family backgrounds of some of the children under the care of RTU, visiting RTU's 'Miriam Children's Village' was a most delightful and humbling experience, a genuine highlight of my stay at RTU.
Day 79 : Saturday May 29th. Chennai
The plan was to spend the time updating the website, but there was a power cut which lasted for around 8 hours. There was nothing anyone could do. The substation at the local Polytechnic had blown up.
Day 78 : Friday May 28th. Chennai
St Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, came to India in 52A.D. And he died there as a martyr in 72A.D. He was buried at Mylapore, San Thome, Chennai and the Basilica of St Thomas is built over the tomb - one of only three churches in the world built over the tomb of an Apostle.

Low-cost housing

Quality low-cost housing in fifteen days

..."Sometimes we might see lot of huts in a rural area like Kakanji Nagar. Those families suffer a lot, even for their daily survival. In those places, first we survey them and provide immediately all the necessary items for their survival, then we look into their needs; housing, water, medical support, educational support for children, etc. We build the whole village up. This is called ‘group housing’. At present we are busy with a group housing project at Kakanji Nagar in Devathanapatti (a large village not far from Kallupatti). We also build small houses for old people who are not cared for by their biological children and relatives. Construction details : Our regular masons measure the size and mark for foundation. Normally the house owner digs the foundation and fills it with the support of our mason. If a household does not have adequate skilled persons we also provide labour. We complete a house within 15-20 days from the day of measurement, including whitewash and painting."... (Extract from RTU newsletter June 2009. Words of Saravan, Manager of Rural Housing at RTU)

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Low-cost housing

Quality low-cost housing in fifteen days