Greenbelt Diary

6.00 a.m. Lizard (Lizardus aurovilius) drops into mouth. I wake up.

6.30 I pump bucket of water for shower. Rub self vigorously with broken brick to improve circulation.

7.00 Nourishing breakfast of crushed date leaves, desiccated caterpillar larvae and fermented keet[1].

7.30 Kiss bullock good morning.

7.45 Dress leg wound with home made preparation of manure and crushed True biscuit[2]. Excellent natural remedy. After 17 months I see definite signs of improvement.

8.00 Workers arrive. I allocate tasks. Peeraswamy to continue digging holes in nearby road to paralyse traffic circulation. Erumalai to practice crowbar technique in preparation for visit of the video team. Ananda sent out to locate neighbours. I give him a week’s supply of ragi[3] malt in case he gets lost. I begin to pump buckets of water.

9.00 Watering. 

10.00 Still watering. 

10.30 Break. I hang quietly upside down from neem tree (Azadirachta indica) for fifteen minutes. This traditional village remedy improves circulation to the brain and allows arms to relocate themselves in sockets.

12.00 Lunch. Potpourri of bull’s blood, casseroled cycle tyre and rat’s foot curry.

1.00 p.m. Siesta, interrupted occasionally by pitched battles with invading red ants (Irritatus aurovilius).

3.00 Engage in customary afternoon exercise of goat chasing· Final score today: two goats captured, eleven trees devoured, one foot full of mulus[4]. 

4.00 Peeraswamy returns. Reports finding unidentified Aurovilian and Rajdoot[5] at bottom of one of his pits. Thinks they may have been there some time as Rajdoot very rusty. Aurovilian somewhat incoherent. Peeraswamy advised him to take up cycling. Erumalai finished video filming. Told him to wash powdered gold out of hair and to take off MGR[6] hat and sunglasses. Ananda not back. Perhaps the neighbours have moved.

6.00 Light yak fat candle. I practice picking up and holding pen in preparation for annual letter home.

7.00 Share light supper of rice bran and peanut cake with bullock. I feel we are on the verge of a communication breakthrough.

8.30 Kiss bullock good night. I climb nearby Work tree (Acacia auriculiformis) and settle down for the night. I recite a few pages of One Straw Revolution before falling asleep.