Having successfully completed their fortnight long tour of Germany, the 30 village children of Gandhi Ashram School, Kalimpong, better known as The Fiddlers on the Thatch, were off to Switzerland to give performances. We boarded our bus at Nurmberg. As we passed throught the narrow neck of Austria, we could see the snow capped peaks of the Alps at a distance and it reminded us of te Kanchenjunga. For the first time we felt a bit home sick. The journey across the Alps is now much shorter and easier because of the long tunnels that perforate it. After 10 hours of travelling, we finally reached our bunker. It was almost like an atom bomb shelter - radiation proof, with ten ton solid doors - large enough to house 300 people.

The children were craving for something hot and spicy, like "dullay", the hotest dish of Kalimpong. Although they were allowed to eat with their fingers, the boys preferred to use spoons for they were too lazy to wash their hands.The plastic plates, cups, saucers and glasses were all throw away items, but they were of such good quality both Father Meguire and I got the kids to wash and reuse them. They loved washing and cleaning the kitchen and dining tables.

Later in the evening the children performed at Centro Cetadella, a cinema hall in town. It was filled to capacity. People enjoyed their rendition of Vivaldi, Mozart and Nepali tunes. Refreshments were offered after every performance. The children loved the soft sponge cakes, topped with fresh fruits and the cream potato crisps and peanuts. After their performance, a group of locals arrived with their violins and asked the children as well as their masters to join them. This turned out to be a most enjoyable part of the evening. The kids were not performing on stage, but for the sheer pleasure of it and they soon struck a note of friendship with total strangers.

Next morning we went for a steamer ride on Lake Lugano. We dropped off on the other end of the lake to see Mini Switzerland. This fascinating garden had every important landmark inside it. Even the cable cars, trains, ships and steamers actually operated, much to the delight of the children. Switzerland in miniaturegave them an idea of the whole country. Our last stop was Zurich. We boarded our faithful bus again, passing through the longest tunnel in the world. Before reaching Meilen, we had to cross a lake. The children were dumbstruck when our bus had to be loaded into a ferry boat to get us across. "Its like driving over the lake," they marvelled. In Meilen we were accommodated in an underground bunker. But nonetheless, we had an indoor games complex which housed two football fields. Once inside the playground, the children went wild. They were given shorts and shirts to play in. Hockey basketball, badminton, volleyball followed.

Sunday morning we arrived at St. George's Church. Father Maguire at last got a chance to attend mass. Right after it, people trooped into a splendid auditorium, where the children played to a packed hall. Once the concert was over, some of the children were sent out to collect donations from the audience. They felt every awkward. I explained that this was the custom here. Since the tickets were not sold, it was left to the audience to donate what they liked. At their next performance, at a church in Meilen, they boldly and eagarly walked upto the audience, vying with each other to collect as much money as they could. This was to be there last concert. People not only enjoyed their music but were charmed by their gentle ways, simplicity and innocence.

Next day, they were on the front page of leading Zurich newspaper. Rudramani, the conductor, heaved a sigh of relief. He got the best out of them. they palyed flawlessly to the delight of the Germans and the Swiss. He was relaxed and happy that his job was over. Finally it was 12 May, Mother's Day, Caroline Reiber's two hour programme in whicht he children had taken part was going to be broadcast all over Europe. The children watched the programme with great interest, delighted to see themselves on television.

Our last day was packed with entertainment. We drove to the Rhine Falls through picturesque fields, meadows, woods and villages. Father Mcquire called it the "picture postcard country". A group of ladies on the way had provided us with packed lunch with llots of goodies in red paper bags. We crossed the river flowed on a boat to reach a tall rock that stands right in the middle of the thundering waterfall. Here one feels as if the churning water is ready to engulf you in a minute.

Our next stop was modern violin factory in Zurich. Rows of violins of various sizes were displayed in glass cases. They are machine made now but with great care and expertise by master craftsmen. The prices of these violins range from Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 5 lakh each. We met the master craftsman, who gave us a short history of the violin and went on to explain how it should be taken care of. This advice was necessary as the children had been presented with 30 brand new violins with horse hair bows in Germany. The highlight of the evening was the circus. None of the children had been to a circus before. They were agog with anticipation. They eyes lit up their faces, a picture of concerntration as they watched well fed, well groomed dromedaries, horses, enormous elephants, zebras, tigers and seals perform in the arena. They had never seen such animals before. This show was a befitting finale to their marvellous trip abroad. We left for India next day.
Copyright © Monila De

Submit your articles