Jalpaiguri: Two things were immediately clear.  First, we had definitely arrived during the monsoon season with rain and the signs of rain everywhere around us.  Secondly, we were absolutely in the tea garden.   We could see rows of tea plants virtually from the minute we left the apron of the airport.  A car from the Tea …

Kolkata: I had met Rabial Mallick earlier this year in the Philippines and knew that he had been involved in building community organizations throughout India from his home base in Kolkata, so high on my “wish” list for this visit was to find him and get a better grasp of the work.  I had been virtually …

Chennai:  Chennai (formerly Madras) is in the southern part of India on the coast.  A big city of almost 6 million, Chennai still felt more accessible and one almost dares to say manageable after the constant chaos of Mumbai.  The heat and humidity also felt like home in New Orleans, and talking to one of …