A different sort of works' outing

There seems to be a tradition of going out for picnics to celebrate new year here in India and typically many NGOs will hold a picnic for all the staff and their families to attend.  The picnic organised by my NGO was unlike any picnic that I've ever been to before.

First we had to drive for around an hour to get to the chosen picnic spot, somewhere near the tribal village of Nandapur.  We met up with colleagues who had travelled from their home villages.  Then we made our way to a good spot, well away from all the other revellers and the road.

It seemed like a nice spot, nice views in both directions.

The camp-fire was stoked and the pots put onto heat

Meanwhile the vegetables needed to be prepared - enough for about 40 people.  I need to learn how to use one of these knives.  They have a flat metal handle that comes off the blade at a 90 degree angle which is held down with a foot or a leg, leaving the blade pointing up.  The vegetables are then sliced by being pushed down onto the cutting edge and the pieces caught in the hands.  Very neat solution to no chopping boards.

Everything was cooked to perfection over the fire, well-tended by some of the men in the group.

While lunch was cooking some of us wandered upstream to a waterfall and watched people swimming and zooming down the water-slide.  I was very tempted to join them, it looked great fun and was a very warm day (compared to a UK winter).

As is the way with such natural attractions everyone wants to have their photos taken in front of the view.  By the time we returned to our picnic spot we had worked up a good appetite and thoroughly enjoyed a what is probably the best picnic meal that I've ever had.  I think Jon was a bit taken aback by the whole day!

The clearing up after our lunch was pretty easy, a few passing cows clearing up the leaf plates and the cooking pots being taken down to the river for a good scrubbing with grass and water to clean off the food residues.

The obligatory group shot that has to happen at such events.  For once, I am in this shot, I usually manage to hide behind the camera and escape the photos.

Of course, this being an event largely populated by adivasi people, there had to be a dance in it somewhere.  The end of a great day out.

I now have to settle back down into a more normal day to day life on my own here in Koraput with the departure back home of husband Jon and son Sam elsewhere in India, suffering from the effects of street food or ice made with dirty water. Get well soon!