A Winter in India

Yesterday was the opening of the Dental Health Mela (Fair). The students and faculty have been working on this ever since we arrived, and now that we see the finished product, we can see how much work it was. It’s a bit like Bates’ Mt. David Symposium, in that the students are presenting their work. But here the students are presenting to the general public, so it’s really a giant public health effort.

These photos are from the opening ceremonies. First is the poster with the official title, and the table where all the dignitaries will be seated, and the flower garland decorations. These garlands are mostly marigolds of different colors, thousands and thousands of marigolds. The second picture shows some of the students. The girls are singing a Hindu hymn, that was roughly translated for us as the goddess taking away your pain like taking water from the river. Seemed apropos for the opening of a dental fair. The singing was beautiful, and was accompanied by the boy student on the tabla drums, and by the lead singer playing the harmonium. Third picture is the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit lighting the lamp, which is a very traditional way of opening any meeting or gathering. The man to the left is Dr. Mahesh Verma, Dean of the Dental College, and the man who has taken us under his wing from the first day. Next to him is Yoganand Shastri, the Minister of Health. So, needless to say with guests like this you can tell this was a Big Deal. The guy down front with the coca cola jacket is from the TV station. The girl at the right is another one of the students. It was such a treat for us to see all the students all dressed up, the girls all in gorgeous sarees. Most of them wear jeans under their white lab coats most of the time.