Third Eye

Bring lots and lots of spices back!8221; That is what American Francis Moody8217;s British mother-in-law had told her. 8220;She makes a lovely curry dinner,8221; says Francis, who is in India for the first time.

Francis is in Pune with a church organisation,Youth With A Mission, and is working with Catholic Charismatic Renewal in India 8211; an organisation that meets in small prayer groups. She works in a school that trains people for missionary work, and when she heard about the visit to India, she was particularly interested. 8220;I was keen on coming to India,8221; she says. She and 11 others in her group have spent time visiting the churches in Pune. 8220;I liked the St. Xavier8217;s Church a lot,8221; she says. She has met the Bishop of Pune 8211; Bishop Valerian. 8220;Great guy,8221; she says 8220;even though I don8217;t remember his name!8221;

The thing that struck her about Pune? 8220;Definitely the people! They are so warm and friendly. The church people have welcomed us into their homes and have introduced us to their families,8221; she says. But Francis is clearly distressed by the poor people on the street. Declares Francis, 8220;It is hard for us, who come from Western countries, to see so much poverty. I mean, we do have poverty back home but it is invisible. They stick such people in some programme out of sight!8221;

But back to the curry. 8220;There has been a big debate in our group about the food,8221; she says laughingly, 8220;but I personally love the food. I8217;ve been eating a lot of Indian stuff here. My favourite has been the chhapati so far. I eat it with curry, honey, butter 8211; anything!8221;