Housing in India

This picture was taken in a one-room, thatched-roof hut in the "suburbs". The lady of the house is Fr. Ravi's sister and that's one of her boys who is a student. The other is away at college. The man in the striped shirt is Fr. Suneel. We went visiting Sunday night and called on a number of Fr. Ravi's relatives. This lady served us cool drinks and a snack outside on the "front porch" which is also where they sleep during the hot weather. That's her kitchen in the other picture and it represents about one quarter of the house so it's about the size of my garden shed. Her husband is a carpenter and he built the house. The roof is made of sticks tied together with twine and then covered with thatching. In the rainy season, it leaks. But the house was clean and well managed, very orderly and they have a tv. Everyone seems to have a tv in India except the priests who can't afford one. The village gets the dish and then they cable out to each house. Everyone seems to think it's perfectly normal to have a tv but not a bathroom.

This picture was taken in a lovely four room house in the same village. The man borrowed money to get to Kuwait where he worked as a manual laborer. Over 9 years, he paid off the loan, and saved enough to build the house. His two oldest boys are now work in construction and they are helping to support the family. They're putting the two younger sons through school. He told me the only money he spent on himself was for food. I believed him.