Faith

It is around a 100F in Patna right now. After surviving several hot nights on a rickety fan that runs mostly on the inverter - I finally got my hands on a cooler yesterday. Everyone at the guesthouse was equally excited about its setup – from the neighboring kids to the new cook in the guesthouse! Before we turned it on, the cook, Munna ji insisted we say a little prayer. It didn't last long – in fact it was quite humorous - he cheekily asked the Symphony Jumbo Jr. to “Please cool maam’s room well” as he rotated an incense stick around the white plastic box it in a giant circle. The whole episode was rather hilarious.

Later in the afternoon, I took potential partners to a plant. We arrived at the plant around dusk, so partners have the opportunity to witness the process of starting up the biomass plant. Right before the operator turned on the supply of electricity – I noticed he folded his hands and said a quick prayer to a board of wires and bulbs that allow him to monitor his supply throughout the village.

On the dark ride back, I thought about these two incidents and the enormous faith that seems ingrained in this community. At every step, whether it is a rare occasion, like buying a new cooler, or a daily occurrence like turning on the lights – people acknowledge and thank a power beyond themselves. They take the time to appreciate and give thanks for the special and the ordinary. It seems like a straightforward way to keep humility at the forefront on a daily basis.