ReMindful : Wooster Nagar!

When in December, Tom, Henry, Ben and I first spied the "Wooster Nagar" sign on the East Coast Road an hour or so south of Chennai, we did a double-take. Henry attends the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, and thought it would be highly unlikely that a village could be named after a small town (if not village) in the middle of Amish country. But guess what? It is.

Here's how the mystery unraveled: Last year, I got in touch with Shirley Huston-Findley, a theater professor from the College of Wooster also bound for India on a Fulbright-Nehru grant, along with her husband Chuck who also works at the college. Shirley had visited Chennai twice before and suggested Footprint B&B as a comfortable place to stay. Now, we're all under one roof and often venture out for dinner and beer.

Chuck, Shirley, Steph and Kingfisher.

Shirley knows all about Wooster Nagar and its origins. When the 2004 tsunami obliterated a small fishing village on the Bay of Bengal, a Wooster family with Chennai roots spearheaded a recovery effort with the support of local philanthropists and volunteers. With their donations as well as investments by residents, themselves, the village was rebuilt, (26 homes in all), and rechristened "Wooster Nagar" by the community.

Yesterday, we visited Wooster Nagar, and with the aid of a interpreter, spoke with residents and caught up on village life. For Shirley, it was a reunion, having been there twice in the past. Since her last visit, several residents have added second floors and other additions to their homes.

Our interpreter conducted a census of this family.

A second story was added to this home to accommodate two sons, their wives and grandchildren The sons were instructed not to marry until the addition was completed.

Coconut, mango, guava and "drumstick" trees give fruit and shade in the back and front yards of Wooster Nagar. We were treated to coconuts straight from the tree.