Monsoon Summer by kaoruhana
Cookbooks, Paintings, and Presentations
A/N: One of the things I liked most about mused to my internship was seeing peacocks flit about as I walked home. Seriously, an awesome end to a workday. As for snakes: the guest house receptionist, who quickly became a good friend of mine since he was one of the few people who would talk with me (like Sunil does with Kagome), used to tease me and try to scare me by telling me what animals he had apprehended that week. One day, he got a call about a cobra on the front steps as we had our after dinner talk, and invited me to come watch. I refused and scurried away to my room before he could even think of trying to convince me. Of course, the funniest thing- he had to kill the cockroach that was flying about in my room the next night. Due to a very bad incident involving flying cockroaches attacking me in my sleep when I was little, I HATE THEM! Fun times though, I tell you.
As always, questions can be directed to me. And thank you to whoever it was that nomiated me to the Feudal Association! Also, I will edit this later in the week. Please don't mind the typos
* * * * *
Kagome yawned as she set analyzed the data in front of her. Using the excel tabs, she began to experiment with graphs and percentages to determine which kind she liked most. It was Monday night and she had a day to perfect her presentation and practice it. Rubbing her eyes, she uncapped her bottle of water and took a drink trying to refocus. The pie graph looked better simply because it allowed her the option of highlighting chunks when she presented.
So far, her information skewed quite a lot towards young females. Most of these females in the SHG’s were between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. And a staggering forty-five percent of them were getting help with sewing activities. She looked closer at that bit of information. The SHG’s she had visited the week before were focused on saving money at the moment. But the eventual plan was to turn them into clusters as well. Anita had told her that they planned to focus on the same sewing activities that the other SHG’s already did.
There was no way that was going to work. As it was these products had limited markets. She could easily see the beads and blanket clusters expanding to incorporate a second SHG but there was no way that the jute makers or kurta makers could compete fairly. The HORD book told her that they offered specialized training programs to young women on sewing techniques. Just how many seamstresses could this small location hold though? Fifty itself was pushing it. Having a hundred would severely hurt the local economy and completely take away from the program’s effectiveness.
“There’s got to be a catch- something they could do.” She murmured pulling up her notes again.
Kagome yawned again as she read the information she collected. Of the women surveyed, almost seventy-five percent owned land that their family farmed on. She wondered if she could do something with that. Shuffling back on her bed, she thought about what a farm provided- crops, food, and a source of income. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was that she could suggest. Hadn’t Sesshomaru said she could do that? Bringing, her laptop closer, she typed away.
Cookbooks were extremely popular nowadays with the people of her generation. Regular food had become boring and more and more youngsters flocked to eat global cuisine. If these women could work with HORD to create cookbooks, they could sell the books in both India and Japan (and maybe worldwide). She herself knew a handful of people in University who would buy the books if they came into publication. That only took care of one cluster though, she mused. She’d need at least two other solutions. Glancing at the clock on the bottom right corner of her laptop screen she noted it was nearing eleven at night. It was time to go to bed if she wanted to wake up on time for breakfast at seven-thirty. Saving the work and promising to go back tomorrow morning to edit it, she closed her laptop. Time to sleep.
The next morning after breakfast, Kagome found herself in the HORD office working on her presentation. She’d decided she didn’t need any notes since she had all the information stored in her brain. Instead, she was going to use both her PowerPoint and Excel Presentations to showcase her findings. Over breakfast that morning, she had learned that the local woman had a talent for painting. It was Sunil who had told her so when she was admiring the painting in the drawing room. When she had asked him for more information, he had informed her that he had been the one to buy it, from a woman in a nearby village when her husband had come to sell it. Sunil had explained that the aspiration to paint was there but that the women didn’t have the resources available.
As she left Okha Mahel in Sesshomaru’s car, her mind had begun stirring with possibilities. Painting was not an easy task and it could easily support two entire SHG’s for further income. As long as they managed their finances correctly and HORD had someone who could offer the women a decent price for each painting, it could work. Now, as she sat across from Mira-Bein in the small office, she typed out the possibilities she had come up with.
“You look like you have a lot to say in presentation tomorrow.” Mira-Bein stated as she wrote in a ledger.
“Yes.” Kagome answered looking up from her own work. “I have the graphs mostly done, but I noticed some things that I think it might be helpful to point out. I hope it meets your expectations.” The older woman smiled kindly.
“I am sure you will do good.” Nodding in thanks, Kagome turned back to the material.
She had two hours until she had to lunch and she wanted the presentation and graphs ready by the time she left. Her afternoon visit was to the bead-making cluster again. She had a few more questions she wanted to ask them as follow-up. She didn’t think she was going to use today’s notes in the presentation but it still left her two hours to prepare and then all night to practice. She wanted to make sure that the presentation was not just good, but it made her look good as well.
“Kagome?” Turning, she met Sesshomaru who had chosen that moment to stop by the room. “I take it you are working on the presentation?”
“Yes I am.” She saved her work and pushed her laptop away to give him her undivided attention.
“Anita and I will join you at lunch today. There are some aspects of your stay here that we would like to discuss with you.”
“Oh sure.” She shuffled her feet. “Is there anything you require me to do?” Sesshomaru shook his head.
“No, I will come get you as usual and the three of us will walk to Okha Mahel.” She nodded and he took that as his cue to leave.
Once he disappeared, Kagome turned curious eyes to Mira-Bein. In the few weeks that she had been working at HORD, she had come to learn that Mira-Bein was a kind of mother figure. She deferred to Sesshomaru but she always knew what was happening where. Mira-Bein had told her that she was respected so much because she had been with HORD from the beginning when it had first come to Gujarat. As a result, she was treated as the de-facto head because she knew the area like the back of her hand.
“What was that about?” Kagome asked. Mira-Bein shrugged.
“I do not know. I think-“ she pursed her lips in thought for a moment, “it is because you are leaving one week early.”
“Okay then.” Kagome didn’t like the fact that her actual internship was cut short. She supposed she should be grateful though. Instead of complaining, she could instead be happy in the fact that she was going to visit some historic (and iconic) Indian landmarks before she left.
“Don’t worry.” The older woman stated with a grandmotherly smile. “Just focus on your work and you will be fine.” Agreeing with her words, Kagome did just that.
By the time it was noon, Kagome was ready to eat. She was hungrier than usual today because she had barely eaten breakfast. Looking eagerly at the door, she caught Anita’s gaze. The other woman gave her a smile and walked to knock on Sesshomaru’s door. He looked up from his desk and when he saw her glanced at the clock. Giving her a nod, he stood up and made his way to Kagome’s office with Anita following him. The intern looked like Rin when she was told it was dinner time: hungry and distracted.
“Kagome,” he started, “are you ready for lunch?” The young woman nodded, saving her work and packing everything away in her bag before standing up and making her way over to where they were. Once assembled, they walked out of the HORD office and towards the main road.
A sound caught Kagome’s attention and she turned to the left side of the HORD office enclosure. The area was surrounded by dry shrubs which lead to a canal in the back. Something darted quickly and as Kagome watched a peacock ran by them and into the denser shrubs. She had seen everything- from its vivid tail feathers to its beady eyes and blue neck. Excited, she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight and eagerly peer around to see more of the bird as it disappeared. She had finally seen a peacock up close!
“They come by the office in the evening.” Sesshomaru noted. “I think they’re out earlier today because it looks like it will rain.”
“They like rain?” Kagome asked as they began their walk. It was Anita who answered this time.
“Yes- they actually dance in the rain. I have seen it once, when I was little and my father showed me.” Kagome nodded hoping that she would be that lucky. Her mother would love to see the pictures she would get of that.
“Are they the only animals that come by the HORD office?” She asked remembering the nilgai she had seen a while back. She hadn’t seen any after that first incident and wondered if the animals were in hiding somewhere.
“No.” Sesshomaru set a fast pace as he walked and talked. “We do get snakes and other reptiles.” Kagome shivered. Ever since she was little she hated snakes. A bad incident involving an elementary school classmate at the Tokyo zoo had all but ensured her of that.
“Do you get them often?”
“No,” he amended noting her unease, “When the weather turns extremely warm in April and May we see more of them. You shouldn’t worry about them now.” They continued the rest of the walk in silence. When they arrived at the guest house, Sesshomaru ushered the females in as he took care of the fare that he had to pay for him and Anita. Kagome chose the same table she had sat at that morning- the one next to the painting she admired.
“Have you adjusted to the food?” Anita asked as they made their way to the buffet table. Sesshomaru came in then and joined them in line.
“I think I have.” Kagome answered as she asked for three roti. “I miss my mother’s cooking but this isn’t so bad.” She didn’t mention the fact that she wanted to groan when she saw the potato eggplant curry (again) or that she really did miss her meat. She didn’t want to offend Anita since she knew the HORD employee came from the local area and was vegetarian.
“That’s good.” Anita answered as they all made their way to the table.
“If you do need something and are unable to acquire it, you should tell us though.” Sesshomaru stated having understood the conversation in spite of his late arrival into it. “As your superior here, I am tasked with taking care of all your needs.”
“For now I’m fine.” The Japanese intern assured as the three dug into their meal. There were nods and then silence as they all ate. It appeared Kagome wasn’t the only hungry one at the table.
“Kagome,” Sesshomaru began accepting the glass of buttermilk that a server placed near him, “the point of today is to ask you if there are any places in the surrounding area you want to visit. I have been informed by Anita that you might want to visit the local temples?”
“Oh yes.” Kagome hesitated remembering how that particular temple had been on the way to a village she wanted to forget visiting. “Is it really okay of me to visit?” She asked, her eyes narrowing in thought. She hadn’t thought of it then, but now, she wasn’t sure if they would be okay with a foreigner visiting.
“There are certain rules-especially regarding women.” Anita answered looking at her superior. “I can tell them to you later.”
“Oh um okay.” Kagome took note of the other woman’s words. “Are there any other interesting sights to visit?” She asked taking a sip of her own buttermilk. At Sunil’s insistence she had a tried a bit yesterday and found that she liked the taste. It also did wonders for her in the heat.
“There is a lighthouse by Shivrajpur beach. The beach itself is very pretty.” Kagome looked to Sesshomaru who nodded.
“I have a farmer who owns a coconut grove near there. We can go together one day as I say goodbye to him. The beach isn’t that far a drive from his farm.”
“Cool.” Kagome was getting excited about the trip. She had never been inside a lighthouse before! This trip was sounding amazing! “Is that all?” She asked making a note to jot these suggestions down in a book.
“There is a bird sanctuary HORD operates. It is close to the area in which we extract salt.” He paused and then continued. “And we do have a few days in the Delhi area. Do you know what you want to visit there?”
Kagome’s eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about that portion of the trip. She didn’t know a lot about Indian sights- the Taj Mahal was really the only thing she could think of. She didn’t know if it was feasible to visit there however. She did know that Delhi was India’s capital so maybe, Anita could tell her some places to visit? Or even Sesshomaru? Surely he had been in the country long enough to know what places to visit?
“Um- how about you pick where to visit there?” She asked softly trying to hide her lack of knowledge. “I don’t really have any preferences.” Sesshomaru nodded and then looked at the clock. It was nearing one and he had promised Rin he would visit her at his neighbor’s house before he had to go back to work.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to get going.” Kagome and Anita bid him goodbye and the two sat at the table. The dining room in Okha Mahel had no AC. With today’s temperature soaring into the high forties*, Kagome wanted to disappear into her room.
“Are you done with lunch?” Anita inquired politely. “If you are, there is a room in the hallway behind the dining room. It has AC and we can finish our discussion there.”
“That would be wonderful!” Kagome had no idea Okha Mahel had meeting rooms. She supposed it made sense- it was a guest house after all. Standing from the table, she followed Anita to the back hallway. A series of double doors sat to her right. Anita walked past them and to a small bathroom where she washed her hands. Kagome copied her before the two backtracked to the double doors.
The room inside was cool and both women let out a sigh of relief as they collapsed on one of the sofa’s. They stayed silent for a while, enjoying the peace and cold air in the room. After a few minutes, Anita shifted so that she was looking at Kagome.
“Kagome,” she started, “before you answer- please understand that I do not meant to offend you with my question.” Kagome raised her eyebrows but nodded giving Anita room to talk. “In Hindu culture, women who are on their periods should not visit a temple. I do not know the why but it is a rule.” She hesitated and continued. “Before I take you to Dwarka and Nageshwar, I need to know that you are not on them.”
“Oh.” Kagome shuffled a little. She had a few close girlfriends growing up who she had discussed things like this with but Anita was still just a friend. Still, the Indian woman did need an answer. “I usually get my periods near the end of the month. Since I’m supposed to leave here in the middle of August, I think we should be fine.”
“Okay.” There was an awkward silence in the room until Anita finally decided to break it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What is it like in Japan for women who need help getting pregnant? I got married last year and my husband wants to start a family. I do to but it seems I can’t get pregnant.” Anita sighed as she looked down at the floor. “We tried talking to local doctor here and she gave me some medicine but it hasn’t helped. The two of us are wondering if I should look for fertility treatments elsewhere.”
Kagome didn’t have a good answer for Anita. She felt bad for her but as a single, unmarried female who wasn’t looking to start a family anytime soon, she had no idea what to say. Her mother had told her that she had been the miracle baby. Before Kagome was born, her mother had miscarried three times. She didn’t know anything more than that though.
“I don’t know.” She finally answered placing a hand on Anita’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I wouldn’t give up hope though. From what I know, I think you’ll make a great mother and you’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“Thank you.” The two females sat in silence for a while until Sunil walked in. He smiled at them and told them it was nearing 1:45. With one last glance at the cool air conditioned room, the two set off on their walk back to the HORD office. There, they would meet Kush and make their field visit.
* * * * *
“As you can see based on the data collected so far, it seems HORD programs are affecting the target population.” She pointed to the pie chart she made and then continued. “What I have noticed is the programs on average increase the household incomes of these women by between 20-30%.” Sesshomaru nodded and she moved on to the next slide in the presentation.
“As the SHG’s transform into clusters, the household incomes increase further as the women are able to support their husband or family’s income to an extent where additional expenses can be met. Most of these deal with schooling expenses but the women have also been using the money for farm expenses as well. However, I have noticed that there is a slight problem.” She hesitated and watched the reactions of the room she was in.
As Sesshomaru had told her the past Sunday, she was indeed giving a presentation in the HORD office. At the moment, she was in the building next to the HORD office. Sesshomaru had reserved the room and invited Dungar-bhai, Mira-Bein to be there as she presented. She had been nervous and panicky as she stood waiting to present. Unlike any presentation she had given before, she still wasn’t sure just what she was presenting here. Confused as she was, she was still going to give it her best shot.
“What is the problem?” Mira-Bein asked curious.
“As I did my visits, I noticed that many of the women are receiving sewing training.” Kagome began quickly flipping to the next slide. She had spent the better part of yesterday morning perfecting the math on this slide so that she could present. “What is happening however, is that the sewing training has quickly surpassed from a necessity to an increasing supply that is growing extremely fast. If other programs aren’t implemented soon, there will be an influx of seamstresses who can’t compete with each other. The training renders itself pointless.”
“You pose a good point. But what should we do in the meantime?” Kagome took a deep breath, calming herself and centering her mind, as she pointed out the slide again.
“I did some research based on what I found out about the area and came up with two possible choices. One is a food cookbook option, the other is a painting option.” Sesshomaru and Mira-Bein nodded, looking forward eagerly to see what she had to say.
“A cookbook would be a popular option, if not in India, at least aboard in Japan where the Hotaru Corporation has its headquarters. The younger generation loves global food and would be willing to buy cookbooks that have authentic Indian cuisine. I was thinking that instead of training another SHG to become a stitching cluster of some sort, one of them could be a cookbook cluster.” She paused and then continued. “As for the painting cluster- I believe that given training, an SHG could create works of art that can then be sold on a commercial market, here and elsewhere.”
Kagome looked around the room. She had finished what she wanted to say for now. Everything else involved answering questions. The room was silent and for a moment, she wondered if she had messed up somewhere. Had she said something wrong she wondered? Mira-Bein looked like Kagome had said something that she had never considered while Dungar-Bhai had a poker face. She thought the man always had one and wondered how he had perfected it. Sesshomaru was the first to speak, he had been waiting for her to finish before he spoke.
“Your ideas sound promising.” He stated looking at the information presented. “However, this presentation was supposed to be an update on your progress. You went beyond what was expected and did a good job highlighting the problem areas we need to address and telling us what you have found so far. Next Wednesday, I want two case studies on my desk. I will edit them and then give them to Mira-Bein and Dungar-bhai for additional editing.”
“Um…okay.” Kagome watched him stand and then turned to the other two in the room. As usual, Dungar-bhai stayed quiet: did that man ever speak? Mira-Bein addressed Kagome.
“I agree with what Sesshomaru-bhai said.” She approached Kagome. “Come sit with me in my office, we will discuss the ideas you said.” She looked to Sesshomaru who gave a nod of approval. As everyone filed out, Kagome thought that maybe she had done a good job. She had surpassed expectations and apparently made a decent presentation. Now, she just had to work on the case studies and make the best impact analysis assessment that HORD had seen. She still had a bit of work of her in front of her. For now though, she’d take this little achievement.