NOT! Forget that last line, he's gone to his sister's house, the swine.

The trip to the village was fantastic, even though we nearly died several times on the way. It's got about three hundred families, all harijans¹ or dalits. It's very poor, only one house has a toilet – I can only assume everyone else goes in the fields. Mind you, a lot of people have stereos so it's obviously a selective kind of poverty. We met the pastor, who told us all about the high-caste Hindus up the road who are constantly at war with them. In 1957 they attacked the village and shot two men. All the women and children were hiding in the church where they were attacked and the Hindus shot through the door. The bullet holes are still there, and there's one in the altar where it passed without hitting anyone! The conflict's still going on, mainly about land – no-one works in the summer for fear.

The whole village is Christian, which is quite amazing in itself and it's an SPG Church. Still carrying on the tradition as they are in Ramnad.

We spent the morning meeting all the various members of Kumar's huge family including his cousin Jasmine-Violet who I struck up an instant rapport with. We also met a girl called Josephine who they said was Kumar's future wife! The Rev took us out into the country (the entire family came too) and we took hundreds of photographs. The whole day was wonderful and very relaxing, no noise / smells / Westernism. In fact, it was the closest to the 'real India' we've come so far.

The Rev wouldn't let us stay the night because of the lack of toilet and the Mosquitoes. We're going to try and explain to his again why we're here. He made me really angry when he told us that they'd celebrated Christmas in the village with all-night Indian drama! He made us go to church, saying we had to see how Indians celebrate Christmas, then went off to his village to celebrate like a 'real' Indian. Without us. The people who were here to see…

Oh I give up.

We virtually demanded to be invited to the New Year celebration! He's got no idea, what did the Bishop tell him? It can't be his fault and he's now told us that they never actually celebrated anything in Ramnad. A fine Indian Experience this is turning out to be. We need to get his arse in gear. Tomorrow we'll ask him to get us invited to anything cultural that goes on. I doubt it'll work but we'll try. We've got to stop him being so over-protective about our Western sensibilities.

C. said he wants to become Indian today, that's a laugh. I'll believe it when I see it. He also took pictures of virtually everything and everyone I did, which was very annoying. I found myself trying to snap things before he saw me. Jasmine only talked to me though, I don't know – maybe she fancied me or something. I hope so, she's lovely! She shook me hand as well, which is more than any other Indian female has done! What fun, shame she's probably already married to someone else (not yet, but it must be on the cards – she's seventeen).

Enough of this, we came back and the dream is now over! I'd much rather be in the village than here, it's exactly what I was expecting to come to as opposed to this urban 'tries so hard to be modern and doesn't quite make it' sprawl. The village is all mud huts and children among the paddy fields and palm trees. So much better,² but here we are and it's our job to make the most of it. We've (well I have) got a lot of work to do!