Lucky 7/7/7

Close to my apartment, there is an institution that caters to the needs of underprivileged, economically backward and also orphaned teenaged girls. The girls, probably in the 15-19 age group, are trained in tailoring, nursing, computer courses and other vocational skills in the recently inaugurated, swank College next door. Until then, it was probably held in the building near ours.
Some of the girls are meant for only the hostel chores - sweeping, cooking - but all of them come to the underground sump in front of the building to draw water for their daily needs. My Kerala maids, for want of some spice to their lives (coming from a State where people are inquisitive and like to know what goes on in other people's lives) kept a tab on the activities and informed me when some function was on. Or when foreigners come visiting - the centre has branches abroad. The foreign visitors have airconditioned rooms to the right of the building. Whereas the old watchman bathes in the open in a corner in front of the building and his meals are chucked before him by one girl or the other.
The place is run by an elderly couple, whom the girls call Amma (mother) and Ayya (master) - going by the rangoli that the girls prepare at twilight on the eve of the Amma's and Ayya's birthday.
Today was the Ayya's birthday, and the girls had prepared an elaborate and colorful kolam, which I couldnt resist photographing. Some of the girls were tickled pink when the Ayya shook hands with them. I hope they get a special meal for lunch today.

The couple live with their guitarist son - well, the chap always carries one in his hands - who plays it on Sundays at the service in the chapel. The morning prayer - we get to hear only the hymn sung by the girls at the end of it - every day is bereft of such accompaniments.
Anyway, I am glad I am able to live in a somewhat quiet - save for a few vendors hawking their goods on a mobile cart later in the morning - and decent street, where I get to listen to some Christian hymns, a passive way of prayer for an errant Xian like me. Not to mention the azaan from the mosque to the west of my flat at regular intervals - though the 5 a.m. one often breaks our slumber.
To digress, the rented place we lived for 4 years before we shifted to our own little heaven in Oct '06 was a lively (read noisy) place. The hawkers are on the street by 6 am - right from the guy hoarsely shouting putte putte (steamed ricecake that looks like little cylinders) to the fella shouting idiapp (for idiappam/stringhoppers?)to the fella rushing off with bamboo mats to the many vegetable sellers. The garbage guy comes whistling at 9 p.m. Altogether a lot of commotion.
Coming back to the centre, I must say that I am grateful for the entertainment the girls provide to my kids when they come to draw water. The girls call out and the kids wave back.
p.s. The newspapers tell me that today is a lucky day being 07/07/07 and that many couples are planning to get married today. V said we could get married again today to improve our chances of marital bliss.