Today was Independence Day! We were doing the usual flag raising ceremony, minding our own business. The teachers and students decorated the temporary school with mango leaves and crepe paper streamers (pasted on with hand-made glue). We had treats for all and prizes for the winners of the latest art competition. We were entertaining a great set of visitors: A local private school, the Chirec Public School (how cute are these girls), handed out goodies and the ever-wonderful Lion's Club members came with more goodies. Then two large thugs appeared. They were quite sweet, and they wore smart polyester safari suits. But they insisted I go with them, along with a group of the students. Ismail translated...the big man of this Mastan Nagar area, a state minister (for mining and natural resources) named RAO, wanted the students to come and raise the flag at his place. They gave us five minutes to show up...so we packed the kids and went conga-line style down the road. Rao's
a Government School in the Masthan Nagar Neighborhood, Hyderabad