I met a man in my peregrinations. This man is involved in the survival of an orphanage that counted a hundred of children who could shut down at any moment because of lack of money, but also of help and loving staff. I took his coordinates, he is in South America, Bolivia, I believe, I do not remember, it does not matter much.

On my side, I am resting a little, writing a book, organizing a photo exhibition which I hope will be exported in the capitals of Europe and California, and all this for the purpose of raising funds to subsidize my next trip based on the same principle:

You want to do something to destroy human misery, but you cannot leave for various reasons? I am leaving for you, I'm your eyes, your hands and your soul out there, and you help me financially but also emotionally. But the difference this time is that I an trying to sell something, photographs, booklets, rather than ask directly for money, on my side as always, I write a blog which will tell you where your money goes and also what is happening...

When I will raise the money, that is $ 10,000 then I will be ready and I will leave.

The world needs us, are you coming along?

PS: I need your help to:

• Find a free room for the photo exhibition in your city

• Find a title for this book

• Tell me what is your favorite blog in Sudan and India

You can send your answers on projectelisa@hotmail.com

One thing is certain, you must add Vipassana to the 101 things you should do before you die.

Vipassana is a meditation technique, the oldest in India. It is a process of self-purification by self-observation. We begin by observing our natural breath to concentrate our mind.

With a heightened awareness, we proceed to the observation of the changing nature of body and mind, one experiences the universal laws and truths of impermanence. We penetrate into the depths of unconsciousness, thoughts and recurring actions are cleaned.

The full path (Dhamma) is a universal remedy for universal problems and has nothing to do with any organized religion or sectarianism. For this reason, it can be freely practiced by everyone, at any time, any place, without racial conflict, community or religion.

All those who follow a Vipassana retreat must adhere to a strict code of discipline, where you cannot do much, I would say even better, where you cannot do anything except stay in your bubble.

This is a 10 days retreat, it is forbidden to read, write, listen to music, watch another person in the eye, speak, have contact with the outside world, and I am only mentioning the main ones.

The schedule is intense, you better not be lazy: 4am, you wake up to the bell. Breakfast at 6:30 am and a single meal per day at 11 am (single and vegetarian). 9:30PM, lights out. Total, you have 10 hours of meditation and contemplation every day.

As you understood, Vipassana is not Cancun, but after this intense year on all levels, it is what I needed most: a purification of the soul, body, and mind. Which is why I left 10 days in total seclusion, to make peace with my inner beast, thank her, give it some rest, reflect on this amazing year and a half and then decide what to do after.

It was there that I met Miss Lili, (my mind), a cheeky little monkey who would not stand still a minute. It would go from branch to branch (from thought to thought). Sometimes, going in the past to reopen all the cupboards and drawers, realizing that there was not much in it anymore, sometimes in the future, meeting its soul mate or movie stars, being interviewed by a famous journalist to introduce its new book, imagining herself with its family and making plans on 2, 3 years.

I noticed I was trying to cajole it with bananas (concentration on breathing, meditation, application of the technique Vipassana), but after a few minutes, she left again, saying that her body hurt, knees, back, it was unbearable, the long hours without moving, not even an eyelid.

Then after a few days, she relaxed. Locked in a cage with me, with no new material from the outside, well, amazingly enough, you have nothing to think about. You are finally in the present moment, having no more desire and no more rejection. Then she came closer and stayed in longer and longer, and at the end, she sat on my lap and together we crossed the threshold of the realm of inner peace.

There, I just glimpsed at unconditional love and universal. I felt myself disintegrate, and a ball of joy, intense happiness shook my whole being .... Just that.

On the last day, the silence has been lifted and everyone began to talk, to share their experience on its past 10 days, faces radiating with joy, everyone was smiling and had the love in the respect for all humanity. (I made three friends, two Swiss and one French), I've never experienced something similar and I still delivered 2 times.

It was a unique experience, extraordinary, I have understood, among other things, that the entire universe and the laws that govern it and how it works are also within me. That happiness is not a birthright but a job to do during your entire lifetime.

As I write, Lili and I are sitting together, we write, it is still eating bananas, I do not know how long she will want to stay with me, maybe forever ...

If you also have a wild monkey or a baboon to train, be aware that there are taming centers all around the world: http://www.dhamma.org/

In the end, I’m just saying….

Do not disconnect from the website, I still have a little surprise for you....

It’s always the time to leave at one time or another, and it is almost incredible that a year and a half has already passed since I left California.

As always, I had to say goodbye to everyone, the people that I worked with during those long months, those who have tried to reverse the poverty and alienation. The extraction was rather difficult contrary to what I would have thought.

First, there was the farewell at my first NGOs, almost everyone was there, there was a speech on both sides, a cake which was put in my mouth, the first bite, as a sign of belonging, some crying, beautiful things were said on both sides and then hugs.

In my second NGO, sequined hats, a cake with the traditional first bite, tears, a speech on both sides, some very beautiful things said and then also embraces.

Then there was Ms. Pereira, good bye with a dinner, a cake, first bite traditionally putted in my mouth, tears, a speech on my side, beautiful things said on their, and then hugs.

I know that after everything I wrote, you will think I am crazy but I will miss India. I leave with completely mixed feelings, a knot in my stomach at the thought of seeing my children, my family, my friend (s), my land, and on the other hand, the impression of a unfinished work. It is very strange to be at such both extremes of the spectrum.

I am in Riyadh, in transit to Paris as I write this blog, ecstatic and sad. In a few hours, I'll be home, but in the end, where is home now, I feel more a citizen of the earth at the moment, although the call of the cheese / wine reminds me of my roots.

The Indian etiquette is quite formal, it’s a mixed culture of the West and Asia, but is mostly influenced by the British etiquette; in short, it is unique in its kind.

Food:

Hindus offer food to their God as a priority, because they believe that the food has a profound impact on our lives. It is important, no, essential to have compassion for all life, which leads them to a strictly vegetarian diet.

The tradition here is not to use cutlery but to eat with your fingers and on the ground (less in the middle class).

At first, I must say it is confusing and against everything we have learned from our mothers since childhood. Then finally, you cannot do without it.

The technique is simple and clean when done well, you can learn it very quickly, it is like eating with chopsticks, you get it after some practice.

First, you wash your hands and you keep your fingernails short and clean. We use flat bread like Naan or Chapati to grab food and put it in the mouth. If we have rice, you make a ball of it using just the tips of his fingers and push the food in mouth with the thumb.

If the food is very liquid as in the Dahl (lentils), we can then use a spoon.

Instead of plates, it is not unusual to eat on banana leaf or in a large metal plate containing numerous small metal bowls with different preparations on it, among them rice and on top bread: this is Thali, my favorite dish (see photo).

What to do and not do:

- What is absolutely forbidden to do is to eat with your left hand considered not pure because it is associated with functions such as toilet.

- Do not lick your fingers before, during, after.

- Wait until everyone is finished eating before getting up to wash your hands.

- The concept of "ushchistam" is a very strong belief throughout India. This refers to food as well as utensils or anything that has been in contact with the saliva of someone else and should never be touched. Except for the newlyweds, then it is a ritual to feed your new husband with a piece of cake as a sign of closeness. That is why Indians drink from a container, glass, bottle, and pour the liquid several inches in height in their mouths open.

- The Hindus consider the "cattle" as sacred and therefore eating beef is taboo. For that matter even at a McDonald's restaurant you find a M.C. Maharaja, pure veg found in place of the famous Big Mac.

- You must sit with your back straight and legs crossed when eating sitting on the floor.

- It depends on the level of families and social hosts, but it may be perfectly acceptable to burp, to make noise while eating or spitting.

- Before entering a home, remove your shoes and leave them outside.

- It is considered good manners to arrive with 15 to 30 minutes late to give the hostess time to finish preparations.

- Hospitality is the key to Indian culture and the guest is king.

Other areas:

- The Indians love to use titles like Sir or Madam. For example in my NGO, the founder is called between employees Madame. “Madame will give consent to the project”, “Madame is on vacation”. Or other titles such as doctor, uncle, aunt. Also Ji is commonly added at the end of the name as a mark of respect which gives elisaji, Babaji...

- The Indians frown upon public mark of affection between men and women, but it is common that two men hold hands or shoulders in the street as a sign of camaraderie.

- Never point your feet towards another person.

- As a woman, you cannot shake hands or touch a man casually especially in small towns and villages. The smallest touch can be seen as a sexual invitation.

- Always rises to the National Anthem, especially in movie theatres.

- The way you dress is a reflection of your social status. The more relaxed you are dressed, the hardest it will be to enforce respect. For women, loose-fitting clothing that covers as much skin surface as possible to avoid not arousing desire, not to be disrespectful are the most recommended especially to foreigners who are already considered to be of easy virtue. Women even use a scarf on their chest to hide their feminine form. Of course now the new generation is like everywhere, in jeans and t-shirt.

- It is not uncommon to see your Indian friends arrive at your house anytime without warning.

Indian etiquette is complicated and conservative, but for me it is also contradictory and this sentence I've read on a t-shirt on the street reflects what I think.

My NGO has asked me to build a module PowerPoint entitled "Extraordinary Girl" to give them more confidence in their status of girls: show them that they exist, they have a voice, they represent something important in our society and with a little help, they can do whatever they want, and show them also examples of extraordinary women in India who have had a significant impact such as Indira Gandhi, first woman prime minister or Naima lal Kidwai, the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard.

And despite all that they hear, what they suffer, they should be proud to be girls.

The audience this time did not come from a public school or even a slum, but it was the girls in the streets between 8 and 14 years, left to themselves, young beggars, and young prostitutes.

I had an appointment for the occasion in a bus, yes, but a school on wheels, as it is called here. This bus goes to meet street children, the homeless, and the disadvantaged.

That day, there were a dozen girls and some boys happy to escape a few moments on the street.

I just played with them, to put everyone at ease and break the ice, and then I made my speech short but powerful and at the end, I asked that question for them to participate.

I was not expecting Fireman or Teacher but still...

“What do you want most in life”?

They told me “I want…

• Parents

• To never go with men again

• To go to the movies once

• To have an umbrella

• To be able to stay my life in this bus

• To study

• To be loved

• Sweets

• To be strong to come over when they beat me

• To have a doll

• To be a boy

• That people give me full of money

A silly pun, but I could not help myself.

This is the last blog, I hope, that will complete my little museum of horrors in India. The hijras, which means "the impotent" in fact, the eunuchs.

It refers to the third sex in India, it is the minorities such as the homosexuals, lesbians, bisexual, transgendered, eunuchs and hermaphrodites, all those people who do not fit into any of the models in our society that has a well defined role for women and men.

The Hijras

The history of eunuchs is more than 4000 years old and can be found in the oldest texts on the history of the origins as :

- The Mahabharata, in exile, the hero Arjun disguises himself as an eunuch and serves the ladies of the court. All the while, he participated in weddings and births, legitimizing the roles hijras later played in ritual contexts.

- Radha, Krishna's beloved, had for only aim to serve her. The devotee imitates feminine behavior, including simulated menstruation and may also engage in sexual acts with men as acts of devotion. Some devotees even castrated themselves in order to be more closely identified with Radha.

- Finally, the hijras are mentioned in the Kama Sutra, which contains an entire chapter on how to receive pleasure from an eunuch.

In India but also xanith in Oman, and among native American" two spirit ", include a third group of sex. Here, it is an institution associated with the devotion of Bahuchara Mata, a version of the goddess mother, or the supreme God Shiva. (Muslims believe hijras to be the outcome of God's will).

It is because of them, that there are still many little boys emasculated every year. Fortunately today, just a handful go under the knife for castration, a primitive form of sex change which consist in removing completely the penis and testicles. Less than 10% of boys are now actually castrated in India today (well, it is still 10%).

In return for this "mutilation" the goddess gives them the ability to bless the people and the power of male fertilization especially popular among honeymooners. This explains their traditional role of performance in weddings (songs, dance music), and in homes where a male is just born.

But since they have the power to bless, they also have the power to curse the families and wish them infertility and other misfortunes. So they are feared because they do not hesitate to do so if they are not invited to perform or do not receive their money.

Well, this is fine, but some reality check now.

Although there is no official data, there is an estimate of 50.000 to 500.000 of Hijras in India today.

Kidnapped, imprisoned and castrated without the use of anesthetics or antibiotics, these little "boys" you understand now are a gold mine for their gang master. They roam the trains, streets, clap their hands to alert you of their presence, men or women usually give them 1 or 2 rupees and they will touch your forehead to bless you.

The Hijras have not the same cultural role in the South or North India. In the South, they are often described as an apart race, freaks of the underworld, half man-half woman and a little devilish in their customs and practices. Most of them have to be sex workers for a living, it’s their only option since no one wants to make them work because of their status.

But even as sex workers, they are at the bottom of the hierarchy of the profession, they cannot negotiate prices, take only what they are given and are not able to make their clients to use condoms, so their are the most people affected by AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

They are also the primary target of violence from their clients and the police because most of them come from the lowest social caste. It is recognized throughout the country, that the Hijra community are the most disadvantaged of all groups of Indian society.

Here it is, the positive note... for several years the Hijra community has gotten more organized into a broad movement. They challenge the Constitution and section 377 questioning the validity of this amendment and hope it goes away.

After discussing Hijras, I wanted to give you also some information on gay and a note on AIDS, dear to my heart.

Gay and Lesbian

Sexuality but also the homosexuality is taboo from North to South, this time there is no distinction, and open discussion are impossible (they made me write the word on a piece of paper, so I wouldn’t pronounce it out loud in the office). It is difficult to assess the exact number of homosexuals in India, but you can count on a solid 70 to 100 million gays, lesbians and transgender.

But since everything is subject to change has too, and in recent years, there as been more exposure in the media but also through movies from Bollywood.

On July 2, 2009, the court of Delhi decriminalized homosexual intercourse between consenting adults, and Section 377 was found to be violating the rights of life and freedoms guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

Section 377 of the legislation, from 1861, which prohibits "carnal intercourse against the order of nature” (understand, anal intercourse), with the risk of imprisonment for this act up to 10 years' imprisonment plus a fine. The law is rarely used to persecute but rather to intimidate, arrest, and also blackmail gays.

To give you an example of discrimination against homosexuals by society, family, neighbors and of course the police, this is the story of Ashu Seghal.

He walked down the street and quietly returned home one evening, when two drunk police officers, on motorbikes next to him, grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the nearest police station.

They beat him with a bamboo stick, banging his head against the wall and was finally forced to give them each a blowjob. When he tried to complain, the senior police threatened to arrest him under the law 377, telling him to forget it and to consider it as a bad dream. Unfortunately this is not an isolated case.

But think of the positive note ... despite the social and legal barriers, a gay movement has emerged in the Indian middle class these past ten years, as well as websites and places of meetings that have proliferated especially in large cities like Delhi or Mumbai.

Freedom of speech slowly comes. Mumbai receives every year the "Larzish festival", the first queer film festival in November.

Unfortunately, these movements do not include lesbians because of the low status of women in the Hindu world. A small group nevertheless emerges from the shadows thanks to the film "Fire" in 1998 (To see absolutely, sublime)

The funny note: most Indian conservatives see the breakthrough of gays as a direct attack on their values and traditions, they push the same theory to say that India is the victim of an invasion of western queer ... LOL

HIV / AIDS

The gay movement exploded in part by the struggle that was to be conducted against AIDS. With 6 to 8 million people infected (figures that do not reveal the reality), India is the second country infected after South Africa.

The Indian government estimates that over 80%, people who are infected are heterosexuals, not homosexuals and at the top of the podium: women prostitutes and especially the most disadvantaged mothers. Followed by children and users of syringes as well as truck drivers ( ????) and migrant workers.

Finally, the virus still does damage among gay men since the last study shows that 20% of homosexuals in the city of Mumbai are currently HIV positive.

The situation HIV / AIDS in India

Here is the map of India showing orange states most affected by this disease:

Speaking of prevention ...

Educating the Indians of this epidemic is a miracle for various reasons :

- The first one is that this country has several major languages and hundreds of different dialects, making it difficult for education, or understanding, so there is less fear of AIDS.

- Because with these people, we do not talk about these things.

- Because AIDS is seen as a "it's not my problem" thing. It is for people who are in the margins of society, with no good morals and immoral lives.

- Stigma and discrimination are intense, because despite some progress, AIDS remains poorly understood and people living with, face violent attacks, are rejected by their families, wives and community, are denied access of care and even denied the last rites before death.

- The real challenge is that people are in total ignorance of how AIDS is transmitted and still believe that it is through a mosquito bite or by sharing food with someone that you become infected.

- Even in the hospital, the staff is not informed and afraid. Some people see their operation canceled when it is discovered there are suffering from this disease. Unfortunately, 95% of patients listed to undergo surgical procedures are tested against their will.

The future

Sorry but I have neither positive nor a note of humor in this case. Even if the time is not as severe as in Africa, it is clear that the future of AIDS is the bright and will have a devastating effect on millions and millions of new cases in the coming years .

I like

• Eating with my fingers

• The vibrant colors of the saris of women

• The idlis (rice mashed and steamed hum!)

• Movies from Bollywood especially for the atmosphere in the room)

• The smile of children from the slum.

• Going back into the comfort of my room

• Settle in a cafe with the WiFi and order a chai

• Negotiating and feeling like I didn’t get ripped off too much

• Eat something which taste reminds me of my country

• The air-conditioned from the open door stores when I pass in the street

• The Thalis, stainless steel plate with lots of vegetarian food of different kind

• Fresh pineapple juice

• Feeling like family in my NGO

• Skype with my daughter on Sunday

• When people tell me their stories

• The handsanitizer a lot...

• Walking on the boardwalk "Queens neck lace" along the sea

• Take the train at 11:30PM and it’s still full of life

• The batatas vadas and street food vendors

I dislike

• Seeing all these people suffering

• Qtips when the cotton buds is too thin and stick plastic that twists when inserted into the ear

• The spit again and again

• Eating fire

• The beggars who catch my arm

• Sellers of drums and the noise in my ears

• Women who push on the trains

• Men who touch you in the bus

• Scam artists who think I am a white goose

• The storms during the rainy season

• Whole families watching me eating in a restaurant

• Seeing children beg and doing nothing

• Take a crowded bath at the Dadar station

• When the network is so bad when I skype and I hear a word out of 10

I really wanted to go to the state of Tamil Nadu before leaving and more precisely in Auroville, the "perfect city". There was Diwali, the festival of lights, where the god Ram returns home after 14 years of exile and all residents, to show their gratitude for killing an evil God who was on dark side of the force, have lit a light from a small oil lamp in terracotta in their homes.

Every year since, the Indian light up every home and celebrate with fireworks shot (to cast out demons), thousands of oil lamps, sweets and family reunion, returning home ...

Ram Diwali is a festival of joy, prosperity and good luck, celebration of the victory of good over evil, and for me it's a 10 days vacations and the last opportunity before leaving to travel backpack.

Plane to Chennai formerly known as Madras, and here we go again, but this time by myself.

Chennai

The first thing you want to do when you arrive in Chennai is to leave. For three reasons: the streets full of traffic, the hot air and nothing to do.

But it is a very active cultural city; it is the birthplace of dance and Indian traditional music with many schools and 13 kms of beautiful beach walks. But I had heard of this small village, which is welcoming….

Mamalapuram

Just 12,000 people in this "village" of fishermen, small beaches, good fresh fish of the day's catch, but above all, outstanding monuments (some on the beach), classified World Heritage by UNESCO. The whole not too affected by the tsunami and very few tourists, what more could you ask for?

I stayed for two days away from the madness of Mumbai and to be closer to my goal slowly. A peaceful break I did greatly need.

For the next step, I opted for a 5-hours bus to arrive in time for a hotel reservation at visitor's center in Auroville. But life had other plans because on the way, thrtr was this terrible accident, a bus, a car, 6 people, one family, five dead lying on the ground, aligned bodies hidden under a blue tarp, except for the feet and in the middle these little feet of children, 3 hours late to arrive at…

Auroville

Everything closed, no one to help me, I'm still in shock, I cry and in the coffee bar, I met Eva, a aurovillienne working there. She found me an amazing guesthouse, consoled me, fed me and invited me to lunch in her home with her husband and friend (s) the next day at noon, because it is a holiday and everything will be closed, just like that, just after 10 minutes, I was shocked.

The following day, there were hordes of rain, yes, it's the monsoon in Tamil Nadu this time, I go where we were supposed to meet. They are simple and nice people, very hospitable, good atmosphere, they teach me the goodness of heart and they make me want to do more acts for free.

Later in my guesthouse, all occupants come together to share dinner and celebrate Diwali. There was laughter, sharing, simple again, very beautiful and strong (we enjoyed our meeting) and decided to do this the next day).

It is difficult to understand how Auroville works; it is completely destabilizing at first. Auroville is located in the heart of acres of nature and it is the best New Age place in India and perhaps in the world.

Founded in 1968 by the "mother" who has thus realized a dream world: an international community working to build an universal city where men and women live in peace and harmony above all creeds, all politics all religion and of any nationality, the purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.

A place where you would have learned from past experiences to build the future, an experimental city in fact.

Currently about 2000 Aurovilians (it was expecting 50,000) representing 40 different nationalities living in the city. The people working here, as everywhere, face the same problems as you and me.

Here, there is nothing, to do as a tourist because the Matrimandir (which can be visited anyway) meditation center is not a tourist attraction, despite the afflux of tourists every day.

It was designed as a symbol of the divine answer for men and women in search of perfection. It looks like a golf ball, covered with golden discs. Inside the heart of the ball, 12 white marble columns where a crystal ball of 90 cm in diameter on which falls a ray of sunshine which is the only illumination of the sphere, this strange and different light is good for relaxation and concentration

Outside in the gardens in the middle of the auditorium, there is a white cone where the soil of 124 countries was poured, a symbol of human unity. Auroville: definitely thee experience to do, I even thought to become an Aurovillienne myself for a while...

I also found my people in this corner of the world. But hey, it was necessary to leave at a time ... we continue heading to…

Pondicherry and the ashram of Sri Aurobindo

This is a sub-prefecture of the tropics where the population speaks French and is still playing “pétanque”, a Southern French game (well less), War Memorial, statues of Joan of Arc, hippies. This city is an old colonial place where one can enjoy French food and French pastries in bakeries, a tax free beer (Pond is a Union Territory) and even yoga and meditation with the headquarters of the Sri Aurobindo and mother’s ashram. There is in this city a special atmosphere, indescribable, I loved to stay there and not just for the pastries ...

A detour is required to the ashram and the tomb of Sri Aurobindo, poet and philosopher, but also a spiritual teacher and politician and a French mother, mira Alfassa, spiritual successor who has guided the disciples until she was 97 years. She realized Auroville and builded an empire.

Tt is the richest ashram and here, if you are not a complete devotee, you are a vulgar curious visitor and they makes you feel like one. Arrogance and a state of superiority reigns here which is supposed to be seen everywhere, but especially not here, it's a shame and I remain convinced that this was not the primary goal of its founders....

I also met Mattias, a boy younger than my son, Swedish, very nice, with whom I will travel up to Madurai, but we continue, we continue.

Tiruchiparally

It is true that after the peace of Auroville and Pondy, to return to a normal Indian city with its heavy traffic, honking and his scams, was not really easy, especially since despite its fort built on a rock and Srirangam temple, all still amazing, we wanted to leave, fast... and this is what we did, direction...

Tanjore

Very welcoming people, and yet few tourists. I found the most prestigious Chola temple of South India, known as the "Big Temple" and also a UNESCO heritage. Then we pushed on to another UNESCO site: Gangaikondacholapuram that we have reached after many bus, rickshaw, and loss of time, scammers.

Gangaikondacholapuram

The temple dedicated to Shiva, great on a lawn well maintained and pleasant grass for the underfoot. A big Nandi (cow) carved on a single block of rock 25 tons, the largest in India, beautiful but hey, it was not worth the detour, this site is really too difficult to access. Go to our final destination…

Madurai

I loveeeeeeeee Madurai, its Sri Meenakshi temple, the amazing true masterpiece of Dravidian art, a city within a city.

It is definitely the heart of the city that is built around a complex of six towers comprising 12 hectares of which over 52 m high overlooking the entire city and all the towers are carved with all sorts of Goddesses, Gods, demons and heroes, just magnificent.

Nearby, an ancient temple desecrated is now a market where nearly 300 sewers offer you to sew at sun speeds and record prices, Kurtas and other clothing of your choice, I tested for you...

Restaurant on the roof, stunning views, good food and good beer. What makes the city more pleasant is the pedestrian area around the temple, beautiful walk, alone,

without too much noise or too many sellers at your neck, it felt like of a small town in southern France.

Time to say goodbye to Mattias, thank you for sharing these few days in his company, discussions, and good food.

No more holidays, back to Mumbai, back to the slum, back to reality.

He calls me one Sunday morning and begs me to go to a film shooting all day Tuesday to make up the numbers on the set of "Joker" :Mohammed.

Having already been nicely trapped…. " Thanks but no thanks!"

He insists, he insists, he insists…."No, no, no!"

He told me that I was chosen by photo (stroke the ego) and the studios are willing to pay me 5000 rupees (10 times what I won the first time and here it is equivalent to two months of salary for a worker. Well, with this money I could take the kids to a day trip)… "No."

I will be dressed as a "business woman" with skirt to the knee or pants… "No."

I'll be headdress, makeup, pampered… "No."

They’re going to feed me 4 times a day…"No."

My desires will be orders…"Ah, maybe"

It’s just for a few hours…"I do not know"

If I do not come he loses his job, falls to the sidewalk, hang himself to a bonsai…"Well, ok" Am I not there to help?

No sooner had I said yes that I regretted it but it was too late and Tuesday at 9am on the dot, I go into the caravan, put on my costume, trousers and a bluish shirt, hair, makeup.

There starts the long wait of a few “Action” and “Silence”.

In the trailer, three girls are with me. Two Russians, tall, blonde, young and arrogant ignoring me at the top of their beauty, believing they are the stars of the film and acting as such. They talk to employees like dogs, commanding, ordering mocking, it’s pathetic and sad, but nevertheless good lessons to be learned.

This time I had taken a book, a big one, thank God. Time passes at full speed between my two heroes, Ishvara and Narayan, which in turn have an exciting life today.

But how could I have been tricked like that again, I hate myself sometimes...

The day passes; I met a lovely Polish couple and two brothers from California. We talked and we remade the world. In this 12 hours, we waited 10 hours, ate for 1 hour and worked for 1 hour. It was boring, but it must be said that the food was delicious.

Finally it is 9 PM and it's time for a rickshaw to take me home, and even with Mrs. Pereira, it seemed like home sweet home.

Just as I arrived in my room, my phone rang. It is Mohammed, he certainly wants to thank me, Ok, I take it.

- "Elisa, I have great news for you". "I doubt it". "You have been selected for a TV ad"… "No!" - "... You will ..."