On to Tika day

Yesterday was Tika day when adults apply tika to childrens heads and give them money. Tika is the red paste which is put onto the forehead as I am demonstrating above. It is made of rice, red powdered dye, water and mashed up banana. It can happen several times throughout the day by different adults - parents, relatives, friends, mentors. P (the director) was meant to give Tika but was stuck in India due to a pilot strike.
For me (and F and M from the trust) the day started by accompanying 5 of the children to the central jail to see their parents. This was a really interesting (and emotional) experience.
Security was mixed. Showing a ridiculous lack of awareness of prison protocol I had turned up (unsurprisingly) with a chemists supply of various drugs and supplements. Unintentionally I was also carrying a stupid amount of money. Despite 4 bag checks and a pat down though this didn't seem to be a problem and I was allowed in to the women's section of the prison. Although the conditions didn't look particularly nice (but not terrible) there was a real effort to make everyone feel welcome and create as nice an atmosphere as possible.
We were shown into an alley way area where we waited for the children's mothers. When they came out they brought food with them and sat down to eat and drink. The women were very hospitable and keen for us to eat and drink with them - they also insisted on giving us money. It was very moving to watch the reunions. They generally visit two or three times a year - during major holidays. We stayed for about an hour during which time we were tika'd a few times before leaving to visit fathers in the men's section. I was also handed what seemed to be pieces of grass which are put behind the ear, or worn in hair - another form of blessing or good luck.
A guard for for the men's section then discovered my drugs haul and prevented me from going in. To be honest I was quite happy with this decision and waited for everyone outside.
In the afternoon there was more tika'ing and a leaving party for a staff member.