India to Amazon

It was at the end of the year 1999, when I left India for Sao Paulo, in Brazil as part of a overseas training program. He left India without knowing anything about Brazil. After a long travel (4 day!) he reached in São Paulo. He had sent a fax to his supervisor in Brazil about his travel plan. Unfortunately, the fax came to his destination after I had reached in Brazil. There was nobody to pick me up and I had no option but take a bus and then a taxi to reach my destination. I had U$100 with me for any emergency and I changed this money in the airport. To my surprise, I got about 60 million cruzados (Brazilian old currency)! The inflation in Brazil was that time about 5000 percent. Some how I could catch the bus and pay the taxi till where I supposed to reach. New surprise! Nobody in my destination knew English and I had no ideia about português language! After a long time explaining about me and about the fax I had sent, they welcomed me with a Brazilian drink which made me totally drunk!

Lot of things happened during the last 27 years! I came to Brazil for one year of experience, but now it is almost 3 decades. Did two graduation, post-graduation, masters, PhD, post-PhD. Worked with local tribal people, landless people´s movement, social movement, environmental movement, etc. Long and long histories.

The last 20 years in Amazon forest, living 6 years in a boat in Amazon river. So many histories, that I almost lost my Indian identity.