The weather in Pondicherry changes, like clockwork, with the arrival of March. The prevailing wind shifts from northerly to southerly, and the inescapable heat and humidity ratchets up in intensity. The time was right, therefore, to put a new keeth roof on our room. This keeps our room at least 5 degrees cooler during the day; and the difference may be even greater at night. Before, the concrete roof saoked up heat all day long and released it throughout the night.
Since a well-made keeth roof is watertight, we are also hoping to stay a bit drier in next winter’s monsoon rains.
And, yes, it looks great!
memestream 
Lovely little roof. But what (or who?) exactly is keeth? Did you pull it together from scratch yourself? How long did it take you? And how durable is it? Nosy people want to know!
What a neat place to live! I love your pictures of India and reading about the things that go on where you live. It’s like a never-ending National Geographic article!
Peace!
Donna:
I meant to take photos of village women soaking and braiding the palm fronds into battens of keeth and the complete roofing assembly process, including the erection of the bamboo roof-framing. Unfortunately, between the unseasonable monsoon rains and the get-everything-I-can-done before leaving India for six-months, I couldn’t make it happen. I’ll do it this fall. Promise.
MBJ