Varanasi

Hey Everyone!

So I am back from my workshop in Varanasi and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! The workshop component of my program is basically to prepare us for our independent study project (ISP) by putting us in a new city where we observe and work in a non-government organization. My assignment was with Varanasi Weavers (VW), an organization that is only 3 years old and has just 6 staff members. Varanasi silk weaving is a skill that has been passed down for at least 1,000 years, and at one time this was a very popular profession because it was a stable job that provided plenty of income. These days however, because of imitations, modernization, and the rising cost of silk and gold thread, hand-woven silk is becoming a dying art and those weavers who remain are living in extreme poverty (some on as little as 32 cents U.S. a day). The organization was founded due to the increasing number of suicides among these weavers. The suicides were a result of feeling shame for not being able to provide for their family. The main goal of VW is to increase the livelihood of these weavers, while supporting them and their families until that happens. They give the weavers marketing training, provide them with basic education so they will not be taken advantage of in the market, and stress the importance of quality and value in their garments. They also will buy the garments from the weavers for a fair price and sell them, or negotiate contracts with companies for the weavers. Besides the initiative for decent wages, the organization starts its own initiatives, works with other organizations, and uses government programs to support the community and improve the quality of life there. These programs include eye and health care, education, electricity, blankets, food, and women’s empowerment. To get to Varanasi, we left by train on Tuesday afternoon and arrived Wednesday morning. This of course meant taking a sleeper train, and let me tell you…it was definitely an “authentic” Indian experience. The compartments are initially set up as two benches facing each other, with a bed high above each bench. Three people sit on each bench, and after you have been served dinner, the compartment is transformed into a “bedroom”. You are provided blankets, pillows, and sheets, and the back of the benches flip up to create a middle bed. I know it sounds confusing, but basically you have 6 beds in an area the size of a pantry...check out the pictures for a better idea. It was fun chatting with the other girls from my program who were also going to Varanasi, and getting to know one of my teachers a little better, but I didn’t sleep very soundly…oh well! After we arrived, we had about an hour to shower and eat breakfast at our guest house before heading to our respective organizations. When I arrived at the office, I was able to meet with Dipti- a petite, feisty, thirty something woman who has been the head of the organization since the beginning. She basically provided myself and Kim (the other student in my program assigned to the office) with all of the background information I provided you, and then asked us to edit a survey they were conducting that weekend in the villages. She also asked us to put together a presentation on the importance of surveys for the college students who were conducting the survey. That night, we met up with the other girls in the city and took a nighttime boat ride on the Ganges River. This river as well as the city is considered holy by many different religions, so people often bath in it, and along the banks there are two areas where cremation ceremonies take place as well as several prayer spots where you can witness daily puja (prayer) in the early morning and at night. Varanasi is known as one of the oldest continuously occupied cities, and is believed to be at least 3,000 years old, so it is literally magical. You can see the banks with all of the old brick buildings and narrow alley ways, people praying, people singing, people shopping…it was amazing.

The next day (Thursday) Kim and I gave our presentation to the college volunteers, collected some surveys, and drove about an hour outside of the city to survey weavers in a village with our Hindi instructor, Archana. That day, we were able to interview 3 weavers and each story was difficult to hear; one man was living with his wife and 5 children on $5 U.S. a month. They talked about how unappreciated their work was, and all decided that they do not want their children to learn this skill because it can not support a family. Everywhere you looked there was poverty...children without proper shoes or clothing, unhygienic living conditions, lack of clean water and food, and so much more. But they were extremely kind, and even tried to offer us what little food they had.

We also spent Friday in a village, but it was a little smaller a more rural. They set up a bed outside for us in the shade, and adults and children alike gathered around us while we surveyed the weavers. This village was also incredibly welcoming…I got to play with and hold an 8 month old baby for quite a while! We also had the additional opportunity to interview women in the community and hear their perspectives. Unfortunately, in weaving there is quite a gender bias. Women are very rarely taught to work the loom; rather they are given the small and difficult tasks like winding the thread or embroidering. And even though they contribute just like their husband, they receive no recognition and no wages. They are also living in difficult conditions, with little electricity, no fridge, no gas stove, no water pumps (meaning they have to walk to the river and carry it back), and no bathrooms (meaning they can only relieve themselves after dusk or before dawn, causing infections). One thing we found out was that some of the women were making beaded necklaces to help support their families, but they were only receiving 1 rupee a necklace, while the trader was probably making at least 20 rupees a necklace. In one of the best moments so far, I was able to purchase about 9 necklaces from 3 women and pay them 50 rupees ($1 U.S.) per necklace, giving them each the equivalent of a month’s income. They were so grateful, and it made me so happy because during this trip we often are expected to observe and learn, but there is rarely an opportunity for us to do something in that moment. Therefore, this experience was exceptional in my eyes, and every time I look at one of those necklaces I will think of those women and how I was able to help them in some small way.

Saturday and Monday, Kim and I were in the office helping to create reports on the different challenges and programs of the organization. While this is not the most exciting task in the world, it really helped that we had already been in the field; this way we were able to picture the people these reports could help.

Sunday was our day off so we had the chance to visit Sarnath, which is described as “the buried Buddhist city”. It is the site of Buddha’s first sermon, and is rumored one of the buildings hold some ashes of Buddha. It was really interesting to see the remains and hear the history behind them, especially since I am not really familiar with Buddhism.

Tuesday it was time to leave, so I woke up at 5 am to see the sunrise over the river and take a few more pictures.Then we said goodbye to Varanasi and boarded the train back to Jaipur. Everything is moving superfast now…I only have one week left in Jaipur before I head to Delhi for a month to complete my ISP…after that it’s a week of wrap-up activities back in Jaipur, then returning to the U.S.!

Happy Diwali!

Hi Again Everyone!

I have a lot of pictures for you this time, since I was able to celebrate Diwali with my family this weekend! Diwali is the biggest festival of the year, and it kind of reminds me of Christmas and 4^th of July. It’s called “The Festival of Lights” and is an official holiday here in India. It is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains all in different ways, so I will tell you about my experience. Diwali is a 5 day festival, with each day having certain traditions and customs. The first day (this year it was Thursday) is a day to buy anything big or expensive you need: cars, refrigerators, jewelry, steel, utensils, etc; and people save all year to buy these things. Friday was a day to clean the house, replace any curtains, rugs, or bedding, and also a day for haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. Some preparation is also done on this day, like buying sweets or making snacks. Also, on Friday night my family hosted relatives from Mumbai and we took a drive through old city to see all of the lights displayed. Saturday was the biggest celebration of the festival. In the morning, I went out with my host sister to buy last minute things like flowers, powder, lotus leaves, and more sweets- I can only describe this as black Friday shopping, but ten times worse. Then I helped her decorate the shrine they have in our house with the flowers and leaves we bought. Sweets, fruits, snacks, and nuts are also placed on dishes in front of the shrine.

Then it was time to dress up and get ready! Because it is such a special day, I wore a full traditional sari, and my host family and neighbors were very excited. Then at 8:30pm, my family held puja (prayer) to Lakshmi and Ganesh, the Goddess of Wealth and God of Prosperity. This included my host father smudging red powder on everyone’s forehead and tying a red thread around our wrists for prosperity and protection, and the lighting of mustard oil candles. After that it was time to party! We exchanged small gifts, went outside where all of the neighbors were setting off fireworks to celebrate, ate at our house AND our neighbor’s house, and even played some cards…it was a long night and I was up until about 2am! Sunday was much more low-key; friends and family visit each other all day and enjoy sweets, snacks, and chai together. Today was the last day of celebration, and this is devoted to siblings. Traditionally, the sister blesses the brother and cooks food for him-if she is married he will come to her house to visit. I consider myself very lucky that I was here to witness this unique display of culture and help my family celebrate! Tomorrow I leave by train to Varanasi, where I will be working with the Varanasi Weavers Organization until the 28^th, so look for another post shortly after!

Birthday, Another Travel Expedition, and an "Average" Weekend

Hello Everyone!

A lot has happened since I last wrote to you! First of all, I was able to celebrate my 21^st birthday here! That day we happened to have a site visit in a very remote village about two and a half hours outside of Jaipur. We spent the day at a school interviewing teachers and talking with the young students-they were very curious about our life in America! When we returned from the site to our program center, the staff that had stayed behind had hung up Christmas lights, were setting off fireworks, and had even rented disco lights and giant speakers, so there was also Hindi music blasting from our patio. When we got upstairs to the patio, there was pizza, fries and drinks waiting for us and they even came out with a birthday cake for me. It was more than I ever expected, and definitely a birthday to remember.

The following Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we spent time in Ranthambhore to learn about issues surrounding the disappearance of the tiger and the people of the Mogiya Tribes who rely heavily on the resources of the tiger reserve there. Nongovernment organizations have set up camp in this area hoping to reduce the pressure on Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve and improve the quality of life for people living around it. In 2004-2005 there were an estimated 47 tigers; at this point it is estimated that only about 15 tigers remain in this huge reserve. Because of the poverty in the area, poaching is extremely popular among village men in order to gain monetary reward. There is also the issue of relocation; many officials want to relocate the villages on the periphery of the park, but those citizens will only move under the right conditions. One man said that “the land they [the government] show us is so barren that it is only good to break your head against it”. Another problem is using the natural resources of the park for things like cattle grazing and logging for energy purposes; this all strains the ecosystem of the park. We spent a lot of time with the Prakratik Society discussing what they were doing to improve the situation, and we learned that their work is based on the idea that to save the tigers, a change must be made in the people’s thinking and lifestyle, and they must be offered sustainable alternatives to using the park and tigers as resources. On this basis, they built a hospital in order to improve healthcare and to promote family planning (there were 6,000 babies being born every year in this small area). Diary development is another initiative of the organization. They have been trying to breed cattle that eat less and produce more milk, in hopes that families will need fewer cows and therefore will not have to enter the park to graze. A really innovative program they have started is the bio-gas program. If families install a simple structure they can have enough methane to cook two meals a day for 4-5 people as well as light a few lamps in their homes. The structure requires no electricity of its own and runs entirely on cow dung, which is readily available. Education also plays a huge role in preventing poaching, which is why they have set up a school for both boys and girls that educate them up to grade 9. This education includes free books, free transportation, and discounts for girls. As a bonus, we went out to dinner the last night and discovered that the restaurant owners had an elephant as a pet, so we got to feed her! Here is a picture; she is seventy years old.

Overall, it seems like the NGOs in that area are very creative and doing a great job at improving the lives of a lot of people. However, my class did get into a debate about the true nature of these organizations. Quite a few times, officials said “we are here for the tigers” or “we are helping the people so the tigers can survive”. Some of the girls questioned whether or not the people are really getting the most effective programs they could, or if they will be hurt in the long run because the survival of the tigers is the immediate goal. Another argument to support this view was “what happens if the tigers disappear, or become populated so it is no longer an issue? Will these people still get help?” Other girls think that as long as they are getting help, it doesn’t matter why, and they should use what they have to draw attention to themselves and get help. However, this brought up an entirely other issue for me: why does a community have to have some type of gimmick to get help? For this one community, how many others have no gimmick and therefore get no help? It’s a good question to think about, and as one of my classmates said “I’m only 21…I don’t have all the answers”.

The day after we returned, we had our Hindi midterm! I haven’t gotten the grade back yet, but our teachers reviewed with us while we were on our excursion and made the test simple for us so I think I did well! Then it was the weekend, and I just relaxed. I did some shopping in the jewelry bazaar, watched an old Hindi movie at my friend’s house on Saturday, and then spent yesterday cleaning my room, reading for class, and doing laundry-a much needed calm, average weekend! That’s all for now…I have one more week of classes, then I am heading to Varanasi (possibly the oldest continuously occupied city in the world) for a weeklong workshop/internship with an NGO there. After that its one more week of projects, presentations, and exams, then off to Delhi for my independent study project. The semester is going WAY to fast!

Travel Expedition: Bikaner

Friday we continued our journey toward Bikaner, and when we arrived we were able to have an informal get together with some local college students. I don’t think any of us realized how nice it would be to talk to people our own age-there was such a feeling of gratitude among us all just to be able to discuss movies and music and shopping. The girls’ favorite American movie was Titanic, and the boys liked Mission Impossible, so when they asked us to sing an English song, we belted out “My Heart Will Go On” from the Titanic soundtrack, and they loved it! It also gave us a great perspective on the opinions and values of the younger generation, since we had only really heard from older people about things like culture, government, gender, etc. Too soon, it was time to head back to our hotel for the night.

The following morning, we visited the office of URMUL, a diary trust that has created a network of NGOs focusing on everything from drought relief to girls’ education. URMUL basically helps communities start their own organizations to address local issues, and supports them financially, socially, and professionally. On this day, we drove about an hour and a half to a girls camp. These camps are all around the area, and consist of a seven month residential program for illiterate girls living in poverty. By the time the program ends, they have completed up to fifth grade academically, and they have also learned life skills like finance, hygiene and health, and embroidering and other crafts that will enable them to obtain a salary. The girls go through a lot to get there; their families don’t want them to go because they don’t understand the value of education and they are losing help at home, plus in some situations there could be a certain stigmatism attached to living away from home for a long period of time without family. When we arrived, they had drawn a welcome sign in the sand with beautiful colors for us, and they all jumped up and said “Namaste Didiya” (hello/ welcome sisters) in unison. We heard about what they were learning, their favorite subjects, their families, their feelings, hopes, dreams, and what they had been through to get to school. Then they sang a song about the right to and education, and how no obstacle (parents, work, men, poverty) could stop them. It was at this point that I found myself in tears. I was so proud of them, and so grateful for my own education that I was overcome by emotion. It was also a really powerful moment for me as a woman, because I felt so connected to them and so infuriated with the situation. How dare society prevent all this beautiful potential from coming to fruition? And because of a ridiculous social construct like gender? This was our last program before returning to Jaipur, and probably the most meaningful for me personally. It was definitely a moment I will remember for the rest of my life, especially whenever I start to forget how much I have and how much still needs to be changed in this world.

Travel Expedition: Jaisalmer

On Wednesday, we traveled to Jaisalmer, which was the “leisure” part of our trip. We arrived at our campsite in late afternoon, had a little while to relax, and then it was time for camel rides! While it was a “touristy” thing to do, you can pass up the chance to ride a camel through the Thar Desert at sunset! Each camel had two people on it, and we rode into the desert for about an hour. Right at sunset, we “pulled over’ and were able to listen to some traditional music for awhile. When we returned back to our site, there was an absolutely delicious meal waiting for us, and we ate outside under the stars. I wish you all could have seen the sky; it was so beautiful and completely unreal! The only way to describe it is to say that the sky looked exactly like it should, like the nighttime skies in posters and murals.

The next morning, we left for the actual city of Jaislamer, and it was the most relaxing day of the trip. We had the whole day free, so I and a few of the other girls got lunch at a local restaurant, and headed toward the fort. I know it must seem like I’ve visited a ton of forts, and I kind of have, but this one was special because about 30% of the population live in it-it's not just a historic monument for tourists. We wondered around the fort for hours, and took some pictures at the top (I’ve included one here), then walked back down to the city, stopping at little sweet shops and fabric stores along the way. After a brief nap in the hotel, we headed back out to a wonderful rooftop restaurant and spent quite a while there just talking and eating. All in all, the city was a needed “mental break” from all of the things we’d seen so far, and I really enjoyed the leisurely pace of this leg of the trip.

Travel Expedition: Jodhpur

Hey Everyone!

I’m back from my travel expedition, and once again we accomplished so much that it seemed much longer than a week! Because we did visit so many sites and there is so much to tell you about each one, I have broken up the trip into 3 posts: one for each city.

The first city we visited was Jodhpur. It took us all day Sunday to drive from Jaipur to Jodhpur, and we arrived at about 5pm. We had some time to wash up and rest, and then we headed off to a surprise location for dinner. The location turned out to be a restaurant situated on top of Jodhpur’s Fort, and we enjoyed a beautiful view of the city and a delicious candlelight dinner. It was really a perfect night; the view was indescribable, the food was wonderful, and the company was fantastic. I was sitting with 7 other girls from my group, and we had some really meaningful conversation that led to a better understanding and appreciation for each of them. The next day, we met with one of the leaders \of Pak Visthapit Sangh, an organization that works with refugees from Pakistan living in slums around Rajasthan and Jodhpur. This particular issue really frustrated me, because it is a completely unnecessary situation. These refugees are mostly lower class Hindu farmers, and they are political victims. The lived in isolated areas of Pakistan, and considered themselves Indian, and when Pakistan was created, they had no say in the matter; in fact, they really had no idea what was going on. Still, they adjusted. They lived in relative peace with the local Muslim communities in their area of Pakistan. However, since 1965, the overall security of Hindus in Pakistan has fallen. When there is violence against Muslims in India, there is often retaliation against Hindus in Pakistan. So, fearing for their safety and most living in acute poverty, these people made the decision to travel to India in hope of a better life. But that is not what they received. Even though they have family living in India, were citizens of the pre-divided India, and consider themselves Indian people, the Indian government will not grant them citizenship. Instead, the government grants them visas that restrict them to staying in one area or city. Due to their lack of citizenship, these people are not eligible for work permits, land rights, renting rights, education, or any type of public assistance (if they were citizens, most would qualify for a BPL (below poverty line) card that would give them access to food, health programs, etc.). As a result, these refugees are left to live in slum communities without running water, electricity, or any chance of a sustainable job. It is one of these communities that our program took us to. The community was expecting us, so we had the opportunity to sit under a very large tent and participate in a “town meeting” of sorts. The men sat on one side and the women and children on another, and when we first arrived our Director explained (in Hindi of course) who we were and why we were here. Then we each had the chance to introduce ourselves by saying our name, age, and major in Hindi. After our introductions, it was completely up to us; we asked a question, it was translated for them, and then one or a few people (usually men) would stand up and answer. These people were so desperate, yet so hopeful at the same time. Some clung to decades old paperwork that proved their grandparents and relatives had owned land here. Others told us about the tough odd jobs (like mining) that they looked for in order to support their family. One particular sentiment sticks out in my mind: one man said that in Pakistan they were regarded as Indians, and here they are labeled as Pakistani…they are landless people, and they belong nowhere. Yet, at the same time they were positive. They spoke about what will happen when, not if, they get their paperwork. The still greeted us with smiles and welcomes and still took pride in India even though it has rejected them. And to our surprise they served us bottled water, tea, and cookies. Eating and drinking these things in front of everyone made us all extremely uneasy since we were aware of how little they had for themselves, but it was obvious in the way they presented the snacks and the look on their faces that it would have broken their heart had we neglected to eat them. After our Q&A session, we had the chance to tour the community and meet all of the children. As you can see from the pictures, it was beautiful chaos; everywhere you turned, the kids were asking “sister, sister…one more photo please!” because they LOVE to see themselves on the screen! The refugees’ situation is frustrating to me because while making them citizens would not fix all of their problems, it is the first step in the road to a better quality of life, and out of all the problems India faces, this is one that at least starts with a simple solution; why can’t the government follow through? But, thankfully, some of those maddening feelings were negated (if only a little) by their generous spirits and smiling faces.

We got back from the community in the afternoon, so we grabbed lunch, took a little rest, and then headed out to see the city. We ended up in the center of the city at a wonderful market. At first, it was all tourist stalls, but the deeper you go into the maze of alleys, the more local things got. It was amazing to see huge bowls of fruits, vegetables, and spices, and it was everything you would expect from “the exotic east”. After we were done exploring, we headed to a classy restaurant and again ate by candlelight. As an added bonus, there was a little “disco” attached to the restaurant, so we ended up having a dance party. Since we were the only people dancing and it was more of a local restaurant than a tourist site, we attracted a bit of attention, but after a long and emotional day, it was great to just make fools of ourselves and let off some steam.

The next day, we learned all about GRAVIS, an organization that works for empowerment of the poor and is based on the Gandhian principle of self-reliance. They literally will tackle any issue that is affecting the lives of impoverished people in the Thar Desert area. These issues include water security, drought relief, agriculture, food security, health, HIV/AIDS, education, gender rights and women’s empowerment, aging, livestock development, and mineworkers’ rights. The great thing about this organization is that it is absolutely a partnership with the people they are benefiting. The people help decide what programs need to be established, the people form the committee that oversees different initiatives, and the people are the ones who become completely responsible for each entity, establishment, or program after the first two years. Of course, to understand the organization better, we were scheduled to visit three sites that were started or supported by GRAVIS. First we visited a co-ed grade school. Since government schools are often too far for rural children to attend, GRAVIS helps communities establish grade schools that function up to grade 5. After this point, the organization can help a child get vocational training or continue their education at another school. The school we visited had about 100 students and 1 teacher. The classes were split, so while one class was reciting or writing, she could teach the other class a lesson. The students sang songs for us and even recited the Hindi and English alphabet. We were also put on the spot for a moment; India has a custom of reciprocation, so the students asked us to sing a song to them! We ended up singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for them, and they seemed to enjoy it. After the school, we were able to quickly tour a hospital that GRAVIS supports. It was interesting to see how different their technology and policies are from U.S. standards, but it is definitely a great asset to the community. From the hospital, we drove to a training center for female community health representatives, which was an amazing experience. The women were there from remote villages in the surrounding areas to learn about everything from snake bites to prenatal care, and this was one of many regular training sessions. We arrived just after it had ended, so our director translated for us while we did a Q&A with them. We were able to hear about how their social status has changed with this title, how their confidence has improved, and how it benefits their communities. But what was also amazing is that they had questions for us. They wanted to know if we were married, when we had to get married, if we took care of our families, if we cooked, what we ate, etc. Besides having the experience to interact with them and practice our Hindi, it was really interesting to hear their ideas and perspectives about western culture.