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.