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.