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Published: March 2nd 2008
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Well it's 1:45 am and I am sitting at Mumbai airport,doing an 'all nighter' in wait for my 5am flight. Thems the breaks. So I thought it perfect to catch up on some writing and to share this India journey.
Ariel is back home already so I am solo. I had this edge around coming to India, years ago a friend said to me,"Annette, you should never go to India", I think she was referring to the lack of hygiene as when I was younger I had a reputation for being very into cleanliness amongst my peers! So I had this fear of India, I think all the stories of people's most intense moments had morphed into one great image, 'I will walk down the street and be clamoured upon by beggars. This same street will be covered in makeshift taurapuins, people's houses. Men will never stop hassling me. I will get sick almost immediately and there will be bad toilets to boot. This may even happen on an overnight train ride. There will always be masses of people around.' So, that was what I came expecting. In fact I was that anxious that I broke out in a rash
Worm farms
Checking out the women's self help groups' new enterprise of worm farms / composting which they sell to other farmers. on my palms before arriving. Ah, the psycho-somatic!
So after that prelude, I have to say, it's been....awful! No,only joking, it's actually been great! Knowing my fear I arranged via Noel at CERES to be picked up by his friends in Mumbai, and was accompanied through the first 6 days entirely by locals, saw no Westerners and had 'protectsia' (as they say in Hebrew).
The main highlight was my trip to a tribal village called Pal, 8 hours North of Mumbai. This was a village which Noel went to 30 years ago with his partner Jenny to spend a year volunteering before they married. They had found the village via Community Aid Abroad, who had done some project work in the area. The village is the location for a Gandhian based community development organisation (Satpuda Vikas Mandal institute) doing a variety of projects in the area. Well actually there's a very cool story about one of the founders of Satpuda who was a contemporary of Gandhis and took a proactive stance helping the poorest people, so much so that Gandhi visited as he had heard about their work. Some of their projects now include setting up and running
12 schools in remote tribal areas for children who would never receive an education (total 2600 students), a local farm where they trial sustainable farming methods, such as bio gas, worm farming, organic cotton and new food crops in order to then train local tribal people so they have more income and food sources. The institute also works in very isolated communities in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
I was taken by the community leaders (the institute based in Pal's) graciousness and hospitality. They were so kind to me that one more than one occasion I was moved to tears. They also have such a keen and sensitive intellect and sophisticated understanding of community development, in keeping with the 'teach a man to fish' adage.
When I arrived in the village in my grotty t-shirt after an 8 hour overnight train ride and a 2 hour jeep ride, I was met by 12 village leaders each of whom gave me a rose. I was then given 3 days of the most astonishing hospitality I have ever received, like a movie star. They were so excited to show me everything and my days started at 7am and went thru
Final feast
Dressed in traditional clothing kindly given by a village girl til midnight as they jeeped me around their villages, schools,women's projects etc, and then fed me in their houses.
For some reason tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh are off the radar of government and aid organisations and what I saw there was truly moving. This is why I am trying to raise some emergency funds for them - because whilst the institute is implementing many 'teach a man to fish' measures (such as enterprise development groups and education) there is a short term emergency need around food provision.
I met a family with a woman holding her baby. I was asked how old I thought the baby was. I thought - 4 months. The answer- 2 years old. Malnutrition.
Another village where I met with the women, the women said, 'all we need to do is earn 50 rupees a day and then we can eat and feed our children.' 50 rupees is about $1.40.
In Madhya Pradesh the landscape was so barren and after commenting that there were so few trees I was told that the villagers cut them down in desperation to sell as firewood. Upon meeting with a village here the women asked me what crops they could plant, as after the rainy season and harvest they have few crops and not enough income to feed their children. What could I say? I suggested a tourism scheme where people like me come and stay in ther village and pay them for accommodation and food,and what did they say? With absolutely firm resolve, that they could never take money from a guest as it is against their tradition. And, they are farmers. What they asked for was seeds.
The shining eyes of this one beautiful man looking at me and sharing their problems...his eyes were so so very bright. In the end I just said, I will help however I can, they have to help themselves to the best of their ability and the people from PAL will help them, and we will all also ask for divine assistance.
It seems a perfect opportunity that if you were considering a present to celebrate Ariel and my engagement that instead you might consider helping out here. At present I am working out the best ways to actually make a donation to these communities for emergency provisions and as soon as I know will post the information here. Thankfully the Institute has been going over 50 years and is very established and reliable and I know the funds raised will go straight to the most needy people. I am lucky to have a direct contact here.
Ah cha.
India - the luscious saris that rise from the dust and rubble, the inimitable chai tea, the head waggle indicating agreement (like our nod, only much much sweeter), the smells, spices and frankincense, people's pride in appearance and cleanliness given the external environment (has anyone ever seen such polished and shining school children in crisp white shirts and impeccable plaits). People's here are modest and kind. Pal is something again - such special people, that I have made a life long connection I feel. It would be wonderful if you could help out.
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