Adventures!

See…I thought I had done it…successfully integrated myself into life here so that I can carry on my days of working, eating, and sleeping.  I have learned some of language, eat properly with my hands, and even throw on a kurta now and then (traditional Indian shirts).  But how fooled I was.  It turns out that a white, tall American in the middle of rural India can attract some attention.

Me with some of my coworkers in Bokarwadi, a village of about 
500 people.  We're standing at the base of a dam which floods 
hundreds of acres of land during the winter months.

For the last two weeks, the NGO has been running a Gender Equity Campaign in the next “county” over.  Through 25 villages, a select group of staff and outside support had devised a skit, various songs, and discussions for the villages in order to promote the place of women in society.  For communities that don’t get much entertainment, and whom mostly cannot afford televisions (although camera phones seemed to be extremely prevalent), a night of activities can bring out a fair number of people.  And the campaign was dealing with some really important issues: child marriages (encouraging marriage after the age of 18), sex-selective abortion (currently illegal in India but widely practiced), and domestic violence.

A rally through the streets of Akkolkot during the final day of the 
Campaign.  About 150 people were a part of the rally at this point.

For a few days, I went along with the campaign to help out/video tape the work.  The size of the villages varied, anywhere from 500 people to 2500.  But the reactions were…similar. Turns out, an American showing up can be pretty exciting for…well…almost everyone in the community.  If I had a nickel for the number of times my hand was shaken, autograph asked for, or tea drank I would be a very rich man right now.  For me, it was amazing to be taken in by these communities and really shown the heart of Indian hospitality.  For my coworkers, I could tell that some were frustrated that my presence sometimes caused excess disruption. 

But overall, I came away with an deep appreciation for the work that my NGO is doing.  In the US we often take for granted that people can choose whom they want to marry and that cases of domestic violence can be swiftly reported.  In India (and especially in rural communities), options aren’t as easy for women. I can’t speak from experience, but from what I’ve seen husbands and mother-in-laws can be brutal to a woman (upon marriage, a woman goes to live with her husband’s family).  Domestic violence is common, and cases are usually resolved in having the family come back together rather than through options of divorce or criminal proceedings.  Through this campaign, my NGO was not only combating outdated social norms, but helping to empower women in all aspects of village life.

The women audience from one village watching the program.

So, my NGO would enter a villages and hold rallies through the streets with children shouting slogans like “Eksaman Eksaman Moulga Moulgi Eksamam” (Equality Equality Boys and Girls are Equal).  This would then be followed by a public performance of songs and speeches about the importance of women.  Finally, a serious and humorous skit to show the reality of the situation.  They then brought in the community by holding a discussion with everyone present about what the village can realistically do to encourage equality between men and women. People spoke up, both men and women, emphatically declaring that they would stop such practices and work towards are more equal community. I was motivated by the seemingly empowering work of the NGO.  But I was also left questioning: yes this work is great, but what happens when we pack up and leave.  Are there any real changes made in the community?  Will these lessons be taken to heart?  I guess only time will tell.

A children's rally through the streets of Dershegao.

A snapshot of the skit.  At this point the the mother-in-law (in the middle)
 is beating the new bride (on the right) because of unclean plates.

On another note, winter has officially set in.  Precisely on December 1, the weather changed, turning nice, breezy 70/80 degree weather in the day to bone-chilling 50 degree weather at night.  I can definitely tell that the infrastructure here was made for hot summers – that includes the people who bundle up under loads of extra layers during the nights.  So needless to say the one sweatshirt I brought has been getting a lot of use the past few days.

In terms of work, my NGO held a ceremony a few weeks back to culminate an Essay Competition that was held back in September.  The Competition is a part of the Rural Science Center, one aspect of the NGO which provides science education to local schools that lack modern science tools and equipment.  To complement their work, they hold an essay competition every September for grades 7, 9, and 11.  This year, almost 1000 students participated.  The themes for the essays dealt with topics like HIV/AIDS solutions and village health infrastructure.  It was a great ceremony, and it was exciting to see the enthusiasm of the students as they received their awards.

At the awards ceremony.  About 200 students were packed in 
this hall.

Other than work trips, I’ve been able to take another venture away from the village of Andur.  For a weekend, I dared the crossing into another state, Karnataka, which borders Maharashtra to the south.  Destination: Bidar.  A small, quiet town boasting some historic sights and GREAT chicken biryani (I was more than happy to indulge).  The reason, my boss’ son needed to go to his college to grab a transcript.  So I packed my bag and left for an excursion. It was nice to get away, but one little snag: in Karnataka they speak Kannada, a language completely different from Marathi.  So I was again forced to be the out-of-place foreigner.. I think that’s going to be a theme of my time here.  Some activities of the weekend:

Bidar is famous for its local artwork, Bidari.  Objects (including 
plates, figurines, chotchkies, etc.) made of iron ore are burned so 
that they become black.  Then, pure silver is hammered into the 
pliable metal in intricate designs.  The plate above is a work in
 progress.  They even let me, with absolutely no hand-eye 
coordination, give it a try.  But don't worry, I bought a few 
things to bring home.

The Bidar Fort.  Pretty cool.  Built in the 1600s.

Posing in front of a Gurdwara, a temple for people of 
the Sikh community (the community that typically 
wears turbans - hence why my head is covered).  
This is the 3rd holiest Gurdwara of the Sikh faith.

In case some of you forgot (or didn’t know), it was Hannukah this past week.  Fortunately, I had a staff of dedicated individuals to help me light the candles and say the prayers each of the 8 nights.  I transliterated the prayers from Hebrew into Marathi (actually a pretty difficult task) so that the students of the Nursing School who live here could follow along.  They were extremely interested in learning about my heritage, making me tremendously proud of being able to share a piece of my culture with them.  They had never heard of Jewish people or Judaism, so I was able to really start from the beginning.  I likened Hannukah, the Jewish festival of lights, to Diwali (celebrated at the beginning of November), the Hindi festival of lights. 

Celebrating the second night.  As you can tell, people were really excited. 

By the eighth night, we had a crowd going.  I'm really 
happy that I got to share a piece of my culture with 
everyone.

Coincidentally enough, the last day of Hannukah marked the beginning of a Hindi holiday (wait, another holiday…yep).  This one is for the goddess Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.  A pooja (prayer) is said on the evening of December 8 and then another pooja is said 8 days later – are you seeing the same similarities I am?  So, as my holiday ended, theirs began.  It’s like it was meant to be!

One student giving pooja to Lakshmi.  After this photo, 
EVERYONE wanted a picture giving pooja.  
This turned into a 30 minute photo shoot.  

A picture with some colleagues during the 
above said photo shoot.  Apparently no one
 else got the cue to smile...

Well, I’m off.  The great Rahul Barwani and Joshua Brown are coming to join me in India for a fantastic adventure!  I bid you adieu and hope that I come back in one piece (you never know these two). 

 Andrew

Did I forget to mention...puppies! (Ok, they kind of look like rats, 
but they're adorable in person.) Yes, those dogs which continue
 to incessantly bark at 6:30am every morning have given birth
 to a  set of 6 puppies.  These guys are about 4 days old -- haven't 
even opened their eyes yet.