Time to say goodbye to India...
My time out here has been amazing - 6 weeks of work and pleasure. my fam out here has treated me like a king - or actually better than a king...india is one of those places where no matter where i am, i feel at home. sitting in the train, flying, being in Mumbai or being in Ujjain. Either place is home. Travelling to the villages and seeing the simpler side of life and living in the big cities where people move like they are in america - home. india is a place that will always be in my heart...even if i don't live out here...
so here you go - this is my last blog from here - india to me is many things. it is a cell phone and E-Chopal for the rural famers where they have access to market prices in order to sell their goods. it is a place where information technology and technology in general is booming and is everywhere. cell phones, portable phones, satellite phones, internet via satellite connections, etc - they have it all - but the roads, oh my the roads. you can call someone in a village, but during monsoon, you might as well forget about seeing them. as much as they have via technology infrastructure, they are lacking in basic infrastructure. roads, sewage systems, electricity, etc. are not constructed and people don't have full access to even the basic needs. you will see a local farmer going around with his BSNL or Reliance mobile phone - but when you look at his home he might not have running water and the road to get to his home might be a dirt (mud when the monsoon rains hit) road. india is a place where everything is governed by the religion and the politics. there is rich culture and heritage here. india is a place where i can go into a town, tell people my last name and they will recognize who i am. in indore, where most of my family is from i walked around the streets and if i mentioned who my grandparent's were, people would stop and stare and say "you are his grandson" then shake my hand and walk away with a smile. not before telling me more about my grandfather or grandmother...amazing...
india to me is a country that is rich in resources - there is so much going on out here that it blows your mind...people are everywhere - you can't throw a stone far without hitting someone, in any direction. on the streets you will see everything - not in mumbai as much, but in the smaller areas. in fact, in big headlines in Ujjain the news paper wrote, that they are finally placing a ban on elephants on the public streets - they say they cause traffic jams...what about the cows, water buffaloes, pedestrians, dogs, goats, and bicycles? don't they cause traffic jams. on the roads here you will find all walks of life - there is nothing that isn't allowed on the road - really. to drive out here is a test of patience and how alert you are. if you take your eyes off the road for one second, anything could happen. india is a country of organized chaos. i don't understand how they do things out here. someone how the country is moving forward...
i have come up with an appopriate analogy of india...here they have "bhel ghadi's" - which are cow driven carts - here india has place the cart in front of the cow and on the cart is a fully ACed room nicely built with internet, mobile, cable, etc. and you still have the same cow behind to cart, with the same ol' wheel...and some how this cow is able to move the cart forward - how, no one knows. like that statue in Ujjain who drinks alcohol - where it goes no one knows...remind me to tell you the story later, it is quite amazing...
india is a place where so much happens - the fluidity of this country is mind-blowing...don't plan out here, just go with the flow - you need patience...planners out here would be hurting...such is the country...
religion - oh my...the people here are spiritual - everyday is there is a festivity, there is always something going on. in Ujjain, the number one profession was being a pundhit or a priest - here there are mala's being sold on a daily basis and prasad is given everywhere...it is a big business here - so much that the Internal Tax department is now looking at big donor's for mandal's (religious associations) across mumbai - i tell you if you see some of the extravegences that they do for some of the festivals, you would be amazed - better than most weddings in the states...
india is family - it is my roots. it is the place where i have come from and will always be associated with. i have learned more about my background being here for the last 6 weeks than i could have ever learned - people shared stories about my parent's, grandparents and other family members...it is to me a place that i will always look to and know, that is where i am from...
india to me is a home away from home - the states is my home, that is where my immediate roots are...mom, dad, rahul and now the newest addition to our family tara (my sister-in-law) - india to me is no longer a forgein country that is just for my parents, india to me, is now me...
i leave for the states - where i will be thrown back into the mix of everyday life. i leave behind memories and established relationships. i leave behind smiles. i take with me everything and more. i wish i could give back to all those that have given to me while i have been out here. but i will be sure to pay back twice over...
thanks to sharad bhai and sujata bhabiji for putting up with me for a month. i can't forget choti rani - or jhini - at to the rest of my family for opening their doors, emptying my suitcases of american goods and filling them up with all that is india...
till later...
KANK...my first ever bollywood film in India...
where i actually understood about 80% of the dialogue! so i watched this film with my family - we made a road trip to Indore, where the closest movie theater is - this drive was about 75 minutes from ujjain- so not bad overall, in fact it was quite a nice drive...anyway, we went to the Mall - yes, Indore has a proper mall - not an outdoor, open air mall, but one with AC and all! inside was a nice posh theater where we sat and watched the movie...
so some thoughts about the theater - it was nice, better that i was expecting. inside they had a waiter who came around and serviced you while you watched the movie, so if you wanted popcorn, samosa, veggie burger, candy, soda, etc. anything - they would bring it for you - have you ever had assigned seats in a theater? no, not in the states, but here, you are assigned the seat in the movie theater - quite a novel concept, which has it's pluses and minuses...anyway, the seats were quite comfortable - actually really nice, the bathroom was clean - in fact, this was a very very pleasant movie experience overall.
so the downsides - there is always a downside - the people behind us had some issues with keeping still - so while we watched the movie we had the pleasant experience of feeling each and every kick and movement of the people behind us. cell phones - yes...the cell phone, they are not blocked not do people turn them off, so during the movie people's phone's were ringing and people were holding conversation's right there during the middle of the movie! they would even tell the people they were talking to that they were watching a movie, yet these people still didn't seem to mind and continued a full length conversation...so yes, this happened not once, not twice, but multiple times. so this was annoying...then the talking, the deep murmur of voices that arise when things occur, and then that one kid who feels that he needs to be heard by all...but then again, i must say, if these were my only complaints overall, then i am becoming nit picky...
the theater was as good or if not better than most american theaters - the sounds quality was awesome - the only other complaint about that was that they kept the volume at FULL VOLUME - so literally everything was twice as loud as it normally is...but oh well - i am not deaf from sitting in the movie...
now about the movie - to tell you the truth i am no siskel and ebert of indian movies - i don't know what is good or not - so i polled my family and here were the responses:
Jhini - "The movie was okay, i didn't really enjoy it. The movie before the intermission (yes they have an intermission in indian movies) was good, but afterwards it was boring."
Sujata Bhabiji -
Sharadbhaisab - "It was too long"
So there you have it...overall we all would give KANK a B - you can wait for the video...but the CD is a must buy! haha!
Yes...i did forget to mention the intermission - for those of you who don't know, Indian movies tend to last a good 4 hours - within the four hours is hours and hours of earth shattering dialogue and then songs and dance - lots of songs and dance - so interspersed between the earth shattering dialogue, there are dance scenes so you don't fall asleep...the music keeps you awake...and to be quite honest there are two main reasons people go to see indian movies 1) music and the dance scenes and 2) clothing- here they understand the latest fashion in indian wear...so there you have it - intermission half way through - so you can stretch, go to the bathroom (holding 32 OZ of soda for 4 hrs is quite tough and a challenge on the bladder!), order more food and just talk to people about what you think so far...and then lots of dance scenes to keep you awake so you don't fall asleep during the dialogue...
but yes, i did enjoy my experience watching a bollywood film in india - as of today, i have accomplished all my outstanding (non-work) goals that i wanted to do...and i feel complete...
now i am going to fall asleep listening to the soundtrack of KANK...
till later...
Two "Must go places" in Indore...
yes...if you need therapy, there is no therapy like "Dr. Jain's Cow Urine Therapy Health Clinic" and if that doesn't help you out, check out the "Smokin' Grass Restaurent" - i think you might find the right herbal care for you there! haha!
the beauty about the cow urine therapy is that the urine is free, just go out onto the street, stand next to the closest cow, place a large cup underneath, wait and presto, a healthy non-medicinal way of treating your ailments... if that doesn't solve your problem, hop on over to the "Smokin Grass" - where you can get the best "Chai" in all of india...it might cost a little more than 2 rupee's, but it is well worth it...
man - india is too much for me, when i read the headlines of the local paper i can't help but laugh - the english out here is different. each spelling is made up as they think it is...i think i am going to start a company that will correct their english - honestly, but then i might get into arguments with people about which is the correct english - theirs or mine...haha! when you wander around here you will see some of the most interesting names of restaurants and even more so the most interesting spelling - read a menu, the english menu will crack you up - read the billboards - the ads will crack you up - read the newspapers - that will make you laugh - read the magazines...even better! haha! i was reading a car magazine, and they were talking about driving a Porsche Cayman on the streets in india - which let me tell you is not the smartest idea - but none the less the writer was describing the feeling of the top down and the wind blowing through ones hair as (this is not verbatim, but from memory) "smearing her (referring to the wind) hand through your hair as you drive through the streets of Mumbai" haha! gotta love it, i have never heard of wind "smearing" it's hand through anything...well i guess in the end, it is just different, if they come out to the states and read a magazine out there, they might find it as amusing as i find theirs...who am i to comment! haha!
as more funny one liners come about, i will be sure to report them...until then, i know for some herbal therapy where i will be going...how about you?
please pass the urine and the grass...thx!
till later -
16 hours to Bilai...
so the train ride - the train ride was fun. it is the best way to get around India - it takes time, but overall it is worth the trip to see all the parts of india that you can't get to by car or my plane. it is amazing how vast the country side is and where people live. it is no wonder that 80% of this country is dominated by farm land. each place you go, there are rice field, wheat fields and all sorts of other vegetables going. it turns out that most people take the train everywhere they go. we measure distance here in time it takes to fly to a location - they measure it in how long the train ride is. most people can't afford to fly around here and the train is the next best option. some towns, you have to travel up to 50 -60 KM to get to the nearest airport, while you will only have to travel 2 km to get to the nearest train station. trains are so accessible here that it is amazing. they are not the most reliable when it comes to time, sometimes that can be a hit or a miss - but in getting you to your final destination and closes to it - there is no comparison. lets talk about what you see - the rolling hills of india, the flat planes, the people working all around not knowing what a computer or the internet is. simple lives where as long as they can make enough to put food on the table, they are content. most often you will see people traveling by foot, sometimes bicycle. the rich people travel on motorcycle - and most of the time you will see people traveling with the animals they will be using on their land. from the train you will see everything - the land is green and the water is plenty. people are laughing and enjoying their day to day chores. the train lets you sit back and relax - enjoy life and not worry about traffic jams, pot holes in the road - nothing. you do worry about one thing - and that is your bags. luckily on my train ride, i was sitting with people that were really chill and super fun to talk to. in fact, we bantered the whole way. the people you can meet in the train are amazing - each has a story - and in 16 hours, you can get to know your neighbor really well...
that is one thing i like about india, people here are nice and enjoy talking to you. they are interested in who you are, more out of their own curiosity, but also to just get to know you. people love to chat with others around them and tend to smile quite a bit. i am not sure if this is the case in other compartments - but in mine it was the case - it is funny, being a single male on a train everyone asked if you are married (always the first question), where are you going, do you have family there, where are you from, are you studying, what work are you doing...they ask personal questions - for some people this makes them feel uncomfortable - for me, i find it amusing - i enjoy talking to people, you can learn so much about different people - which to me is great...the people i sat with in my compartment were from Orissa, which is an area that i know nothing about - so i got to learn more about them and their culure - plus to hear their language was amazing, it was similar to hindi, but just different enough that i couldn't understand it...
another beauty about the train and my family in india, is that it is guaranteed that i will go through a town where i have family - such was the case when i was going to Bilai, the train stopped in Naghpur, I have a cousin sister who lives there - so she gave me food for the remaining part of the ride! haha! gotta love india, i don't think i could say the same about the states - if i travel by train anywhere, i doubt that in a town that i stop in i would find family or someone that would come out and give me lunch! haha! another great thing - almost anywhere i go, there is family...
if you have never done a train ride in india, then i would highly suggest it - go nice, not third class or farther - at least do an AC sleeper car - you will enjoy your time - watching India go by and seeing all the colors - you will enjoy it...take a nap, wake up and you will have someone offereing you chai or coffee - the people next to you will take care of you - it is amazing - traveling by train is fun, so much that it actually makes traveling by air seem cumbersome and annoying...but there is one major annoyance that you have traveling by train and that is storing you luggage - often times you have to place it under your seat or near by...and if you haven't traveled in india or with indians, the you will not know this - but they like to bring their ENTIRE home with them - with the exception of the kitchen sink...so often time, there is no room left for your bags to go...in fact, i had to move someone elses bags around to place mine in and then sleep on my back pack! and then on top of that, i had a family of four's bags all around me...but for all the inconveniece, it is worth it...
till later...
Kurkure, kurkure, kurkure! Chatpata chaska, mmm, mmm, good!
these two adorable girls who are promoting the brand Kurkure (try saying it three times fast, it is a tongue twister!) are two of my little nieces - Rupal is the one holding the bag and Rishika (her little sister) is the cute one sitting right next to her! haha! for 5 days, i had the join of playing with these two and my two other cousins - so here is what i accomplished in 5 days - i taught Rupal how to dribble a basketball and shoot - i put the finishing touches on Rishika learning how to ride a bike - i became the go to uncle for anything to get passed or done within the household...haha! it was awesome...
so for two weeks i lived with out internet and no knowledge of the outside world. but that is okay, i was in a different world - the world of family - this was an all consuming world. bilai is where a lot of my family resides. i don't know why - but on a single block you can visit at least four different houses, all cousins and family. they are close in proximity. but i have come to learn, just because you are close in proximity, doesn't mean you are necessarily close. family dynamics and the world of the family is something that most of us don't get to experience. we all live in nuclear families where we occasionally see other members or when we get together it is for a reunion, then family time is over. sometimes we live close to each other and sometimes we don't. this isn't for all, but for the majority. indian's, for the majority, live in joint families - something we see a lot with the ethnic groups within the states (i.e. the latin american and mexican household). but for one week, i lived in the world of the Nayak's and Jain's - a different world all unto itself and not without the drama of everyday real life. it was amazing, each home had a different feel and a different take. it was bizarre for me to be so engulfed by everything going on - often times i sat back and watched and learned what was going on. i took things in and listened to what was happening. the world can be so consuming, that you won't find time to go outside the world to find others. family time takes up so much of your time, that your friends and people outside take a back seat. it is amazing. in one household, the down time came at two times - once between 10 am-1 pm and again from 11 pm - 6 am (when every one was sleeping). other than that the house was a constant hustle and bustle. from morning to night. it was amazing - to see how things work and watch people take care of everything. in other households the hustle and bustle started and ended quickly, with the bulk of the day being down time. amazing - plus - household dynamics. i felt like i was in a mini-soap opera. drama, drama, drama! haha! so for a week, i was not connected to the outside world and the other's around me, but just to the world of the family - where i did everything that the family did - my schedule shifted to match theirs and then started to flow with theirs. each time things were planned, they were cancelled. nothing really went as planned...but yet, i enjoyed myself and my time out there. i enjoyed the constant energy and people always around. it was nice being with all my brother's their wives and their kids. it was nice being the youngest uncle of them all, the one that the kids felt the closest to. it was nice being able to hang out with the wives and talk and then play for hours with the kids. the kids were content to play with just each other and needed no other time with friends. the back and front yards of the house were their playground. not once did i see another neighborhood kid come to play - they were amused amongst themselves. amazing.
i wonder after seeing this, what my life would have been like if it was like this. if i had no friends outside of just the home and my family. how things would have been. how would i have grown up. being the american uncle has some privilege's, but also has some down sides. it has been nice being able to hang out and be free with the kids.
my family is amazing - they all are unique in their own way. they all love me for who i am, and i think i get a lot of slack just because i didn't grow up in india. they enjoyed spending time with me and i enjoyed spending time with them...
let me tell you one thing - all my little nieces and nephews are adorable. maybe i am being biased, but that is okay - i think they are the best nieces and nephews anyone can ask for...i would do anything for them!
please pass the kurkure...
till later...
Marry me and you will get a Maruti 800...
what else could you ever want in life - a Maruti 800 - the car is indestructible - it is awesome - small - compact - has nothing in it - it is basically a gear box on wheels - everyone has one out here and it is perfect...there is no other car that can beat it on the roads here in India! here you can't really go any faster than the people or bikes that are on the street - so your maximum speed is about 20KM and i have seen cars get up to at least 60KM - then brake immediately and start up again at a nice 30 KM speed - yeah - the roads are rough - you need something that can take a beating and keep on ticking...for that you have the Maruti 800 - the RR (Royles Royce) of Indian automobiles...and damn, this car makes me look good! haha!
so it has been a while - i know - i have been without internet access for about two weeks - since i last wrote i have traveled to bilai via a 16 hour train ride, spent a week with family that has treated me like a king, went from there via road to Raipur, flew from Raipur to Mumbai, spent two days out in Mumbai and then flew to Indore - where i spent a good week out there working and spending time seeing family and friends and now I am back in Ujjain for the rest of my duration out here...it has been a crazy two weeks, where i have seen more of the country side, re-established all of my connections and have fell in love with all my nieces and nephews - my brothers and their wives are amazing - it has been a whirl wind of fun. who knew that traveling india and spending time out here would be so much fun! it has been a blast - each home i go to they open their door and feed me till i have no more room left in my belly...it is great - i have put on some weight and i feel great! haha!
so the question on everyone's mind is when am i going to get married (hence the inspiration for the picture, i figured any indian women would throw themselves at me if they saw me with my Maruti (which isn't really mine, but don't tell them!) 800). so i told them, take a pic with this car and send it to all perspective women, i require a full bio-data, with picture and all. they must sit for a test and complete post graduate studies, to just sit around and become a house wife. that is the only thing i want, a well educated house wife...;-) haha! but, yes i am the last to get married on the nayak side of this generation of cousin-brothers. heck, i am already a grandfather and i don't even have my first kid - my first kid will already be an uncle/aunt before they are even born! haha! that is too trippy...anyway, we need not talk about that - i have nephews who are my age! that in itself is too trippy...welcome to a large indian family. but i have given them no answer to their question, mainly cause i don't know myself. my whole family wants me to get married in india - though i know that would be a tough task to accomplish - but at least they have told me when i come back i should come back with a chachi (female version of cha-cha, i.e. aunt) - so everyone ask me, where is cha-chi and when do i get to meet her...and all i have to say, is who ever cha-chi will be will have loads of happy family members awaiting her arrival here in india - and knowing how they have treated me while i am out here, i can only assume she will get treated better! haha!
maybe i should start telling people i will become a jain monk...that might get them off my back!
till later...
The goat of India...
haha! so yeah village life is great, you wander not only with your fellow human beings, but with anything that has legs and can move - even the beloved goats! haha! it is interesting, in certain areas of Ujjain you will find only goats - this is mainly in the area where people eat goats - there is not much more reason to raise goats that to eat them...right - well at least maybe to drink their milk as well - mmm...goats milk - that sounds like a tasty treat! haha! if india had the market for it, they could export goats cheese, which is quite a tastee treat! haha!
so today i forgot my camera - i was bummed, i went out to a village and was left out there with no direct way back - but more of the "go to the street, a tempo will come, get on the tempo and say Nakow, from there get into another tempo and say Tower, then from there, get into another tempo and say Mahashweta Nagar - have a good one and good luck!" haha! then, as i walked onto the road, two little boys were sent to make sure that i got onto the correct tempo - they hung out with me, said they would flag down a bus or a tempo for me - then they did, and the tempo guy said i was too big and kicked me out! then i saw all the busses, packed with people - i wasn't about to try to stuff myself amongst all of them - so i walked - it was a nice 30 min walk, where i was kicking myself for not bringing my camera. so no pics today - i was upset - but it all worked out well, i walked to Nakow, got into a tempo and said "Tower" - and they said sure...30 min. later i was at the clock tower in the middle of the town - having had my fill of take this tempo here and there, i decided to call my fam to pick me up. while i waited, i found the local ice cream parlor and had two scoops of ice cream - black currant and choco fudge - surprisingly good and quite refreshing! haha! it was nice - then Arjunbhai (the house help) came on the scooter to pick me up - it was nice! then he scooted me all the way home! haha! it was fun - a surprisingly unproductive day, in the sense of looking at self-help groups, but quite productive in the wandering of Ujjain...
it was nice to wander again. it made me feel like back in nepal when i would just take village walks. along the way, i saw households upon househols making insents, i saw people of all sorts doing different projects. little kids running around, free of any worries that most people have. homes were simple, often made of cows dung. they had simple roofs, not much more than tin on top help down my bricks and rocks. cows, goats, and kids all played in harmony. dogs ran about - scratching themselves due to all the fleas. little kids were carrying their baby brothers and sisters - already taking car eof them, they were maybe no older than 4 years old themselves. i saw the old art of welding - where the wife of the welder was sitting using an old school hand pwoered blower to make the fire hot enough so they could shape the iron. i saw people living their lives with no electricity, but through the light of the day. people all looked at me and stared, then moved about their business. yest i stuck out - but only a little. well maybe a lot, but still...
today was a good day - tomorrow is going to be a long day - i leave at 3:30 AM - the good thing is that i am in an AC coach - which means it will be a comfortable 16 hours train ride - not in the back with everyone else. i have traveled that way, it is fun, but for such a ride, i would rather have the ability to sleep for a little undisturbed...plus, i have the ability to have that luxury, yeah, i am a pseudo snob - but within india, i will take it!
till later -
Ujjain - home away from home...
so you all know that i am not living in squalor - here is my brother's house...and yes, that is his Honda City (Civic for us in the U.S.A.) - we live in a nice part of town - in fact, it is so nice that the Hare Krishna's (who we all know and love, Hare, hare, hare, hare KRISHNA!) have placed their first temple in Madhya Pradesh (MP) (and currently the only temple in the whole state!) and let me tell you that is one NICE temple...ISKCON temple, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness - now not wanting to get in trouble and to tell you that i am open to all religions - but to be quite honest, Hare Krishna's are to India what Scientology is to America - but that is just my opinion - sorry if you believe in either...anyway, back to the point at hand - we live in a nice part of town. my brother's place is really nice - i have a whole huge room to myself on the top floor, with my own bathroom and all - hence the picture of the bucket bath - it is a sweet place. he has completely filtered - double osmosis (whatever that means) - water that i can drink so i don't have to worry about boiling water. the place is well kept (they have full time house servants, a gardner, a night guard, a huge german shepard, a little white dog that has a Napoleonic complex, full service delivery of their clothes after they are dried they are ironed, two cars, etc.) - yeah it is a NICE place to say the least...so going from here anywhere is easy - there is always a car available - this is not the peace corps life that i am used to - this is living in the lap of luxury...
but all of this is simply because my brother is a well known doctor and if you say his name anywhere, someone knows him and even more someone has gone to him for surgery. he is an orthopedic doctor - who runs his own practice and does surgery as well. my bhabiji (sister-in-law) is awesome - she takes good care of everyone - she makes sure that all things run smoothly within the household. jhini is 13 and is a trip - i think i have told you all of this. she reminds me ALOT of me when i was growing up - just always having fun and listening to music. she is a doll - she doesn't even think of me as her uncle (cause most of them are married with kids and at least 30 years older than her!) but as a brother - which is fine by me...
but life out here is good - with all of this, i can focus on my work and not worry about the little things - having such a short period of time out here, this helps out a lot - otherwise, my days would be spent doing my laundry, cleaning my room, ensuring that i had everything, on top of getting around and making it on time to the places that i need to be...
so yeah - i could get used to this! haha! but alas, i know that this is a nice little break from the reality of when i come back to the states and i have to start doing all the things on my own again! haha! i will be so spoiled by the time i come back...this is horrible! haha!
ujjain is nice - it is known as a religious town, so many people from around the area come here for religious reason's. There is a huge temple out here that people travel far from to do pooja in and now that their is the ISKCON temple, even more people will be coming out here. Already at night the place is packed near the house - the street is lined on sunday's with cars, not to mention the numerous people that walk to get there. It is amazing, here each tree has red marks, a sign that someone has come and done pooja. Insents are sold like crazy, people are doing pooja (prayer) every day, at sometimes twice. Each corner there is another temple or some sort of mandhir - someplace for a lost soul to find solace. here there is a blend of muslims, christians, jains, hindu's, hare krishna's and who know what other religion! there are some religions here that i have never even heard of or seen! it is amazing - each has their own dress, their own culture, their own way of doing things. each is known for a different trade - doing different things...it is a site to be seen! i guess i never really understood many things, but coming here makes me question that much more. it is amazing how religious people are. during this month, in the indian calendar, people quit their jobs or stop working and walk for miles to come to Ujjain to pray - it is a special holiday that last all month - what is it, i have no clue, there are so many of them, that it is hard to keep track of. no wonder being a pundit (hindu priest) is a full time job - you can make a living out of just specializing in certain types of marriages or checking out horoscopes. I didn't know people still did that - consult the religious people within the village to see when the right time for marriage or to have kids is. it is still done out here...
ujjain is a unique place. it is an interesting place. their are so many different people here. with the organizations i have had a chance to work with, i have had the ability to go to sections of the town that even my family has not been to - but then again, that is my line of work. what i will be doing. it is funny, i actually feel quite comfortable in the villages - where life is simpler. or tougher, depending on who you talk to.
life is ujjain is good, i enjoy it. i am off to bilai in a couple of days. life out there will be good as well. my whole family is out there. i will see them all for the first time in many years. all the kids have grown and i am a "grand father" - three times over now. i have one "grand daughter" in Ahmedbhad one in Bilai and a "grand son" in Bilai - of course, they are not my real grand kids, but when they see me, they will address me as Dhadaji - which in Hindi means grandfather...ugh! haha!
till later -
Tarana - a little village with ALOT of potential...
sorry it has been a while since i have posted a blog, my cousin's computer died, so until i was able to load the software on my computer, i have been unable to access the internet...but regardless, i have lots to tell - maybe i will blog twice today... ;-)
so yesterday i went on a village visit with the organization i am working with - Jan Shikshan Sansthan - JSS - the small village was about 50 km from Ujjain and it is called Tarana. Tarana is a typical small town, population of about 20,000, primarily farmers. The town has children that run around naked and are happy to be. JSS has several income generating trainings going on out in this area from the girls and women of the area. These trainings include cutting and tailoring, beauty parlor, and mehndi - JSS also does literacy training for the mainy illiterate women in the village. it was amazing how energetic these girls and women were to be learning a trade - some of them had jobs, but realized that upon marriage they might have to move and may not find another job or so they are picking up a techinical skill so they can still work and earn money. About 85% of the girls and women i met did not want to be dependent upon their husbands or family members and wanted to be able to do their own work - earn their own money. now the true test is that after all the training if they actually go and do work. how they accomplish this and what happens next.
but before the village visit, we met up with a group of women that were travelling from Jawalpur (another district in Madhya Pradesh) to meet with a group of women near Tarana that have started a self-help group (SHG) that has grown from 10 member to 130 members! First off, let me tell you one thing, this is an amazing accomplishment for women in india to have such a large SHG - most are about 20 people and no larger. So to be able to manage a group of 130 people is amazing! so they came to learn how these women did it, how they manage it and what rules and regulations they have in place in order to make sure it runs smoothly...it was amazing to hear what these women had to say about it - i was in awe. I sat there and listened to all the good and bad things that have happened, eating it up alive! they have helped to increase the overall livelihood of the village - by simply saving a minimim of 30 rupees (.66 cents, $1=45 rupees)) each month and now, two years later, they have close to 400,000 rupees (~$8,900) ...now that much money is UNHEARD of in a village that small - but it shows you what women can do together saving just a minimum of 30 rupees each month. Now they have the ability to help each other out with moeny if they need to make their house better, their child has a health emergency, etc. And to date, no one has been late in making the monthly payments and no one has defaulted on their loan...damn - makes me smile ;-) gotta love it - i wish i could spend more time with them seeing how they operate and working with them and teaching them some awesome income generating projects, teach them some small business practices, etc. - work with them and see what more they could do! it was awesome to see that! cause you know within that group of 130 women, there have been business failures, learning and successes of work that they are currently doing - the social system that is in place to keep them growing and having women join them - amazing.
it is nice being out here and seeing such amazing things, but i know there is so much more - more villages that can do that - more work created so they don't have to just depend upon the monsoon rains and harvest in order to earn their money - by creating an economy within the village, then that would help to reduce the rural/urban migration that occurs seasonally and help families to ensure that their children and family members have access to education, proper food, housing, and other basic needs - especially water. Water in most of these area's is in shortage - with this money they could build a well or a water catcher in order to ensure that they have proper potable water - drinking water, bathing water, etc.
i met some of the most amazing people in the village - in fact, i enjoyed being around the people in the village much more than the people within the urban area. The simpleness of the life out there, the way they appreciate the little things and enjoy learning and understanding what more they can do in order to progress...in fact it reminded me of my time out in Nepal - in my small town of Sano Thimi they were appreciative of everything that i did, no matter how small. plus, the kids in the village just cracked me up - they all called me Sir and just would look at me! haha! the funniest part of it all is this, when i speak in hindi, they all laugh, then listen and then smile - and that makes me happy - it means that my sloppy hindi is actually making some sense! hahaha!
before i talk i tell them, my hindi is just like your english! tooty-footy, meaning broken! haha! and they all start to laugh - then i fully butcher more hindi words, stop and think and then say it a completely different way, then Siddarth or who ever is with me, translates my hindi into proper hindi! haha! it is awesome - i love it - so what i say, gets said about 4 times! haha!
till later -
