Pune and Mahabaleshwar
Excerpts
A. Living with Mira: I stayed with a family in Pune for the week - Mrs. Mira Dakin, her daughter Sunita, and the maid Lakshmi. It was interesting to fit into the routine of a household, and try my HKE in that context.
B. Various Encounters: Besides meeting Subash Tora (see earlier entries), I had several friendly encounters, mostly positive. I spent a day with Rajesh, a traditional meditator who described the imbalances of a call-center job; shared impressions of India with another American, Sarah; met a young couple on the bus to Mahabaleshwar, where we've been hanging out and cooked a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal; ran into a few groups of young men who described Osama bin Laden as a 'good man' (one carried his picture in his wallet); and others.
C. Shelter Associates: After visiting this NGO ('non-government organization' - basically a non-profit organization focusing on social change), meeting the staff and the director, and going to see a new housing development they had assisted with, I gave a donation of Rs. 3000 ($68). The money was for Baandhani, a newly-formed political organization of 'slumdwellers', to help hire slumdwellers to conduct surveys and raise awareness within their community.
D. Cooling Off: Struggling with the pollution, intensity, and 90-degree days, I headed to the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, where I'm getting some fresh air, calming down a bit, and processing my experiences. I continue the most enjoyable part of this project: talking with people and sharing questions, chai, songs, pictures, etc. To balance the willingness and humility I try to embody, I need to continually recenter myself. I do this best with yoga, drumming, and walking.
Elaborations
A. Living with Mira: Mira attended Swarthmore in the '60s, and works in an NGO that facilitates communication among NGOs, as well as organizes women's empowerment projects. She was born in California, but left during the Vietnam War and has been adopted by India. Her household is more than a little unconventional, but she's at least as Indian as I am American (she's been in India for almost twice as long as I've been alive!) Her daughter's boyfriend is living with them, and they have a good time. The maid, Lakshmi, is treated as an equal, and is learning to read. Mira herself is 'happily unmarried' to an Indian writer. (In my limited experience and knowledge, this is unconventional.)
The family was incredibly generous and helpful, giving me more than I expected or asked for - food, boiled water, privacy. The best I could do was buy them sweets and delicacies they hinted at: six-grain leavened bread and cheddar cheese. We shared as all families do: through conversations, outings, and eating. I left for Mahabaleshwar a little overwhelmed by their generosity, but feeling that I hadn't given the time to get to know them as well as I could. I would've loved to spend more time with them, but had always been a little too distracted and unwilling. Often I feel the same way about my family in Rhinebeck, NY, sadly.
from Mira's house: Laxmi the maid and Manjushri, a friend staying while she looks for a job in Environmental Technology. Mira wasn't around when I had my camera
B. Various Encounters:
Rajesh, a friend of Mira's, took me around town for a day. He's seriously into Vipassana meditation, and has been working in a call center for two months. He had an interesting perspective on what happens to your mind when you sleep all day, then sit in a cubicle all night long, telling people: "Hello, thank you for calling. My name is Robert Grimm, how may I help you?". His boss told him she "can't stand to see the sun". I really enjoyed talking with Rajesh about traditional Indian philosophy, globalisation, and many things in between.
I rented a bicycle in Pune. Traffic in India presupposes a mindfulness of others, and successfully navigating the people, animals, potholes, vendors, scooters, motorcycles, rickshaws, and cars induces a selfless state of interactive participation.
Some boys heard me practicing tabla, and we jammed together.
A young girl begged me for a rupee coin. I refused, but then accidentally dropped one while making a phone call. She grabbed it with a grin, but then gave it back to me. I couldn't help but give it to her for being honest.
Here in Mahabaleshwar, while walking I scared two chickens by the side of the road. They both ran into the middle of the road. One turned around and ran back, but the other crossed the road. I don't know why.
At a deserted viewpoint, some boys were painting a truck. They thought Osama bin Laden was 'a good man', and one had a photo in his wallet. I simply pointed out that Osama bin Laden hadn't done anything but kill thousands of innocent people, including many Indians and many Muslims. They gave me some watermelon, and said that American people weren't bad, but they didn't like the American government. When they asked why America re-elected Bush, I didn't know what to say.
On my way to see the sunset, I was picked up by a jeep full of young men. A few of them thought Osama bin Laden was 'king of the world'. As before, I reminded them that he had killed many innocent people, but why? I told them my younger sister was living in a skyscraper in New York City, attending college.
Anjali and Gagan are a young couple, secretly meeting for a holiday without their parents. They both work in call centers, and have a strange concept of American culture (as well as many hilarious stories about troubleshooting calls from Texas). I taught them how to play Hangman, and Anjali helped me fix my laptop. We had a sort of Thanksgiving dinner - convincing the hotel owners to let us cook chicken in the 'pure-veg' kitchen. Today I was bedridden with some serious food poisoning. They kept me company (when I wasn't sleeping), and brought me some rice and yoghurt. Gagan even fixed the clogged toilet. I was incredibly grateful. I'll visit his family when I return to Delhi (his mother is a math teacher who can tell me about teaching opportunities in India), and Gagan may visit my family when he heads to New York City next year for theater school.
Gagan and Anjali (she's looking at my laptop), in Mahabaleshwar. Sorry for the darkness.
C. Shelter Associates:
Of Pune's 2.5 million people, 45% are in slums. Yet, besides a basic census, the government has no demographic or geographic data on the slum areas. How do you help these people, when you don't know who they are, where they live, or how many public bathrooms they share? At a Sufi music concert I ran into Sarah, a young American of Pakistani descent who was working at Shelter Associates, where they hire slumdwellers to conduct surveys and raise awareness among their communities. They are collecting information on the slums, which can be used by the government and other NGOs, and they are doing it by employing slumdwellers themselves.
I visited the office of Shelter Associates, and met the staff and director. In addition to this project, they've helped Baandhani, a political group from the slums, to speak up and be heard in Pune government. On a micro-scale, they've helped one community's members secure loans in order to relocate to a new housing development, because their slum is in the path of a new bridge's construction.
With Sarah, I visited the new housing development. Forty percent of slumdwellers are unskilled construction workers, and they got to work to build their new homes. The flats are bigger and cleaner, with proper waste management and electricity, and with the potential for further additions. The people were very hopeful and grateful, but in a self-sufficient way.
the resettlement housing development that Shelter Associates assisted with, and some of the kids in the community
Remembering the story of Subash Tora, I felt Shelter Associates was doing a very good thing, and was particularly impressed that they were hiring slumdwellers to do it for themselves.
Sarah had written some case studies of families, to be used, along with a video, in presenting this successful resettlement project to other slums' organizations. She knew many families personally, and we were invited in and cooked a sweet dish of milk and nuts, as a late Eid celebration. Personally, I felt a little uncomfortable - via Sarah (who spoke fluent Hindi) I was gaining access to these people's lives in a way I couldn't have independently. They were overwhelmingly kind and generous, and I could only shut my mouth and try to listen.
Afterwards, Sarah and I went out on the town, enjoying the chance to compare thoughts and stories of life in India.
My purpose in India is to try and convey good will back and forth between the US and India. As far as this translates into giving semi-large amounts of money, to be used in a helpful, effective, and efficient way, it seems natural that there might be another link in the connection. In these contexts, US - Luke - local NGO - India seems to work best, with back and forth along each line. So by visiting organizations and seeing what work they do, I can still personally connect with the Indian people. And I find that in these situations, I walk away with a deeper understanding of India and people in general, and a few positive friendships.
D. Cooling Off: Mahabaleshwar is at 5000 ft, and every monsoon they get 20 ft of rain. I got my share of exploring, hiking, rock climbing, etc, but now I've got a stomach bug. Once I'm better, I'm heading to Sevagram, in the center of India, to visit the ashram that Gandhi set up in the name of service and sustainability.
Mahabaleshwar is known for its 'rasberries' and strawberries
a little cool green elevation
A. Living with Mira: I stayed with a family in Pune for the week - Mrs. Mira Dakin, her daughter Sunita, and the maid Lakshmi. It was interesting to fit into the routine of a household, and try my HKE in that context.
B. Various Encounters: Besides meeting Subash Tora (see earlier entries), I had several friendly encounters, mostly positive. I spent a day with Rajesh, a traditional meditator who described the imbalances of a call-center job; shared impressions of India with another American, Sarah; met a young couple on the bus to Mahabaleshwar, where we've been hanging out and cooked a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal; ran into a few groups of young men who described Osama bin Laden as a 'good man' (one carried his picture in his wallet); and others.
C. Shelter Associates: After visiting this NGO ('non-government organization' - basically a non-profit organization focusing on social change), meeting the staff and the director, and going to see a new housing development they had assisted with, I gave a donation of Rs. 3000 ($68). The money was for Baandhani, a newly-formed political organization of 'slumdwellers', to help hire slumdwellers to conduct surveys and raise awareness within their community.
D. Cooling Off: Struggling with the pollution, intensity, and 90-degree days, I headed to the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, where I'm getting some fresh air, calming down a bit, and processing my experiences. I continue the most enjoyable part of this project: talking with people and sharing questions, chai, songs, pictures, etc. To balance the willingness and humility I try to embody, I need to continually recenter myself. I do this best with yoga, drumming, and walking.
Elaborations
A. Living with Mira: Mira attended Swarthmore in the '60s, and works in an NGO that facilitates communication among NGOs, as well as organizes women's empowerment projects. She was born in California, but left during the Vietnam War and has been adopted by India. Her household is more than a little unconventional, but she's at least as Indian as I am American (she's been in India for almost twice as long as I've been alive!) Her daughter's boyfriend is living with them, and they have a good time. The maid, Lakshmi, is treated as an equal, and is learning to read. Mira herself is 'happily unmarried' to an Indian writer. (In my limited experience and knowledge, this is unconventional.)
The family was incredibly generous and helpful, giving me more than I expected or asked for - food, boiled water, privacy. The best I could do was buy them sweets and delicacies they hinted at: six-grain leavened bread and cheddar cheese. We shared as all families do: through conversations, outings, and eating. I left for Mahabaleshwar a little overwhelmed by their generosity, but feeling that I hadn't given the time to get to know them as well as I could. I would've loved to spend more time with them, but had always been a little too distracted and unwilling. Often I feel the same way about my family in Rhinebeck, NY, sadly.
from Mira's house: Laxmi the maid and Manjushri, a friend staying while she looks for a job in Environmental Technology. Mira wasn't around when I had my camera
B. Various Encounters:
Rajesh, a friend of Mira's, took me around town for a day. He's seriously into Vipassana meditation, and has been working in a call center for two months. He had an interesting perspective on what happens to your mind when you sleep all day, then sit in a cubicle all night long, telling people: "Hello, thank you for calling. My name is Robert Grimm, how may I help you?". His boss told him she "can't stand to see the sun". I really enjoyed talking with Rajesh about traditional Indian philosophy, globalisation, and many things in between.
I rented a bicycle in Pune. Traffic in India presupposes a mindfulness of others, and successfully navigating the people, animals, potholes, vendors, scooters, motorcycles, rickshaws, and cars induces a selfless state of interactive participation.
Some boys heard me practicing tabla, and we jammed together.
A young girl begged me for a rupee coin. I refused, but then accidentally dropped one while making a phone call. She grabbed it with a grin, but then gave it back to me. I couldn't help but give it to her for being honest.
Here in Mahabaleshwar, while walking I scared two chickens by the side of the road. They both ran into the middle of the road. One turned around and ran back, but the other crossed the road. I don't know why.
At a deserted viewpoint, some boys were painting a truck. They thought Osama bin Laden was 'a good man', and one had a photo in his wallet. I simply pointed out that Osama bin Laden hadn't done anything but kill thousands of innocent people, including many Indians and many Muslims. They gave me some watermelon, and said that American people weren't bad, but they didn't like the American government. When they asked why America re-elected Bush, I didn't know what to say.
On my way to see the sunset, I was picked up by a jeep full of young men. A few of them thought Osama bin Laden was 'king of the world'. As before, I reminded them that he had killed many innocent people, but why? I told them my younger sister was living in a skyscraper in New York City, attending college.
Anjali and Gagan are a young couple, secretly meeting for a holiday without their parents. They both work in call centers, and have a strange concept of American culture (as well as many hilarious stories about troubleshooting calls from Texas). I taught them how to play Hangman, and Anjali helped me fix my laptop. We had a sort of Thanksgiving dinner - convincing the hotel owners to let us cook chicken in the 'pure-veg' kitchen. Today I was bedridden with some serious food poisoning. They kept me company (when I wasn't sleeping), and brought me some rice and yoghurt. Gagan even fixed the clogged toilet. I was incredibly grateful. I'll visit his family when I return to Delhi (his mother is a math teacher who can tell me about teaching opportunities in India), and Gagan may visit my family when he heads to New York City next year for theater school.
Gagan and Anjali (she's looking at my laptop), in Mahabaleshwar. Sorry for the darkness.
C. Shelter Associates:
Of Pune's 2.5 million people, 45% are in slums. Yet, besides a basic census, the government has no demographic or geographic data on the slum areas. How do you help these people, when you don't know who they are, where they live, or how many public bathrooms they share? At a Sufi music concert I ran into Sarah, a young American of Pakistani descent who was working at Shelter Associates, where they hire slumdwellers to conduct surveys and raise awareness among their communities. They are collecting information on the slums, which can be used by the government and other NGOs, and they are doing it by employing slumdwellers themselves.
I visited the office of Shelter Associates, and met the staff and director. In addition to this project, they've helped Baandhani, a political group from the slums, to speak up and be heard in Pune government. On a micro-scale, they've helped one community's members secure loans in order to relocate to a new housing development, because their slum is in the path of a new bridge's construction.
With Sarah, I visited the new housing development. Forty percent of slumdwellers are unskilled construction workers, and they got to work to build their new homes. The flats are bigger and cleaner, with proper waste management and electricity, and with the potential for further additions. The people were very hopeful and grateful, but in a self-sufficient way.
the resettlement housing development that Shelter Associates assisted with, and some of the kids in the community
Remembering the story of Subash Tora, I felt Shelter Associates was doing a very good thing, and was particularly impressed that they were hiring slumdwellers to do it for themselves.
Sarah had written some case studies of families, to be used, along with a video, in presenting this successful resettlement project to other slums' organizations. She knew many families personally, and we were invited in and cooked a sweet dish of milk and nuts, as a late Eid celebration. Personally, I felt a little uncomfortable - via Sarah (who spoke fluent Hindi) I was gaining access to these people's lives in a way I couldn't have independently. They were overwhelmingly kind and generous, and I could only shut my mouth and try to listen.
Afterwards, Sarah and I went out on the town, enjoying the chance to compare thoughts and stories of life in India.
My purpose in India is to try and convey good will back and forth between the US and India. As far as this translates into giving semi-large amounts of money, to be used in a helpful, effective, and efficient way, it seems natural that there might be another link in the connection. In these contexts, US - Luke - local NGO - India seems to work best, with back and forth along each line. So by visiting organizations and seeing what work they do, I can still personally connect with the Indian people. And I find that in these situations, I walk away with a deeper understanding of India and people in general, and a few positive friendships.
D. Cooling Off: Mahabaleshwar is at 5000 ft, and every monsoon they get 20 ft of rain. I got my share of exploring, hiking, rock climbing, etc, but now I've got a stomach bug. Once I'm better, I'm heading to Sevagram, in the center of India, to visit the ashram that Gandhi set up in the name of service and sustainability.
Mahabaleshwar is known for its 'rasberries' and strawberries
a little cool green elevation
posted by Luke Wolcott at 6:22 AM
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