Namaste! It has been a little bit since my last entry and I am sure you may have noticed the lack of new photographs on my blog. Unfortunately, I have been having trouble recently posting pictures, so I am sad to say you may have to await my return until you get some new shots. Anyways, Tim left our company around the 22nd of March and Kat and I saw him off in Calcutta. His departure from the home was quite sad as many of the girls started crying and I know they will miss him dearly. On Tim's final day in Calcutta, we went to the zoo and saw many animals including the famous white tiger. We also went to a tea shop and I learned quite a few new facts about tea harvesting and which seasons yield the best Darjeeling tea (the second or spring). Since Tim has made his departure things at the home have returned to normal. The girls still lavish us with love and handmade cards. Sundays are still filled with dance classes, milk in our tea, and now chicken curry. I feel Sundays are the best day of the week!! I do love shaking it to Indian dances in dance class. However a few things are a bit different.
The girls spend a bit more time braiding our hair and doing girly things. Also, it has gotten too hot to play outside at game time so we have taken to cards: rummy, uno, slap jack, and go fish. Also, there is this awesome game played with chip type object and flicking them with your fingers... its kind of like pool. Also, our food has gotten spiced up!!! Yeah! Tim (no offence tim) liked things a bit bland and had trouble with different types of food. Now Kat and I have a greater variety of foods to eat since we are more adventurous eaters and often eat the same food as the girls. Also, Swarnali and Mrs. Roy left the home to pursue other interests. Therefore, in the mean time Mrs. Purkait has been head of the home and Kat and I have taken on a few more responsibilities. Luckily this time period has come during the Bengali girls school break, so they are not here and are home on holiday. So there are fewer girls to look after. Sadly the eldest Hindi girls are also gone for good. They have completed the highest Hindi grade at the school here in Ranaghat and will now attend a new school and move to a new home. It was very sad to see them leave as they cried freely at leaving all their friends and their home for the past few years. We made them farewell cards and waved good bye as they left, feeling sad at knowing we may never see them again.
Around Easter Kat and I organized an Easter egg hunt for the girls. They seemed to love it, especially all the candy. Who can blame them?? Ha ha. Other than that things have been quite relaxing as the girls have been having holiday which means less studies (as they were in between grades and had some time off from school) and a few more hours of tv and play time. That's all i have time for now. namaste again.
alison
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Armritsar, Agra, and the Taj
Armritsar is in the state of Punjab and has a population of about one million. It is also home to many Sikhs as the city is home to their holiest temple "The Golden Temple". The golden temple is a marble and gold plated gurdwara with a golden dome (gilded with 750kg of pure gold)that glitters in the middle of a holy pool of water (with nice Koi fish swimming in it) where the Sikhs bathe. The pool called Amrit Sarov or pool of nectar and gives the town its name. The dome represents an inverted lotus flower a symbol of Sikh devotees' aim to live a pure life. Four priests inside the temple keep up a continuous chant braodcasted over live speakers around the temple. Very cool. The chant is in Gurmukhi from the Sikh holy book: the Guru Granth Sahib. This is one of the very reasons the temple is the most sacred of their religion. The book is kept in the temple during the day and then brought out and placed in a special place during the night, with much processions.
Prior to entering the temple, we had to wash our feet and cover our heads with shawls. Once inside we walked around clockwise as is custom. We did not enter the main temple area because of the long line and not being Sikh or knowing their customs. However the Sikh people are a very welcoming sort. Their religion started because the founder was disillusioned with both Islam and Hinduism. It does not follow or believe in casts as all are welcome to join in ceremonies. Also, each temple has a huge area where all are allowed to share a meal (made by volunteers) regardless of race, religion, or class. Sort of a big stick it to the Hindu religion. The Brahmans are very particular about who they can eat with and who can touch their food. However, like all other areas in India we were asked to be in countess photographs with Indians or holding their children. ha ha After the beautiful golden temple, whose beauty is hard to explain, we headed over to Jallianwala Bagh which is right next door.
On April 13th 1919 British authorities open fired on 20,000 unarmed Indians having a peaceful protest regarding the Rowlatt Act (which gave British authorities the right to imprison Indians suspected of sedition). The park where the Indians were meeting is called the Jallianwala Bagh and is an open space surrounded by high walls. This meant the Indian people had no way to escape the gunfire. Open fire for 6 minutes left more that 600 dead and many many more injured. While a horrific event, it galvanized Gandhi's civil disobedience plan and Indian nationalism. It was a turning point in Indian history and the park is now a memorial. You can still see bullet holes in the walls. I found Amritsar to be quite an enjoyable part of the trip and after a tasty lunch we took a train to Agra.
We arrived in Agra on March 13th. Agra is in the state of Uttar Pradesh and by the 16th century it was a part of the Mughal empire. Prior to Delhi Agra was the state capital. It is sort of a sprawled out city with low lying building, very different in structure than Calcutta. However, it too is polluted as it used to be a center for heavy industry until tourism to the Taj became very fruitful. Since the Taj Mahal was closed, we first went to tour the Red Fort. The Red Fort is a massive red sandstone fort constructed by emperor Akbar in 1565 and is one of the finest Moghal forts in India. The emperors grandson Shah Jahan then transformed it into a palace and made some marble additions. Shah Jahan is the man who had the Taj Mahal built, and in an ironic twist of fate he was put in prison in the Fort for 8 years and could only stare at the Taj through a window. The entrance to the fort is a bridge over a moat that back in the day was filled with crocodiles. Now it is all dried up. You can see the Taj Mahal in the background and I thought the fort was very beautiful and i took many photos; it is in impeccable condition. After viewing the fort we took an autorickshaw to the Mahtab Bagh: the gardens behind the Taj Mehal. Here we watched the most beautiful sunset I have seen yet in India. The sun is just so huge and bright red and the Taj was not a bad sight too. The sandy area is filled with young children begging for money, asking for sweets, and pens. You definately feel that you are in India.
The Taj Mahal is a surreal experiecne said to be " a teardrop on the face of eternity" it was built by emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his 2nd wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took 21 years to build the Taj (from 1631 to 1653) and their were 20,000 people working on it. Specialists were brought in to make the exquisite marble screen and pietra dura (marble inlay work) made with thousands of semi precious stone. The taj is made of semi translucent white marble carved with flowers, set stonesm scrollwork and quotes from the Quran. By 1666 Shah Jahan was dead and was then buried next to his wife thus it holds them both in the basement far from sight. The gardens at the entrance form a classic Mughal charbagh line with a square quartered with water and fountains. The Taj itself stands on a raised platform,. 40 meter high marble minarets stand on the 4 corners and lean slightly outward a plan in case there was an earthquake so the taj would not be damaged.
There is a red sandstone mosque on the left side and a mirror image sandstone building on the right. In total we spent 5 hours touring the area and soaking it all in.
Surprisingly there was not much sitting around as it took a long time to travel the grounds and see everything. I must have taken a gazillion photographs. However, it was practically impossible to get a direct shot of the front line since there were so many people. If you did manage one you probably have some random person and the Taj now in your album. There really are many many people there, and you can't blame them as I can see why it is one of the 7 man made wonders of the world. Inside the tomb no photography is allowed and it was surprisingly dark. We stayed until sunset. It was a weird feeling leaving after staying all day and knowing you may never see it all again. We also saw the baby Taj prior to the Taj which was the first Indian building to use white marble, inlay work, and Pietra dura. I thought the inlay and stone work was more beautiful than the Taj although it was not on quite as large a scale. I am so lucky to have been able to enjoy the Taj and I am very thankful for this experience.
Prior to entering the temple, we had to wash our feet and cover our heads with shawls. Once inside we walked around clockwise as is custom. We did not enter the main temple area because of the long line and not being Sikh or knowing their customs. However the Sikh people are a very welcoming sort. Their religion started because the founder was disillusioned with both Islam and Hinduism. It does not follow or believe in casts as all are welcome to join in ceremonies. Also, each temple has a huge area where all are allowed to share a meal (made by volunteers) regardless of race, religion, or class. Sort of a big stick it to the Hindu religion. The Brahmans are very particular about who they can eat with and who can touch their food. However, like all other areas in India we were asked to be in countess photographs with Indians or holding their children. ha ha After the beautiful golden temple, whose beauty is hard to explain, we headed over to Jallianwala Bagh which is right next door.
On April 13th 1919 British authorities open fired on 20,000 unarmed Indians having a peaceful protest regarding the Rowlatt Act (which gave British authorities the right to imprison Indians suspected of sedition). The park where the Indians were meeting is called the Jallianwala Bagh and is an open space surrounded by high walls. This meant the Indian people had no way to escape the gunfire. Open fire for 6 minutes left more that 600 dead and many many more injured. While a horrific event, it galvanized Gandhi's civil disobedience plan and Indian nationalism. It was a turning point in Indian history and the park is now a memorial. You can still see bullet holes in the walls. I found Amritsar to be quite an enjoyable part of the trip and after a tasty lunch we took a train to Agra.
We arrived in Agra on March 13th. Agra is in the state of Uttar Pradesh and by the 16th century it was a part of the Mughal empire. Prior to Delhi Agra was the state capital. It is sort of a sprawled out city with low lying building, very different in structure than Calcutta. However, it too is polluted as it used to be a center for heavy industry until tourism to the Taj became very fruitful. Since the Taj Mahal was closed, we first went to tour the Red Fort. The Red Fort is a massive red sandstone fort constructed by emperor Akbar in 1565 and is one of the finest Moghal forts in India. The emperors grandson Shah Jahan then transformed it into a palace and made some marble additions. Shah Jahan is the man who had the Taj Mahal built, and in an ironic twist of fate he was put in prison in the Fort for 8 years and could only stare at the Taj through a window. The entrance to the fort is a bridge over a moat that back in the day was filled with crocodiles. Now it is all dried up. You can see the Taj Mahal in the background and I thought the fort was very beautiful and i took many photos; it is in impeccable condition. After viewing the fort we took an autorickshaw to the Mahtab Bagh: the gardens behind the Taj Mehal. Here we watched the most beautiful sunset I have seen yet in India. The sun is just so huge and bright red and the Taj was not a bad sight too. The sandy area is filled with young children begging for money, asking for sweets, and pens. You definately feel that you are in India.
The Taj Mahal is a surreal experiecne said to be " a teardrop on the face of eternity" it was built by emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his 2nd wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took 21 years to build the Taj (from 1631 to 1653) and their were 20,000 people working on it. Specialists were brought in to make the exquisite marble screen and pietra dura (marble inlay work) made with thousands of semi precious stone. The taj is made of semi translucent white marble carved with flowers, set stonesm scrollwork and quotes from the Quran. By 1666 Shah Jahan was dead and was then buried next to his wife thus it holds them both in the basement far from sight. The gardens at the entrance form a classic Mughal charbagh line with a square quartered with water and fountains. The Taj itself stands on a raised platform,. 40 meter high marble minarets stand on the 4 corners and lean slightly outward a plan in case there was an earthquake so the taj would not be damaged.
There is a red sandstone mosque on the left side and a mirror image sandstone building on the right. In total we spent 5 hours touring the area and soaking it all in.
Surprisingly there was not much sitting around as it took a long time to travel the grounds and see everything. I must have taken a gazillion photographs. However, it was practically impossible to get a direct shot of the front line since there were so many people. If you did manage one you probably have some random person and the Taj now in your album. There really are many many people there, and you can't blame them as I can see why it is one of the 7 man made wonders of the world. Inside the tomb no photography is allowed and it was surprisingly dark. We stayed until sunset. It was a weird feeling leaving after staying all day and knowing you may never see it all again. We also saw the baby Taj prior to the Taj which was the first Indian building to use white marble, inlay work, and Pietra dura. I thought the inlay and stone work was more beautiful than the Taj although it was not on quite as large a scale. I am so lucky to have been able to enjoy the Taj and I am very thankful for this experience.
Holi
Holi is a wonderful festival celebrated on the full moon in the beginning of March to celebrate the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated first with burning bon fires to ward off the evil spirit Holika and then throwing tons of bright colored powder called gulal at anyone within range!! Ha Ha. Himachal Pradesh celebrated Holi this year on the 10th while other areas celebrated in on the 11th (My 25th birthday by the way!). Since we were traveling we were struck by the flights of color and dancing and music twice! In Manikaran after bathing in the hot springs we were covered with the gulal by everyone. People seemed to take great pleasure on tossing the powder on us! Even on the drive towards the temple everywhere were boys loitering on the streets or rideing in groups on top of trucks stopping cars and tossing powder. It is like one giant game that the whole country is in on. On the 11th, the day was filled with a car ride from Kullu Valley to Armritsar, while the journey was only suppose to take around 9 hours we got a flat tire so it took 12 instead. However, during our breakdown we were covered with Happy holiness again by a group of pink powdered women. Mr. Roy told them it was my birthday and they took a special interest in covering me in colors. It was a memorable birthday and we all spent the day powdered up and sticky in a the car.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Adventures in India
Namaste! It seems like a daunting task to write about all the amazing sights, sounds, and adventures of my two week trip traveling around India. I will do my best to highlight some of my favorite moments from traveling around the northwestern area of India from march 3rd to the 17th. Well it all started with a two day train ride from Calcutta to Shimla. Boy oh Boy is the train quite the experience. I definitely saw first hand how tight knit India's extended families are!! We shared our seat section on the train with a family who (when we did not have the bunks up for sleeping) crammed all 12 of their relatives in with us for the journey in seats made to fit 8!! Ha ha, while they were very nice, I was obviously excited to change trains on the last leg up to Shimla. The last leg consisted of a 5 and a half hour ride on a toy train on a narrow gauge line constructed in 1903. It traveled through 104 tunnels and around the ridges of mountains with views that were absolutely breathtaking.
Shimla is the state capital of Eastern Himachal Pradesh (the state) and it started as a summer retreat for the Raj. It is strung out along a 12 Km ridge and is 1,000m above sea level. It is cooler up there, with beautiful views and peaks. Also, it is a bit cleaner and more upscale than the area in West Bengal. This is due to the tourism (fancy coffee shops and stores) and laws banning: spitting, plastic bags, littering, and smoking. We toured the town and due to the elevation and steep hills you definitely could feel it being a little harder to breath. One day we headed into Kufra and rode horses along a 4km hike up to a temple on the mountain. The view was beautiful and you could see the Himalaya's in the far distance. Also at the top you could take photos with yaks, snakes, and Indians dressed in traditional ware. There also were food stalls, a temple, vendors, and an amusement park in the distance. I saved my rupees :-D. Next we headed to Naldehra for a hike in a cedar forest. To finish we went to the Jakhu Temple.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about this area of India are the monkeys. They absolutely are everywhere and the Jakhu temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god) is overflowing with them. Unfortunately, here they are so used to humans they are quite vicious and you are handed big sticks to try to keep them away. Kat and I were not given sticks (they handed them to the men) and the monkeys came after us. I tried to scare one off but it was not scared of me and our driver had to come to my rescue with his stick. Ha ha. Despite this I loved watching their antics, they are like little people. I also loved Shimla but we were off to Manali.
It took 8 and a half hours to journey by car to manali. The elevation is 2050 meters and the town is surrounded by white capped mountains that are the base of the Himalayan mountain range. According to Hindu legend Manu (the Hindi equivalent of Noah) landed his boat here to recreate human life after the flood. It was quite cold and I had to wear all my clothing, (in the hotel too, since none use heat) but it was exhilarating to be in the Himalayan Range. We went towards the Rotang Pass, but only could travel part of the way as it was still closed for the winter. Like many around us we stopped and enjoyed the sight. We took loads of photographs, and enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience. Also here were hawkers, and skiers, and snow mobiles, and the largest fluffiest bunnies to take photos with in the world... I swear. I didn't take a photo but I just loved the bunnies and always tried to pet them. We went to the nearby Vashisht Town with hot bath springs and temples and it is a sort of hippie town in the mountains. Back in Manali we went to the Hidimba Devi temple erected in 1553 of stone mandir and wood. We also went to a Buddhist monastery where inside there is a two story statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha: ie the thin one not the chubby Buddha). This was my favorite so far as I loved all the bright bright colors and prayer flags. I also thoroughly enjoyed turning the meditative wheels surrounding the building and chanting the oms. Manali also had wonderful parks and souvenir shopping for all you at home!
After Shimla we headed off to the Kullu Valley and on to Maikaran (meaning Jewel from the ear). According to local legend a snake stole the Jewel from Parvart while she was bathing then snorting them into the earth releasing hot springs. Here the springs are hot enough to boil rice. Some of the springs are mixed with cool water for baths. Inside were female only baths where Kat and I went and outside and in a separate inside room ones for men. They are like huge hot tubs only people actually bathe in them. And the best part about this trip was that it was the day to celebrate Holi..... the best festival of all......
Shimla is the state capital of Eastern Himachal Pradesh (the state) and it started as a summer retreat for the Raj. It is strung out along a 12 Km ridge and is 1,000m above sea level. It is cooler up there, with beautiful views and peaks. Also, it is a bit cleaner and more upscale than the area in West Bengal. This is due to the tourism (fancy coffee shops and stores) and laws banning: spitting, plastic bags, littering, and smoking. We toured the town and due to the elevation and steep hills you definitely could feel it being a little harder to breath. One day we headed into Kufra and rode horses along a 4km hike up to a temple on the mountain. The view was beautiful and you could see the Himalaya's in the far distance. Also at the top you could take photos with yaks, snakes, and Indians dressed in traditional ware. There also were food stalls, a temple, vendors, and an amusement park in the distance. I saved my rupees :-D. Next we headed to Naldehra for a hike in a cedar forest. To finish we went to the Jakhu Temple.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about this area of India are the monkeys. They absolutely are everywhere and the Jakhu temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god) is overflowing with them. Unfortunately, here they are so used to humans they are quite vicious and you are handed big sticks to try to keep them away. Kat and I were not given sticks (they handed them to the men) and the monkeys came after us. I tried to scare one off but it was not scared of me and our driver had to come to my rescue with his stick. Ha ha. Despite this I loved watching their antics, they are like little people. I also loved Shimla but we were off to Manali.
It took 8 and a half hours to journey by car to manali. The elevation is 2050 meters and the town is surrounded by white capped mountains that are the base of the Himalayan mountain range. According to Hindu legend Manu (the Hindi equivalent of Noah) landed his boat here to recreate human life after the flood. It was quite cold and I had to wear all my clothing, (in the hotel too, since none use heat) but it was exhilarating to be in the Himalayan Range. We went towards the Rotang Pass, but only could travel part of the way as it was still closed for the winter. Like many around us we stopped and enjoyed the sight. We took loads of photographs, and enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience. Also here were hawkers, and skiers, and snow mobiles, and the largest fluffiest bunnies to take photos with in the world... I swear. I didn't take a photo but I just loved the bunnies and always tried to pet them. We went to the nearby Vashisht Town with hot bath springs and temples and it is a sort of hippie town in the mountains. Back in Manali we went to the Hidimba Devi temple erected in 1553 of stone mandir and wood. We also went to a Buddhist monastery where inside there is a two story statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha: ie the thin one not the chubby Buddha). This was my favorite so far as I loved all the bright bright colors and prayer flags. I also thoroughly enjoyed turning the meditative wheels surrounding the building and chanting the oms. Manali also had wonderful parks and souvenir shopping for all you at home!
After Shimla we headed off to the Kullu Valley and on to Maikaran (meaning Jewel from the ear). According to local legend a snake stole the Jewel from Parvart while she was bathing then snorting them into the earth releasing hot springs. Here the springs are hot enough to boil rice. Some of the springs are mixed with cool water for baths. Inside were female only baths where Kat and I went and outside and in a separate inside room ones for men. They are like huge hot tubs only people actually bathe in them. And the best part about this trip was that it was the day to celebrate Holi..... the best festival of all......
Monday, March 2, 2009
Final Day in Ranchi Village Re-Construction Program
For our final day in at the Ranchi YMCA we were very fortunate to be taken to tour their village re-construction program conducted in the 68 villages of Maranghada. The programs there are as follows: a children's school in 5 villages and 1 night school, indigenous and tribal sports, games, songs, and dance, agricultural extension program with in support of Birsa Agriculture, health care programs, food for work programs, construction of roads, tanks, wells, electricity, and small irrigation canals, vocational programs (tailoring, typing, bamboo handicraft, bee keeping, tile making, pickle processing, oil extraction, village marketing), awareness programs of witchcraft/superstition, AIDS, population expansion, environment, and hygiene, and promotion of community forestry, conservation, and alternative energy. Whew!!!!!
After over an hour drive we arrived at the Y headquarters to a wonderful welcoming of tribal song and dance. They gifted us with many lei's of flower garlands. We also joined in the traditional dance. The people of these villages are tribal people, therefore their language is not Hindi or Bengali but one of the many tribal languages present throughout India. Therefore, whenever we spoke we needed two interpreters!! One to put the tribal language into Hindi or Bengali then another person to translate into English! Anyways after the welcoming dance we visited the villages that are 3rd world status. Here the teacher must go door to door to collect children for school because the parent often would prefer their help out in the field. There are only 1 or 2 crops of rice cultivation a year as this area tends to be very dry. Many of the villages have no electricity and they are very very poor. These villages truly are without any modern amenities or lifestyle. It is a bit hard to explain all we saw and I am running out of computer time :-D
So to sum up the trip we also saw some of the programs stated above being enacted and visited a man whom produces honey which was quite tasty and we brought some back with us. We had a delicious lunch prepared in the traditional way cooked over wood burning fires and headed back to Ranchi. From Ranchi we caught our train home. We were very thankful to M. Sagna for all his and the Y's hospitality and the programs we saw and the way they helped the people of India will truly never be forgotten.
After over an hour drive we arrived at the Y headquarters to a wonderful welcoming of tribal song and dance. They gifted us with many lei's of flower garlands. We also joined in the traditional dance. The people of these villages are tribal people, therefore their language is not Hindi or Bengali but one of the many tribal languages present throughout India. Therefore, whenever we spoke we needed two interpreters!! One to put the tribal language into Hindi or Bengali then another person to translate into English! Anyways after the welcoming dance we visited the villages that are 3rd world status. Here the teacher must go door to door to collect children for school because the parent often would prefer their help out in the field. There are only 1 or 2 crops of rice cultivation a year as this area tends to be very dry. Many of the villages have no electricity and they are very very poor. These villages truly are without any modern amenities or lifestyle. It is a bit hard to explain all we saw and I am running out of computer time :-D
So to sum up the trip we also saw some of the programs stated above being enacted and visited a man whom produces honey which was quite tasty and we brought some back with us. We had a delicious lunch prepared in the traditional way cooked over wood burning fires and headed back to Ranchi. From Ranchi we caught our train home. We were very thankful to M. Sagna for all his and the Y's hospitality and the programs we saw and the way they helped the people of India will truly never be forgotten.
Ranchi 2nd Day Vocational Programs
On our second day in Ranchi, we were given a full tour and explanation of the vocational programs. At the main YMCA center, the building hosts numerous vocational classes for educated youth looking to further their studies, drop-out youth needing some vocational training, and anyone else whom cares to participate. The Y charges a nominal fee which is much more accessible to the lower income classes, than attending a different university or training program. There also our opportunities for scholarships. The classes range from 3 months to a year and a half and after completion the students are awarded certificates of completion. There is training in computer, typing, stenography and Banking/Railway/SSC Coaching, and Government Exam coaching, all of which are needed for government employment positions. There are also classes in English, Tailoring and Embroidery, Fabric and oil painting, knitting, Fine Arts, Stitching and Beautification classes. Many of the students have also formed a Uni-Y program which organizes Career Guidance classes, job fairs, debates, seminars, cultural programs, and sports and recreational activities. After viewing the vocational programs we toured the school.
In conjugation to the vocational programs the two main centers, the center of Ranchi and one in Thulwa (near the city), also house primary schools. The schools will soon be certified by the state as primary schools which is necessary for the students to get proper admittance to high school. The school in Thulwa was very nice and they are looking to actually build a high school. The children here get a very good education and like all Y funded programs the school helps with funding to reach out to lower class families in order to provide an education to all.
Finally we also were given the wonderful opportunity to be present at the certification ceremony at the vocational center in Ranchi. Many of the girls we had met the previous day at the vocational room in the slum were present to receive their certificate. In a total surprise, we were asked to give the certificates themselves to the students as they were named. We spoke some words of congratulations and acknowledged their hard work and new found skills. Then there was an open room discussion as the women asked questions about us,the United States, and our impressions of India. They really seemed to like us, and requested taking many photographs with us. It was quite an uplifting day, and a bit more light of emotion than the day prior.
In conjugation to the vocational programs the two main centers, the center of Ranchi and one in Thulwa (near the city), also house primary schools. The schools will soon be certified by the state as primary schools which is necessary for the students to get proper admittance to high school. The school in Thulwa was very nice and they are looking to actually build a high school. The children here get a very good education and like all Y funded programs the school helps with funding to reach out to lower class families in order to provide an education to all.
Finally we also were given the wonderful opportunity to be present at the certification ceremony at the vocational center in Ranchi. Many of the girls we had met the previous day at the vocational room in the slum were present to receive their certificate. In a total surprise, we were asked to give the certificates themselves to the students as they were named. We spoke some words of congratulations and acknowledged their hard work and new found skills. Then there was an open room discussion as the women asked questions about us,the United States, and our impressions of India. They really seemed to like us, and requested taking many photographs with us. It was quite an uplifting day, and a bit more light of emotion than the day prior.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Visit to Ranchi YMCA USDP Program
On February 21st, Mr. Sampson, Kat, Tim, and I set off for a 5 day visit to the YMCA of Ranchi. Ranchi is the capital city of the state of Jarkhand, which is west of our state of West Bengal. We boarded an evening train from Calcutta's Howra station and it was quite an experience. We traveled sleeper class, one of the less expensive classes, and unlike the trains in the United States, every seats folds into a flat bunk bed. I must admit, while it is definitely more comfortable then traveling overnight on the U.S. Amtrak, I did not sleep well. However, that is to be expected. Anyways, we arrived around 7am in Ranchi and Mr. Sanga the general secretary of the Ranchi YMCA was eagerly awaiting for us at the station.
Mr. Sanga took us in a Y vehicle to a christian convent/conference center where we were to stay during our visit. We then met with the general secretaries of the Ranchi YMCA and had introductions. The debriefing was quite nice where we were given a very comprehensive and jam packed schedule for our visit and much reading materials about the Ranchi YMCA and their programs. We then headed off to start our first day that showed us the Ranchi's Urban Slum Development Program (USDP).
The USDP was started in 1969 as a means for the Y to better help the community, especially the members of the very poor living in the slums. Today, it serves 11 slums in the city of Ranchi. It gives an emphasis on Children's education with a free mid-day lunch, Health Care, Adult Education, Youth Forum, Construction of Roads, Drainage, Sinking Tube wells, Legal Aid, and people's action group. Presently the Y has adopted 2700 children including 1770 studying in schools of Ranchi City and 300 older youths who study at the University of Ranchi. The USDP has helped 90 slum children to graduate from the University and become gainfully employed. Therefore, our first visit was to the Islam Nagar Children's School.
The Islam Nagar Children's School provides nursery and early education to children of the slums. The teachers teach the children basics, and this classroom was quite nice as it has donated desks and chairs. The free lunch meal is very important for quite a few reasons, first the slum children are often undernourished and this provides at least one satisfactory nutritious meal per day. Many of the people of the slum struggle to be able to have a consistent and steady supply of food, and it is not guaranteed that they will have food everyday. Not only does the food program help keep the children fed, but it insures their participation in the school day. It is often hard to get children in the slums to school as the family needs them for other tasks and sometimes the importance of school is not considered to outweigh the benefits of keeping the child at home. However, a free meal is often enough to get the children into the classroom. After our visit where the children sang songs we headed over to the YMCA's health care center set up right next door.
The Y health care center is a very important asset to the community. Here the people of Islam Nagar and 10 other slums and the general public can receive real medical care at a very nominal expense. While the Health Care center can not afford to give free care, it charges a very low fee. For example, it provides important child vaccinations that run around 500 rupees anywhere else for about 20 rupees. In addition to vaccinations the health care center provides both in and out patient care, health education classes for the community, nursing care, family planning, pre-natal and ante-natal facilities, and mother and child care. It also has 15 beds, and an ambulance. It also organizes free eye clinics, tubectomy, and campaigns against the development of leprosy and tuberculosis which still run rampant in the slums. After our visit to the health care center we went to visit people affected by these very illnesses. First we arrived at the Overbridge Children's School.
The Overbridge Children's school is literally a classroom established under a bridge in a slum. Therefore, it is open aired and consists mainly of a blanket for the children to sit on, and some teaching tools like flash card etc. There is a shanty room built on the side where the cook lives and sleeps to ensure that all the cooking utensils are kept safe. Here like at all the nursery/early education schools the children receive free lunches. Like all the slum YMCA sponsored schools, after a certain age the Y helps to sponsor the enrollment to the children into the various 65 primary schools in the city of Ranaghat. The Y also helps to provide school supplies and uniforms. For the children in the slum school donated clothing is also given. The children at the Overbridge school are very special, and in fact almost all come from the nearby leprosy colony. The children of the leprosy colony do not suffer from the disease themselves, it is their parents whom have the illness. After the children showed us how they could count, we continued on to the leprosy colony.
Many of the people of the colony were out and about busy with their day. This often includes begging, as the life of a leper is very hard. There hands are worn away from the illness and in addition to the physical limitations that come with leprosy there is a stigmatization against people with the illness. For fear of contamination along with their disability they can not get jobs. The people in this colony have been receiving their medication which makes leprosy not contagious if taken properly. However, it is an atrocious illness. Not only is it very painful, but is spreads across your body slowly eating away at limbs and body parts that ooze from decay. While the people we met were severely afflicted with withered body parts, the disease could not capture their smiles as they shown across their faces. These Indians were the most welcoming of the people who live in the slums, with their bright smiles and namastes. The YMCA has helped the colony by providing the children's school, setting up clean water, providing a room for the community to meet as one, helping to fund special events (such as providing the rice for community celebrations) and they are looking into raising funds to help raise the wall around their area a few feet. They are also planning on building a women's bathroom area so they can have privacy from the public. The Y also helps distribute the medicine that is sponsored by the government. We then headed off to see one of the vocational training centers set up in the Grihni slum.
We arrived at a one roomed building, filled with beautiful women and teenage girls and their crafting material. This is a vocational center set up by the YMCA and now with the help of the community is a bit more self-reliant focusing on its own goals. In the morning the room functions as a classroom and in the afternoon a room where the women can learn, sewing, embroidery, fabric painting, typing, and stitching. The programs range from months to about a year and at the end their is a skills test and then a certificate is awarded. This is very important to the women as they will have a means to earn money for their household. Not only does this help bring needed money to the families, but the women do not need to be as dependent on their fathers and husbands for money. The teacher at this particular center is so well known for her skills and teaching ability that women come from very far away just to attend her classes. Her teaching skills must be superb as the hand embroidery work is astounding. The pieces created are so beautiful it is absolutely amazing to see the end products. Some of the women have an undenied talent, and this will hopefully help them find work in the future. Also after graduation the if a women would like to purchase her own sewing machine to start a business the YMCA will pay for half and the women must save up money or take out a loan from their co-op to pay for the other half. I will discuss more about the vocational programs later as we visited ones at the YMCA main center the next day. These women were probably my favorite people of Ranchi as the girls who were our age were so happy to meet us. They gave us flower garlands, sang beautiful songs, and asked us numerous questions about ourselves and the United States. Despite their poverty, they carried themselves with such an uplifting spirit, grace, and beauty.
That evening we had a delicious meal at a wonderful restaurant with all the secretaries from the Ranchi YMCA. Their hospitality is unmatched, and we chatted until late. We returned to the convent and the first day then concluded and I fell fast asleep. The day truly was a roller coaster of sights, experiences, and feelings. The next two days promised to be nothing different.
Mr. Sanga took us in a Y vehicle to a christian convent/conference center where we were to stay during our visit. We then met with the general secretaries of the Ranchi YMCA and had introductions. The debriefing was quite nice where we were given a very comprehensive and jam packed schedule for our visit and much reading materials about the Ranchi YMCA and their programs. We then headed off to start our first day that showed us the Ranchi's Urban Slum Development Program (USDP).
The USDP was started in 1969 as a means for the Y to better help the community, especially the members of the very poor living in the slums. Today, it serves 11 slums in the city of Ranchi. It gives an emphasis on Children's education with a free mid-day lunch, Health Care, Adult Education, Youth Forum, Construction of Roads, Drainage, Sinking Tube wells, Legal Aid, and people's action group. Presently the Y has adopted 2700 children including 1770 studying in schools of Ranchi City and 300 older youths who study at the University of Ranchi. The USDP has helped 90 slum children to graduate from the University and become gainfully employed. Therefore, our first visit was to the Islam Nagar Children's School.
The Islam Nagar Children's School provides nursery and early education to children of the slums. The teachers teach the children basics, and this classroom was quite nice as it has donated desks and chairs. The free lunch meal is very important for quite a few reasons, first the slum children are often undernourished and this provides at least one satisfactory nutritious meal per day. Many of the people of the slum struggle to be able to have a consistent and steady supply of food, and it is not guaranteed that they will have food everyday. Not only does the food program help keep the children fed, but it insures their participation in the school day. It is often hard to get children in the slums to school as the family needs them for other tasks and sometimes the importance of school is not considered to outweigh the benefits of keeping the child at home. However, a free meal is often enough to get the children into the classroom. After our visit where the children sang songs we headed over to the YMCA's health care center set up right next door.
The Y health care center is a very important asset to the community. Here the people of Islam Nagar and 10 other slums and the general public can receive real medical care at a very nominal expense. While the Health Care center can not afford to give free care, it charges a very low fee. For example, it provides important child vaccinations that run around 500 rupees anywhere else for about 20 rupees. In addition to vaccinations the health care center provides both in and out patient care, health education classes for the community, nursing care, family planning, pre-natal and ante-natal facilities, and mother and child care. It also has 15 beds, and an ambulance. It also organizes free eye clinics, tubectomy, and campaigns against the development of leprosy and tuberculosis which still run rampant in the slums. After our visit to the health care center we went to visit people affected by these very illnesses. First we arrived at the Overbridge Children's School.
The Overbridge Children's school is literally a classroom established under a bridge in a slum. Therefore, it is open aired and consists mainly of a blanket for the children to sit on, and some teaching tools like flash card etc. There is a shanty room built on the side where the cook lives and sleeps to ensure that all the cooking utensils are kept safe. Here like at all the nursery/early education schools the children receive free lunches. Like all the slum YMCA sponsored schools, after a certain age the Y helps to sponsor the enrollment to the children into the various 65 primary schools in the city of Ranaghat. The Y also helps to provide school supplies and uniforms. For the children in the slum school donated clothing is also given. The children at the Overbridge school are very special, and in fact almost all come from the nearby leprosy colony. The children of the leprosy colony do not suffer from the disease themselves, it is their parents whom have the illness. After the children showed us how they could count, we continued on to the leprosy colony.
Many of the people of the colony were out and about busy with their day. This often includes begging, as the life of a leper is very hard. There hands are worn away from the illness and in addition to the physical limitations that come with leprosy there is a stigmatization against people with the illness. For fear of contamination along with their disability they can not get jobs. The people in this colony have been receiving their medication which makes leprosy not contagious if taken properly. However, it is an atrocious illness. Not only is it very painful, but is spreads across your body slowly eating away at limbs and body parts that ooze from decay. While the people we met were severely afflicted with withered body parts, the disease could not capture their smiles as they shown across their faces. These Indians were the most welcoming of the people who live in the slums, with their bright smiles and namastes. The YMCA has helped the colony by providing the children's school, setting up clean water, providing a room for the community to meet as one, helping to fund special events (such as providing the rice for community celebrations) and they are looking into raising funds to help raise the wall around their area a few feet. They are also planning on building a women's bathroom area so they can have privacy from the public. The Y also helps distribute the medicine that is sponsored by the government. We then headed off to see one of the vocational training centers set up in the Grihni slum.
We arrived at a one roomed building, filled with beautiful women and teenage girls and their crafting material. This is a vocational center set up by the YMCA and now with the help of the community is a bit more self-reliant focusing on its own goals. In the morning the room functions as a classroom and in the afternoon a room where the women can learn, sewing, embroidery, fabric painting, typing, and stitching. The programs range from months to about a year and at the end their is a skills test and then a certificate is awarded. This is very important to the women as they will have a means to earn money for their household. Not only does this help bring needed money to the families, but the women do not need to be as dependent on their fathers and husbands for money. The teacher at this particular center is so well known for her skills and teaching ability that women come from very far away just to attend her classes. Her teaching skills must be superb as the hand embroidery work is astounding. The pieces created are so beautiful it is absolutely amazing to see the end products. Some of the women have an undenied talent, and this will hopefully help them find work in the future. Also after graduation the if a women would like to purchase her own sewing machine to start a business the YMCA will pay for half and the women must save up money or take out a loan from their co-op to pay for the other half. I will discuss more about the vocational programs later as we visited ones at the YMCA main center the next day. These women were probably my favorite people of Ranchi as the girls who were our age were so happy to meet us. They gave us flower garlands, sang beautiful songs, and asked us numerous questions about ourselves and the United States. Despite their poverty, they carried themselves with such an uplifting spirit, grace, and beauty.
That evening we had a delicious meal at a wonderful restaurant with all the secretaries from the Ranchi YMCA. Their hospitality is unmatched, and we chatted until late. We returned to the convent and the first day then concluded and I fell fast asleep. The day truly was a roller coaster of sights, experiences, and feelings. The next two days promised to be nothing different.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sports DAY!!
On February 17th, the girls celebrated the much anticipated "Sport's Day 2009".
Hosted by World Vision, Sports Day is a day of sporting competitions and festivities for the girls and their parents. The day started off with loud dance music bumping through the air. The girls all dressed in uniforms, created especially for sports day, energetically danced on their balcony and waited for the day to begin. While by the kitchen, hired cooks were busy preparing food for all the girls and their families. World Vision truly transformed our little home into a new place. In preparation, they had hired a DJ for the event, set up a small bamboo and cloth building for the girls and the Ranaghat teachers to sit in, created a long jump, transformed our field into a sporting field with use of chalk powdered lines, put up flags, banners, laid down blankets for the family spectators and finally hired a bus to transport all the parents and families from Calcutta to Ranaghat.
When the families arrived, everyone was given tiffin (tea, sweets, and sweetmeats) and settled onto the blankets for the days events. The girls then marched out by team separated by team names and colors: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. The teams had been previously organized by the World Vision representative to ensure that they were evenly matched for ages, skills, and size. Then began the days games: 50 yard dash, balance of clay pots on head races, cracker on string races, thread the needle races, makeup races,Marble on Spoon races, high jump races, and many more. It was quite enjoyable to watch. I did notice the girls were quite serious with many feeling quite upset if they lost. However, in the end it did not matter as all the girls received the same prizes regardless of how their team placed in the final tally.
Afterward all ate the delicious meal, and the girls had time to visit with their families. It was very touching to see the girls with their parents as they seemed very proud of their daughters and you could tell there was much love amongst the families. The girls were all very excited to introduce their parents and show off their american "Didi's" and "Sir". All in all the day was one of my favorite days so far in India.
Hosted by World Vision, Sports Day is a day of sporting competitions and festivities for the girls and their parents. The day started off with loud dance music bumping through the air. The girls all dressed in uniforms, created especially for sports day, energetically danced on their balcony and waited for the day to begin. While by the kitchen, hired cooks were busy preparing food for all the girls and their families. World Vision truly transformed our little home into a new place. In preparation, they had hired a DJ for the event, set up a small bamboo and cloth building for the girls and the Ranaghat teachers to sit in, created a long jump, transformed our field into a sporting field with use of chalk powdered lines, put up flags, banners, laid down blankets for the family spectators and finally hired a bus to transport all the parents and families from Calcutta to Ranaghat.
When the families arrived, everyone was given tiffin (tea, sweets, and sweetmeats) and settled onto the blankets for the days events. The girls then marched out by team separated by team names and colors: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. The teams had been previously organized by the World Vision representative to ensure that they were evenly matched for ages, skills, and size. Then began the days games: 50 yard dash, balance of clay pots on head races, cracker on string races, thread the needle races, makeup races,Marble on Spoon races, high jump races, and many more. It was quite enjoyable to watch. I did notice the girls were quite serious with many feeling quite upset if they lost. However, in the end it did not matter as all the girls received the same prizes regardless of how their team placed in the final tally.
Afterward all ate the delicious meal, and the girls had time to visit with their families. It was very touching to see the girls with their parents as they seemed very proud of their daughters and you could tell there was much love amongst the families. The girls were all very excited to introduce their parents and show off their american "Didi's" and "Sir". All in all the day was one of my favorite days so far in India.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Women's Co-Op
After our daily breakfast of egg, thick toast, and jam, Mr. Sampson gathered Tim, Kat, and I on a rickshaw and we headed off to visit the women's co-op in nearby villages. Not only is the YMCA here in Ranaghat the girl's home, but it also is involved in some great community outreach programs such as the women's co-op.
The women's co-op is a collective of 14 local village women's groups that work together to produce goods and products for sale at the local markets. Each Village or group has 12 to 20 members whom form their own co-op team. These teams work as individual teams in various areas including: rice cultivation, patty making, poultry farming,and animal products like goat and cow milk and eggs. The profits from the sale of these goods then go back into the co-op to help progress the program and ensure that it is self-sustaining. The women receive pay for their individual group's work and are also allowed to take out loans from the co-ops funds at an extremely low interest rate. In fact, we met one family that had just taken out a loan so that they could start their tailoring business. This consisted of a sewing machine, materials, and a small tailor shop.
Our visit was very lovely, as the villages were very peaceful and the women extremely nice. Their husbands also work in town, but the co-op is something run by the women to help provide for their families. The members needs are being met, and you can see there is a great camaraderie amongst the women and village people. The villages, by the way, are very small and close together. Without realizing it, during a few minute stroll we had traveled through a few different villages.
The YMCA has little role now that this co-op if self-sufficient, but the members are still quite grateful to the Y and welcoming as it maintains an overseeing role. The Y, mainly donated the first rice seeds, chickens, etc. for the formation of the program. Also, their is a small building where a doctor comes on Mondays and Tuesdays to treat the women especially for women health issues such as helping with their pregnancy and pre-natal care. I believe the Y had a role in finding a doctor who would donate thier time for little or no pay.
After our tour we were invited for tea and sweets at one of the homes. In true Indian style, the women here were very generous buying sweets for us and giving us tea when they themselves and thier families have very little money. I definitely have noticed a great generous spirit amongst the people of India to make you feel welcome and to share what little they have. Even the girls at our home are always trying to give Kat, Tim, and I their snacks and breakfast...which of course we politely decline. Thinking of generosity. Namaste.
The women's co-op is a collective of 14 local village women's groups that work together to produce goods and products for sale at the local markets. Each Village or group has 12 to 20 members whom form their own co-op team. These teams work as individual teams in various areas including: rice cultivation, patty making, poultry farming,and animal products like goat and cow milk and eggs. The profits from the sale of these goods then go back into the co-op to help progress the program and ensure that it is self-sustaining. The women receive pay for their individual group's work and are also allowed to take out loans from the co-ops funds at an extremely low interest rate. In fact, we met one family that had just taken out a loan so that they could start their tailoring business. This consisted of a sewing machine, materials, and a small tailor shop.
Our visit was very lovely, as the villages were very peaceful and the women extremely nice. Their husbands also work in town, but the co-op is something run by the women to help provide for their families. The members needs are being met, and you can see there is a great camaraderie amongst the women and village people. The villages, by the way, are very small and close together. Without realizing it, during a few minute stroll we had traveled through a few different villages.
The YMCA has little role now that this co-op if self-sufficient, but the members are still quite grateful to the Y and welcoming as it maintains an overseeing role. The Y, mainly donated the first rice seeds, chickens, etc. for the formation of the program. Also, their is a small building where a doctor comes on Mondays and Tuesdays to treat the women especially for women health issues such as helping with their pregnancy and pre-natal care. I believe the Y had a role in finding a doctor who would donate thier time for little or no pay.
After our tour we were invited for tea and sweets at one of the homes. In true Indian style, the women here were very generous buying sweets for us and giving us tea when they themselves and thier families have very little money. I definitely have noticed a great generous spirit amongst the people of India to make you feel welcome and to share what little they have. Even the girls at our home are always trying to give Kat, Tim, and I their snacks and breakfast...which of course we politely decline. Thinking of generosity. Namaste.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A breif history of our Girl's home
It is another sunny warm day in India, and I am still very much enjoying my stay. I thought I would provide some information in responce to some inqueries about the YMCA here and the history of the girl's home.
The YMCA 14 acre campus in Ranaghat began as hospital in 1916 serving the people of Ranaghat and surrounding areas. Most of the buildings were erected for this purpose and the clay that built them came from the land itself. There are presently two ponds on the campus which were dug for the clay and to create a water source. The history of the hospital is a little hairy to me, but from what I am told there was some disagreement between the various doctors and at some point the hospital ended. (On a side note, the hospital system here in India is divided between Government hospitals and private hospitals with the latter apparently having better care.) Then from 1970 to 2002 the YMCA in Ranaghat (acting as a satalite campus of the Calcutta YMCA) was a boy's home.
Around 80 boys were selected for the home based on thier poor living conditions. They came from surrounding areas, but mostly Calcutta where many of them lived with their families on the streets. It was here at the YMCA that the boys were given proper nutrition (three meals a day and perhaps snacks), clothing, a place to live off the streets, and were placed in local schools for the needed education. They had a very organized daily schedule that included games, gardening, prayer, the school day, and most importantly study time and tutors. The tutors included curiculum based tutors and trade teachers. In addition, the YMCA boy's home had a strong community outreach program and was visited by India's generla secretaries, the vice-president, and Mother Teresa (whose home for the destitute is based in Calcutta). The boys left after 10th grade and many have become successful based in strong part from what they learned here. I have met a few whom continue to work for the YMCA, and I also met one man who is now an excellent artist. His art pieces have recently been selected for an upcoming show in Calcutta where only 100 artist throughout all of India were chosen to display. Despite all the sucess, most of the buildings were in such need for repair by this point that the whole program was becoming too costly and came to an end.
The campus was inactive for some time and then in 2005 it was reopened as a girl's home. The builings on campus remain vacant with the newest building, the Terry Waite Vocational Training Center, becoming the sole building used on campus (besides the guest house where I now live). There are 52 girls ages 5-16 whom now call this building home. There are three large bedrooms upstairs which the girls share and thier house mother Mrs. Roy stays with them. On a floor above there are also one or two rooms for some staff members. On the main floor there are three class rooms that the girls use for study and socializing. There is still ample amount of lands and gardens for the girls to roam. The girls home is set up in structure very much like the boys home but on a smaller scale and with some additional activities: no gardening but sewing, cooking, computure, and dancing. A lot of this was made possible by a joint venture between the YMCA and World Vision, a charitable organization that funds the girls. Without World Vision's support the YMCA would not be able to provide the building and caretake for the girls. A representative from World Vision stops by on a monthly visit.
Like the boy's, the girls were chosen based on thier poor living conditions. Local community leaders recommended the girls as possible canidates for World Vision sponsership due to their financial needs. Perhaps, the leaders noticed our girls on the streets begging, or living in inadequate housing along the footpath and thought of them as being able to benefit greatly from this opportunity. Some of the girl's come from single parent households and caring for them is a great monetary stress on thier parent. World Vision then approached the girl's families and asked if they would like to participate in this great opportunity. So while our girl's home may look like an orphange, it is not as the girl's all have families. The parents do visit on parent's day, the journey is 2 hours by bus from Calcutta, but Ranaghat remains their home almost year round. While this is a new program and sucess has yet to be determined, I feel it is a very worthwhile program and is a great benefit to all the girls and families involved.
The YMCA 14 acre campus in Ranaghat began as hospital in 1916 serving the people of Ranaghat and surrounding areas. Most of the buildings were erected for this purpose and the clay that built them came from the land itself. There are presently two ponds on the campus which were dug for the clay and to create a water source. The history of the hospital is a little hairy to me, but from what I am told there was some disagreement between the various doctors and at some point the hospital ended. (On a side note, the hospital system here in India is divided between Government hospitals and private hospitals with the latter apparently having better care.) Then from 1970 to 2002 the YMCA in Ranaghat (acting as a satalite campus of the Calcutta YMCA) was a boy's home.
Around 80 boys were selected for the home based on thier poor living conditions. They came from surrounding areas, but mostly Calcutta where many of them lived with their families on the streets. It was here at the YMCA that the boys were given proper nutrition (three meals a day and perhaps snacks), clothing, a place to live off the streets, and were placed in local schools for the needed education. They had a very organized daily schedule that included games, gardening, prayer, the school day, and most importantly study time and tutors. The tutors included curiculum based tutors and trade teachers. In addition, the YMCA boy's home had a strong community outreach program and was visited by India's generla secretaries, the vice-president, and Mother Teresa (whose home for the destitute is based in Calcutta). The boys left after 10th grade and many have become successful based in strong part from what they learned here. I have met a few whom continue to work for the YMCA, and I also met one man who is now an excellent artist. His art pieces have recently been selected for an upcoming show in Calcutta where only 100 artist throughout all of India were chosen to display. Despite all the sucess, most of the buildings were in such need for repair by this point that the whole program was becoming too costly and came to an end.
The campus was inactive for some time and then in 2005 it was reopened as a girl's home. The builings on campus remain vacant with the newest building, the Terry Waite Vocational Training Center, becoming the sole building used on campus (besides the guest house where I now live). There are 52 girls ages 5-16 whom now call this building home. There are three large bedrooms upstairs which the girls share and thier house mother Mrs. Roy stays with them. On a floor above there are also one or two rooms for some staff members. On the main floor there are three class rooms that the girls use for study and socializing. There is still ample amount of lands and gardens for the girls to roam. The girls home is set up in structure very much like the boys home but on a smaller scale and with some additional activities: no gardening but sewing, cooking, computure, and dancing. A lot of this was made possible by a joint venture between the YMCA and World Vision, a charitable organization that funds the girls. Without World Vision's support the YMCA would not be able to provide the building and caretake for the girls. A representative from World Vision stops by on a monthly visit.
Like the boy's, the girls were chosen based on thier poor living conditions. Local community leaders recommended the girls as possible canidates for World Vision sponsership due to their financial needs. Perhaps, the leaders noticed our girls on the streets begging, or living in inadequate housing along the footpath and thought of them as being able to benefit greatly from this opportunity. Some of the girl's come from single parent households and caring for them is a great monetary stress on thier parent. World Vision then approached the girl's families and asked if they would like to participate in this great opportunity. So while our girl's home may look like an orphange, it is not as the girl's all have families. The parents do visit on parent's day, the journey is 2 hours by bus from Calcutta, but Ranaghat remains their home almost year round. While this is a new program and sucess has yet to be determined, I feel it is a very worthwhile program and is a great benefit to all the girls and families involved.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A few new trinkets
Well the days here have taken up quite a rhythm and routine. We fill everyday playing with the girls, helping them study, and joining them with cooking, prayer, or other activities: such as the dancing, watching their marching, or hand sewing. We have played a few new games and the other day we watched them play cricket. It was a makeshift game with parts of trees as bats and a stool as the pegs that the pitcher trys to hit for one of the options for an out. While i may not have all the terminology down i finally understand the game!
I have become much more comfortable in the market, so our trips are less overwhelming and I can even find my way around. I purchased some fruit, since my diet has been lacking it to say the least. I consume 21 eggs a week!! and over that in potatoes and rice so the apples and oranges are very exciting for me. I have been filling some of my free time making jewelry for the girls for their birthdays. We have had two already: Suman and Kajal and we get the girls together to sing happy b-day and give them our gift. I enjoy hand making them a present from the three of us and I feel it is very important to acknowledge them on their special day. If we were not here, they would not be sang to or receive anything special at all. I feel it is very important to let them know they are cared for especially since their parents are not here and the workers here tend to not lavish on the attention so to speak.
Speaking of giving gifts, Kat, Tim and I also purchased the girls a large blanket for them when they are sitting inside. They get to watch TV as a group for 30 minutes a night (they love love love this, it is pretty much the only thing we can threaten to take away if they are not studying)and their old blanket was so gross it was kicked to the outdoors. (even outside i choose to sit in the dirt because it is seriously the nastiest piece of material i have ever ever seen). As a result they sit on the floor or drag down their only bed blanket, which gets dirty in the process. Needless to say they were very very excited and appreciative. They are just so cute. The power was out so when we gave it to them by lantern it had a very mysterious feel. We made some ground rules: indoors only, put in bag each night, and no Ramoan. Ramoan the adopted street dog who while so sweet has many fleas! ( I have a deep love for him though and long to give him pets but I'm advised not to really tough him... Oh Ramoan who walks us home, and has no bone).
On travel news, Mr. Sircar has plans to bring us to some other YMCA locations in the month of Febuary. It will be very interesting to see the other programs. Also, Tim, Kat, and I are planning a trip to Himachal Pradesh...which will be a once in a lifetime experience to say the least. That's all for now, although on a very funny note Kat fell into the mucky, snake filled pond which was very funny. She's Ok. ha ha. Namaste
I have become much more comfortable in the market, so our trips are less overwhelming and I can even find my way around. I purchased some fruit, since my diet has been lacking it to say the least. I consume 21 eggs a week!! and over that in potatoes and rice so the apples and oranges are very exciting for me. I have been filling some of my free time making jewelry for the girls for their birthdays. We have had two already: Suman and Kajal and we get the girls together to sing happy b-day and give them our gift. I enjoy hand making them a present from the three of us and I feel it is very important to acknowledge them on their special day. If we were not here, they would not be sang to or receive anything special at all. I feel it is very important to let them know they are cared for especially since their parents are not here and the workers here tend to not lavish on the attention so to speak.
Speaking of giving gifts, Kat, Tim and I also purchased the girls a large blanket for them when they are sitting inside. They get to watch TV as a group for 30 minutes a night (they love love love this, it is pretty much the only thing we can threaten to take away if they are not studying)and their old blanket was so gross it was kicked to the outdoors. (even outside i choose to sit in the dirt because it is seriously the nastiest piece of material i have ever ever seen). As a result they sit on the floor or drag down their only bed blanket, which gets dirty in the process. Needless to say they were very very excited and appreciative. They are just so cute. The power was out so when we gave it to them by lantern it had a very mysterious feel. We made some ground rules: indoors only, put in bag each night, and no Ramoan. Ramoan the adopted street dog who while so sweet has many fleas! ( I have a deep love for him though and long to give him pets but I'm advised not to really tough him... Oh Ramoan who walks us home, and has no bone).
On travel news, Mr. Sircar has plans to bring us to some other YMCA locations in the month of Febuary. It will be very interesting to see the other programs. Also, Tim, Kat, and I are planning a trip to Himachal Pradesh...which will be a once in a lifetime experience to say the least. That's all for now, although on a very funny note Kat fell into the mucky, snake filled pond which was very funny. She's Ok. ha ha. Namaste
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A few more lovely days
As I am having trouble accessing my last post, I will try my best not to repeat anything I have written. On the 17th of January was parents day at the Y here in Ranaghat. All the girls were very excited to see their parents and have us meet them. It was a great day, and we layed low so that the girls all had ample time with their parents since they do not get to see them all that often. We returned to Calcutta on the 19th, in order to meet the board of directors and to sit in on the Y's swim program. The pool in Calcutta is a very very large outdoor pool, which was drained of all water in order for the annual cleaning. It is not chlorinated, since it is filled with pond water and the floor of the pool appeared to be the earth. We met with their swimmers many of who were on the national level. We talked with them about the importance of swimming and Tim gave some helpful strength building advice.
While on our visit to Calcutta, we went to new market where we poked around for suvineers and Kat and I purchased material for some traditional Indian garmets. We are awaiting them from the tailor who measured us for proper fit. We also were lucky enough for Mr. Sampson to bring us to the Queen Victoria Memorial and a famous Cathederal.
We returned to Ranaghat on the 21st and got back to our schedule of games, TLC, and studying with the girls. I also joined in on their dance class on Sunday mornings. I learned an Indian dance with the girls which is quite beautiful. All the girls are very beautifull dancers, and Rinky (one of the girls) even wants to be a dance teacher when she gets older.
We have also started to help out in the kitchen. There are not knives but instead a wooden plank with a huge blade attached that you use to cut everything. You push the said vegetable or such against the blade. Kat and I have been doing some dicing of tomatoes and onion. I believe we are getting the hang of it, although we are much slower than the girls and the cook. That is all for now. I'll keep you all posted. Namaste
While on our visit to Calcutta, we went to new market where we poked around for suvineers and Kat and I purchased material for some traditional Indian garmets. We are awaiting them from the tailor who measured us for proper fit. We also were lucky enough for Mr. Sampson to bring us to the Queen Victoria Memorial and a famous Cathederal.
We returned to Ranaghat on the 21st and got back to our schedule of games, TLC, and studying with the girls. I also joined in on their dance class on Sunday mornings. I learned an Indian dance with the girls which is quite beautiful. All the girls are very beautifull dancers, and Rinky (one of the girls) even wants to be a dance teacher when she gets older.
We have also started to help out in the kitchen. There are not knives but instead a wooden plank with a huge blade attached that you use to cut everything. You push the said vegetable or such against the blade. Kat and I have been doing some dicing of tomatoes and onion. I believe we are getting the hang of it, although we are much slower than the girls and the cook. That is all for now. I'll keep you all posted. Namaste
Sunday, January 25, 2009
India
Kat and I arrived in Calcutta on January 15th after a long flight originating in Boston. Tim Losee and Mr. Sampson (the Secretary of the Ranaghot YMCA) met us at the airport with welcoming and excited smiles. We were brought to the Calcutta YMCA, which was built in 1857. It is a very interesting building with a few floors and and indoor sporting court. The rooms were very nice as they had been recently renovated in 1996 (i believe). The view from our room was wonderful. In the morning we met with both Mr. Sircar and his wife, who both welcomed us to India and the YMCA. We then made our way by bus to Ranaghot, which is north of Calcutta. The traffic here is quite overwhelming as there is endless honking and vehicles pass so close that you could reach out and touch passengers on another bus!!! Add in all the bicyclers, rickshaws, pedestrians, cattle, and dogs and it is quite an adventure.
Anyways, we arrived at the Ranaghot YMCA to much excitement.
The girls were all waiting for us with flower lai's, tons of energy, and excited faces. They all seemed to love Tim and were very happy to meet us, although maybe a bit shy. We were shown our room which was quite nice and is in a very old building that used to house doctors. The Ranaghot Y prior to being the girl's home was a boy's home and prior to that a hospital. In fact many of the building on campus were built from the clay dug from two huge holes which are now ponds for fish.
We spent our first afternoon playing games with the girls. We played a mixture of American (Sharks and Minnows) and Indian games (Golla Churi and Gouchouri). The girls are very very fast. We then helped the girls with snack, went to prayer, and then very important study. The girls all attend three separate schools: English, Bengali, and Hindi. Cat, Tim, and I each take a room to help the girls focus on their studies. Afterwards we went to dinner, rice, eggs, dal, and potatoes (this is Tim's favorite), pretty mild since Tim is not a fan of spice. Don't worry I will definitely spice things up around here.
Anyways, we arrived at the Ranaghot YMCA to much excitement.
The girls were all waiting for us with flower lai's, tons of energy, and excited faces. They all seemed to love Tim and were very happy to meet us, although maybe a bit shy. We were shown our room which was quite nice and is in a very old building that used to house doctors. The Ranaghot Y prior to being the girl's home was a boy's home and prior to that a hospital. In fact many of the building on campus were built from the clay dug from two huge holes which are now ponds for fish.
We spent our first afternoon playing games with the girls. We played a mixture of American (Sharks and Minnows) and Indian games (Golla Churi and Gouchouri). The girls are very very fast. We then helped the girls with snack, went to prayer, and then very important study. The girls all attend three separate schools: English, Bengali, and Hindi. Cat, Tim, and I each take a room to help the girls focus on their studies. Afterwards we went to dinner, rice, eggs, dal, and potatoes (this is Tim's favorite), pretty mild since Tim is not a fan of spice. Don't worry I will definitely spice things up around here.
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