This summer I was presented with a unique opportunity to volunteer in India through the Youth for Seva fellowship program. Looking for an adventure and motivated to do something for the country I consider my punya bhoomi, I decided to spend a couple months volunteering in Bangalore. Though I initially had doubts as to whether I would be able to handle the linguistic and cultural challenges, I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteer experience and consider myself fortunate that I was given this opportunity.
My exposure to India has increased manifold this summer. As an American-born Indian, I’ve visited India with my family before, but most of my previous trips have been limited to sightseeing and shopping. I’ve always experienced India from a visitor’s perspective. Travelling around in air-conditioned cars and staying at nice hotels might have provided for some great family vacations, but they did not allow me to experience the other side of India. This mysterious other side sometimes rose to the surface in the form of begging children surrounding us on the streets or glimpses of cardboard houses along the side of the road. But it always ended with us handing over a few rupees and looking the other way, going on with our lives.
In my past visits I was in India without really being in India. To understand a country it’s necessary to explore all its different facets, interact with all types of people, and live in all sorts of environments. The Youth for Seva experience gave me an opportunity to immerse myself in a new lifestyle and discover a side of India that I was not exposed to before. Although I’ve learned an incredible amount, my biggest learning is that I have barely begun to scratch the surface of India’s beautiful complexities.
For my fellowship, my main project was to document the impact of the various slum development projects taken up by NGOs in Bangalore. As part of this project I had the opportunity to interact with experienced volunteers who work at these projects as well as the beneficiaries of these projects. The first time I visited a slum I was distressed by the painful, insecure living conditions: the homes are tiny (usually just 10×10 feet and often made of scrap cloth or tents), it is cramped and polluted, and the “roads” are often just narrow and uneven dirt paths. However, I quickly realized that if I want to really understand life in slums I would have to move beyond just the physical aspects and really get to know the people who live in these places.
While interacting with people in slums, I began to experience the joy of hospitality. The very first time I visited a slum, I was just walking through with another volunteer and we were stopped by a young boy about eight years old. He was eating a mango and after talking with us for a few moments, he repeatedly offered us his mango and invited us to his home for tea. I noticed this same hospitable attitude wherever we went. Most families I visited, no matter how short our visit and no matter how modest their financial circumstances, would not let us leave without at least a cup of tea. Another interesting thing I noticed was that for the most part, the people I talked to in slums seemed pretty satisfied with what they have; ironically, they do not seem any less happy than other families I know who have every luxury in the world except for the time to enjoy them.
That being said, people living in slums live in some of the most miserable conditions in the city. There are many challenges standing in the way of slum development, including lack of education, illiteracy, disease, lack of hygiene, alcoholism, etc. But it is inspiring to see how thousands of volunteers are working truly selflessly to tackle these challenges. The organizations I am documenting run projects such as free tutoring classes for children in government schools, medical camps, health clinics, self-help groups, adult education, women empowerment, etc. It is amazing to see the positive impact that they have had in the past years. If their work continues to grow as it has, the future of Bangalore’s slums looks much brighter.
Being in India is definitely different in some ways, whether it’s dodging around the crazy traffic (Bangalore drivers make New York City drivers seem polite and peaceful), figuring out the bus system, or trying to understand an entirely new language. But this experience has also taught me that India is really not as foreign or distant as many Indian-Americans, or even first generation Indians, may perceive. Living in India for the past couple of months made me realize that this country is also my home and I have a place here.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
School kit distribution
This entry is coming a bit late, but a few weeks ago, I went to a village called Basavapatna with a few other volunteers to help distribute school kits to children there. Youth for Seva has been running an annual "school kit drive" the past 2 years through which people can sponsor school kits (backpacks, notebooks, pencils, geometry sets, etc) for poor children in different slums and villages. These families are barely able to eke out enough money to send their kids to school, so getting free school material is a huge help for them.Basavapatna is about a 4-hour drive from Bangalore. Kids from 8-9 different schools had gathered in one area. There was a very nice program and we ended up distributing school kits to about 680 children. It was an amazing feeling giving the material to these students and seeing how excited they were showing their new notebooks to their teachers and parents afterwards.
Even more important than receiving the material was the message that these kids got about education. The fact that unknown people are supporting their education must have provided tremendous encouragement and motivation for them to continue to work hard in school. It must increase the parents' and teachers' faith in education as well. YFS's school kit drive is sending positive message about the importance of cooperating to provide education for everyone.
I really enjoyed being in the village as well. We visited one family's farm afterwards and I saw all sorts of trees and crops, some that I did not even know existed before. The natural beauty was exquisite.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
"Because she's a girl"
The past few days I've been visiting slum development activities run by Keshav Seva Samiti. The work they're doing is phenomenal: volunteers run free tuition (coaching) classes for kids in 100 slums, medical camps, self-help groups, and vocational training. In one tuition center I visited, I spoke to an 8th grade girl named Kavya. Although she's a bright student, she studies in a government school as her parents cannot afford to send her to a private school (her father is a porter and her mother works in a garment factory). Most government schools in India are notorious for their poor quality and lack of resources.
But after learning more about Kavya's family, I found that although she goes to a government school, her parents pay for her 2 younger brothers, who are in 2nd and 3rd grade, to attend a private school. I found this ironic as Kavya is in high school, an age where the school quality is much more important than in elementary school. So even if her parents can't afford to send all 3 of their kids to private schools, it makes sense for them to at least invest their resources in Kavya. I asked someone later why this was, already knowing the reason in the back of my mind, and the answer was simply "because she's a girl."
From the parents' perspective, investing in their sons' education may seem more financially beneficial, but what message does this send to Kavya? She told me she wants to become a doctor when she's older because she sees so much illness in the world and she wants to help others. Are her life goals less valuable just because she's a girl? She's been coming to the tuition center daily without fail for 3 years in addition to doing a host of household chores and taking care of her brothers. Is it fair that her hard work and efforts should be sacrificed just because she's a girl?
I realize that I may be coming off as sounding overly idealistic and that Kavya's parents must be facing their own problems and that the world is not fair, but it still frustrates me that this girl's dreams are being sacrificed for the sake of her brothers. If her own parents don't support her dreams, who can she expect support from?
The most unfortunate part is that there are millions of others like her around the world. Gender-based discrimination plagues every single country (including "developed" ones) and comes in various forms: unequal education and job opportunities, unequal wages, early marriage, gender-based violence; even the right to live is denied to girls with female infanticide and sex-selective abortion. I suppose in a way Kavya is lucky that she gets to go to school at all, as many girls don't even get that much. This is not something that just happens in movies or the media, and it should not be dismissed as "feminist hype." It is a very brutal and true reality for millions of girls. Somewhere in the back of our minds we are all aware of all these inequalities and see them even in America, but in the past few weeks, it has somehow become more real for me.
This really makes me realize the need for putting a special emphasis on girls' education. All the NGOs I've met so far realize this and focus many of their activities on girls and women. In both the Keshav Seva Samiti and Youth for Seva "Sponsor a child" programs (http://www.sponsorachild.youthforseva.org/), girl children are especially encouraged and given scholarships to attend good schools.
These experiences make me really thankful that my own parents ensured that I was never denied any opportunity. They support me in whatever I want to study, whatever I want to do. I never felt that I was being made to sacrifice my desires, goals, or life dreams for the sake of my brother or anyone else. And I believe that even if our family had fewer resources, my parents' attitude would not change and they would not deny me the opportunity to dream big just "because I'm a girl."
Fortunately there are also people in the slums who support their daughters' and sons' education whole-heartedly. Out of the women I interacted with, many of them have big dreams for their children and want to give them every opportunity that they did not get. The activities of Keshav Seva Samiti and other NGOs are developing this kind of mindset among people; it is exactly with this social change that people like Kavya will no longer have to regret that they were born as girls.
But after learning more about Kavya's family, I found that although she goes to a government school, her parents pay for her 2 younger brothers, who are in 2nd and 3rd grade, to attend a private school. I found this ironic as Kavya is in high school, an age where the school quality is much more important than in elementary school. So even if her parents can't afford to send all 3 of their kids to private schools, it makes sense for them to at least invest their resources in Kavya. I asked someone later why this was, already knowing the reason in the back of my mind, and the answer was simply "because she's a girl."
From the parents' perspective, investing in their sons' education may seem more financially beneficial, but what message does this send to Kavya? She told me she wants to become a doctor when she's older because she sees so much illness in the world and she wants to help others. Are her life goals less valuable just because she's a girl? She's been coming to the tuition center daily without fail for 3 years in addition to doing a host of household chores and taking care of her brothers. Is it fair that her hard work and efforts should be sacrificed just because she's a girl?
I realize that I may be coming off as sounding overly idealistic and that Kavya's parents must be facing their own problems and that the world is not fair, but it still frustrates me that this girl's dreams are being sacrificed for the sake of her brothers. If her own parents don't support her dreams, who can she expect support from?
The most unfortunate part is that there are millions of others like her around the world. Gender-based discrimination plagues every single country (including "developed" ones) and comes in various forms: unequal education and job opportunities, unequal wages, early marriage, gender-based violence; even the right to live is denied to girls with female infanticide and sex-selective abortion. I suppose in a way Kavya is lucky that she gets to go to school at all, as many girls don't even get that much. This is not something that just happens in movies or the media, and it should not be dismissed as "feminist hype." It is a very brutal and true reality for millions of girls. Somewhere in the back of our minds we are all aware of all these inequalities and see them even in America, but in the past few weeks, it has somehow become more real for me.
This really makes me realize the need for putting a special emphasis on girls' education. All the NGOs I've met so far realize this and focus many of their activities on girls and women. In both the Keshav Seva Samiti and Youth for Seva "Sponsor a child" programs (http://www.sponsorachild.youthforseva.org/), girl children are especially encouraged and given scholarships to attend good schools.
These experiences make me really thankful that my own parents ensured that I was never denied any opportunity. They support me in whatever I want to study, whatever I want to do. I never felt that I was being made to sacrifice my desires, goals, or life dreams for the sake of my brother or anyone else. And I believe that even if our family had fewer resources, my parents' attitude would not change and they would not deny me the opportunity to dream big just "because I'm a girl."
Fortunately there are also people in the slums who support their daughters' and sons' education whole-heartedly. Out of the women I interacted with, many of them have big dreams for their children and want to give them every opportunity that they did not get. The activities of Keshav Seva Samiti and other NGOs are developing this kind of mindset among people; it is exactly with this social change that people like Kavya will no longer have to regret that they were born as girls.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Alcohol in slums
It’s been 4 weeks since I’ve been here in Bangalore and I’ve learned and experienced more than I usually do in the span of several months. As I learn about the challenges people face in slums, the point of alcoholism keeps coming up. Everybody seems to agree that alcoholism is a huge problem in slums, mostly among the men; yesterday I saw this for myself.
Some Indian Institute of Management students were conducting a survey of households in a slum in Banashankari, and I accompanied them. In one family, we were talking to a lady just outside her house. She was simultaneously taking care of two young children while talking with us.
After a couple minutes, her husband came outside from the house. He was speaking in gibberish and kept swaying around/tripping over himself; it was very obvious that he was completely drunk. The lady seemed very embarrassed and sent him back inside, while apologizing to us that she could not invite us inside her home.
Seeing this gave me a feeling of empathy and frustration that I have not experienced before. It was 1 pm on a Thursday afternoon, and instead of working, this man was drinking the family’s money away. It was very clear that the lady was the true head of the household and had to take care of her 6 children, her husband, the bills, and work all single-handedly. It angered me that instead of fulfilling his duties toward his family, this man was just creating a larger burden on his wife.
The unfortunate part is that this is not an isolated case. Alcoholism is widespread in slums and results in problems such as poverty, lack of money to spend on education/health, and domestic violence. Many times, after working in a physically exhausting job for the whole day, men indulge in alcohol to forget about their problems. This soon turns into an addiction and they spend their entire daily income on alcohol, forgetting about children’s school fees, health, and other household expenses. This means that the entire family becomes dependent on the woman and her income.
This is a frustrating problem and it’s difficult to determine what can be done about it. Even de-addiction programs have not been very successful, as people usually return to their previous ways after returning to the slum environment. Many NGOs I’ve talked to have given up on alcoholic men and focus their activities on children and women instead. But the point is that as long as these men are eating away the family’s income, the family is doomed to a vicious cycle of perpetual poverty.
Some Indian Institute of Management students were conducting a survey of households in a slum in Banashankari, and I accompanied them. In one family, we were talking to a lady just outside her house. She was simultaneously taking care of two young children while talking with us.
After a couple minutes, her husband came outside from the house. He was speaking in gibberish and kept swaying around/tripping over himself; it was very obvious that he was completely drunk. The lady seemed very embarrassed and sent him back inside, while apologizing to us that she could not invite us inside her home.
Seeing this gave me a feeling of empathy and frustration that I have not experienced before. It was 1 pm on a Thursday afternoon, and instead of working, this man was drinking the family’s money away. It was very clear that the lady was the true head of the household and had to take care of her 6 children, her husband, the bills, and work all single-handedly. It angered me that instead of fulfilling his duties toward his family, this man was just creating a larger burden on his wife.
The unfortunate part is that this is not an isolated case. Alcoholism is widespread in slums and results in problems such as poverty, lack of money to spend on education/health, and domestic violence. Many times, after working in a physically exhausting job for the whole day, men indulge in alcohol to forget about their problems. This soon turns into an addiction and they spend their entire daily income on alcohol, forgetting about children’s school fees, health, and other household expenses. This means that the entire family becomes dependent on the woman and her income.
This is a frustrating problem and it’s difficult to determine what can be done about it. Even de-addiction programs have not been very successful, as people usually return to their previous ways after returning to the slum environment. Many NGOs I’ve talked to have given up on alcoholic men and focus their activities on children and women instead. But the point is that as long as these men are eating away the family’s income, the family is doomed to a vicious cycle of perpetual poverty.
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