Bagli Haat

(originally written on June 27, 2011)

Since we are in a pretty remote and isolated area, it is not easy taking extravagant weekend trips around India. The closet train station and airport is at least 3 hours away in Indore on really bad roadways which really limits travel options. The buses are not fun for such long periods - so we try to get a group of people together to hire a car & driver to take us to some local sites. Luckily there are plenty of things to do and see in the local area.


One Sunday a group of us went to Kaneri, a waterfall and Hindu temple deep in the jungle - Julie posted a picture a couple weeks back. Another Sunday we took a trip to Indore (the closest big city) where we went to Treasure Island, the big commercial mall. It was air conditioned which was a nice relief from the extreme heat. We watching a Bollywood film - Ready with Salman Khan and Asin, ate at Pizza Hut, had some ice cream at McDonald's, and did a little shopping. Additionally, we got to go to a local market and buy some fantastic mangoes. Two other Sundays we spent at our campus doing laundry, taking naps and a lot of reading. There isn't much to do on Sundays at our campus, especially when the electricity goes out for several hours at a time - so the day feels very long.
This past weekend, we spent the night at Jhatashankar, the main office location in their guest room. We watch 3 movies: Crash, Bridget Jones' Diary and Sherlock Holmes. We ate really good food (pasta casserole, potato cutlets, mango & chocolate ice cream!) and were able to take baths with heated water. It felt like heaven. On Sunday morning we walked a couple of kilometers to a popular Hindu Temple and met a nice village women who showed us her fields. She was so friendly and inquisitive - between Julie and I, we were able to have a somewhat decent conversation in Hindi. In the afternoon, we went with Hari, the Jhatashankar cook, to the Bagli Haat. Haat is the weekly market - it happens in Bagli every Sunday. Local farmers and other people come from the surrounding areas to sell and buy vegetables, fruits, snacks, and other household items. It was quite crowded and quite a colorful site to see. It was particularly amusing to watch all the cows trying to steal potatoes out for sale.

Julie and I were taking a lot of photos of the different vegetables and people when a nicely dressed gentleman came up to us and mentioned something about press pass. We got worried that we weren't allowed to take photos and put our cameras away. We had a brief stilted conversation in Hindi about our names, where we were from and how we were interning at SPS. Then he asked to take our photo. We said sure, why not. We thought he was just another person maybe visiting from another city or some government official. We never got his information and didn't think anything more about it. Until this morning. One of the core team members asked if I had seen the local Hindi paper. I said no, since I don't read Hindi, I don't pay attention to that paper. She found it and showed me the article. In the middle is the picture of Julie & I at the market - the photo taken by that gentleman. The article states we are two foreign girls shopping at the local market, attracting quite the crowd of people staring at us (nothing new - this happens everywhere we go) and how we are interning at SPS. We made the local news! I am greatly amused by this and have attached a photo of the article.

Other photos attached are of Hari selecting potatoes (potatoes show up in every meal in one way or another) and of the overall market.

I can't believe we only have 2 full weekends left. Our internship ends July 16th. Time is flying by.

More Kumbaya Photos

Here's a few more Kumbaya Photos...

1photo: Anju and Pappu hard at work at figuring out the costs of the items

1photo: Anju showing off her Kumbaya made outfit. The shirt is all natural dyed.

2 photos: showing how the cutting it done w/ stencils and checking out the quality of a shirt

1 photo: demonstrating how to sew on a pocket

Kumbaya

(originally written on June 20, 2011)

Kumbaya has to be one of my favorite Samaj Pragati Sahayog initiatives. Partially because they produce beautiful items, partially because it is a really innovative project to promote women's empowerment, and partially because the staff is some of the friendliest people I've met so far.
"The unique significance of Kumbaya is that in a predominantly agrarian region, where there have been no traditional marketable crafts, it makes machine-stitched ready-to-wear garments, home linen and accessories designed to market specifications and international trends. Located deep in the tribal drylands for the last fourteen years, Kumbaya has empowered women from one of the most deprived areas of the country by creating livelihoods through the dynamic skill of garment fabrication. Most of these tribal women had never stitched a garment before and had no options other than manual labour. Kumbaya is also hope for many differently-abled people, particularly women, whose inability to contribute manual labour in an agricultural area leads to their abandonment. Today over 500 women in 50 villages of Udainagar revenue circle and Bagli tehsil have learnt stitching."

They have 2 centers where women (and men and handicapped people) from surrounding villages come to train and produce various garments based on orders that Kumbaya receives. At the main office location is the 3rd Kumbaya center - where they store the cloth, cut items to be stitched by the ladies at the 2 other centers, and create samples for potential production. Additionally, this is where Shahid, one of the employees, does his specialized embroidery. His work is amazing and it's just memorizing to watch him create the beautiful pieces. Here's a neat mini-documentary that focuses on Shahid's craft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-X0r5aC5w&feature=player_embedded

Majority of my time is spent at the main office location and Anju, coordinator of the Kumbaya initiative, is my main companion on my bus trips back and forth (She speaks Hindi and English - so she does a lot of translating so I don't end up in some random village because of my horrible Hindi skills). So I have gotten to know the Kumbaya team at the main office location very well. They are lovely group who are very friendly (and made me some fabulous shirts! I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of money before I love).

I couldn't help but attach a lot of photos

1 photo: one of the centers where villagers are working on their products - with various patchwork quilts on the wall

1 photo: all the men working in the main location - in charge of cutting, sampling etc

3 photos: Shahid at work and two of his embroidery work

Local Tribal Women and Self-Help Groups

(originally written on June 13, 2011)

One of the main goals of SPS (Samaj Pragati Sahayog) is empowering local women, particularly their rights to sustainable livelihood. I've had the opportunity to meet with several women from a variety of backgrounds. Even though this is a rural area - people are very diverse in their forms of employment: agricultural laborers, daily wage laborers, self-employed, migrants, displaced and so forth. But many of the women have the same issues and come together in Self-Help Group meetings (SHG), SHGs are facilitated by SPS - it provides an opportunity for local women to take part in a local savings and loan plan that is completely decided by them. One may consider it a form of Microfinance - however, SHG is more focused on including social programs with their financial awareness - learning about nutrition, how to sign your name, community marriage opportunities etc. Whereas many Microfinance institutions are more profit driven and focused on repayments. Even though SPS monitors the meetings, the women make the decisions regarding the rules of the group, how to save and who to give loans to etc. This is a huge part of empowerment. Now many women have been able to use the loans for healthcare or their child's education or expanding a business opportunity for better source of income This opportunity allows women to have a say in many of their daily household decisions. It helps women be more confident in handling money and speaking up for their rights. It has been great meeting these women and seeing how they are benefiting and growing through the help of SHGs and SPS. This description barely touches the iceburg of SHGs and how interconnected it is with so many other programs.
Attached are photos of some meetings I've sat in or some of the women I've met.

Drylands

(originally written on June 7, 2011)

As mentioned earlier, the area of Madhya Pradesh that Julie and I are staying is known as the drylands. Only with monsoons does the area get any water that will help with the crops. Until the monsoons arrive, the landscape is very barren due to the lack of water and extreme heat. Water scarcity is a big issue in this region. There is not enough water for drinking let alone for crops which is necessary for nutrition and income. The region is completely dependent on the monsoons. SPS started as an organization focusing on how to conserve water during the monsoon season in order for there to be water in other months. Julie and I went on a field trip to look at two water reservoirs - one just completed and one in progress - with the hopes that it'll contain the rain water for use in the months after monsoons end. This water will help irrigate the crops so the local farmers are able to harvest a 2nd crop that increase their personal food supplies as well as have more goods to sell on the market.

The pictures give you an idea of how dry it currently it. Everyone is counting down to the monsoons because apparently the heat will lessen and the whole area will turn into lush green scenery. I can not wait to see the transformation. As well see how much water the reservoirs manage to capture.

3 lessons

(originally written on June 6, 2011)

Into my 3rd week in India and I've learned 3 very important things...
1. Patience is key. Rural India runs on a completely different schedule and time frame. Everything requires a lot of coordination and patience. It is extremely hot which can make things even more difficult. It is not easy getting anywhere because everything is pretty remote and isolated. The buses are late. People are late. Meetings are late. Things change. How do we get there from here? We're taking the bus? The car? Who's going with us? Who speaks English and can help translate? Oh, this meeting changed? Oh, we're going here now? Wait, it changed again? The electricity here. And now it's gone. Cellphone service here. And now it's gone. Internet connection is here. And now it's gone. The generator broke and now there is no water? Well, crap. You get the picture. It can be very frustrating at times not knowing what is going on hour to hour let alone day to day. But I keep in mind how much effort everyone is making to ensure that we are given a full orientation and taken to various sites to learn everything. It is not easy to coordinate all this - very time consuming. And I really appreciate that they are willing to take the time to introduce us to every aspect of the organization.

2. There is poop everywhere. Cow dung. Water buffalo dung. Goat poop (Amazing how much goats poop. I visited one family in the village who had 9 goats - they were nonstop pooping machines). Hog poop. Chicken poop. Cat poop. Dog poop. Lizard poop. Bird poop. And all these animals basically run around free. In the streets, shop store fronts, people's front yards etc. So you always have to be on the look out for poop. And if you really think about it - it's dry season here - so everything is dusty and dried up - which means the poop is dried up - which means there is probably poop dust in the air mixed in with the other dust. Lovely thought, huh?

3. People stare. people know you are a foreigner and they stare. No matter where you go or what you are wearing or what you are doing, people stare. And if you happen to be a person of a larger size, people really stare. Adults have slowed down their bikes to a stop just to watch me walk. Little kids laugh and point their fingers. And sometimes the kids or teenagers will say mean things. But you need to remember, this is rural India. They may not have had exposure to many outside things. I am vastly different. I am wearing tshirts and pants - not the typical outfits so I already stand out. And in this area - food security is a big issue - many people have very little to eat so they are skinny or even malnourished and anemic. So a larger person may be a completely foreign concept. Having a thick skin helps as well as ignoring the stares - b/c there is not really much you can do about it. However, when I do interact with the local villagers (primarily women and children) - they have been nothing but nice.

This trip has definitely been an experience so far.
-Keena Kang

Pictures from SPS

(originally written on May 31, 2011)

Keena Kang forwarded along these pictures the people at SPS took of CASI interns starting their internships.

1st photo: Resting in the shade after looking at the watershed - talking with the local men on how it was constructed

2nd photo: Looking at a watershed that was constructed with the help of SPS in Agra (Bagli Block).

First Week In Madhya Pradesh

(originally written on May 31, 2011)

Julie and I have had a great introduction to Madhya Pradesh and Samaj
Pragati Sahayog. For the next 7 weeks we'll be working Samaj Pragatic
Sahayog (SPS) in the Bagli block of Madya Pradesh. This area is known
as the drylands. And right now, it's extremely dry. Everything is red
dirt and dust with very little vegetation. All everyone looks forward
to is the monsoon which should be arriving in the next 10-15 days -
after a few days of rain, everything will be come lush green. I can
not wait to see the transformation.

The past week has been spent getting an overview and understanding of
what SPS does. It is amazing to see how it has developed over the past
20 years, what all it has accomplished and how interconnected every
initiative is. I am in awe of the dedication the staff has toward the
various efforts. It started out initially as a watershed development
scheme and has expanded over the years to include Self-help groups (a
form of microfinance), Kumbaya (a women's tailoring cooperative),
livestock program, dairy collection, irrigation, Right to Food,
Mid-day meals and so forth. The reason for watershed is because this
area is extremely dry with very rocky soil. It is almost impossible to
gain access to any ground water and monsoon only lasts for 50 days -
the villagers need to be able to access water for the whole year based
on the rain from the monsoon. So various watersheds were developed to
help capture the monsoon rains - whether in large ponds or the ability
to allow water to seep into the ground. From there, SPS realized that
other matters needed to be considered in order to ensure the
livelihoods of the poor villagers. Majority of the people in this area
are extremely poor - daily wage labourers or marginal farmers. They
are barely making ends meet and end up going into massive debt. So SPS
is trying to help the people overcome their hardships through
innovative strategies - particularly programs that encourage women
empowerment. I can wait to learn more about the details and how SPS
has changed people's lives.

Still adjusting the heat. You would not believe how hot it gets - you
can feel your skin baking. And being in a poor area - the electricity
is unstable so we go hours without any fan. So we just sit in the
shade and sweat and drink a lot of water. Fun times :) I think for me
it has been particularly hard, because we came from Philadelphia were
the weather was mostly in the 60s and low 70s - to then end up in 100+
plus weather within hours is quite a strain since there was no gradual
adjustment. But it is manageable - we stay in the shade, drink water,
take baths, and count the days till monsoon.

We had quite an exciting afternoon the other day. We were in our room,
reading in the shade, wearing shorts (only appropriate within our room
- we have to be covered when in the public) when we heard this noise
coming from our cooler. They do not have airconditioning here. Instead
it is a cooler which is a fan and your pour water in the back - so the
water is turned into cool air. We look at the cooler and we see
something sort of half sticking out. We both screamed and ran out of
our room. The night before, we had just been told about the scorpions,
cobras, and krait in the area - and we actually saw a scorpion - so
were in that mindset. Luckily, two men on a motorcycle stopped by and
went into our room. Apparently it was a large iguana - they managed to
get it out of our room - but the way they handled it, with a large
stick - made us wonder how dangerous it was. It really had us freaked
out. And now that's the story going around campus, 2 crazy girls in
shorts screaming b/c of a large iguana that tried to attack us from
our cooler. :)

We have booth taken a lot of photos. Unfortunately our access to the
internet has been limited due to electricity outages and so forth.
Hopefully within the next week we'll be able to share some of the
photos. We have meet some great people and seen some great things.
Stay tuned for more....

First Few Days in India

(originally written on May 23, 2011)

The trip to India was surprisingly smooth and effortless. After
hearing so many horror stories, I was prepared for some disaster to
happen but very lucky to have an excellent transition to India.
University of Pennsylvania has done an excellent job in ensuring that
everything was well coordinated which was a huge relief. Additionally,
I highly recommend flying Virgin Atlantic - it was a pretty pleasant
flight considering I spent 14 hours in an airplane.

I arrived in Delhi on May 20th around 11:30am. Had an excellent stay
at the Habitat Centre on Lodhi Road. I was able to get in some
shopping with two other interns - Laura and Julie. Laura is doing the
internship at Chintan in Delhi and Julie will be at the same
internship as I.
We checked out Khan Market, Connaught Place, and Delhi Haat. Khan
Market was fancy - with Tommy Hilfiger stores and other brand name
items. Connaught Place is not what it used to be - last time I was
there in the 90s, it was a neat area to visit - now it's kind of run
down with too many scammers. Delhi Haat is a great place to go if you
are looking for Indian arts & crafts - lots of handmade products from
all over the country.
I bought lychees, flipflops and an alarm clock (only thing I forgot to
bring - I'm impressed with my packing abilities). And of course we
stopped at FabIndia to stock up on some scarves and other items. I
could spend all my money in that store. We were really lucky that it
rained on Saturday, May 21 so it was a wonderfully cool day to do some
exploring.

We enjoyed some great Indian cuisine. The first night we ate at the
Indian restaurant in the Habitat Centre - excellent garlic naan. Some
South Indian food at Delhi Haat (at the Kerala booth). And I grabbed a
spicy McPaneer burger at McDonald's out of pure curiosity - Not bad.
The funniest was breakfast in the 50s style diner at the Habitat
Center (the only American diner in India apparently) - complete with
with 50s American music and red booths.

On Sunday, May 22nd - Julie and I left Delhi to head to our internship
destination in Madhya Pradesh. We have had an excellent welcome by the
people at Samaj Pragati Sahayog - the organization we will be working
with for the next 8 weeks. I am really looking forward to getting to
know everyone and really diving into the various projects. Everyone
has been so friendly.

Despite the extreme heat, it is a fascinating area with all sorts of
beauty. Hopefully the heat will pass soon and monsoons will start
shortly.

Please stay tuned for photos and more updates as we get more involved
with the projects and organization.