Mahila Mandals

Mahila Mandal representatives meeting at the CORD center

One of the largest programs at CORD is the organization of groups called Mahila Mandals. Mahila Mandals are groups that consist of women from rural villages. The society here is a male dominated society, and the goal of these mandals are to empower women.

Many men in rural India suffer from alcohol abuse, and in turn end up abusing their wives. The Mahila Mandals give an opportunity for these village women to speak up and fight against injustices that would otherwise be overlooked. I did not personally get to participate in a Mahila Mandal meeting, as I was spending most of my time in the farm sector; however, I did get an opportunity to meet a large number of the women who participate in these groups and from I have seen, they seem to be strong, independent women.

The Mahila Mandals provide a forum where local women can come together and talk about their problems, and get advice from their peers on how best to handle these issues. There are approximately 3,000 members of these mandals in Kangra district, if I remember correctly. Overall these mandals are a great way to promote women empowerment, and under the direction of our Dr. Didi, they have been very successful .

SRI Experience (The Sequel)



Planting rice in the SRI method

Our job in the Farm and Allied Sector of CORD is to raise awareness about the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The goal is to tell the farmers that switching to this system of growing rice (which surprisingly uses the same seeds) will not only use less water and help the soil, but will also give the farmers more rice yield per plant. (more on SRI in previous posts)



Farmer Saaket

Today the entire farm sector (including me) went to a village where we held a meeting. The farm sector did a good job advertising it, and in return many villagers attended the meeting. There we gave the villagers an overview of what SRI is, and how it will help them. After the meeting we gave a demonstration on SRI, and the steps used to properly implement it. This included planting the rice, and that was when I got my chance to get in the paddies again. I went into the paddies with some other workers, and showed how exactly the rice should be planted (this is one of the key differences between the traditional method and SRI).

Once again, the farmers and villagers were incredibly hospitable. They basically take care of you as if you were a family member. They would always offer me tea, water, snacks, and even lunch!

Overall the meeting was successful, as many farmers showed up and seemed to be impressed by SRI. Hopefully they will implement SRI this growing season, as it will help both the environment, and their income. Hopefully we can give more demonstrations, as I would sure like to get into the rice paddies again!

Giving a demonstration on SRI

The Dalai Lama

Dharamsala (and Mcleodganj) is the place where the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government moved to in April 1959 after they went into exile following the Chinese invasion of Tibet. There is such a huge Tibetan and Chinese population here that they outnumber the Indian population greatly. When you walk into Mcleodganj near the Dalai Lama's palace, you really feel as if you are in Tibet.


A painting for Tibetan Independence

 Since much of the population is Tibetan, they naturally have a feeling of resentment towards the Chinese Government. In almost every shop one can find a picture of the Dalai Lama, as well as "Free Tibet" stickers and signs in the windows. Additionally, most of the shirts sold have "Tibet will be free" or something similar to "Freedom for Tibet" or a slogan fighting against injustices. In fact, I ended up buying a t-shirt with the Tibetan flag and the words "Free Tibet". The bookstores there have many books devoted to Tibetan culture, and I gained an insight into the brutality the Chinese Government has shown to the people of Tibet. Conversely, there are shelves of books by the Dalai Lama, which include how to find happiness in today's troubled world, how to become a better person, and many other topics. I actually bought the book Freedom in Exile, which is an autobiography of HH The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet (aka the current one).



The Tibetan Martyrs Memorial



One event that exemplifies Chinese brutality towards Tibetans is the kidnapping of the Panchen Lama. The Panshen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism, after the Dalai Lama himself. Fifteen years ago the Dalai Lama officially named the next Panchen Lama, a six year old boy living in Tibet. Once the Chinese Government heard of this, they kidnapped the child as a political prisoner. As of now the Panchen Lama is still missing, and no one knows if he is dead or alive. The Chinese have not acknowledged or denied that they have him in captivity, but all Tibetans know that if he is still alive, he is sitting in a China jail, deprived of his religion, freedom, and family. Something must be done to help free the youngest political prisoner in the world.



Delicious Tibetan Street Momos



One of my favorite things about Mcleodganj is the food, especially the Tibetan food. My two favorite Tibetan dishes are Momo and Thupka. Momo is like a Chinese dumpling with an amazing filling, while Thupka is a type of noodle soup with a spicy flavor. The cool thing about walking around the city is that all street vendors sell Tibetan dishes that taste amazing! I will go so far as to admit that even the vegetarian Tibetan Dishes are pretty good! (however, as a tourist I would recommend caution when eating street food or else you'll be pretty sick the next day!)



A Tibetan monastery at Mcleodganj





The interesting thing about this "mini-Tibet" is that since it is high up in the mountains, it looks like Tibet also. The temperature up there is much cooler up there than the rest of India, and that is probably why the Dalai Lama chose to move there after the invasion of Tibet. There are traditional Tibetan flags hanging from buildings, and many signs are written in Tibetan script. It is a beautiful place, and is the closest you will get to seeing the real Tibet without actually going to China. I am going to miss all the Tibetan culture here, however something tells me I will back soon...



Kangra Paintings

One of the Kangra paintings

  One of the many programs CORD offers is a workshop for a special type of paintings called Kangra Paintings. What's interesting about Kangra paintings at CORD is that they are exclusively done by deaf and mute village adolescents.



Some of the Kangra painters hard at work

 Last week Dr. Didi (what we call our CORD founder and Director) came back from a trip to Canada. When she went there she took a villager who draws Kangra Paintings to see a Kangra art exhibition, along with one of his interpreters. He seemed to have enjoyed the trip a lot, (I think it was his first time outside the country) and his interpreter and he showed us a power point in the general assembly of the trip they took to Canada

I personally think this is one of the best CORD programs, as it takes villagers who normally wouldn't be cared about and gives them empowerment in the form of making a living through painting. Dr. Didi really wants these kids to realize that they can improve their lives and make a living, and so far it has been a success in my opinion.


Me and some of the deaf Kangra painters



Exploring Himachal Pradesh

Karmapa Temple

Since today was my day off from work, I decided to have a look at what Himachal Pradesh has to offer. I didn't go to Dharamsala or Mcleodganj unfortunately, but I did go around the state to see Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangra Fort, and Karmapa Temple.



Jwalamukhi

 Jwalamukhi is a Hindu temple approximately an hour away that has an eternal natural flame. Many people come to see it every day (including pickpocketers) and it is always very crowded. We had to take our shoes off at the bottom of the hill, and climb to the top without shoes. The bad part was that it had just rained so it was very muddy, and the crowds didn't help either. After standing in line for an hour while getting past line ditchers and fake rishis, we finally got to enter the part of the temple that contained the enternal flame. It was fairly interesting, but when one of my friends tried to take a picture, a police officer smashed his camera to the ground (that's why it's always good to be able to read signs in Hindi).

Kangra Fort was a fort built around 1006 AD which the Sikhs later used to defend against Muslim invaders. It reminded me of Sinha Gadh near Pune in Maharashtra, which is also high up in the mountains. There were many great views from the top of the fort, and it was fun to climb to the top.

Karmapa Temple is in Yol, nearby the CORD center , and is the place where the second most important Lama, after the Dalai Lama, has his residence. It is a magnificent temple with many resident areas for students learning the ways of Budhism. The view when the sky is clear is one of the best I've ever seen.


Me from a window at Kangra Fort



Gettin' Down and Dirty with SRI

Marking the fields for the rice seedlings

So as I had mentioned earlier, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is simply a method of growing that allows for more rice yield from less seeds while using less water than the traditional method. The seed is the same, but just the technique can have a big difference.

The rice paddies we worked on

We went to a farmers house in a village to help him plant his rice (the season is just now starting), and help him improve his SRI technique. I was kind of uneasy at first about getting into the mud to plant the rice, but I eventually yielded to pressure (it was probably one of the best decisions ever). The farmers and villagers were all really nice and very inquisitive about how life is in America. The farmer who we worked with had actually served in the Indian Army for 38 years until he recently retired!! It was very interesting to ask him about his experiences during all the Indo-Pak wars. Probably the newest thing to me was how everyone served chai everytime you came to one's house. I had three cups today before lunch ended!

Once I got into the mud, it was actually pretty fun markng spots and planting the seeds (the mud is actually much deeper than it looks!). Unfortunately, we didnt finish planting everything because the monsoons came and we were forced to run from the fields back to the house. Hopefully I will get to plant some more next week!

The Vermi Compost Experience!

As I had mentioned earlier in a blog post, Vermi Compost is compost made from cow droppings, leaves, and other organic sources, that is enhanced by earthworms. The villagers use it as fertilizer on their crops, but many times they have excess compost left over.



One of the compost pits we checked out



Our job in the Agricultural Livelihood Department is to find a way to properly market the excess compost to someone who is willing to buy it. We have visited nurseries and hotels to find buyers, and have had some success. Today, instead, we went to many villages to "inspect" their compost and check the quality level (we dont want to send out a bunch of junk to our buyers). Many of the villagers' pits were not of high quality, as they didn't vary the compost contents, or they just had a bunch of trash in them. On the other hand there were quite a few that actually made compost of high quality and were making it properly. It was a tiring day, as we went to many villages to check thier compost pits, all the while walking through blistering heat or intense monsoons. In the end though, it was worth it, due to the fact that we gained much useful information.

After seeing some pits in poor condition, we came to the conclusion that this may be because many farmers dont know how to properly make Vermi Compost pits. Many times the government gives them money to build the pit, but doesnt really care about what the farmers do next (more on Indian gov't beauracracy and corruption in a future blog post). Anyways my job now is to research how exactly to make a pit in detail. We need to know exactly the proportions of each ingredients, and each step used to make the pits. We can then make a manual to train the farmers on how to make a proper pit. Then we will have better quality compost that we can successfully market for the them.

System of Rice Intensification



A rice paddy using SRI

       The department that I work in is the Farm and Agricultural Sector. Our main project in this department is the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). What we basically do is go into all the surrounding villages and try to convince them to switch from their traditional method of growing rice to the SRI system. SRI is a more eco-friendly system that at the same time increases crop yields tremendously while using less rice seeds. It also decreases the amount of water needed to grow crops.  We went into the field and held a meeting in one of the villages. There we showed the villagers why switching to SRI would benefit them. Many of the villagers were impressed with the pictures that we showed them of successes using SRI in other villages. This will be followed by actual demonstrations of how to implement this technique in the rice paddies. Hopefully we can get them to start planting next week!

 

A Non-SRI rice plant (left) vs. an SRI rice plant (right)



The Bus System!!



     As many of you might know, the Indian bus system is a unique experience found no where else. It is a system where foreigners need to be alert at all times to make it back in one piece. My first ride was basically baptism by fire: I was the last person to get on the bus and the bus driver started to leave before I even got on!!! I was a little shocked, but then I was reminded that I was in India.

    

 

The bus at 1/4 normal capacity



     Another interesting experience was when the bus was full (in American standards). The bus fee collector asked a woman how many kids she had. She said two and paid for the three of them. Then after a while he went to the back of the bus and found a bunch of kids and asked them who their mother was. They pointed to the woman who just paid the fees! Turns out she actually had six kids!!!

     One thing that the average person might be shocked about is that there is no such thing called "Personal Space". The buses have NO Maximum Capacity!!!! Even if all the seats are full, the bus will take five times that amount. One literally cannot move a finger it's that crowded! Going on the Bus is a new adventure every time.....    

 



Who needs "Snakes on a Plane??"
We have GOATS ON A BUS!!!



English Teaching

     The biggest problem I have had so far was trying to communicate in Hindi. Hindi is the language spoken here, but unfortunately I am able to speak Marathi, not Hindi. On the other hand, most of the villagers dont speak English, and one of the programs that CORD offers is to teach English to the villagers, both at the center and in the villages.
     The English teacher is a volunteer named Lippi, and I went with her to the villages to see how she teaches, as well as observed her teach at the center. She is a very fun and proficient teacher, and in fact I was also helped by her lessons, as I was learning from English to Hindi, the reverse of how all the students were learning. The students are all very friendly, and towards the end of class I played pictionary with them to help improve their English vocabulary.

Special Needs Programs



One of the villages I visited


    One of the programs that CORD does is to help special needs children from the villages. Many times these children do not recieve any help and are almost seen as a burden to the family. CORD both goes into the villages to help, as well as invites them to the center to recieve additional help. The center has rooms to play with and educate the children, as well as a physiotherapy room to help with their exercises, especially for the physically challenged children.

     Today I went into some villages with a couple of workers and volunteers. We went to each family's house who had a child with special needs. Today we focused on those with the disease known as Cerebral Palsy. It was very humbling to see the houses of some of these people, and the way they live their lives, compared to us from America. Additionally, they were very friendly and hospitable, as I drank countless cups of chai from each family that offered us some.

     It was very fun meeting these special needs children and playing with them. We made sure they were exercising properly to keep them physically healthy. It was very tiring to walk to all the villages to see the children, but an effort that was worth it. Hopefully I will go back to see them next week!

Projects at CORD

    
     After taking a tour of the CORD center yesterday, I got a feel of many of the individual projects that the center undertakes. Many of these are truly remarkable, including the amount of effort that the workers and volunteers show to help the villagers. One project is to introduce to the villages a new method of growing rice called "System of Rice Intensification" (SRI). It is more environmentally friendly and at the same time increases crop yields with less plants. Another farming related project is using Vermi Compost, which, as I had mentioned earlier, uses worms to produce better quality compost that the villagers can sell.
     One of my favorite projects will I will soon talk about in-depth involves helping special needs children from these villages, who otherwise would not recieve any extra care. A different project which I dipped my feet into was teaching English to the Villagers, as well as introducing them to computers.
     A large amount of effort from CORD goes to organizing Mahila Mandals. These are groups of women villagers who meet at the CORD Center and discuss many of things, including problems they may have. The main point of these are to empower women and give them a voice in a traditional male dominated society.
     One thoughtful program that was developed was to take the deaf and mute villagers and teach them how to draw Kangra Paintings. They are then able to sell these paintings and earn a living. I personally think that this is very amazing, and their drawings are remarkable as well. Another craftwork program is teaching the villagers how to weave intricate designs and how to make items that can be sold at the Chinmaya Self Help Group store in Sidhbari.


A group of rice paddies using SRI



First Day in the Field

Today was our first full day, and we were out in the field. We are trying to help the villagers increase their crop yields, and market them effectively. The villagers produce a compost supplemmented by earthworms called Vermi Compost, which produces very rich fertilizer, and our job was to find out how to sell the farmers' surplus compost. We went around to several nurseries in the surrounding area to gauge the prices that we can sell our compost, and also if anyone is willing to buy it. We went by bus, and while it was very tiring walking everywhere in the heat, we were successfully able to gather much information.


A Vermi Compost pit



The India Experience

The first day in India was quite the experience. Getting off the plane (which finally took off) and feeling the first hot blast of Delhi air was intense. Luckily we still caught our flight to Dharamsala, even after having our Chicago flight delayed 15 hours.

The taxi ride to Sidhbari brought back memories of riding in Mumbai, where every overtake makes you wonder if you're going to crash soon. The dashed lane divider doesn't show you where you have to drive, but instead where you're RECOMMENDED to drive. Today was the first time I had taken a bus in India, and I will say it was different from anything I had ridden before! People were crammed into the bus and jumping off at random stops while the bus was still moving, and many people were playing loud music from their phones. The bus even started moving before I could get on it!

The food here is good, and the accomodations at CORD are terriffic. The only problem I see is the language barrier, as I am not able to converse in Hindi. I am almost over my jetlag, and am looking forward to working in the field with everyone.

Windy City Adventure

So we were waiting at our gate in Chicago for our 15 hour flight, and our flight kept getting delayed. Eventually they just cancelled the flight to Delhi. So now we're in a hotel by O'Hare airport. Unfortunately we have to get up at 3:30 tomorrow to catch our flight to Delhi. The worst part is we'll probably miss our connection to Sidhibari. Oh well, I'm still excited to get on that flight to India!



Once I finally got to Dharamsala airport



Flight to India

Tomorrow we will be heading out for India! We will land in Delhi and then drive to the Sidhbari Ashram in Himachal Pradesh. I am looking forward to it! Probably the toughest thing will be adjusting to life there, as it will be a huge difference from here in the states. I am excited for the challenge!

CORD Website

Hey everyone, please visit the CORD website at the URL I posted below. It is very good in describing what CORD's mission is, and also many of they projects they are undertaking.

http://www.chinmayamission.com/cord.php

Welcome to my blog!

Hi Everyone! This is my new blog and I'll be posting things starting mid June! I will be volunteering in rural India for a month and this bloggs my experiences there. Thanks for following me!