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