Journey to Himachal Pradesh (Jun 2-3)
On June 2, for 2-days, I traveled by private car for an Eco-Club site visit with the program director from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It was a 5-hour drive through 2 states (Haryana and Chandigerh) to the Government High School, Moginand, in the Sirmour District of the State of Himachel Pradesh (HP). I must say this again about the drivers in India and I’m told this is a country-wide problem; the drivers are a menace on the road! They are a complete hazard and take the most needless risks behind the wheel. Tailgating is common in India even at 100 mph – everyone does it. They constantly pass others on the road despite oncoming traffic and the fact they constantly experience a "near miss" with head on collision with other cars, trailers, rickshaws, ox pulling carts, doesn’t matter to them. Only passengers in the two seats in the front of any given vehicle are required to wear seatbelts "by law". People in the back seats of cars to not have to wear them so most companies apparently take them out. I drove 5 hours each way in complete and utter fear for my life. I’m not even kidding you – Unless you’ve been here, you may have no real concept of the aggressive driving that I’m trying to describe. I asked R.P. Singh (helps manage the Nat'l Green Corps I'm here to study) if he "ever played the game of chicken" on his bike with his friends when he was a kid. Of course he never heard that phrase/game. I told him what it is and explained this is precisely what our driver was doing – He just shook his head – felt bad for my reactions but doesn’t phase him really b/c he lives with this daily all his life. Remember I grew up on the east coast with crazy drivers in NYC, Philly, DC, Boston – and some will say I fit right in. You may never understand when I say I drive like a grandma compared to Indians out here! It is seriously very scary and honestly unfortunate as I also learned India has one of the highest road injuries and fatalities of any country (go figure!!).
Okay, I have many stories to tell about this 2-day trip to HP – I’ll provide tidbits and clips with a few pictures to give you an idea of what an incredible experience I had. We were on our way through rural India experiencing villages along the way. We stopped at a ‘rest stop’ for breakfast and I enjoyed a cheese parantha and Indian coffee (not my idea of a veggie omelet but it was mighty tasty). I’ve been immersed in meals by eating almost everything completely with my hands at all occasions (yep, even the messy stuff). Needing to use the restroom prior to departure, this was my first experience with their "urinals" – They call all bathrooms either toilets or urinals (male and female). Because in the case where there is no "toilet" you do your business in a ceramic hole in the ground – on the floor next to this is a small container with water – the spicket on the wall is to refill the container when empty. Correct, there is NO toilet paper!
This is the common bathroom in rural India. NOW everything I read about NOT using your left hand for everything has been brought before me for real! And of course I broke that cardinal sin of eating with my left hand while I had my fork in my right hand to help one night at the guest house where I’m staying in Delhi. Prem understands foreigners but asks "oh, are you left handed?" – "no" I explained as I proceeded to clean my left hand and sit on it!
We passed by many vegetable fields and rice fields with lots of peasants/manual labor. Brick making fields also – Farmers considered "rich" have motorized tractors. Traveling through small village markets, R.P. shares comments about economic reality in rural India: "very poor, very innocent people...." - We see a covered wagon cart of sorts pass by with this info about a local "Swami" – We toss around that term in the U.S. sometimes but don’t use it regularly. A Swami, in case you’re wondering or think you know, is an icon here in India, a respected leader, teacher of social issues, individual think tank, excellent at debates, that sort of thing. R.P. continues to share about India: "All over India we have a variety of languages, clothes, building, huts, shacks, habitat and natural resources, cultural peoples, and like that, but we live in unity." – Drove through village of Nomadic Tribes…
Upon arrival to the school I figured we would just park the car, head to the main office/reception or whatever, meet the science teacher, and get the lay of the land for the next two days. But nnnnoooooooo….. we arrive and the sight was something I never expected. We pulled up in front of the school and suddenly I got nervous! There is one main sidewalk that goes up to the front door of the school. To the left and right of the concrete sidewalk is a large dirt field where classes and activities often take place outdoors . Students and teachers lined this sidewalk on both sides – every inch was filled with people you could not see anything else but people (mostly students). The students played drums and other band instruments to welcome our arrival, boy scouts in their uniforms saluted us, Dr. Sanjeev Attri, Science Teacher, greeted us and introduced us one by one to each of the teachers as we made our way up the sidewalk, students greeting us at the main entrance in salute again. The cheering and clapping was beyond belief… I could not stop smiling. And, I could not figure out what this was all about… why? Between me being an American and a research scholar coming to visit their small rural school, and R.P. Singh (who accompanied me for translation and assistance) from the Indian Government (Ministry of Environment and Forests), they wanted to give us the warmest and best welcome as they could – while I’d say they "out-did themselves" they told me how honored they were with my presence and interest in visiting their school and, likewise, how it is rare (if at all) that a National Official from the Ministry visits them. Whew! I still get all choked up thinking about just our arrival!
When the excitement settled down, we met teachers and other folks who were participating in the planning and implementation of the Environmental Film Festival that was occurring at this particular location. As I continue with this story, keep in mind 95% of the entire 2-days, I was surrounded by conversations in Hindi. Some but few people spoke English. R.P.’s translation for me would be crucial to my success in needing to conduct interviews with Eco Club students, the Science Teacher and the District official who visited as well. He would be essential to my assistance – There were a couple of Indian women from the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) who coordinated the film festival who were fully bi-lingual so I eventually stuck pretty darn close to them!
We had a great day watching short-clips of environmental films, observing Q&A between the students and the CMS staff about what they learned, and just enjoying sporadic interaction with the students about their involvement with the Eco-Clubs. It was more of an informal day of meeting and greeting and soaking it all in. Very astute observations with many notes recorded later that night at the hotel. In this particular photo with students sitting on the ground - this is indicative of all their classes whether inside or out - they sit on the ground, typically boys on one side, girls on the other.
Speaking of the hotel (one night at Hotel Heritage Sanyam), we were invited to sit and have tea and a chat with the owner. He was a cool guy probably in his late 50s or so. One of the school teachers was hanging out with us as well as another hotel employee. This was a nice occasion for me where everyone spoke English. The hotel was a decent place based on Indian standards …. Basically all furniture would be comparable to what you’d find at the Salvation Army. They began asking me questions about America. Some how the topic of crime and theft came up b/c I excused myself to lock my room door. Everyone agreed it is important to keep locked and I mentioned how some places in America, rural/country, people leave their doors open and don’t worry about theft but in other areas, especially cities, crime is much higher. These Indians in this village, and R.P. who was with me, were amazed with disbelief: "You mean there is theft in America? Please explain" they asked. They genuinely did not believe crime occurs in "America" – We moved onto violence, poverty, homelessness – They could not believe what they were hearing. They had no idea there were homeless people or even that poverty existed in places across the U.S.A. – They mentioned that when Indian media, that they read or hear about, discusses American, it only talks about its "power and wealth". They asked why these problems and social issues I spoke of exist especially given the recent visit to India by President Bush. They say "your president comes to our country to brag about how great America is…why doesn’t the American Government take care of your own people? Your country is always ready to spend money on war or to help other countries yet you tell us you have all these problems." – The conversation moved into concepts of privilege, racism, discrimination, and oppression. Suddenly they could relate. "oh, the Government tries to keep people down? That is just like here in India." They were happy to learn the "truth" about certain parts of America they apparently never knew.
Again, I did not sleep well – busy brain – I’m attempting to practice some meditation to carry myself to sleep. Lucky to get 5 hours that night, if that. There were a couple of young boys of 13 yrs old who were the hotel servants – (I learned a lot about "child labor laws" they aren’t adhered to! Apparently it’s a real problem across the country with kids illegally working betw the ages of 5-13-ish). The cap, by the way, is distinct from this village school and was given to me as an honor - I found out they were thrilled when I wore it this next day.
This young fellow who assisted us did not speak English so we gestured a lot! He makes 600Rupees (Rs.) per month ($12.00) and sends it back to his family in Nepal. I gave him 100Rs as a tip (which is $2. for you and me but goes a long way for an Indian boy).
The next day at the school was another extraordinary day. Focus group with students to talk about their experience with the Eco Clubs, interview with the District official in charge of implementation and monitoring, closing ceremony that consisted of a few speeches and one last short environmental film. I was also happy to learn these students "love to go camping"! The Eco Club students even produced their own video about industrial waste in their local area ("Nature is Crying"). I was asked to speak to the group as well and, like the day before, was very nervous. Even more nervous this time because the Deputy Director of Education for the entire state was also present in addition to two other officials from the area. YIKES! I pulled together a few notes to ensure I would be coherent! Yes friends, I did speak slowly.
Living in India for this brief period thus far has been an incredible exercise is truly speaking slowly and offering perfect enunciation b/c I’ve had to. I even sound funny to myself!! Wondering if the students, especially really understood me, I was told they got the essence of my message and understood my meaning. Plus when the Dir. of Education spoke after me, I was told he reiterated my message and paraphrased my words to the group (was glad to hear that!). Following my talk I surprised everyone by giving a personal contribution to the Eco Club of 1000Rs….A mere $25 bucks for me but huge donation for them that will buy many supplies and materials. It was a feel good thing for me and they loved it that an American made such contribution to their Club. I wanted to donate more but was told by R.P. this would not be a politically good idea. The Ministry of Environment and Forests only gives Clubs 1500Rs as start up funds (to be increased to 2500Rs in the upcoming year). Plus I was told the State and District officials in the room might have been embarrassed if I gave more than what they were able to give during certain periods of the program operation. They are open to gifts, apparently you just have to be very smart and cautious – again, it goes back to the immense Indian Pride. (Think about why India does not accept the Peace Corps here).
I also went ahead and gave 500Rs to the guy who was there from the local NGO/non-profit that assists this school with their Eco Club books and written materials. He was thrilled. I am making a large sum, according to Indian standards, for my allowance with plenty of funds for my research – So I’m happy to contribute to the Indian economy has I have with every place I’ve traveled. I’ve also made it clear to a few people that I get to know that in the U.S. I am considered "poor" because I now live in San Francisco!!
Speaking of pride, the School officials refused to let me pay for the hotel stay or meals provided at the hotel. Despite the grant paying for this trip, that was their way of extending such gratitude for our visit and wanted to make sure I knew how appreciative they were. I tried to pay for lunch on both days and they refused to let me do that as well. This is very unlike Delhi when they know you're a foreigner they purposefully raise their prices for everything and gladly take your Rupees! In this picture below, students in the Eco Club were sssoooo cute! They each wanted my autograph and asked me to write a few words about the environment special for them - As they each gave me their name for the next page in their book, they told me what their name meant (each Indian name has significant meaning). There were 30 of these kids - what a kick! I had so much fun with them
okay, now I must go – I have several items to pursue in preparation for a morning meeting at the Ministry. Oh and if you’re ever interested – ask me about the George Bush visit here in India (this past spring) if you want to know some local news that the media did not report in the U.S. let me know!
A few fun tidbits about the language/culture:
- India is home to 1.2 billion people - abt. 1/5 of the worlds population, 2nd to China.
- When they want to know where are you from, they ask: "Where do you belong? (or likewise when telling where someone is from, they say (for example) "Rheka belongs to New Delhi"
- When they want to know if you want something to eat or if you are hungry, they say: "Do you take food?"
- They call barriers and constraints (in just about any context) "bottlenecks"
- What we call an egg sandwich, they call "bread omelet" (that one really confused me!).
- If someone is accompanied or "goes with" another person, they are known to "carry you there". Individuals who accompany another "carry" such as the fact when Dr. Uday Shanker told me "R.P. will carry you to the Moginand School for the site visit". (Interesting phrase!)
- Peacock is the National Bird, Tiger is the Nat’l Animal, Lotus is the Nat’l Flower.
Okay, I have many stories to tell about this 2-day trip to HP – I’ll provide tidbits and clips with a few pictures to give you an idea of what an incredible experience I had. We were on our way through rural India experiencing villages along the way. We stopped at a ‘rest stop’ for breakfast and I enjoyed a cheese parantha and Indian coffee (not my idea of a veggie omelet but it was mighty tasty). I’ve been immersed in meals by eating almost everything completely with my hands at all occasions (yep, even the messy stuff). Needing to use the restroom prior to departure, this was my first experience with their "urinals" – They call all bathrooms either toilets or urinals (male and female). Because in the case where there is no "toilet" you do your business in a ceramic hole in the ground – on the floor next to this is a small container with water – the spicket on the wall is to refill the container when empty. Correct, there is NO toilet paper!
This is the common bathroom in rural India. NOW everything I read about NOT using your left hand for everything has been brought before me for real! And of course I broke that cardinal sin of eating with my left hand while I had my fork in my right hand to help one night at the guest house where I’m staying in Delhi. Prem understands foreigners but asks "oh, are you left handed?" – "no" I explained as I proceeded to clean my left hand and sit on it!
We passed by many vegetable fields and rice fields with lots of peasants/manual labor. Brick making fields also – Farmers considered "rich" have motorized tractors. Traveling through small village markets, R.P. shares comments about economic reality in rural India: "very poor, very innocent people...." - We see a covered wagon cart of sorts pass by with this info about a local "Swami" – We toss around that term in the U.S. sometimes but don’t use it regularly. A Swami, in case you’re wondering or think you know, is an icon here in India, a respected leader, teacher of social issues, individual think tank, excellent at debates, that sort of thing. R.P. continues to share about India: "All over India we have a variety of languages, clothes, building, huts, shacks, habitat and natural resources, cultural peoples, and like that, but we live in unity." – Drove through village of Nomadic Tribes…
Upon arrival to the school I figured we would just park the car, head to the main office/reception or whatever, meet the science teacher, and get the lay of the land for the next two days. But nnnnoooooooo….. we arrive and the sight was something I never expected. We pulled up in front of the school and suddenly I got nervous! There is one main sidewalk that goes up to the front door of the school. To the left and right of the concrete sidewalk is a large dirt field where classes and activities often take place outdoors . Students and teachers lined this sidewalk on both sides – every inch was filled with people you could not see anything else but people (mostly students). The students played drums and other band instruments to welcome our arrival, boy scouts in their uniforms saluted us, Dr. Sanjeev Attri, Science Teacher, greeted us and introduced us one by one to each of the teachers as we made our way up the sidewalk, students greeting us at the main entrance in salute again. The cheering and clapping was beyond belief… I could not stop smiling. And, I could not figure out what this was all about… why? Between me being an American and a research scholar coming to visit their small rural school, and R.P. Singh (who accompanied me for translation and assistance) from the Indian Government (Ministry of Environment and Forests), they wanted to give us the warmest and best welcome as they could – while I’d say they "out-did themselves" they told me how honored they were with my presence and interest in visiting their school and, likewise, how it is rare (if at all) that a National Official from the Ministry visits them. Whew! I still get all choked up thinking about just our arrival!
When the excitement settled down, we met teachers and other folks who were participating in the planning and implementation of the Environmental Film Festival that was occurring at this particular location. As I continue with this story, keep in mind 95% of the entire 2-days, I was surrounded by conversations in Hindi. Some but few people spoke English. R.P.’s translation for me would be crucial to my success in needing to conduct interviews with Eco Club students, the Science Teacher and the District official who visited as well. He would be essential to my assistance – There were a couple of Indian women from the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) who coordinated the film festival who were fully bi-lingual so I eventually stuck pretty darn close to them!
We had a great day watching short-clips of environmental films, observing Q&A between the students and the CMS staff about what they learned, and just enjoying sporadic interaction with the students about their involvement with the Eco-Clubs. It was more of an informal day of meeting and greeting and soaking it all in. Very astute observations with many notes recorded later that night at the hotel. In this particular photo with students sitting on the ground - this is indicative of all their classes whether inside or out - they sit on the ground, typically boys on one side, girls on the other.
Speaking of the hotel (one night at Hotel Heritage Sanyam), we were invited to sit and have tea and a chat with the owner. He was a cool guy probably in his late 50s or so. One of the school teachers was hanging out with us as well as another hotel employee. This was a nice occasion for me where everyone spoke English. The hotel was a decent place based on Indian standards …. Basically all furniture would be comparable to what you’d find at the Salvation Army. They began asking me questions about America. Some how the topic of crime and theft came up b/c I excused myself to lock my room door. Everyone agreed it is important to keep locked and I mentioned how some places in America, rural/country, people leave their doors open and don’t worry about theft but in other areas, especially cities, crime is much higher. These Indians in this village, and R.P. who was with me, were amazed with disbelief: "You mean there is theft in America? Please explain" they asked. They genuinely did not believe crime occurs in "America" – We moved onto violence, poverty, homelessness – They could not believe what they were hearing. They had no idea there were homeless people or even that poverty existed in places across the U.S.A. – They mentioned that when Indian media, that they read or hear about, discusses American, it only talks about its "power and wealth". They asked why these problems and social issues I spoke of exist especially given the recent visit to India by President Bush. They say "your president comes to our country to brag about how great America is…why doesn’t the American Government take care of your own people? Your country is always ready to spend money on war or to help other countries yet you tell us you have all these problems." – The conversation moved into concepts of privilege, racism, discrimination, and oppression. Suddenly they could relate. "oh, the Government tries to keep people down? That is just like here in India." They were happy to learn the "truth" about certain parts of America they apparently never knew.
Again, I did not sleep well – busy brain – I’m attempting to practice some meditation to carry myself to sleep. Lucky to get 5 hours that night, if that. There were a couple of young boys of 13 yrs old who were the hotel servants – (I learned a lot about "child labor laws" they aren’t adhered to! Apparently it’s a real problem across the country with kids illegally working betw the ages of 5-13-ish). The cap, by the way, is distinct from this village school and was given to me as an honor - I found out they were thrilled when I wore it this next day.
This young fellow who assisted us did not speak English so we gestured a lot! He makes 600Rupees (Rs.) per month ($12.00) and sends it back to his family in Nepal. I gave him 100Rs as a tip (which is $2. for you and me but goes a long way for an Indian boy).
The next day at the school was another extraordinary day. Focus group with students to talk about their experience with the Eco Clubs, interview with the District official in charge of implementation and monitoring, closing ceremony that consisted of a few speeches and one last short environmental film. I was also happy to learn these students "love to go camping"! The Eco Club students even produced their own video about industrial waste in their local area ("Nature is Crying"). I was asked to speak to the group as well and, like the day before, was very nervous. Even more nervous this time because the Deputy Director of Education for the entire state was also present in addition to two other officials from the area. YIKES! I pulled together a few notes to ensure I would be coherent! Yes friends, I did speak slowly.
Living in India for this brief period thus far has been an incredible exercise is truly speaking slowly and offering perfect enunciation b/c I’ve had to. I even sound funny to myself!! Wondering if the students, especially really understood me, I was told they got the essence of my message and understood my meaning. Plus when the Dir. of Education spoke after me, I was told he reiterated my message and paraphrased my words to the group (was glad to hear that!). Following my talk I surprised everyone by giving a personal contribution to the Eco Club of 1000Rs….A mere $25 bucks for me but huge donation for them that will buy many supplies and materials. It was a feel good thing for me and they loved it that an American made such contribution to their Club. I wanted to donate more but was told by R.P. this would not be a politically good idea. The Ministry of Environment and Forests only gives Clubs 1500Rs as start up funds (to be increased to 2500Rs in the upcoming year). Plus I was told the State and District officials in the room might have been embarrassed if I gave more than what they were able to give during certain periods of the program operation. They are open to gifts, apparently you just have to be very smart and cautious – again, it goes back to the immense Indian Pride. (Think about why India does not accept the Peace Corps here).
I also went ahead and gave 500Rs to the guy who was there from the local NGO/non-profit that assists this school with their Eco Club books and written materials. He was thrilled. I am making a large sum, according to Indian standards, for my allowance with plenty of funds for my research – So I’m happy to contribute to the Indian economy has I have with every place I’ve traveled. I’ve also made it clear to a few people that I get to know that in the U.S. I am considered "poor" because I now live in San Francisco!!
Speaking of pride, the School officials refused to let me pay for the hotel stay or meals provided at the hotel. Despite the grant paying for this trip, that was their way of extending such gratitude for our visit and wanted to make sure I knew how appreciative they were. I tried to pay for lunch on both days and they refused to let me do that as well. This is very unlike Delhi when they know you're a foreigner they purposefully raise their prices for everything and gladly take your Rupees! In this picture below, students in the Eco Club were sssoooo cute! They each wanted my autograph and asked me to write a few words about the environment special for them - As they each gave me their name for the next page in their book, they told me what their name meant (each Indian name has significant meaning). There were 30 of these kids - what a kick! I had so much fun with them
okay, now I must go – I have several items to pursue in preparation for a morning meeting at the Ministry. Oh and if you’re ever interested – ask me about the George Bush visit here in India (this past spring) if you want to know some local news that the media did not report in the U.S. let me know!
A few fun tidbits about the language/culture:
- India is home to 1.2 billion people - abt. 1/5 of the worlds population, 2nd to China.
- When they want to know where are you from, they ask: "Where do you belong? (or likewise when telling where someone is from, they say (for example) "Rheka belongs to New Delhi"
- When they want to know if you want something to eat or if you are hungry, they say: "Do you take food?"
- They call barriers and constraints (in just about any context) "bottlenecks"
- What we call an egg sandwich, they call "bread omelet" (that one really confused me!).
- If someone is accompanied or "goes with" another person, they are known to "carry you there". Individuals who accompany another "carry" such as the fact when Dr. Uday Shanker told me "R.P. will carry you to the Moginand School for the site visit". (Interesting phrase!)
- Peacock is the National Bird, Tiger is the Nat’l Animal, Lotus is the Nat’l Flower.
posted by Nina S. Roberts | 4:19 AM
3 Comments:
Hi Nina!
Another awesome blog entry!. You ... "drive like a grandma"? Bwaahahhahaha! Seriously, though, if people over here drove like Indians, we'd all be dead.
I was amazed about your talk with Indians who thought there was no crime or homelessness in the U.S.! But then again, compared to most of them we are wealthy (I waste a couple of hundred Rupees a day on junk food!).
Also, some day let me know about the news that the U.S. media did not report about the Bush visit. I am very interested to hear what we missed.
Keep up the good work!
Love,
Uncle Steve
Nina,
you story about the school welcome brought tears to my eyes. You are an appropriate emmisary for us/US.
Clearly you are having the time of your life. I am so happy that the trip did finally happen.
See you in July.
love and hugs,
Melissa
Nina -
Your account of this trip has become part of my summertime reading. Absolutely fascinating and well done! And yes - I'd be very interested to hear about Bush's visit to India. Factual news! Imagine that.
Rob Lance
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