UnLtd Blogs - India Learning Journey 2006

Day 15 Friday 24th Nov

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:39:13 +0000

Dear Blog,

I wake up, aware that today is Blog day, I am more of a wiki man myself (http://ouseburn.pbwiki.com/). The project visit element of our learning journey is now over and today is the first day of the International Conference on Social Entrepreneurship in India, but we have a few hours this morning to explore Mumbai.

I just went for a walk there with Sean Coughan and "jumped" the local train from Chembur Station. As it arrives the crowds on the platform pull back. The packed train is a sea of heads and before the train really slows young men leap off, running before they hit the ground.

As the train stops the carriages empty, Indian men pouring out as human streams on their way to work. There is a sublime moment of realisation and as the tide turns we complete our part in this hectic ballet. I sense my cue and run at full pelt towards the door-less darkness of the already packed carriage.

Then we are packed in this travelling mosh-pit like kindling sticks. I notice the lack of any animosity or grief and applaud the foresight of installing dozens of roof fans to ease our baking brains. Sean is closer to the open door, but not too close. The local paper had an article this morning about the numbers that die every week falling off these local trains. Thankfully here are separate carriages for women and children, I am glad I am stuck here in the middle away from the open doors.

This train trip to Kurla, a local district of old Bombay, is a great distraction for me as yesterday's travel gave me the headspace to contemplate what we have seen on this trip. In my quiet moments I think on my 2 year-old son and then immediately I think on the hungry, sickly construction workers kids, I am having difficulty resolving these worlds. I don't want to believe the vulgar fractions. I have lunch alone in the restaurant, the waiters gather round staring, they think these tears are over the curry, but it's a lovely curry.

Day 12 - Tuesday 21st Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:15:42 +0000

It was an early morning start. At 8am we left for a project visit to Myrada. The journey was very long because our drivers got lost among all the alleys of the industrial area on the outskirts of Bangalore. Finally, we arrived and were welcomed with a good coffee.

Myrada is a big NGO which focuses on self help groups (SHGs) in South India. It supports 2,319 women’s SHGs and 10 youth SHGs.

It started Meadow: Management of Enterprises and Development of Women. We went to a village, Hosur, and visited production units of Meadow. Women members of this organisation are involved in a range of works like watches (assembling watch straps) and jewellery (fixing precious stones).

Titan, a watch company belonging to the Tata group, trains the women for six months to three years. Then, they are paid on average Rs2,500 to 3,000 a month, which is less than if they had worked inside the company. But, the profits are equally shared amongst the employees. It’s a way for these uneducated women to get a first job and to transform their social and economic status. Then , some of them can be employed directly by Titan and will earn more.

After lunch, we went back to Bangalore and crossing the town, we noticed much traffic. We arrived to IFA (Indian Foundation of Arts). Its mission is to fill gaps in the support available for the Arts in India and to introduce new approaches for Arts and Philanthropy. IFA has so far made 174 grants across 17 states. It offers support under four programmes: research by arts scholars and practitioners; enhancing the role of the arts in education; supporting artists and art groups to extend their existing work in different ways; performing new productions in theatre, music and dance.

Day 11 - Monday 20th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:48:36 +0000

First official visit in Bangalore and I suppose first real chance to see the city in action.

Association for Physical Disabilities (APD) is our first official visit – this organization is truly amazing. Their main centre comprises of training courses for people with disabilities of all kinds. It has wheelchair access which is pretty uncommon in India. The centre empowers the disabled to get a trade and/or qualification which in turn enables them to seek and gain employment in the private sector. It also has on-site facilities for the repair of wheelchairs and making/fitting calibers etc.

I think we in Britain can learn a lot from this organization and it certainly one I will be keeping in contact with. APD’s second site is relatively new (it is only 6 yrs old). It’s an agricultural centre for the disabled which is also open to the public 6 days a week, now this is a garden centre (B&Q please take note) the staff here are inspirational, they have a real pride in their work are so friendly and willing to help and give advice. Their knowledge of all the plants and different species of flowers, trees etc was captivating. There is a new accommodation block which is almost complete and this will eventually house up-to 40 students who will live and train on site. This truly is an organization which I feel would be very valuable in any society. Also, the empowerment and sense of worth the participants evidently receive is unmeasurable.

After a long day we now have the chance for some retail therapy!! - MGM road watch out here we come.

Day 10 - Sunday 19th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:46:31 +0000

Left the Jungle Retreat this morning for Mysore. Everyone is a bit quiet as we all had a pretty late night. The journey was much the same as usual (very bumpy). Lunch was arranged at The Green Hotel and spirits picked up when we reached here and everyone looked on it as ‘coming home’. It was actually quite sad saying good-bye for the last time but its off to catch the train for Bangalore.

Travelling by train is a totally different experience in India (I must make a mental note never to complain about British Rail again!). It may be more comfortable as opposed to travelling by bus but the people are jammed in like sardines, there are vendors selling everything you can think of from beverages to food this is one form of transport where you certainly won’t be hungry (as long as you have the money to purchase).

Our new accommodation for the next 4 nights is FMC (Frontier Management Centre) Bangalore, first impressions very good – I think I’m going to like it here!!!

Podcast - still in Kolguli - Phoebe and the elder midwife and Nat sings with the tribal children

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 06:11:52 +0000

In this podcast, Phoebe meets an elder midwife in Kolguli and speaks to her about childbirth practices over the years within her tribe. I also have a sing-song with some of the kids who burst out laughing when I started to sing which I'm sure was a compliment?

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Podcast - Keystone and the honey gatherers

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 06:02:27 +0000

Keystone was really interesting for the group as they work with the tribes in a similar way to ACCORD - but the organisational structure and approach feels very different. There were heated debates on the bus afterwards about the benefits and drawbacks of both approaches.

In summary, ACCORD's structure is completely flat and tribal-led and Keystone took a much more structured approach, familiar to us westerners. After being in the bosom of Stan's teaching up until this point (founder of ACCORD), many of us felt the differences quite strongly which led to some really interesting discussions around leadership, top-down, down-up, upside-down etc etc...

In this podcast, hear Sean Coughlan and Matthew Farmer and the group describe the project and eat lots of honey.

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Day 9 � Saturday 18th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:18:43 +0000

We woke up to rain. We also experienced the delights of rural India. I shared my shower with a family of rice. Michelle got an electric shock from the taps in her bathroom. Caroline and Claire had rats in their bags. Welcome to the Jungle Retreat!

We travelled to Stan’s house in the hills for a period of reflection and learning. The magnificent view from his house was invisible due to the cloud and mist. We sat in his glass-sided office to pull together our thoughts and reflections on this stage of the journey. We discussed the projects and answered some questions: what were our impressions of the projects? What were the similarities and differences? What were the outstanding questions?

We then had lunch and encountered leeches on the floor, in our shoes, on our hands and in the bus. Ciara and Laura, dressed for mortal combat, against this deadly enemy.

We then visited two tribal villages. We arrived at the village and the heavens opened. We had three umbrellas between eight of us. The tribal leader took pity and asked us to take shelter. We crouched on small wooden stools under the awning by his house. We were joined by a number of villagers. They told us that the government had provided the houses but they now needed repair and they couldn’t repair them because they didn’t have the materials or skills. Tribal leader told us that they had just received televisions a month ago. We asked: what had changed as a result of the televisions. And he said that they were Rs23 a month worse off because they had to pay the rental on the line. Also, he’d noticed that usually, the whole village gathered in the teashop at the end of the day. Now, the families were staying in their own huts to watch the television.

Day 8 - Friday 17th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:18:00 +0000

Friday morning and a fresh morning in the Nilgiris Hills. Some of the more hardy female members of our group were up for an early morning swim in the amazing free-form pool. The rest of us had a leisurely breakfast before we all headed off in the vehicles for another long journey through the hills to Kotagiri to visit the Keystone project. It took 2 ¼ hours to reach the project after negotiating many hairpin bends –we were all glad to reach our destination. However, we arrived just in time for lunch and some of us were still recovering from the journey and didn’t really appreciate the feast that had been prepared for us.

Keystone describes itself as a “group for eco development initiatives” and the team of Snehlata Nath and Pratim Roy introduced us to their programme through a series of PowerPoint presentations. The concept of “keystone” emerges from the nest building behaviour of some birds in nature. These permanent nest structures serve as a habitat for several life forms. Such “Keystone” species become crucial in providing opportunities for other associated beings to grow and evolve. Thus, Keystone Foundation is born out of a simple ecological principle of the interdependence of natural systems.

The foundation was founded in 1995 and works with indigenous communities in the Nilgiris Hills on eco-development initiatives. Their work has been in concentrated on apiculture (bee-keeping and honey gathering), micro-enterprise development, non-timber forest produce, land and water management, revival of traditional agriculture, and other issues concerning indigenous communities.

Podcast - Phoebe, 'Birthrites' and the tribal kids

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:17:06 +0000

We're still at the school - Phoebe asked 4 girls to draw pictures about childbirth as part of research for her project - Birthrites. I spoke with her during her workshop to find out more about her work in the UK and what she was learning from the trip.

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Podcast - the singing begins at the adivasi school in Gudalur

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:17:04 +0000

The school that ACCORD set up with the adivasis was a very relaxed and happy place with kids from 5 different tribes learning adademic subjects as well as art, crafts and tribal history and culture. To find out more about Vidyodaya, click here.

They also learn English at the school - they speak 8 languages - and I tried to teach them a ninth, Gaelic, which they picked up with frightening ease... Also, featured in this podcast, is the famous 'Monkeys versus Donkeys', Unltd's lasting contribution to the children of southern India!

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Podcast - Gudalur - ACCORD and the tribal hospital

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:17:02 +0000

We left the Green Hotel in Mysore for bamboo huts in the jungle near Gudalur.

Our first visit the next day was to the tribal hospital set up by Accord. Apart from the doctors, the hospital is run entirely by members of the tribal community for the tribal community.

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Day 7 - Thursday 16th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:17:00 +0000

I am dyslexic – your problem not mine!

My bloog day was Thursday and today is Tuesday that’s just a reflection of how busy and packed our schedule is. I have been struggling to make time to do this and it’s past midnight so here we go.

Schedule for the day:
Full day trip to Gudalur
Visit hospital
School
Meet with key team members
Visit tea factory
Have an impromptu visit to Stan’s house stay for supper
Drive back to jungle retreat and meet elephants.

Thursday was our first day in the jungle in the Nigrili hills, a really beautiful setting, and we were in the clouds literally it was stunningly beautiful. We had already meet with Stan (a very passionate man) in Mysor and discussed some of the projects and been given information prior to our visits, we also meet two colleges of his Ram and Rammer who where two stunning people who have worked with people in Indian for a long time.

What had already struck me was the love that radiated from theses three people when they spoke about their projects and I felt very privileged to have met them. They where running projects that surpoutered the tribal people called Adavissi who lived in this region, they had a very philpsocaill approach their work and they all made us feel at home.

Unfortunately I had had a bad night’s sleep due to a doggy tummy and when I woke up I was debating if I could make it out in case I could not get to the toilet in time. I took a nux vom homeopathic remedy, and hoped if the worst came to it I could ask the jeep driver to stop and I would risk the jungle floor.

Day 6 - Wednesday 15th Nov

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:16:11 +0000

The morning was dedicated to a talk by Stan to prepare us for Gudalur. Stan is a charismatic and passionate speaker and gave us all food for thought. He explained the background of the tribal communities, the Adivasi, how there are ‘scheduled’ tribes who are mentioned in the constitution as recognized tribals with certain rights as tribes. The tribes are spread throughout India, but concentrated in the north. They make up 8 % of the population – which may not seem much, but as India is so large it is about 60 million people. There are five distinct tribes in Tamil Nadu, each has its own language, traditions and occupations. ACCORD works with them all.

One thing that came through very strongly from this talk is that the main work of ACCORD over 30 years is political - using the traditional structures of the Adivasi to organise themselves to reclaim land, realize their rights, obtain education and health care, and work towards self reliance. Now the organisation is largely a piece of paper that works as the public face of the Adivasi but the real work is done through village level organisations called sangams, area centers and then a federation that represents all of the tribals in the region. The Adivasi truly own this organisation and makes the decisions that concern them. They have a school, health workers, and a hospital. I could write pages on their approach and structure, but due to time I will move on. I highly recommend that anyone who has an interest in alternative ways of working and decision making to study them, Stan has moved away from ACCORD as the AMS (the Adivasi federation), is more than capable of handling the necessary work. His latest project is to use an analysis of how capitalism works and how it affects the poor, to propose, model and try out an alternative. This is how the organisation Just Change was formed to turn trade to the community’s advantage. It is a fascinating system, and I look forward to seeing how it works in practice, and the how they overcome the many challenges of working in a different paradigm to the norm.

Podcast - street kids and the slum-dwellers foundation

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:41:54 +0000

On our last full day in Mysore, Stan took us to 2 projects run by the Rural Literacy and Health Program (RLHP).

Firstly, we visited a small village that started out as a slum - we heard from the people who came from rural poverty to look for construction work in the cities and ended up finding even worse conditions like many other slum-dwellers in India.

Then he took us to Asha Kirana, a home and school for street kids. Stan said it's where he goes when he feels disillusioned...we all saw what he meant when we were swamped by these gorgeous smiling kids, most of whom had come from horrific circumstances and were rebuilding their lives with infectious energy and unbelievable courage.

Click here to listen

Podcast - Caroline and Matt love Ravi's stove

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:20:26 +0000

CART and the lovely Ravi Kumar lured Caroline and Matt back to learn how to use the stove-come-charcoal-maker. I caught up with them after their visit.

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