Discover India

Saturday 1st November 2014 

Arrived at Heathrow at 5.30pm to meet up with ken and the other YMCA professionals who would be accompanying us on this adventurous discovery visit to India.

The plane left around 9pm for the overnight first leg to Delhi and although smooth and relatively comfortable most of the group didn't get much sleep on the flight. 

There was plenty of time to think and I reflected on the fact that I had worked in the YMCA for 4 years at Central, 13 years at Hornsey and 14 years at Reigate and Redhill yet this was only my second international experience. The first being 5 days on a European Conference in Dublin in 1999.

Despite this my career had been successful within the Y, at least if judged upon development of programmes and projects. I was however for the first time struggling to find the energy needed to drive important new developments such as a recent re brand to YMCA East Surrey and a proposed £1.9 million capital project to build an inclusive sports facility.

I was hoping that this exciting trip to India would remind me of some of the grass roots work the YMCA does, albeit in another continent, and hopefully this would give me renewed inspiration.

Sunday 2nd November 2014

Indian clocks are 5 and a half hrs forward so the 5.30am arrival became 11.00am. After 4 hrs in Delhi airport we were off again to Trivandrum in the south. The second plane left Delhi at 2.30 and after a brief stop at Bangalore we were at our destination. We were picked up by representatives from the Kerala YMCA who took us back to the YMCA Guest House where we were staying that night. That evening we were treated to a fabulous buffet in an authentic local restaurant which was hosted by the national Chairman of the YMCA.

I was reminded of the exotic location when a large bat as big as a dove flew in through from the balcony of the restaurant and did a quick loop of the hall. One of our hosts explained that the bat was on the trail of insects.

Food included various curries and a traditional Kerala crepe called Docha followed by deserts. 

Slept well that night in my mossie net although the noise of the fan kept Ken (who was sleeping next door) awake all night he told me be next morning!

Monday 5th November 2014

After a breakfast of toast and black tea we set off at 8am in a slightly shabby old mini bus on what turned out to be an epic day. This was my first daylight view of India and it was true what they said. A manic multitude of colours and activity with people everywhere and roads full of tuk tuks, scooters and other motorised vehicles all going their own way regardless of their fellow road users.

Our driver was determined to overtake every vehicle in front of him regardless of what was coming the other way and it became a battle of wills as oncoming lorries had to slow down or veer away to prevent collisions.

After the first of many long drives we arrived at the Trivandrum YMCA Boys Home where around 10 young lads aged between 7 and 15 were waiting to greet us. One by one they stood up and walked across to where we were sitting, proudly presenting each of the group in turn with a single flower.

They then proceeded to sing a traditional Indian song . One of the older boys then brought out fresh coconuts and chopped pineapple. One of the YMCA staff told us about the work of the centre and how young boys from poor families were given accommodation plus a good education so that they could go on to make a success of themselves and go back to provide for their families. 

The surroundings were sparse and the staff looked quite severe but the boys appearance and behaviour suggested they were thriving in this environment. They were smiling and looked healthy and happy. The contrast between how little in material terms these young boys had and their positive attitude and respect they showed was marked. One of the YMCA regional reps told me how in the past they had relied on Suffolk YMCA and other English charities to help support their work. When he told me that the annual running costs were only £10k it made me realise how much our Challenge fundraising programme in Surrey could help these young people.

After leaving presents for the boys we set off to our next stop which was a women's project where women used traditional methods to make candles and soap which were sold to generate income in a mini social enterprise. A YMCA worker by the name of Stella explained how the soaps and candles were made and following refreshments we set off again to see the final project of the morning which was a school for young people with learning difficulties. 

My own YMCA provides a large programme of short breaks or respite care for families of children with disability and we have a number of Inclusive Youth Projects to help young people to learn skills and become more independent. I was keen to see the Indian YMCA approach as, perhaps wrongly, I assumed that equality of opportunity for those with disability in India was still in its infancy.

We were led into a tired badminton size sports hall where approx 50 children of various ages and disabilities were waiting seated patiently on one side of the hall. Beads were presented to each of our delegation by individual young people who one by one stood up and walked across the hall to where we were sat.

The school's President then stood up to speak, extending a warm welcome to us all. This was followed by an impressive dance routine carried out by six young women with learning disabilities. Each was dressed in identical traditional costumes and the performance was surprisingly complex combining traditional dance with drama. It was great to see these young people's talents and hard work celebrated in this way especially given the amount of enjoyment and pride they were so obviously experiencing.

Later that afternoon we proceeded to the Backwaters where we took a boat trip in a large thatched roof House Boat. Lunch including fish curry, fruit, salad and banana fritters was served as we motored across a perfectly flat Indian version of the Norfolk broads. This idyllic and peaceful experience was shattered when another boat jammed full of passengers appeared to be heading directly towards us. Despite warnings being shouted by members of the group the two boats collided spectacularly, causing damage to boats, but not thankfully people.

After returning to dry land or I should say 'wet land' as it had been a very rainy afternoon! we set off for what we thought would be a short final trip in the mini bus to the Aluva YMCA only to discover that it was going to take longer than expected. I write this still on the bus 2 and a half hrs later!

We eventfully arrived at Aluva where we had a friendly and welcoming meal with the Regional Chairman and his colleagues.

First impressions of the YMCA in Kerala are of a committed group of people proud of their worthwhile achievements. The respect they have given our delegation has been beyond expectation and on a number of occasions I personally have felt overawed and undeserving of this level of attention. Everyone from the Kerala YMCA have been so giving and at times I feel my response is inadequate. I have made a mental note to give all international visitors to YMCA East Surrey more time in future!

One fundamental difference between the Y in Kerala and in England is the way governance and finances are developed. In England YMCA work has been heavily influenced by funding streams from government such as Supported People which in many cases have dictated the way programmes are run. In Kerala there seems to be much more emphasis on membership and young people are recruited at high school or University before going on to become full members. These members provide the funds needed through donations, membership and fundraising and this gives them more ownership of the programmes which in turn stimulates more active governance. It also gives lay people a greater say in what the YMCA delivers and avoids the mission drift that can occur when YMCAs relies on money from government. Plenty of lessons to learn here for the UK!

Tuesday 4th November

Kerala literally means the land of the coconuts and everywhere you look there are large coconut trees. Throughout our travels we have often been greeted with the traditional beverage of coconut milk sometimes still in their green shells.

For breakfast we enjoyed more curry and Lebi the Regional Chairman introduced three young YMCA leaders who were to stay with us for the day. One had travelled 80km for the opportunity to meet us leaving at 5am from his home village.

We heard about the successful work the YMCA does in schools with its Kids Y, High Y and Uni Y programmes of day camps offering cultural activity, social action and friendship. Building relationships with young people whilst at school was an ideal way to sow the seeds of voluntary action and I suspect that many of these young people will go to be members who can help contribute something back in later life.

On Tuesday we visited the YMCA College at Aluva where we met with teachers and students. Once again I was overwhelmed by the greeting we received with teachers and students standing in formation at the steps as we drove in. Ken showed why he is leading the group by delivering an impromptu speech which became an interactive lesson on the history of the YMCA and an inspirational message to students suggesting that they, like George Williams should have high aspirations and aim to achieve them whatever they were.

We then had a chance to meet with teachers and students and interestingly there was quite a bit of diversity with many Hindus and a few Muslims as well as Christians amongst the students and teachers.

In the afternoon we were escorted to the Lu Lu shopping centre which is a large shopping centre similar to Bluewater in England . Our hosts were obviously very proud of this new and modern complex with many familiar designer name shops. I didn't have the heart to tell them that this is partly what we trying to get away from! It was however nice to sit down and have a cup of tea in the food court.

On our return we were treated to a lovely evening meal with the Charismatic Chairman of Kerala YMCA and his team before being whisked away to catch the night train to Kanniyakumari. Everyone was in high spirits and nervously looking forward to what was billed as an authentic Indian experience. We weren't disappointed as we boarded the train to find friendly Indians of all shapes and sizes crowding the carriages. Three tiers of bunks were situated opposite each other to create open cabins of 9 beds and this was the first class section. Other parts of the train were less comfortable and even more crowded. I walked down the carriage to find both doors of the train hooked open giving a nice breeze but also an incentive to lean out and feel the wind and see the countryside as we trundled on through the night. Our reservations were spread out amongst the carriage but Paulson from Kerala YMCA who had joined us a 'minder' managed to negotiate with other passengers so that we could all have bunks in one area. We had brought some refreshments and some of us sat up chatting as the train continued into the night only getting to bed at about 2am, 3 hrs before our ETA of 5am.

Wednesday 5th November

Sam the General Secretary of Kanniyakumari was at the station to meet us and took us straight to the most southern most tip of India so we could see the famous sunrise across the Indian Ocean. Cloudy skies prevented us getting the full experience but it was good to walk around what was effectively India's Lands End!

The group then returned to a wonderful welcome at the YMCA where we were presented with garlands of fresh flowers. It was also a special moment as it was the site of an earlier visit by Ken back in 1978. He had made the trip to India as a volunteer on a work party to build a chapel and there it was still standing in the grounds 36 years later. A small smiling old Indian man appeared to recognise Ken and he went inside and brought out an old photograph of the group that had built the chapel. In it there was a young Ken with shoulder length hair and a head band looking like a ginger Bjorn Borg!

Ken told us how his experiences back then had been a transformational moment in his life and it was nice to be able to share his obvious joy in returning to what was a special place with special memories.

Despite our lack of sleep and the early start we had a very full programme arranged for the day. We began by driving up the coast which had been devastated ten years earlier by the Tsunami. The beech was beautiful with yellow sand and surf and stretching for miles with not a soul in sight.

As we crossed the mouth of a river Sam pointed out the remains of a road bridge which had been washed away as the Tsunami hit. A memorial close by listed the names of 414 of the dead and the majority were under 8 or over 60. Seeing the damage caused and hearing stories of how the wave was higher than the coconut trees along the sea shore brought home the reality of the tragedy.

The YMCA works closely with those affected by the Tsunami and our next visit was to a community of people housed in homes purchased with £5m raised through Y Care. Most were families of fisherman who had become homeless as a result of the disaster and as we walked into their community we were met by Indian women in traditional dress many with tiny children under 5.  Mandi, one of our group, had fortunately brought woollen teddy bears which went down well with the group. As the group chatted to the families Sam explained how they were looking for £10,000 so they could build a day centre for young families on land adjacent to the houses that they owned. This would give families support and help give under 5's a good start in life.  I reflected upon the 64 Children Centres in Surrey which were well resourced to do exactly this job for children under 5 in England.  Another worthwhile Indian YMCA project which desperately needed help.

Next up on our busy schedule was a visit to Marthandam YMCA where we had ones of the customary Indian welcomes with staff throwing sweet smelling petals like confetti on our heads as we approached them. Pretty patterns were drawn in chalk on the floor. After a traditional honey cold drink we were treated to lunch at a local restaurant. 

Marthandam YMCA was the base for a number of rural projects designed to bring economic development and employment prospects to the local community.   After lunch we visited a women's project which was like a cottage industry hand making sanitary ware for free distribution in local schools. The women were really friendly, happily demonstrating their skills surrounded by small children. The idea of a small social enterprise that could offer employment and training opportunities along with an income stream is seen as a good model within YMCA's across the world and although the idea was good the viability of hand made sanitary ware was doubtful.

As we travelled on to our next destination amid the sounds of hooting horns and stop-start traffic it struck me that there were no traffic lights or roundabouts to manage the flow of vehicles through junctions. Maybe this was why drivers were so pushy, seemingly ignoring other vehicles on the road.

One of the most moving visits was to the boys Home at Muzhucode where we were given another exceptional welcome.