Is India a developed country?

Well, nearly one month in and can't believe how quickly it has gone. Lots of learning going on as per usual. Some very emotional stuff which, I won't lie, has sometimes resulted in tears from a few of us (mostly girls but not always!). We have now completed our first field visit of the three we will be doing and this is what I intend to talk about.

The group I wasin went to the district Tamil Nadu, we visited lots of places and because I have not got the sheet of paper with the names on I will have to refer to them by villages (sorry). In Tamil Nadu we spent time with an organisation called SASY which works with people in the caste system called Dalits or Untouchables. If you don'tknow the caste system, I recommend you google it, it is an horrendous system that is now 3000 years old, illegal but still being practised in India, as I witnessed. Some examples of the types of things we saw and the people we spoke too are; dalit villagers being deprived of water after a recent cyclone and after trying to steal the water (they needed it to survive) their homes were burnt to the ground and one man was brutally murdered because he reported it to the police. Luckily this situation in this village has improved thanks to the work of SASY.

We met some tribal girls that had been gang raped by police while the men in their village were arrested on false charges. One of these women was pregnant. They told us their story. We were lucky enough to be there when the men were released after being imprisoned for 3 months. They had been psychologically (they were told all the details of the rapes of their wives and children) and physically tortured. Remember, they are innocent men! The police that commited the rapes are still free men, they have been suspended but are still free. The government is reluctant to act because the police were a higher caste than the tribal women (who are lower than untouchables).

We met many other villages affected by similar atrocities done to them by people who are in a higher caste than them. These are the two stories that had the biggest impact on me. The caste system affects everybody; men, women and children. Men from the upmost caste, the Brahmins often rape girls, or use them as prostitutes because they can, because they are upper caste. Did you know that this was going on in India? Is India truly a developed country as the leaders would like us all to think? I do not doubt that it is developed economically with some ofthe richest people in the world being Indian, but does this make it a developed country?

To lighten the mood a little SASY is trying really hard, with great passion to rid India ofthe caste system but it is a long process. They have made good progress over the past few years with the development of a cashew factory thatwe visited; only dalit women ran and produced the cashew nuts. They told us of how much SASY had empowered them, now dominant caste people were coming to them to get cashews! Not all dominant caste people are bad people, we met a few human rights activists from dominant castes fighting forthe rights of dalits.

Anyway, I will leave it there. When I have a better internet connection will try and post some pics.

All for now, Rachel.

1 week down, 13 to go!

Well, where to begin!

So much has been going on over the past few days! We have been into Bangalore 3 times now, first to have a tour of the city, second to attend a public lecture for Interfaith Harmony week and third, we visited the slums.

This is where I begin! Yesterday we were taken around some of Bangalore Slums or Urban poor areas to meet the people and see how they live! This was very humbling, it is something I have never before experienced and to hear some of their stories of hard work under enormous pressure was incredible. Makes you realize how much more English people are spoilt by the luxuries that our government provides us with. The amount of freedom we have and the amount we expect from our government, these people worked for hours a day for very little money. 50% of India earn Rs30 a day, this is less than 50p and they have to feed themselves, their families and look after their homes with this. We were given Rs30 in the morning and told this is all we had to feed ourselves for breakfast and lunch and although that kind of money goes further than it would in the UK, it still did not buy you much. We take for granted the fact that we eat food for enjoyment, the food these people could buy with their money was for their survival!! Would you be able to eat food you didn't enjoy in order to survive? I would if I had to but we take this for granted!! Some of the people we met had managed to build their own houses in the slums, they were proud to have been able to do this and I would be too, but in England, people do not know the meaning of hard work. To push a cart around for 9 hours of the day in this heat (it is hot!) in order to make less than £1 profit a day! I would struggle doing it, I know that! Despite all the hardships these people face, they could not be happier to welcome us into their homes (for one person this was one room, 3 people lived there and the food was cooked in the room as well!) and share their stories with us. The hospitality these people showed us, would it happen in England? Unfortunately, I think not! Not to the extent that these people showed us.

As you can see, lots of learning going on! We have fun too. Lots of laughs despite the serious task ahead of us! WE have a great group here and we are learning so much from each other. I have, yet again, learnt more about the world I live in than I have ever been told before and it is from the people that have experienced these things! We still have 13 weeks to go... will my brain cope with it all? Will my emotions? I guess only time will tell...

(will post photos when have some more time!)

2nd full day in!

I will keep it short, arrived safely after a long day travelling followed by a long day meeting people. This place is amazing, so unbelievably peaceful, a perfect place for a School of Peace Programme!! The wildlife here is incredible, I have seen so many (and being a bird lover, the number of, what I think are kites is outstanding! A sight I never thought I would see). The people are amazing and no doubt will be friends for life, it is difficult learning everyone's names but with 14 weeks to perfect this, I am sure I will get there!

We went into Bangalore today for a short (it wasn't even half the city and took all day!) tour, the place is amzing, such a great buzz about it and can't wait to get back! Lots of trips planned by the SOP team, start the hard work tomorrow and can't wait to get stuck in, it sounds so exciting.

So many unexpected things already, looking forward to the next 14 weeks! Internet is a bit slow and difficult to get a signal so I will try and upload photos in a later post. No promises.

Will post again soon. :)

India here I come

Well, the time has come for me to pack up, sort the little things and prepare for the airport as I start a whole new adventure in my life.

I shall be leaving for India tomorrow for 14 weeks to take part in the School of Peace in Bangalore. This is some thing I got to have a taster of in Bangladesh last year and loved it. Despite all my fears (and there has been some mad fears and rational fears) I know I will love every minute.

I feel extremely lucky to have this opportunity, to go to India and to work with fantastic friends I have met before and what I am sure will be amazing friends for the next 3 and a bit months. To have this opportunity after previous ones within the YMCA, I seriously couldn't wish for a better job. I have not been able to do this on my own, thanks to all those at ICF for offering me a place, Ken for helping me to get there and all the staff at Tees Valley YMCA for their amazing support.

It is terrifying to think I will not see people that I know, things that I know and my routine will be completely different, the unknown is scary! There is nothing like jumping out of your comfort zone! I will miss England and the people here but I am sure the time will fly and I will be home before I know it, if I can drag myself away (knowing me, I won't want to leave).

That's all for now, keep tuned for more posts.

See ya

Update

New Post from Lewis in Hong Kong. Check it out!

In the last 24 hours people have been reading the blog in the UK, Ukraine, USA, Sri Lanks, Australia. France, Germany, Egypt and Poland.

Cambodia!

After arriving in Hong Kong two weeks ago I havent actually spent much time here. From 23rd November to the 30th I was in Phnom Penh attending the Global Alternative Tourism forum. Also attending were many people from different places across Asia, and other countries with YMCA's that have a part in launching the project. The primary reason for this was to discuss what we hope to archive from Global Alternative Tourism, its structure and how we plan on getting it started. Im sure many readers would like me to go into more detail on Global Alternative Tourism but I think I will go into detail in a later post. Might be a decent way to keep my readers tuned in :)

Now about Cambodia, what can I say. The country is beautiful and the people are very polite and very welcoming, there was never and uncomfortable moment while being in their company. I am definitely going to visit again in the near future and look forward to hopefully working with them. The food needed some getting used to though, but after your 2nd/3rd upset stomach I would say mine was Cambodian proof.

Unfortunately the majority of my time spent in Cambodia was in the hotel photographing conferences, but the occasional free moment I had was spent exploring the Phnom Penh. Using a the very affordable "tuk tuk" to enjoy the sights and get around, $2 can get you quite far.

During my stay, we (the forum participants) did enjoy a pleasant visit to a small village to experience what Cambodia has to offer on community based tourism. This involved a light walk up a hill to view two waterfall. Unfortunately not all of the participants made it to the second waterfall but still a very nice experience nonetheless.

Above is the view from a tuk tuk, will probably miss those most.

Also is a picture of the waterfall at the community based tourism visit.

Now arriving back in Hong Kong I have alot to knuckle down and do as most of the ideas that were put forward involved the website which I manage.

I will try to keep you all updated on the how things are going shortly...

God Speed

Great first post Lewis, it is wonderful you are now on the move. I know the folks in Romford will miss you.

I trust that the experience you have will be significant for both you and the YMCA's across South East Asia. I have no doubt there are countless young people like yourself would love this opportunity.

Best wishes and we look forward to your regular updates.