To the Motherland...

Race, Poverty, and Special Education

2009-03-30T01:03:00.000+05:30

http://www.ytfg.org/documents/RacePovertySpecialEducation-RosaSmith.pdf

Start Blogging Again...

2009-01-11T12:24:00.000+05:30

I would love to start blogging again... pretty sure I don't have the time... but even once a month. I love going back and reading these things... the best inspiration comes from oneself.

Response to "Building Communities of Learners"

2008-02-04T03:17:00.000+05:30

Here's a "Response Paper" that I wrote to Sudia Paloma's Building Communities of Learners:

In the Afterword, Jim Cummins calls Building Communities of Learners a “dangerous book because it exposes the structures of disempowerment that masquerade as ‘normal’ patterns of interaction between schools and culturally diverse communities” (Paloma, 1994). The ideas suggested in this book put the members of the dominant community into an uncomfortable situation because it challenges their “all-knowing” dominant position and many of the assumptions they have about education. Strong counterevidence is provided to rebuke the six assumptions that form the basis of the “deficit model” that basically states that there is something WRONG with the parents of culturally diverse students that impedes their children’s academic success. This book turns this model on its head and actually emphasizes that culturally diverse parents, communities and students are necessary and valuable contributors of knowledge!

The second reason that this is a dangerous book is because of the vision and strategies of transformative education that are encompassed in this book. It is the type of education that will lead to the development of critical and confident students with the skills and problem-solving abilities to challenge the injustice-laden dominant system.

As a developing teacher for a more just, sacred and sustainable world, it is essential for me to understand and be confident in the vision and strategies described.

Parents are “also teachers” and they have “graduated from the university of life” (Ada). As a teacher, I must realize this and have this as the basis of my interactions with parents and communities. Parents and communities need to be seen as contributors of understanding and knowledge in the educative process. This means accepting that there are ALTERNATE forms of knowledge. This means understanding that the parent is the first teacher of their children. This means validating the students’ background and their composite of knowledge, as Paloma states, “Teachers must also help students recognize the value of the knowledge they already possess and that not all knowledge is gained through books and formal schooling.”

How can a teacher include parents’ and communities’ understanding and knowledge? The teacher can use the powerful tool of participatory research to value parents’ knowledge and to get to better know the community they are working with. Welcoming parents to come into the classroom and creating spaces and structures where they can actually contribute (not just observe) is also an inclusive strategy. In the book, Paloma writes about a Back to School night, where the teacher explicitly communicates with parents that they are valued, shows them they are valued by having family pictures on the wall, and describes ways that they can participate in the classroom. This means that the class structure should predominantly have a learning center structure so parents can actively contribute. Another strategy for valuing and including parents’ knowledge and experiences that Paloma writes about extensively is the co-authorship of books.

Paloma exclaims the importance of co-authorship of books: “When human beings are presented with the possibility of writing about their world in the way they see it and describe their experiences as they live them, they become more involved in their own learning and are better equipped to transform their own lives.” When teachers facilitate the process of parents and their children coming together to co-author their own books, this acknowledges and values the contribution and knowledge of the parents and their culture. It shows the parents that they do have a very significant place in the education of their children instead of being intimidated by the institutional education system. Also, it validates the parents’ experiences and history and gives them a new sense of pride

The child’s literacy development and self-esteem is also supported by family writing support. Many times these ELL children are struggling with reading the core curriculum texts. The teacher has to be constantly thinking of innovative ways just to motivate them and make it appear as if the subjects they are reading about are relevant to their lives. Many times, the children do not have the background knowledge and personal connection to the text. However, when texts are created by their families, “teaching becomes easier” (Paloma, 1994) because the story is about the children themselves, their families, their history, and their culture. This type of curriculum, which is multicultural and culturally-relevant in nature, is already “intrinsically motivating.”

Not only does co-authorship of books help support children’s literacy, it also supports their ability to research and discover. The children become researchers of their own histories! They take the research questions home and must interview their parents and/or other members of the family and community to gather the necessary information and stories. At the same time, teachers are also using co-authorship of books as a tool for their own research! They are able to learn more about the families and communities that they are working with.

Paloma provides many wonderful themes for student, family, and community books including “Our Family History,” “Words of Advice from Our Parents,” “The Wise One,” “Families as Protagonists of Their Own Stories,” and “Families as Problem-Solvers Through Struggle and Change.” One theme that I plan on using in my student teaching placement is “Childhood Memories” which is a combination of two of Paloma’s themes, “Childhood Friendships” and “Teachings from my Childhood Community.” I see so many benefits in using this theme. The children get a sense of what it was like when their own parents were children, and what type of environment they grew up in. Children can relate to it because they are going through their own childhood as well. For parents, “through reflection, parents relive their childhood and discover the inner child that has been buried for self-protection and survival” (Paloma).

In my current placement, we are beginning a thematic unit of study called “When Cultures Meet.” The fourth grade class is made up of six Mien students, one African-American student, and sixteen Latino students. By comparing their own childhood experiences with the childhood experiences of their parents, they will realize how their family’s culture has changed over time as it has blended with other cultures. We started the unit with the students writing about what their culture means to them and what they like and dislike about it. This was to assess our starting point. Then, we used a KWL to brainstorm what the students already know about “What cultures consist of?” and “What can happen when cultures meet?” Literature selections of negative and positive consequences of the meeting of cultures will be used. For the co-authorship process, in class for four consecutive days, the students will be given one writing prompt each day pertaining to their childhood. For example, “Describe your neighborhood. What do you like about your neighborhood? What do you dislike? Where do you go for fun?” They will write about it in class, and then they will take the same prompt home and ask their parents the question except it would pertain to their parents’ childhood. Three or four separate prompts like this will be given where the students write about it, and then ask their parents about it. As they collect all of these writings, they will compile it in a book that compares their childhood to their parents’ childhood.

Reading this Building Communities of Learners and reflecting on it brought me back to the true reasons why I want to be a teacher. In my application essay, I wrote:

I want to learn how to teach a class of thirty, but still take into account the diversity and individuality of each student. I expect to develop the ability to create a classroom culture where students are encouraged and feel comfortable expressing their genuine thoughts, feelings, and questions. I would like to explore the real relevance of all the subject material in the students’ lives.

This book and what we have explored in this course have addressed those desires. When I was reading about the Back to School anecdote, I was actually on the verge of tears. It was a combination of seeing the incredible potential that teachers have as facilitators and community-builders, but at the same time it reminded me of how much damage today’s schooling is actually doing. Being aware of the damage, but also being aware of the potential which is vividly depicted in Building Communities of Learners is my motivating factor as an educator.

Share N Care Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T00:53:00.000+05:30

So, on Thanksgiving Day, Sameer's dad, Kiran Uncle planned a "Share N Care" day in SF. We got together in the morning at the Sampat household and made about 70 bag lunches... and then we all met up at Union Square in SF. For about an hour, we went around, and passed out lunches, and also warm clothing to those living on the streets. Along with this, we had a "Free Hugs" sign, a couple of "SMILE" signs, and a couple of "Happy Thanksgiving" signs.

The mood out there on the streets was super-festive! There were lots of orgs and individuals that were giving out free stuff, and in general, spreading the happy vibes. There were homeless peeps carrying around huge bags of goodies! And on this day... where it seemed like everyone had enough food and all.... it seemed like the "Free Hugs" were in the highest demand. Right when Sowmya and her sister, Dipti, came... I knew that they were the rights ones to carry the sign!!! Myself, Kev, and Nealu... all with our unshaven, scruffy looking faces were probably not the right trio to be giving out free hugs.... and soo, the free hugs were a hit.

We ended up running out of food real fast. My favorite moment came when a man from across the street, yelled, "So, what you guys giving out?" and he was probably thinking that he could get some food or clothing, or sumthing. But, we had none left. So, we put up the "Free Hugs" sign.... and from across the street, this burly black man, gave an "air hug" and I returned his flying hug with one of my own. It was one of those moments that if you added some inspirational music... it would have become a YouTube hit. =P

Haha.. Nealu kept reminding us at how this experience would be so much more inspirational if we actually had the inspirational music playing in the background as we DID the deeds versus just putting it as background music on to the slideshow, afterwards. Haha.. not a bad idea... maybe next time we have a boombox with us?

For me, these days are all about connecting with those people that we walk by everyday. We're so busy in our bubbles and our lives... that our interconnections with every human being just go by without being noticed. They are always there... and they can be a true source of goodness, inspiration, motivation, and harmony. It's bout connecting with those that have been oppressed but also those that are deemed as "fortunate".

Here's the slideshow Kiran Uncle made from the day - http://www.photoshow.com/watch/VS6gC6yK

And here's the famous Free Hugs video -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7DYUlDuoM

Link to InSPIRE pics and Video

2007-11-21T14:30:00.001+05:30

Here's the link to InSPIRE 2007 pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/2007.InSPIRE
Here's the link to the promo video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxIfOhPCCJI

Generalizing... not completely thought out

2007-11-21T14:25:00.000+05:30

Some generalizations:

The West believes in the possibility of the perfection of systems and institutions so individuals can fulfill their material goals which will lead to happiness.

The East believes in the possibility of the perfection of individuals so a larger community can fulfill its spiritual and material goals which will lead to happiness.

Obama.... our only hope.

2007-11-21T13:14:00.001+05:30

You know... I don't really know THAT much about Obama. I've seen him in the recent debates and heard his recent speeches. I haven't picked up his book yet. I know bout his life... and how he's biracial, and raised by a single mom, and spent part of his childhood abroad, and he just quit smoking, and basically..... he was a normal American... world citizen. Which makes me believe that for once, there is a politician that is in touch with reality. I know that he's worked as a community organizer. I know that he may not be the best politician, but he stands for ideals.

I have hope that if he gets elected, America will no longer be the laughing-stock of the world.
I have hope that if he gets elected, our economic relations with other countries will become more equitable.
I have hope that if he gets elected, he will approach our relationships with our so-called 'enemies' in a honorable manner. He will actually engage in dialogue, and not create more enemies.
I have hope that if he gets elected, it will be a small victory for the traditionally oppressed.
I have hope that if he gets elected, America could become a leader in the evolution of the entire world to a more peaceful, harmonious community.
I have hope that if he gets elected, ego and brashness will take a backseat to humility and honest inquiry.
I have hope that if he gets elected, those that have lost hope... will regain it.

Hillary, nor any of the other candidates that have a shot at winning (including the Republicans), give me any hope whatsoever.... other than... more of the same.

My backing... VOTE FOR OBAMA!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-sedaei/obama-americas-best-hop_b_73480.html
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Ready for a year in India!? Apply to Indicorps!

2007-09-25T12:54:00.000+05:30

What are you willing to do for CHANGE?

APPLY NOW to the Indicorps Fellowship at http://apply.indicorps.org. Applications are now available for fellowship classes starting January and August 2008. Prospective fellows must be of Indian origin with a college degree or five years equivalent work experience. Visit www.indicorps.org to learn more about Indicorps, the Indicorps Fellowship program, or other grassroots service opportunities.

Weddings...

2007-08-27T07:35:00.000+05:30

FREMONT, CA - I haven't posted in a while.. but I thought I would just post some thoughts.

My cousin just got married this past weekend... and about a month ago, another cousin got married, and in a couple weeks, another cousin is getting married. Soo.. I've been going to a lot of weddings, lately.

And I love all the events of the Indian wedding.. mehndhi, garba, grashanti, wedding, reception.. everything. I have an absolute blast... But, some things have started to really bother me
- how much WASTE is created at these huge events - the amount of paper products that are used, the amount of styrofoam cups used, the amount of food wasted, the amount of just EXTRA stuff that gets thrown away is ENORMOUS!
- how much SODA is consumed. Every event has Coke, Pepsi, etc. It's not good for your health. These companies are known for exploitative infractions all over the world. What about the healthier alternatives?
- food - let's start getting creative with healthier alternatives!

Soo... the main thing that irks me is the first one - the waste. It's like, because we want to have all this fun, it's okay to destroy the Earth. Now, I'm not saying - "let's not have fun." I'm saying... let's figure out ways of having fun WITHOUT destroying the Earth.

Separate Viewpoints

2007-03-15T04:02:00.000+05:30

Two viewpoints... but the result is still the same -- violence, displacement, more profits for the big companies, the oppressed continue to be oppressed.

From www.indianexpress.com:

Nandigram on boil again, at least 11 killed in clashes, police firing

Subrata Nagchoudhury

Bengal: Attacked, police fire on political workers; Buddhadeb statement today

NANDIGRAM, MARCH 14: A month after an intelligence official was lynched and a police team attacked by a mob, Nandigram was on the boil again today with at least 11 persons being killed and over 25 injured as political workers, spearheading a campaign to oppose acquisition of farm land for industries, attacked police and were fired upon.

West Bengal DGP A B Vohra said they were told to ‘‘restore the rule of law’’ in Nandigram and had mobilised as many 3,000 policemen early this morning. But the policemen, he said, faced stiff resistance from a 5,000-strong mob — members of the Save Land Committee who were armed with guns, bombs and other weapons.

Vohra said six bodies had been recovered and the death toll could rise as reports were awaited from other areas. A late night PTI report put the toll at 11 killed while partners of the ruling Left Front said it could be between 10 and 13 while the Opposition Trinamool claimed 20 people had been killed.

Though Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee — he will be making a statement in the Assembly tomorrow on the Nandigram violence — had made clear that a special economic zone (SEZ) or a chemicals hub would not be thrust on Nandigram if the people there did not want it, local politics took over.

The Save Land Committee, comprising cadres of Trinamool Congress, Congress, SUCI, BJP, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and even the CPI, locked horns with local CPM leaders, led by its MP and strongman Lakshman Seth of Haldia. CPI MLA Mohammad Illyas has been a staunch supporter of the Save Land Committee.

Lakshman Seth and his men had told the locals that their interests would be taken care of if land were to be acquired but not many believed them, resulting in desertions from the party rank and file. “Over the past two months, it was the same crisis of credibility that haunted the Save Land committee members who feared that Lakshman Seth would have the last word in Nandigram and not Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,” said a CPM member in Chandipur near Nandigram.

In Nandigram, a CPM zonal committee member told The Indian Express that “the battle has assumed political dimensions”.

So when the state administration was told to “restore the rule of law” in Nandigram which since January had been sealed off by the Save Land Committee, the local CPM cadres followed the police to regain lost ground. This led to a pitched battle between the two sides.

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress called a 12-hour Bangla Bandh on March 16. Banerjee was on her way to Nandigram in the evening but CPM cadres had blocked the road at several points. Congress leader Subrata Mukhjerjee’s vehicle was attacked near Chandipur crossing and he was not allowed to visit Nandigram.

The vehicle carrying The Indian Express team was also attacked by local CPM cadres but no one was injured.

_______________________________
Article from www.countercurrents.org (by NAPM)

At Least 20 People Killed In
Police Firing In Nandigram

By NAPM

14 March, 2007
Countercurrents.org

It is shocking and shaking news from the people of Nandigram, the state of west Bengal, India has waged a war against them with an intention of occupying their farm land, fish ponds, homes and hearths. In spite of the rhetorical statements by the Chief Minister of WB that he would consult and convince the people, the State government claiming to be leftist by ideology, has resorted to brutal and barbaric way of using police force and party cadres to attack the unarmed, non violent farmers, fish workers, labourers and artisans in the district of East Midnapore for grabbing their land. The people from generations old communities who have a golden history of freedom movement and martyrdom are being not only forced but killed by the "free Indian state" which is shameful for the Indian democracy and its people.

As per the latest information, thousands of Police on entering the area, this morning, started firing, and 20 at least are found killed while hundreds are wounded lying on the street. Police are forcibly taking away the dead bodies. Women are at the forefront and have faced the attack the most. Children and men along with women are on the streets coming out of homes and villages to stop the brutal State and Party forces who are trying to take the territory under siege for SEZ with MNCs. We are also informed that media persons were stopped from witnessing the brutal atrocities while two media persons from TARA
News are said to be missing.

This is obviously a planed action since even last month when 4 meetings attended by over 20000 people was held, there was news that the CPM would launch its attack soon after the school exams were over.

Women and men who continued to keep watch day and night were most worried expecting the armed attack and asked whether their non violent approach would work. Since yesterday, there was a fear and a threat of an action using thousands of Police and CPM Cadres, armed and prepared to forcibly occupy their land and the territory. The public statement to this effect was made by none else but Shri P.R.Roy Secretary, Home Affairs and Raj Kanojia IG- Law and Order, state of West Bengal. The opposition in WB, during assembly session, had demanded a dialogue to start immediately and not to resort to State violence.

The news is that the firing and violence is still on and the people also have not given up. The intellectuals in west Bengal have come out in support of the struggling farmers and others and there is a need that the same happens in all the states. Imposition of industrialization, with or without SEZ, as also real estate development is to kill farm land and farming as a way of life. But Nandigram and Singur show that the corporotised stae does not mind even mind killing people to make way for the Multi National Corporations.

This brutal attack must be immediately condemned and CPM must be compelled to stop murdering farmers immediately. Such state fascism and corporate war against people can't and must not be tolerated.

What happens in Nandigram and West Bengal is to decide the fate of lakhs of farmers, fish workers, labourers, artisans who voted for left front but now are in unprecedented battle for survival.

· We demand that the Union of India and UPA through the PM, Sonia Gandhi and others must immediately intervene and use various restraining measures in their hands to compel the CPM government to stop the murderous attack.

· Legal action must be taken against all responsible for the killings including the CM, West Bengal

· We expect that the National Human Rights Commission will send a team for urgent enquiry and take action. We assert that SEZ Act should be repealed and projects with conflict between the state and

the people should be put on immediate hold across the country. An enactment on Development Planning, based on the draft submitted to the National Advisory Council under the Chairmanship of Smt. Sonia Gandhi should be taken for consultation with people's movements and approved.

· WE appeal to the eminent and concerned citizens and people's organizations to condemn and protest against the inhuman imposition of projects in the name of development.

For National Alliance Of People's Movements

Medha Patkar- 9869446684, Rajendra Ravi- 9868200316, Mukta Srivastava, Sukhendu Bhattacharya, Pranav Bannerje, Murad Hussain

good article.

2007-03-13T01:03:00.001+05:30

Democratizing Blame

By Somnath Mukherji

13 March, 2007
Countercurrents.org

The release of a summary of findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in early February has created flutter around the world – it is as if the findings somehow actualised and legitimised the phenomenon of global climate change. Concerned personalities and organisations have filled newspaper columns in the western media expressing their concerns and distributing the blame across the entire humanity.

The panel reports a huge increase in carbon-dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane – collectively known as the greenhouse gases (GHG), in the atmosphere. Air bubbles trapped in ice cores dating back 650,000 years have been systematically analysed. Concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere, for the last 10,000 years, has been represented graphically that exhibits an exponential rise from the year 1750. It also documents the rising global temperature; the falling snow cover and the consequent rising sea levels, for the last one and half centuries. It observes “changes in Arctic temperatures and ice, widespread changes in precipitation amounts, ocean salinity, wind patterns and aspects of extreme weather including droughts, heavy precipitation, heat waves and the intensity of tropical cyclones”.

The report attributes the increase in carbon dioxide mainly to burning of fossil fuels and the increase in nitrous oxide and methane to agriculture (this includes cattle rearing) both of which are lumped under anthropogenic or human activities. The logic of ascribing the cause to “human activities”, sweeping all of humanity under a single head remains unclear when the majority of the humanity did not participate in the suicidal desecration. Why this democratisation of blame when the fruits have been monopolised? While 5% of the world’s population residing in the US emits 23% of carbon-dioxide, 17% of the world’s population in India is responsible for 4% of the emissions [International Energy Agency data for 2003]. In other words, a person residing in the US emits 20 times carbon dioxide and a person in the UK 10 times than that of a person in India.

Not only is this disparity true for the present but has been maintained historically since the Industrial Revolution. According to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, in 1899, the UK emitted 37 times more than India and 4000 times more than China. It was the logic of colonization that ensured the starkly unequal access to the atmosphere. In the post-colonial world, it was the paradigm of development that unleashed the homogenizing forces and ushered the former-colonies into catch-up mode.

A report titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), holds the 1.5 billion cattle, in the world, most of which goes to feed the rich, to be responsible for 18% of the GHG emissions. It is also responsible for a widespread loss in biodiversity and requires vast amounts of water. A total of 33% of the earth’s arable land is dedicated to raising feedcrops for these cattle. In India, only 8% and in sub-Saharan Africa only 7% of daily calories/per-capita comes from animal products when the numbers for North America and Western Europe are 22% and 31% respectively. This is on top of the fact that the average calorie intake in Asia and Africa is significantly lower than those of the developed nations. Given its significantly smaller footprint, the global south should not have to shoulder the blame for global warming equally with the minority responsible for it.

“Eleven of the last twelve years are the warmest recorded global surface temperature”, observes the IPCC report. The accelerating melting of snow and glaciers all over the world would affect millions living by, and depending on rivers and other fresh water bodies. Rising sea levels will affect the coastal population, displacing millions from heavily populated areas. The school of oceanographic studies in Jadavpur University has recorded the submergence of 4 islands of the Sunderbans in the last two decades, rendering thousands of families homeless – and the water level is rising steadily. The Tsunami and hurricane Katrina in the US has given a macabre preview of the fury of a destabilizing nature along with the vulnerabilities of the population on the margins of society. Thousands if not millions will be paying with their lives and livelihoods because some people far away are engaged in a pursuit of happiness that depends on ever increasing acquisition of material wealth.

The majority of the solutions put forth by the “developed” countries have been technological in nature, based on shifting of costs from one realm to the other. None of the solutions touch the fundamental problem of over-consumption, equating well-being to material gratification and making economics the organizing principle of societies.

The much touted solution of carbon-sequestration seeks to shift the carbon-dioxide pollution from the atmosphere and store it in land and water bodies when the oceans are already turning acidic from absorbing increased carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere and affecting marine life adversely. The Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol will allow richer nations to put out emissions by planting enough trees in the tropical countries whose already marginalized population will face displacement, loss of livelihoods and control over natural resources. Further, the sort of monoculture that is advocated can never provide the ecological base of a natural forest. In effect, these technocratic solutions amount to commodifying the ecology and putting it at the disposal of the economically powerful.

Merely substituting the sources of energy without stemming the ever growing dependence on it, can go only so far in undoing the disastrous effects that the energy-addicted have wrought on this planet. The side effects of substitutes cannot be ignored when they proliferate in scale. A study in the Journal of Geophysical Research established the warming and drying effect of a large-scale wind farm and likened it to “local atmospheric changes that occur with large scale deforestation”.

Global warming is a consequence of a fragmented worldview that has put disproportionate emphasis on the material aspects of human life. The economics that took birth from such a worldview has sought to hide the actual costs. Slavery, colonialism and now “development” have been increasingly refined ways of exploiting vast populations and their natural resources. Ironically it is the same hegemonising and homogenising philosophy that is being peddled by coercive means and half-truths, as the only path forward. The resource base of the planet is being stretched to its extreme not so much by the increasing population but by the increasing needs (or greed) of a small section of the population.

Scientific rationality has been narrowed down into technological rationality where technology becomes the sole legitimate tool for attaining the truth: weather comes to a person through computers and TVs, communication comes to be dominated by electronic channels, education trains the masses to serve technology and above all, technology becomes the yardstick in dividing populations into “forward” and “backward”. Hence the only solutions coming out of the industrialised world are technological in nature. Searching for a solution to the multi-dimensional problem of global warming solely in the technological space is nothing more than a futile exercise.

While epistemological impoverishment obscures the basic reasons for the predicament, convenient collectivism provides justifications to distribute the blame amongst the entire humanity. There are solutions and alternatives available in the world, but not in the hyper-industrialised parts of it. There still are many societies in Asia, Africa and Latin America living closer to nature with capacities to evaluate the costs in their entirety; societies that have defined progress and pursue happiness in more benign and sustainable ways. Instead of pushing them to the margins, the “developed” world should be learning from them.

Kids Create Car That Run on Soybean Fuel

2007-03-03T06:04:00.000+05:30

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/17/eveningnews/main1329941.shtml

This was in my email box from CharityFocus's Daily Good. Check it out.

New Indicorps Fellowship Application!

2007-02-22T22:07:00.001+05:30

INDICORPS - FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 1, 2007

Indicorps is proud to announce its newest Fellowship opportunity. Apply now for a chance to be part of the newest class of Indicorps Fellows: http://apply.indicorps.org

Indicorps seeks committed individuals with the experience, conviction and leadership potential to find constructive solutions to India's most pressing problems. As an Indicorps Fellow, you will join a community of individuals who constantly push their limits for both individual performance and collective impact. Although you may work in some of the most challenging circumstances, the Indicorps Fellowship is a rewarding and transformational personal journey. Visit the Indicorps website (http://www.indicorps.org) for detailed information on the Indicorps vision, program, and application process.

This year's project opportunities are particularly innovative in their push to generate new solutions in creative ways. Ranging from creative health interventions for kids through Seasame Street Productions to reviving natural dying in handicrafts productions, the projects call for talent, creativity and above all, relentless passion.

Applicants must be of Indian origin (by the definition of the Government of India) and have, at minimum, a university degree or five years work experience. Individuals must make a minimum commitment of one (1) year and are required to apply specifically to projects of their interest. The application deadline is April 1, 2007.

Why try to grow my own food?

2007-02-20T11:43:00.000+05:30

I'm making an honest attempt at composting and gardening in the backyard. I know very little, and haven't done MUCH yet... but we (myself, family, and friends) have started.

Many reasons... in no particular order

1) To KNOW what I am eating. To know that I'm eating something chemical and preservative free.

2) To reduce pollution. Does it make sense that a peach has to travel on a ship and in a truck creating all sorts of pollution when it can be grown in the backyard? Does it make sense that that peach that travelled half-way around the world still may cost less than if I grow it in my backyard? Something's fishy...

3) To do my part to fight against the global capitalism of today. Growing my own food, or buying local... I am making my stamp against the corporatization of EVERYITHNG.

4) To do physical work.
A - As more and more value is placed on mental work in our society, this is my way of placing value on physical productive work. I have a theory - There is a certain amount of physical work that needs to be done in this world to provide us with our necessities (food, shelter, clothing, water, transportation, etc.). If x number of people do no physical work, then this increases the load on the rest who do physical work. Today, in the U.S., I would imagine that a very small percentage of the population does regular physical, productive work increasing the load on the rest of the world.
B - It's exercise. What's the point of being in shape? Or being strong? To me, the point is so I can WORK, so my body can carry out whatever activities I want it to.

5) To identify and participate in my relationship with nature. Everything comes from nature, and everything returns to it... yet we've become so alienated from it. As a result, we don't even realize how much we depend on it, and go on polluting it (global warming, etc.).

6) Valuable activity to share with friends and family. It definitely beats sitting around and shooting the shit, or watching TV.

Blog Entry

2007-02-17T01:35:00.000+05:30

It's been a looooong time since I've written a REAL blog entry. By 'REAL', I mean reflective; I mean talking about events that have influences me, inspired me, made me think; I mean my thoughts and opinions.

I don't think this will be a 'real' entry either... I really don't have that much time right now. But, I just wanted to sit and type... for a bit.

There have been ups and downs. I'm passionate about InSPIRE... and the potential that the program has. But, I don't like that I'm spending soo much time just sending out emails, and sitting on the computer. I also don't like that I'm probably about 60% efficient on the computer... meaning that 40% of the time, I'm probably surfing or chatting, or something. Also.. what are other ways of 'spreading the word'? I'm sure we could have tried to be more creative and 'pure'... but, this is what has been conditioned into us, this is what we know, this is what everyone else knows...

And, then.. there are other things like gardening and volunteering at City Slicker Farms (community garden in Oakland)... and trying to work with children/youth... etc. All of these things have taken the back-burner. I'm spending a little time in my backyard trying to start a garden... and at City Slickers... but not nearly as enough. Not regular.

Trying to do yoga/pranayam everyday... and get to meditations on Wednesday... has definitely been a struggle.

Reading and writing in my journal and/or blog have been pretty non-existent.

Pushing myself to open up to family and friends... started strong... but has since tapered off.

Riding my bike and taking public transportation more... also, ups and downs... sometimes I just am unable to plan ahead, and sometimes just succumb to the 'easiness' and 'convenience' of taking my car.

It seems like slowly.. I'm falling back into the 'rut'.. or 'comfort zone' that i'm used to, here... and it's not a comfort zone I completely enjoy. It's a comfort zone fillled with contradictions, filled with temporary comforts, and filled with isolation.

All THAT being said... I am MAKING strides.. I am ATTEMPTING at a shift in lifestyle, and maybe I expected to see the changes happen quicker than is possible.

I want to be more regular now --
Wed. night - meditation, write in journal
Thur-Sat - spend at least two days at City Slickers
Sun - Swadhyay or discussion at Stanford, write blog entry
Sun-Tues - work on garden at home

InSPIRE - India Summer Program Inspiring Reflective Exploration

2007-02-08T13:47:00.000+05:30

www.SummerInIndia.org

Applications are due on March 14!

Are you trying to figure out what to do with your summer? Are you trying to figure out what to do with your life?

Become InSPIRED.

It's about stepping out of your comfort zone… so you can discover the world, so you can discover yourself.

It's about connecting with India, with its culture, with its people.

It's about finding your passion, and the strength and courage to follow it.

It's about sharing genuine, real experiences with those of a similar mindset.

It's about figuring out your role in shaping this world.

It's about service. It's about adventure. It's about connecting. It's about education. It's about wisdom. It's about reality. It's about lighting the fire. It's about YOU.

InSPIRE
India Summer Program Inspiring Reflective Exploration

InSPIRE is a non-partisan, non-religious 5-week long immersion program that reconnects young Indians and South Asians from abroad to India. The program is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 who is of South Asian decent.

InSPIRE is about exploring and experiencing India, to get a better understanding of ourselves, India, and our relationship with the world. The program will consist of exposures, interactions and sessions, readings, cultural immersion, service work, exploration of development, and adventure. All of these will be used as instigators for each participant to look within and grow as a human being.

To see the InSPIRE trailer, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTped88ntQ

For more information, go to www.SummerInIndia.org.

What should we eat?

2007-01-30T21:44:00.000+05:30

Great article on food ---> click here

Could be a cool opportunity

2007-01-30T05:56:00.000+05:30

American Jewish World Service

Part Time Consultant: Country Representative, India

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

AJWS is seeking a consultant to serve as a Country Representative in India to work with our volunteer programs. The Country Representative will be knowledgeable about development issues internationally and specifically in India, will be devoted to community development from a human rights perspective, and will be committed to exposing foreigners to social justice issues in India. Primary responsibilities will be to work with the Volunteer Corps and the World Partners Fellowship, which send individual volunteers to provide technical assistance and general support to NGOs, and with AJWS' group volunteer programs as needed. The Country Representative for AJWS Volunteer Programs will work closely with the Country Representative for AJWS Grantmaking and with a World Partners Educator, both of whom will be based in India. Learn more about AJWS volunteer programs at: www.ajws.org/service.

The work of the Country Representative will be to:

Assist AJWS in developing and implementing a strategic plan for its volunteer program in India that compliments the grantmaking program. This includes definition of thematic and geographic priorities and clarification of criteria for selecting partnering NGOs;
Research and identify community-based organizations working on the thematic and geographic priorities as outlined in the strategic plan. Assess community-based organizations and make recommendations to AJWS volunteer programs as to appropriate NGOs for AJWS to work with. As requested, conduct site visits to screen and follow-up with specific organizations;
Visit current partnering NGOs to conduct needs assessments and program evaluation;
Assist AJWS and the partnering NGO with logistical arrangements for volunteers; conduct site visits to ensure that NGOs are prepared to receive volunteers, confirm work-plans, accommodations and arrange for ground transport (as needed);
As requested, provide assistance to partnering NGOs in completing necessary applications, forms and contracts;
Assist in developing educational materials and in-field programming for volunteers, specifically for the World Partners Fellows. Attend orientation and retreats for World Partners Fellows;
Provide support and guidance to volunteers in order to ease their assimilation into their NGOs and their location of service;
Recommend consultants, volunteer and NGO networks, conferences, and other opportunities for providing AJWS World Partners Fellows with training and exposure to development issues;
Provide on-going and emergency support to individuals and groups in the field; assist with health emergencies, help to troubleshoot and respond to unforeseen needs as they arise;
Keep NY staff apprised of political and economic trends in the region and any newsworthy items as they impact our project partners, volunteer placements, or program focus;
Represent AJWS at select meetings and conferences;
Provide logistical support to AJWS staff members visiting the region;
Provide NY staff with expense reports and monthly progress reports.

Qualifications:

prior work experience with non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
ideally the applicant will be from India or have lived there for an extended period of time;
strong personal knowledge of grassroots NGOs in India;
experienced in dealing with foreign visitors;
experienced in capacity building and needs assessments for NGOs;
demonstrated leadership skills required; experience leading groups preferred;
strong logistical and organizational skills;
prior experience in volunteer management desired but not essential;
prior experience in grant management and project evaluation desired but not essential;
proficient with computers and consistent access to e-mail;
Hindi language proficiency required, knowledge of South Indian language(s) preferred;
ability to travel throughout India for extended periods of time (in two-four week blocks of time).

Required Qualities:

strong social skills and a warm personality;
team-player;
capacity for creative problem solving;
ability to handle stress and emergency situations well;
leads by example and empowers others to lead;
hard worker who takes initiative;
good listener;
able to command the attention of a group;
flexible nature and sense of humor.

Hours and Salary:

The Country Representative will be employed by AJWS as a part-time independent contractor, approximately 20-30 hours per week, at a competitive salary. AJWS commits to reimburse the Country Representative for expenses incurred while fulfilling the responsibilities of this position, provided that AJWS has had prior opportunity to approve or disapprove of a particular expense.

How to Apply:

For immediate consideration, please forward your resume and cover letter to consultants@ajws.org and indicate your name and "Country Representative: India" in the subject line.

Community Gardens/Farms

2007-01-29T12:20:00.000+05:30

So... a new thing that I've been interested to is the community garden/farm. All of a sudden... I feel like I'm learning about them from all over the place! Here are some links to check out...

http://www.csalearningcenter.org/ --> we watched a documentary about this place as a part of the Nai Talim film festival

http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/ --> Sameer found out about this place, and both of us went to volunteer there last week! I'm going to try to go at least once weekly.

Both of these places are getting urban kids some hands-on experience of farming and gardening.... and are also involved in getting low-priced organic food to low-income households. They also are completely open to volunteers.... just great 'learning places'.

Then, while I was on BBC... I saw that Bush's best friend (ha ha...), Hugo Chavez has started some things on similar lines.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/americas_harvest_in_caracas/html/1.stm

Ivan Illich -- great read for anyone going to do 'volunteer work'

2007-01-12T06:33:00.001+05:30

To Hell with Good Intentions by Ivan Illich

An address by Monsignor Ivan Illich to the Conference on InterAmerican Student Projects (CIASP) in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on April 20, 1968. In his usual biting and sometimes sarcastic style, Illich goes to the heart of the deep dangers of paternalism inherent in any voluntary service activity, but especially in any international service "mission." Parts of the speech are outdated and must be viewed in the historical context of 1968 when it was delivered, but the entire speech is retained for the full impact of his point and at Ivan Illich's request.

IN THE CONVERSATIONS WHICH I HAVE HAD TODAY, I was impressed by two things, and I want to state them before I launch into my prepared talk.

I was impressed by your insight that the motivation of U.S. volunteers overseas springs mostly from very alienated feelings and concepts. I was equally impressed, by what I interpret as a step forward among would-be volunteers like you: openness to the idea that the only thing you can legitimately volunteer for in Latin America might be voluntary powerlessness, voluntary presence as receivers, as such, as hopefully beloved or adopted ones without any way of returning the gift.

I was equally impressed by the hypocrisy of most of you: by the hypocrisy of the atmosphere prevailing here. I say this as a brother speaking to brothers and sisters. I say it against many resistances within me; but it must be said. Your very insight, your very openness to evaluations of past programs make you hypocrites because you - or at least most of you - have decided to spend this next summer in Mexico, and therefore, you are unwilling to go far enough in your reappraisal of your program. You close your eyes because you want to go ahead and could not do so if you looked at some facts.

It is quite possible that this hypocrisy is unconscious in most of you. Intellectually, you are ready to see that the motivations which could legitimate volunteer action overseas in 1963 cannot be invoked for the same action in 1968. "Mission-vacations" among poor Mexicans were "the thing" to do for well-off U.S. students earlier in this decade: sentimental concern for newly-discovered. poverty south of the border combined with total blindness to much worse poverty at home justified such benevolent excursions. Intellectual insight into the difficulties of fruitful volunteer action had not sobered the spirit of Peace Corps Papal-and-Self-Styled Volunteers.

Today, the existence of organizations like yours is offensive to Mexico. I wanted to make this statement in order to explain why I feel sick about it all and in order to make you aware that good intentions have not much to do with what we are discussing here. To hell with good intentions. This is a theological statement. You will not help anybody by your good intentions. There is an Irish saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions; this sums up the same theological insight.

The very frustration which participation in CIASP programs might mean for you, could lead you to new awareness: the awareness that even North Americans can receive the gift of hospitality without the slightest ability to pay for it; the awareness that for some gifts one cannot even say "thank you."

Now to my prepared statement.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

For the past six years I have become known for my increasing opposition to the presence of any and all North American "dogooders" in Latin America. I am sure you know of my present efforts to obtain the voluntary withdrawal of all North American volunteer armies from Latin America - missionaries, Peace Corps members and groups like yours, a "division" organized for the benevolent invasion of Mexico. You were aware of these things when you invited me - of all people - to be the main speaker at your annual convention. This is amazing! I can only conclude that your invitation means one of at least three things:Some among you might have reached the conclusion that CIASP should either dissolve altogether, or take the promotion of voluntary aid to the Mexican poor out of its institutional purpose. Therefore you might have invited me here to help others reach this same decision.

You might also have invited me because you want to learn how to deal with people who think the way I do - how to dispute them successfully. It has now become quite common to invite Black Power spokesmen to address Lions Clubs. A "dove" must always be included in a public dispute organized to increase U.S. belligerence.

And finally, you might have invited me here hoping that you would be able to agree with most of what I say, and then go ahead in good faith and work this summer in Mexican villages. This last possibility is only open to those who do not listen, or who cannot understand me.

I did not come here to argue. I am here to tell you, if possible to convince you, and hopefully, to stop you, from pretentiously imposing yourselves on Mexicans.

I do have deep faith in the enormous good will of the U.S. volunteer. However, his good faith can usually be explained only by an abysmal lack of intuitive delicacy. By definition, you cannot help being ultimately vacationing salesmen for the middle-class "American Way of Life," since that is really the only life you know. A group like this could not have developed unless a mood in the United States had supported it - the belief that any true American must share God's blessings with his poorer fellow men. The idea that every American has something to give, and at all times may, can and should give it, explains why it occurred to students that they could help Mexican peasants "develop" by spending a few months in their villages.

Of course, this surprising conviction was supported by members of a missionary order, who would have no reason to exist unless they had the same conviction - except a much stronger one. It is now high time to cure yourselves of this. You, like the values you carry, are the products of an American society of achievers and consumers, with its two-party system, its universal schooling, and its family-car affluence. You are ultimately-consciously or unconsciously - "salesmen" for a delusive ballet in the ideas of democracy, equal opportunity and free enterprise among people who haven't the possibility of profiting from these.

Next to money and guns, the third largest North American export is the U.S. idealist, who turns up in every theater of the world: the teacher, the volunteer, the missionary, the community organizer, the economic developer, and the vacationing do-gooders. Ideally, these people define their role as service. Actually, they frequently wind up alleviating the damage done by money and weapons, or "seducing" the "underdeveloped" to the benefits of the world of affluence and achievement. Perhaps this is the moment to instead bring home to the people of the U.S. the knowledge that the way of life they have chosen simply is not alive enough to be shared.

By now it should be evident to all America that the U.S. is engaged in a tremendous struggle to survive. The U.S. cannot survive if the rest of the world is not convinced that here we have Heaven-on-Earth. The survival of the U.S. depends on the acceptance by all so-called "free" men that the U.S. middle class has "made it." The U.S. way of life has become a religion which must be accepted by all those who do not want to die by the sword - or napalm. All over the globe the U.S. is fighting to protect and develop at least a minority who consume what the U.S. majority can afford. Such is the purpose of the Alliance for Progress of the middle-classes which the U.S. signed with Latin America some years ago. But increasingly this commercial alliance must be protected by weapons which allow the minority who can "make it" to protect their acquisitions and achievements.

But weapons are not enough to permit minority rule. The marginal masses become rambunctious unless they are given a "Creed," or belief which explains the status quo. This task is given to the U.S. volunteer - whether he be a member of CLASP or a worker in the so-called "Pacification Programs" in Viet Nam.
The United States is currently engaged in a three-front struggle to affirm its ideals of acquisitive and achievement-oriented "Democracy." I say "three" fronts, because three great areas of the world are challenging the validity of a political and social system which makes the rich ever richer, and the poor increasingly marginal to that system.

In Asia, the U.S. is threatened by an established power -China. The U.S. opposes China with three weapons: the tiny Asian elites who could not have it any better than in an alliance with the United States; a huge war machine to stop the Chinese from "taking over" as it is usually put in this country, and; forcible re-education of the so-called "Pacified" peoples. All three of these efforts seem to be failing.

In Chicago, poverty funds, the police force and preachers seem to be no more successful in their efforts to check the unwillingness of the black community to wait for graceful integration into the system.

And finally, in Latin America the Alliance for Progress has been quite successful in increasing the number of people who could not be better off - meaning the tiny, middle-class elites - and has created ideal conditions for military dictatorships. The dictators were formerly at the service of the plantation owners, but now they protect the new industrial complexes. And finally, you come to help the underdog accept his destiny within this process!

All you will do in a Mexican village is create disorder. At best, you can try to convince Mexican girls that they should marry a young man who is self-made, rich, a consumer, and as disrespectful of tradition as one of you. At worst, in your "community development" spirit you might create just enough problems to get someone shot after your vacation ends_ and you rush back to your middleclass neighborhoods where your friends make jokes about "spits" and "wetbacks."

You start on your task without any training. Even the Peace Corps spends around $10,000 on each corps member to help him adapt to his new environment and to guard him against culture shock. How odd that nobody ever thought about spending money to educate poor Mexicans in order to prevent them from the culture shock of meeting you?In fact, you cannot even meet the majority which you pretend to serve in Latin America - even if you could speak their language, which most of you cannot. You can only dialogue with those like you - Latin American imitations of the North American middle class. There is no way for you to really meet with the underprivileged, since there is no common ground whatsoever for you to meet on.
Let me explain this statement, and also let me explain why most Latin Americans with whom you might be able to communicate would disagree with me.

Suppose you went to a U.S. ghetto this summer and tried to help the poor there "help themselves." Very soon you would be either spit upon or laughed at. People offended by your pretentiousness would hit or spit. People who understand that your own bad consciences push you to this gesture would laugh condescendingly. Soon you would be made aware of your irrelevance among the poor, of your status as middle-class college students on a summer assignment. You would be roundly rejected, no matter if your skin is white-as most of your faces here are-or brown or black, as a few exceptions who got in here somehow.

Your reports about your work in Mexico, which you so kindly sent me, exude self-complacency. Your reports on past summers prove that you are not even capable of understanding that your dogooding in a Mexican village is even less relevant than it would be in a U.S. ghetto. Not only is there a gulf between what you have and what others have which is much greater than the one existing between you and the poor in your own country, but there is also a gulf between what you feel and what the Mexican people feel that is incomparably greater. This gulf is so great that in a Mexican village you, as White Americans (or cultural white Americans) can imagine yourselves exactly the way a white preacher saw himself when he offered his life preaching to the black slaves on a plantation in Alabama. The fact that you live in huts and eat tortillas for a few weeks renders your well-intentioned group only a bit more picturesque.

The only people with whom you can hope to communicate with are some members of the middle class. And here please remember that I said "some" -by which I mean a tiny elite in Latin America.

You come from a country which industrialized early and which succeeded in incorporating the great majority of its citizens into the middle classes. It is no social distinction in the U.S. to have graduated from the second year of college. Indeed, most Americans now do. Anybody in this country who did not finish high school is considered underprivileged.

In Latin America the situation is quite different: 75% of all people drop out of school before they reach the sixth grade. Thus, people who have finished high school are members of a tiny minority. Then, a minority of that minority goes on for university training. It is only among these people that you will find your educational equals.

At the same time, a middle class in the United States is the majority. In Mexico, it is a tiny elite. Seven years ago your country began and financed a so-called "Alliance for Progress." This was an "Alliance" for the "Progress" of the middle class elites. Now. it is among the members of this middle class that you will find a few people who are willing to send their time with you_ And they are overwhelmingly those "nice kids" who would also like to soothe their troubled consciences by "doing something nice for the promotion of the poor Indians." Of course, when you and your middleclass Mexican counterparts meet, you will be told that you are doing something valuable, that you are "sacrificing" to help others.And it will be the foreign priest who will especially confirm your self-image for you. After all, his livelihood and sense of purpose depends on his firm belief in a year-round mission which is of the same type as your summer vacation-mission.

There exists the argument that some returned volunteers have gained insight into the damage they have done to others - and thus become more mature people. Yet it is less frequently stated that most of them are ridiculously proud of their "summer sacrifices." Perhaps there is also something to the argument that young men should be promiscuous for awhile in order to find out that sexual love is most beautiful in a monogamous relationship. Or that the best way to leave LSD alone is to try it for awhile -or even that the best way of understanding that your help in the ghetto is neither needed nor wanted is to try, and fail. I do not agree with this argument. The damage which volunteers do willy-nilly is too high a price for the belated insight that they shouldn't have been volunteers in the first place.

If you have any sense of responsibility at all, stay with your riots here at home. Work for the coming elections: You will know what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how to communicate with those to whom you speak. And you will know when you fail. If you insist on working with the poor, if this is your vocation, then at least work among the poor who can tell you to go to hell. It is incredibly unfair for you to impose yourselves on a village where you are so linguistically deaf and dumb that you don't even understand what you are doing, or what people think of you. And it is profoundly damaging to yourselves when you define something that you want to do as "good," a "sacrifice" and "help."

I am here to suggest that you voluntarily renounce exercising the power which being an American gives you. I am here to entreat you to freely, consciously and humbly give up the legal right you have to impose your benevolence on Mexico. I am here to challenge you to recognize your inability, your powerlessness and your incapacity to do the "good" which you intended to do.

I am here to entreat you to use your money, your status and your education to travel in Latin America. Come to look, come to climb our mountains, to enjoy our flowers. Come to study. But do not come to help.
Ivan Illich is the author of Deschooling Society and other provocative books. Thanks to Nick Royal, Tim Stanton, and Steve Babb for helping to find this speech.

Nai Taleem Film Festival

2007-01-11T00:35:00.000+05:30

If you live in the Bay Area.... then, we are starting the Nai Taleem Festival, organized by Shikshantar, on this Friday in Fremont!!!

Location:
Raj's Home
4663 Amiens Ave.
Fremont, CA

When:
Friday, January 12, 6:30pm

Phone:
510-793-0480

Is it time to think of a world of "dignity, healthy community, and deep wisdom"? A world where the curiosity of a human being is encouraged, not surpressed? A world where learning is enjoyable and free, and not forced?

Starting on Friday, January 12th, we are going to be holding the "Nai Taleem Film Festival" at the following address:
4663 Amiens Ave. Fremont, CA 94555.

The films will start at 7:45 pm. We will watch 2 hours of film per sitting, and then let discussion develop organically.

Movies this week:
"Rabbit Proof Fence"
"To Dream Mountain"

The plan is to have film screenings on every Friday night, so spread the word to your friends as well! Everyone is welcome.

For more info on the Nai Taleem Film Festival - click here ~~>
http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/naitaleembrochure.pdf

We will be having something simple, like pasta and garlic bread for dinner, at 6:30 pm. So, feel free to join us for dinner as well! But please include that in your RSVP so we know how many people to cook for (you can email me at rkanani@gmail.com)

Scary Schooool

2007-01-08T10:15:00.000+05:30

Great video-clip... makes you think ~~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUoYAj7Nosg

Satirical 'Allopath Town'

2006-12-27T00:52:00.000+05:30

Allopath Town
http://www.mercola.com/townofallopath/index.htm

Back in the States....

2006-12-22T11:52:00.000+05:30

FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, USA -
So, it's been 2 complete weeks since I've returned to the U.S. It's been two weeks of adjusting... physically, mentally, and emotionally.

My body was in such a great routine in India, that it took me an entire week to overcome the jet-lag. Even now, I am not completely recovered. And, I also think my body’s getting adjusted going back-n-forth btwn heat and cold… as one steps out into the cold air, and then back into the heated home, or car… And, then there’s the food… I’m trying to eat as little microwaved and processed food as possible… and trying to avoid the high fructose corn syrup… but, it’s difficult.

Mentally... everything here was disturbing me... the amt. of garbage we created, the feeling that 'everything is okay', the topics of conversation, the questions that everyone has been asking me and then they don't really listen to the answer, wiping my butt with tissue paper, living in such a huge house with all kinds of comforts and newly added features, etc.

Emotinally... it has been great being with my parents, my ba, my sister and brother-in-law, all my relatives, and all my closest friends from childhood. We all have spent soo much time together and have had so many memories over the year. However, the last 16 months, other than an occasional phone call or email... or reading my blog... they weren't all a big part of my life... so, emotionally... I want to talk about the things that I'm passionate about and believe it. But, then... what if the other party isn't really all that excited?
It has really been nice and supportive to have my sister and jijaji around. I guess even though I’ve spent a lot of time with Amir… we’ve never ‘lived’ together before. And, really.. it’s great. His ability to just maintain his cool and humour at all times is really awesome.. even when probed by my mom!

Soo... overall…I've started catching myself …. I've been placing the blame outside myself.... but the real challenge... is how am I going to respond? How am I going to behave? Will I find a way to communicate? Am I going to understand their concerns? So far... it hasn't been that good... I've picked my spots... but overall.... there has been a lot of going with the flow.

My daily routine is still solid... at least in the morning.... still using my danth manjan, still not using soap, still using my till thel, doing my yoga and pranayam every morning (my sister, jijaji, and mom do it as well!).... and still cleaning my bottom with water whenever I get the chance. =P Trying to move to buying more organic foods grown in local areas... and trying to find out where some of the products we consume actually come from. Already... just by searching on the internet... I have found out all kinds of interesting things!! None that really surprise me, though...

I was looking at where our water comes from here in Fremont… some water, we purchase from SF who gets their water from Hetch Hetchy… Well.. when Hetch Hetchy was deciding to be dammed years ago.. it was quite the controversy… years before, there were Natives who lived on that land as well. And Hetch Hetchy was part of a preserved area… but after many battles… it was dammed.
Another thing that I found out about our water… is the ‘fluoride’ is added to our tap water… for no other reason other then ‘science’ thinks that it’s good for our teeth. Now… there are all kinds of studies that shows ingesting ‘fluoride’ even in small amounts is cancer-causing. Basically… this is forced medication… and no one is even aware about it, and no one really has a choice.

Then, there’s our bananas. The ones I have at home were ‘Del Monte’ bananas… they come from Central America and Latin America…. The ones I ate came from Ecuador… where the labour and land are super cheap… and the gov’t backs you…. And when workers try to unionize you bully them, fire them, and shut them up any way that you know how.

Then, of course… being in the U.S., there’s good old ‘high fructose corn syrup’. In many countries in the world, you won’t find this ingredient at all. Basically, it’s a sugar substitute that’s made from corn! Usually, the corn is genetically engineered. There are all kinds of stories behind this.

If you want to read more about Hetch Hetchy, Del Monte, or High Fructose Corn Syrup.. I have some articles and links.

Otherwise.. I’ve been working on lot of the logistical stuff and paperwork side of InSPIRE… hoping to launch the website and ‘marketing’ by 15th January. I’m trying to keep balanced days…. And not just end up sitting on the comp. all day… so my mornings are my ‘active’ time… other than my yoga and all…. I try to do some physical work in the morning – from removing the tent in our backyard, to cleaning the small piece of land we’ve set aside for a garden, to painting the swing/bench that we have, to biking to the local farmer’s market, to biking to the local farm. And, then in the afternoon… more of the paperwork/computer work….

For the next 2-3 weeks…. I’m going to be on the move… LA for one of my college roommate’s wedding… and Chicago, for my friends’ wedding reception/anniversary thingy. Both events… definitely willl be a good time.. and give me the chance to catch up with a lot of people. But.. really.. it’s still so hard to answer the question… “so, how was the trip?” or “so, what’d you do in India?” I don’t blame anyone from asking. But.. still… it’s a difficult question.. that I need to figure out a better way to answer.

Till next time….

Article - Buy Green

2006-12-17T04:45:00.000+05:30

San Francisco Chronicle

Helping consumers rein in the holiday excess
'Worldchanging' editor offers sustainable food for
thought before the shopping and spending

Susan Fornoff, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, December 16, 2006

The new book "Worldchanging" has 596 pages and weighs enough that if you were hit over the head with it, it could seriously hurt.

Hitting readers over the head, however, isn't really the style of editor Alex Steffen and the staff of four "solution-based" journalists at Seattle's WorldChanging.com. That's is a fortunate thing during the holiday season, when save-the-earth types could find so many reasons to batter consumers.

Like, why on earth do you need 3 million lights on the house? What do you mean you're having lobster flown in from Maine? Do you have any idea about the conditions in the sweatshops that made the shoes you're
giving Johnny? And look at that pile of trash your gift wrapping has generated! Thwack!

"A lot of times I think in the holiday season, because we all want our celebrations to be great, there's a way in which we all express our love for the people around us by trying to do more, give them more," Steffen said. "A lot of times I think we buy things whose backstories aren't really that terrific and bring them into our homes. And what we're saying is not that you have to suffer to be virtuous. We don't have to suffer -- we just have to be smart."

Steffen visited The Chronicle during a December barnstorming tour to promote the book, subtitled "A User's Guide for the 21st Century," which has a foreword by Al Gore. (One of the tour's underwriters, Zero Footprint, is offsetting with wind power and tree plantings whatever toll the group's travel by jet and car takes on the Earth.)

Though attractively packaged, designed and organized, "Worldchanging" isn't a read-this-weekend volume, and there's no chapter on Christmas/Hanukkah. So during an interview, Steffen pulled out a few of the book's concepts to guide consumers who find themselves taking the SUV approach to the holidays, even though they'd rather be more like a Prius.

The No. 1 shopping guideline: Consider the backstory.
"During the holidays we often forget to think about the fact that the new gadget we got was made somewhere using resources that were metals that were mined somewhere, energy that was pumped out of the ground somewhere," Steffen said. "We sort of forget about all the things that went into making it, and we don't think about everything that's going to happen to it after we let it go."

Considering the backstory means looking at labels and ads, and not swallowing the manufacturer's hype. "Green" is one of the advertising buzz words of the decade, a cool way to market -- and Steffen has coined his own buzz word for the misuse of "green."

"A lot of people right now are 'greenwashing' things," he said. "Things that aren't really actually green, they're describing as eco- or environmental. We have a part in the book here right up front where we talk about how to understand if something's greenwashing and how to choose more responsibly. Beware vague phrases and claims -- like 'natural.' Another dead giveaway is when somebody says, 'Oh, this has no environmental impact.' Big overblown claims like, 'This will save the Earth.'

"A lot of times people will make claims, on their Web site, for instance, but there's no actual way to look and see if it's true. Companies that are doing good things like to brag about them. So if they're willing to tell you precisely, hey, this is 100 percent recycled paper or fiber or wood or whatever, and you can go see the certification, that's a good sign."

Take the book, for example. It has an environmental-benefits statement on the back describing what resources publisher Abrams saved by using New Leaf paper for the book slipcase and pages, with the note that the publisher purchased wind-power credits to offset the electricity that produced the book.
"By buying this book you're getting the greenest book on the planet," Steffen said. "We couldn't make it any greener with what we can do now."

For another example, consider the sweater from Patagonia that was given to him. He loves the sweater, thinks it looks great, fits well and feels comfy -- and both the label on the sweater and the ad on the Web site boast that the sweater is made of "100 percent organic wool."

It's the sort of information that Steffen thinks will become increasingly trumpeted.

"I think more and more clothing shops and big retailers will tell you when something has sustainable elements, organic cotton, organic wool. Bamboo is really hip right now. It's a miracle thing, what can't it do, it's a dessert topping," he said.

"Many of the companies that are doing the right thing are now announcing it because it's a selling point. If they're not announcing it, it's probably not that great a thing. Even things that are totally sold on luxury and style are now announcing when they're green, like the Lexus hybrid."

A second eco-friendly holiday guideline is to buy better instead of more. The sweater made of 100 percent organic wool probably costs more than two or three sweaters from a big-box store, so just buy one quality sweater.

"Maybe instead of buying 15 presents for the kids," he said, "you buy five that they're really going to want. We all know how kids are -- the day after Christmas, half those presents are lying broken on the floor, right? Maybe buy a couple of things that are nicer, more durable, that the kids are really going to enjoy.

"I think we all get kind of talked into this idea that if the holidays aren't excessive that somehow we failed. Yet almost everybody I know has a story about a Christmas or Hanukkah that went wrong, where there was kind of a disaster, and that ended up being the most fun -- some of the presents didn't arrive on time or the turkey got burned to a crisp, and people had to have a real experience together."

Experience, Steffen said, makes a great holiday gift.

"Experiences are greener than objects," he said, "and so think about a way to give somebody a class doing something they like, or a meal at a great restaurant -- especially one that promotes local food and good eating. These things can have just as much meaning, and they don't bear as big a cost to the planet."
When shopping for the person who has everything and who might appreciate a charitable donation in his name, there's the "Worldchanging" view on philanthropy: It's recommended, with an eye toward checking with the Council on Foundations (http://www.cof.org/) and/or the Center for Effective Philanthropy (http://www.effectivephilanthropy.com/) for an assessment of an intended charity. Three that are specifically recommended by "Worldchanging": Heifer Project, Opportunity International and Trickle Up.

Finally, include the planet in holiday hopes and wishes. It's a good time of year, Steffen said, to think about the impact we can make on the future.

"The holidays are for a lot of people a time of renewal, whether you're talking about coming back together with family, or making a New Year's resolution -- it fundamentally is about pausing and starting again fresh," he said. "So if we have any hope for the holiday season, it's that people actually start to look at how they live on the planet in a different way, and not in a way of feeling guilt or shame but in a way of imagining how they might live a brighter and a greener life."

Change your style
For more information and ideas about living green, visit http://www.worldchanging.com/, or look for the book "Worldchanging" (596 pages, Abrams, $37.50).

India Social Forum

2006-11-17T23:22:00.000+05:30

DELHI - I'm not going to write too much about my experience at the ISF... basically, I wasn't going to be there, I wsa supposed to be in Ahmedabad at this time..... however, my arm was infected and oozing out pus, so I ended up staying in Delhi a little longer and got to attend the ISF. A lot of People's Movements (anti-Coca-Cola, anti-dam, etc.), a lot of Dalit rights movements, a lot of Socialist/Leftist movements.... basically, an anti-globalization, anti-America theme to the entire extravanganza.
We were there with SIDH for the 'official' launch of the Gap Year College. I really thought our session on "Integrated and Holistic Education" went well... but, there weren't that many 'random' attendees. Although, there are so many Delhi youth involved with SIDH now that there were still a lot of people there....

Here's an article about the ISF from infochangeindia (http://www.infochangeindia.org/features395.jsp)

Alternative confusion
By Ashok Gopal

The India Social Forum is about different political and social movements joining forces to fight the forces that are militating against local economies, community use of land, non-Western civilisations and cultures. But in the Babel that was the ISF, most of the voices got lost

There was, ultimately, too much of everything. A lot of it good. A lot of it bad. Some of it very bad.
There were too many issues being discussed at too many pandals. There was too much song and dance outside. There were too many films being shown in temporary theatres too close to each other. There was too much dust and thrown-away food. The distance between the two main venues was too much and there were too many clueless volunteers.
After witnessing all this, documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan had one thing to say upfront about the India Social Forum (ISF), New Delhi, November 9-13, 2006.
It was “disorganised”.
Many delegates used stronger words. Comparisons were drawn with the Asia Social Forum, Hyderabad, 2003, which was by common opinion a “better show”. (Comparisons with the World Social Forum, Mumbai, 2004, would be unfair as it was a far bigger event).
There was talk about how a few organisations like Ekta Parishad had dominated the ISF, bringing thousands of their supporters who drowned the presence of everyone else.
There were questions asked about where and how the thousands of pounds given by the funding organisations had been used.
The money certainly didn’t reflect in the infrastructure at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium grounds where the ISF was held.
Basic needs were overlooked. Free drinking water should have been made available everywhere, but wasn’t. Women could not find clean and working loos. No thought was given to the aged and the disabled who had to walk, like the others, for over a kilometre from one ground to another.
And the more substantive objections to such a show, which have been raised since the beginning of the WSF process in Porto Alegre in Brazil in 2001, remained unaddressed.
Few ISF participants could probably give clear and coherent answers to the question posed by rickshaw- and taxi-drivers who stood outside the venues: Yeh kya ho raha hai? What is this about? What does it seek to achieve?
Compering the inaugural function of the ISF, women’s activist Kamla Bhasin said the event was an “attempt to bring together different political and social movements, to create a sangam”, to create a “wave of optimism and a shared vision of an alternative future”.
This sounds nice, but ducks the primary questions. How can one, for instance, create a sangam between a Gandhian NGO that believes in trusteeship and a leftist union that believes an “alternative future” can be realised only through abolition of private property?
And in what language, if at all, can a family of landless labourers meaningfully “share a vision” with a jet-setting academic who has never had to worry about the source of his next meal?
It is of course possible to pinpoint some common values and aspirations between people from diverse political, cultural, social and economic backgrounds. One can talk of peace, human dignity and dialogue. This is the language that caps the clamour of the UN General Assembly.
Is the WSF process then a non-government replica of the UN? Albeit more toothless?
WSF-process regulars—and there is a growing tribe of them—are not frustrated by such questions. Like a giant corporation or bureaucracy, the WSF process has acquired a life and momentum of its own, and it moves on regardless of what anyone thinks about it. As John Samuel, international director, ActionAid, who is a WSF-regular, pointed out, those who attack the process are also part of it. Nobody wants to be left out.
At ISF, New Delhi, two strategies adopted by the regulars were visible. In the first case, most of the high-profile speakers headed straight for the session they were supposed to address, delivered their number, exchanged pleasantries with other high-profile regulars and made a fast exit—towards their hotel room or the airport. Debate across experts from diverse fields and backgrounds did not happen.
Self-funded regulars adopted the strategy of international film festival regulars. You first get hold of the programme, then ignoring the speeches at the inaugural session, you mark out your must-sees, must-do’s and must-visits. Then you get a lay of the land—the layout of the venues—and make your own programme, which you follow diligently, ignoring everything else.
This is good commonsense but has a big pitfall: You can miss out on some of the most engaging and thought-provoking sessions.
And the most unfortunate aspect of ISF 2006 was there were a lot of these sessions, but the voices of speakers got lost—either because of the din outside or extremely thin attendance.
At the inaugural session, Eileen Kuttab, sociologist and activist from the Women’s Studies Programme at Birzeit University, Palestine, spoke about how the Palestine situation is related to the “human deficit” all over the world, which is the result of sustained “wars” against local economies, community use of land, non-Western civilisations and cultures. NGOs that have “pragmatically” chosen to work with, rather than against, this onslaught are as guilty as the warmongers for the “death of revolution”.
Few heard her forceful argument. Her speech was too long; no effort was made for simultaneous translation into Hindi, and by the time she had come to a third of her printed speech, most of the audience had drifted away.
A fundamental dimension of Eileen Kuttab’s argument was corroborated by Thomas Wallgren, professor, University of Helsinki, Finland, at one of the sessions held after the inaugural day. The author of Transformative Philosophy said that the celebration of the individual, which has been the hallmark of the history of the Western world over the past 500 years, inevitably leads to destruction of the community. “A Western man simply cannot accept community.”
If Wallgren’s argument was at too high a plane for the audience of activists from tribal areas, economist Jean Dreze, who made a rare appearance at a session on livelihoods, provided a concerted strategy suggestion to civil society organisations. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), he said, provides a wonderful opportunity to organise and unionise landless labourers. It gives an opportunity to increase their bargaining power, and create a situation in which payment of statutory minimum wages by big farmers becomes unavoidable.
Later in the same session, economist Jayati Ghosh attempted to make sense of the latest NSS figures on employment. For the first time since the introduction of liberalisation policies, there has been a growth in employment in India in rural as well as urban areas.
However, according to her analysis, agricultural employment is not growing; in rural areas, people are moving from wage labour to self-employment. Increase in participation of rural women in manufacturing, she argued, was due to the huge increase in the number of women’s self-help groups. In urban areas, the growth of women’s participation in manufacturing was mainly because large numbers of unorganised women are being hired to work at low wages by small-scale units.
Ghosh’s arguments needed to be contested by pro-liberalisation economists. But of course none were present among the speakers or the thin audience.
At one of the well-attended events, an Assembly of Poor and Discriminated, economist Amit Bhaduri told dalit leaders that they didn’t have a ghost of a chance of capturing real power at the Centre unless they developed and forcefully used “alternative cultural symbols”. Gandhi’s use of Ram Rajya gave momentum and mass appeal to the freedom movement. Dalit leaders need to develop and propagate an alternative vision.
The Assembly of Poor was organised by a slew of networks. But there were at the ISF, other dalit organisations that had planned other sessions and events, and they were conspicuously absent at the Assembly of Poor.
Nobody benefited from such groupism. Nobody benefited either from the language barrier and a lot of avoidable confusion: seminar halls were not grouped according to thematic areas, or even clearly identified. Several sessions did not start or end on time. Some seminar venues were shifted at the last moment and some venues could be found only after extraordinary effort or sheer luck.
This combination of effort and luck was also required to pick up gems from the large number of stalls located in three grounds. You could pick up old books on Ambedkar and dalit issues at a 50% discount. You could get scarcely available works of the Gandhian historian Dharampal in English. You could get inexpensive and very thoughtfully produced children’s literature in Hindi from the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. You could get hard to find classics such as Rahul Sankrityayan’s Volga Se Ganga. You could get CDs of Indian folk music. And of course the usual range of SHG-made pickles and jams.
And if you had any energy left to watch films, you could watch an eye-opening but relatively unknown documentary like Autumn’s Final Country by Sonia Jabbar, who hadn’t made a film earlier, and has not made a film since. A sensitive recording of the displacement stories of four women in Kashmir, it brought out the human tragedy of the political conflict without bias or pontification.
But you needed luck. Too much of it. Because there wasn’t a directory detailing exhibitors and their wares. There wasn’t a low-priced and substantial document on all the films that were shown. There wasn’t even a clearly printed map in the programme document.
Organisers of ISF-type events would do well to heed a telling comment made by Jayati Ghosh’s mother. After trudging with Jayati for over an hour to find the venue of a seminar Jayati was to address, the old lady declared, “I tell you, this is why your alternatives don’t work.”

Night-time Chat with Bharat Uncle

2006-11-16T16:36:00.000+05:30

AHMEDABAD -
So, last night, I was sitting and chatting with Bharat Uncle. It’s really nice to have this home here, and be able to talk to Bharat Uncle whenever returning from wherever I’ve been! I basically have this house in Ahmedabad, Harsh’s house in Delhi, and Pawan-ji’s place in Mussoorie… three places that I’m wonderfully comfortable in, and they are also comfortable having me there (at least so I think). Of course, the thing that bothers me is that at each of these places… I am able to do very little work. Although, I at least try to take care of my own stuff…

Anyways, so I was telling Bharat-Uncle a little about jeevan vidya… We were talking about one of the bottom-lines of modern economics, of capitalism, of competition… resources are limited and needs are unlimited. From this statement, all kinds of decisions are made, conclusions are reached, etc. From this statement, competition is inevitable. “Have’s” and “have not’s” are inevitable. Basically, human beings will never be satisfied.

However, if one looks at the reality of our needs… our physical needs ARE limited, and resources are in plenty, while our mental/psychological/emotional needs are unquantifiable and continuous. Gandhi-ji said it as, “There is enough for everyone’s need, but not everyone’s greed”. And, he also said, “Live simply, so others may simply live.”

However, today… that extra pair of shoes is a necessity… having food that satisfies not only our nutrional needs but our taste buds is also a necessity. Having a 4 bedroom, two-storey house is also a necessity. Why is this so???

When I look at my needs.. I see that there are physical needs.. but there are also mental / emotional / psychological needs. I need respect, I need love, I need trust. I need this reciprocally… meaning I need to love others, and I need to be loved. That is a state of harmony that I enjoy being in. Basically, I need relationships, and I need knowledge… wisdom…. understanding.
Now, when I try to fulfill these needs for respect, for trust, for attention, etc… through physical means (clothing, make-up, big house, money, etc.), then my needs become unlimited. This is a double-edged sword. Because, 1) My needs will never be satisfied, because these mental/emotional needs are continuous and are wanted at every moment. These physical things may get me something close to respect temporarily, but it will never last. 2) I will always need something new, something better, something at the cutting edge. Therefore, I will continuously have to ‘earn’ money to buy these things. I will continuously have to overconsume, and whenever I am overconsuming, it means another is underconsuming. 3) My need for continuous, complete happiness cannot be satisfied by temporary spikes in pleasure. On the contrary, these temporary spikes, only cause more conflict and cloud my understanding. However, until I understand what it means to live harmoniously and happily, these temporary spikes in pleasure may be inevitable.
There are desires that come up as a result of pleasure to my 5 senses. I see chocolate, and I want it because I know it’s going to taste good. Yummy! And there are desires that come out of my Understanding, my knowledge, my wisdom (depending on what word you would like to use.) I understand that for me to best utilize my body, healthy food is necessary… and I see my body as an instrument to carry out the program for a happy and harmonious life. It is my tool… and I see the importance of it.. its true value. Therefore, I desire food that is healthy and nutritious (this does mean it can’t taste good).
As long as I don’t have that right understanding, as long as our desires continue to come from a result of the 5 senses… then, we will continue to be in a ‘reactive’ mode, instead of a mode of ‘action’.
When I look at my physical needs… they are not needed at every moment, but are needed occasionally and in limited quantity. I need food 3 times per day, and only a certain amount. I only need a certain number of pairs of clothing. I only need a certain amount of space to live, and even that, I only need it to protect me from the weather and the elements, and don’t need it all the time.

So, if the economic ‘bottom-line’ is changed to – Needs are limited, and resources are in abundance – how does this change things? Competition is no longer needed. Cooperation is a reality. Even in India today, enough food is produced to feed the entire population, but why doesn’t it reach them? Distribution? Is this a problem… because there isn’t enough competition? Or because there isn’t enough cooperation?

Anyways, so I was talking with Bharat Uncle. I also talked about the idea of an educational centre in India… myself, some other youth, pawan-ji, etc.. were talking about it… where this exploration and understanding of oneself and reality is started at a young age….Where the subjects are taught, but they are not separate and it is seen where they fit into the bigger picture. So a generation is brought up that has this understanding, and doesn’t have to try to break old conditionings and then come to this understanding.

Bharat Uncle.. said that the masses will always try to become happy through the senses… they will always run after the temporary spikes in pleasure. He said that this Understanding is for the individual, not for the masses.

I replied, ‘But isn’t the mass just a collection of individuals?”

He said, ‘Yes, in theory, the masses can change, but in reality.. they are a flow. Like a flowing river. Only a small percentage will be able to flow against the stream. The rest will not be able to make the U-turn. One Gandhi-ji is possible. And him having followers is possible. But 1,000,000 Gandhiji’s are not possible.’

I replied, ‘If we can have children start exploring themselves and what truly will bring them long-lasting happiness and harmony… if they are educated in this way to be responsible… then, isn’t it possible that they won’t get caught in this flow to begin with?”

He said, “The only thing one can do is change oneself… and live their life accordingly. One should never expect the masses to be with them. One should be ready to swim alone upstream against the flow. If you are able to share and people learn from you, then that’s great, that’s an extra. But, all you can work on is changing yourself and living accordingly.”

I still think that if there are enough individuals swimming against the flow…. that they can change the direction of the flow of the river altogether. Actually, I don’t agree with the flow analogy… because the flow has some type of fatalistic tinge to it, because rivers only flow one way. But, society, people… they are going a certain direction because of their collective consciousness. It is nothing outside of them. They have the power to change the direction that they are going. Each individual decides which direction he/she wants to go. Water in a river does not have that power… the river flows in only one direction. Human beings have the free will to act and imagine and to change the flow in whatsoever direction they want… and when we truly realize what this power means… then, maybe, we’ll start realizing what freedom means (I’m going to assume that it’s very very different than what Mr. Bush means by freedom.)

'Alternate'

2006-11-05T16:18:00.000+05:30

Lately... I've been talking about the possibility of living in an 'alternate' space for the long-term.

I use alternate in quotes, because in actuality the space that we are talking about is a much more 'natural' space than the ones that we are in now. However, in today's dimented world, 'natural' has become 'alternate' and 'artificial' has become 'normal'.

Mehdiganj - Coca-Cola Factory

2006-11-04T19:52:00.000+05:30

So, once again, this entry wasn’t written in a timely fashion, and the Coca-cola factory area visit isn’t fresh on my mind, but I’m going to use my journal entries from the time… so, that should bring some freshness to this entry.

Basically, a little background… there is a Coca-Cola factory in Mehdiganj village, which is about 30-40 kilometers away from Benares. Recently, there was a widespread report in India that said that high levels of pesticides were measured in both Coca-Cola and Pepsi products. For this reason, there were a few institutions that stopped selling Coke and Pepsi products on their premise. However, for the villagers in Mehdiganj and surrounding villages, this is not their main grievance. Their main grievance is that Coca-Cola uses up 500,000 liters of water (according to the company… other estimates are even HIGHER!) per DAY! The water they use is the ground water… which is practically free-of-charge, with no restrictions to their usage. Water pumps and wells in surrounding villages have dried up… and the level of the water table has dropped considerably (according to a survey, in the last 10 years, the water level drop has been an average of 18 ft, while during the previous two decades combines, the drop was approximately 3 feet).

I was in Sarnath as there was a JV shivir going on there… but, my main purpose was to visit the Mehdiganj area. Tenzin, a few years back, was involved in the protests, so he had contacts with the local group, Lok Samiti, that is heading the protest. I met Suresh, who is part of Lok Samiti, at the JV Sammelan just a few days before I was in Sarnath.

Before I headed there.. I thought about how I wanted to approach Lok Samiti –

1) get their grievances in person (instead of reading them on a website)

2) Visit the villages & talk to villagers à mainly about the dropping water table & what else they feel are problems w/ having the plan there; does Coca-Cola provide jobs to locals? How do they feel?

3) Trace up the Coca-Cola ladder – who are the decision-makers in this process? Have you guys tried to talk with them? Does the main office (Atlanta) have any say?

4) What is the overall strategy of the movement? What are the future plans?

5) Talk about InSPIRE program and the possibilities…

When I got there, Nandlal Master, the leader of the Lok Samiti group, took me to a Hindu-Muslim Eid-Diwali Unity Celebration in a neighbouring village. The idea was definitely a positive one, since most of UP and the Benares are has always been known for its communal tensions.

Then, we headed back to their center… ate dinner and talked into the night. Basically, Lok Samiti is a local group that was started by local youth. They were inspired by JP Narayan, and are part of a wider loose network of Lok Samiti groups. Sometime in the mid to late nineties, the group was started by Nandlal who wanted to improve the education in the area, and started working with boys and girls. Other youth joined him as well. Sandeep Pandey (founder of ASHA for Education, and noted activist) was making some type of peace march with his group and it was going through this area. That was when Nandlal first met him… Sandeep found about Nandlal’s work, and soon, this Lok Samiti group was getting funded by ASHA for Education. Soon after, Coca-Cola bought the factory from Parle (who had built the factory but enver used it), and started operations in 1999-2000. Nandlal learned about the movement in Kerala and also started hearing complaints from the villagers about the company and their water usage.. this is when the protests started. They started completely locally… but now they are connected with a bigger movement as well, against water privatization.

Now, they have a ASHA-funded center… where some of the Youth live as well… even though their homes are within 1-2 km… they cook together, they work in the fields together, they work-out together, and they work together.. over-looking the various education centres that Lok Samiti has, being in charge of their theatre team, figuring out the next steps in their protest movement, etc. They welcomed me… and it was pretty cool staying with them… talked a lot with Suresh, Mahendra, and Nandlal.

Nandlal went through his life-story, Lok Samiti’s story, and their grievances. Both.. the grievances and Nandlal’s story can be found online at: www.medhiganj.com

I asked what their methods of protest were.. and what their overall strategy is. There were 3 main points -1) reduce their market by creating awareness amongst people about what’s going on, and getting people to boycott Coca-Cola; 2) Battle through the legal system… get cases filed against the Coca-Cola plant; 3) Fight a bigger fight against the privatization of water by reclaiming OUR water.

I was wondering if there was ever any kind of real dialogue with any of the decision-makers from Coca-cola. And, basically, there hasn’t been. In big groups, they have gone to the plant, and also have marched all the way to the head office in Gurgaon (Delhi)… and they have asked to have dialogue in front of everyone… but Nandlal said, “They don’t answer any of uor questions.”

I asked if there were ever any small meetings, and the reply was, “They shold address the entire community and their concerns. They have invited myself and a couple others for meetings, but we don’t go. We want them to talk to us in front of everyone, so there are now complications. They’ve already told us that they won’t shut the plant, but they want to talk about some compromise.”

He had referred to Gandhi when he was talking about their strategy of protest… and I said, “Gandhi always attempted at dialogue first. Even with Jinnah, he tried so much to talk to him one-on-one before Partition.. even with the British, dialogue was the first road.” He mentioned the Quit India movement, and I replied, “But the Quit India Movement occurred after all dialogue had failed.” He sad that they considered themselves in that situation with Coca-Cola.

Later… I talked to others about why they refused the meetings.. and another very important, relevant point was brought up. It is very common for these big companies to bribe villagers to stay quiet… or to bribe villagers into a compromise. They will try to bribe the leaders of the movement. Or, sometimes, they will bribe one section of the locals and not the other… to create in-fighting… divide-n-rule. So, if Nandlal and/or others would go into a meeting with them, and come out with any type of compromise… there is the high possibility that his fellow villagers would think that he was bribed. It is a no-win situation. On one hand, nothing comes out of a meeting. On the other hand, some type of compromise comes out, but Nandlal and others may be viewed up as taking bribes, and how would they know if they had all the villagers’ consent or not??

It’s a tough situation… because I told them… there’s no way to have a real dialogue in front of 1000 angry people, either…. The Coca-Cola people obviously would get defensive in a situation like that. But, I see their point as well….

I also went to the actual plant, and visiting the surrounding homes. Here is my journal entry from that visit:

“I went to the gate of the Coca-Cola factory yesterday – and talked to the guard. It was funny, because Mahendra, from Lok Samiti, took me there, but since if the guard saw him, they wouldn’t even talk to me… Mahendra stayed away from the area. The guard didn’t let me in and said that there are no tours allowed at this Coca-Cola plant. I asked him if I wanted a tour – who should I contact? I asked if he could give me a name and contact number à he said that he couldn’t, he wasn’t allowed to. He seemed like a really nice guy, and, of course, got nicer when I told him I’m from the U.S. I told him about InSPIRE and that we wanted to bring a group from the US here.

I told him, “On the advertisement of TV, Aamir Khan says, ‘Come see for yourself and take a tour of our plant.”

But the guard said, not at this plant, maybe at other plants in India.

I asked him if I could take pictures from the outside, he said, ‘no.’

I’m like, “How about if I cross the street and take one?”

He said that was okay.

It was an interesting encounter – that whole place is like a military establishment… with high walls with barbed, electrified wire. I talked to a few people/families around the plant – and heard their stories a little bit. I saw a dried up well that was 50 ft deep. That farmer now has a bore well that goes in 200 ft deep. The farmer said that just 9-10 years ago there was water in that well! Another nearby farmer said his bore well went down 300 feet!

I saw a lot of the videos that Lok Samiti has made… interesting stuff.. effective? Yeah. To rouse up support and spread awareness… but what is actually going to bring success to their movement? Is the closing of the plant the only measure of success… or are there others as well? Is getting more people aware and passionate about the issue a measure of success as well?

I talked more to Suresh about ‘dialogue’ – and another factor was brought up – if one goes in a small meeting and comes out w/ some sort of agreement – then people could question if they took a bribe or not. And this is a danger. So, the Lok Samiti people say, “we’ll talk to you one-on-one, but only with the entire community there, because they are the ones who are suffering.

Whoever I talked to in the villages, including the children knew about the movement… they knew what effects the plant was having on their water and all. It was really amazing to see such thorough support throughout the local area.

Overall… it was cool – even though it was only 2 nights, I feel that I’m basically friends with Suresh, Nandlal, and especially Mahindra. I really like the group.. it’s young people, taking initiative in their own community…”

Jeevan Vidya Sammelan

2006-11-01T18:16:00.000+05:30

Kanpur - The Jeevan Vidya Sammelan took place in Kanpur from the 26th of October to the 29th. I headed on over there with Anuradha-ji.. we left Dehradun on a 1 pm train on the 25th.. and got to Kanpur on the 26th morning. I would estimate that there were 200-250 people there.
The Sammelan basically consisted of the following:
- Baba-ji spoke for about 1-2 hours every morning
- There were 'presentations' on different 'issues' that were presented by Ganesh-ji, Sadhan-ji, Ransingh-ji, etc... some of the main folks who really have the understanding, and are living it. One question they talked about was -"Solution-centred approach, or Problem-centred approach". Another time, they talked about their vision for taking things forward... different projects and ideas.
- Any individual or any group that wanted to share their experiences with - their process of understanding, their practice of their understanding, and realizations; the activities that they are carrying out; future visions, future activities. This was reallly cool to hear alll the different things going on.... things that individuals are doing, and things that groups are doing as well.

I actually ended up sharing on the last day... my first large public-speaking in Hindi!!! Haha.. I'm pretty used to public-speaking, and wasn't really nervous... other than the moment right before I took the mike. But, overall, it went well... although when I said "city" in Hindi, it sounded like I was saying "lion". =P

Recently, jeevan vidya has been introduced to the President of India... you can read about it here -- http://www.indianexpress.com/story/11007.html, http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/independencedetail.jsp?id=7

Some other writings/articles about JV are here... although to get a real idea of what's being talking about... 1) it has to be done in person and 2) it has to be explored by one's Self and 'seen/perceived'
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Lecture/LecturePandeySan.htm
Shane's blog --> http://sublimity.ca/

The following is a mumbo-jumbo of thoughts, journal entries, email excerpts, questions, etc....

28/10/06 -- Journal Entry
Yesterday was awesome! For the first time in recent memory, I reallly felt like I WANT to understand more & deeper. Sadhan-ji, Ganesh-ji, Ransingh-ji, and Pawan-ji all spoke (Sadhan-ji lives with Baba-ji in Amarkantak, Ganesh-ji is an incredible person and has his center outside of Kanput. Ransingh-ji was written about way earlier in the blog. Sampat and I spent 7-8 days with him in his village. These three are the three that are commonly thought to have the most complete understanding. These blogs are tougher to write now, because all the people I meet, all the things I do, all the places I go to, all the issues I write about... they're all connected now. And without the propoer context, it's really hard to get the full picture of what I'm trying to say, or where I'm coming from... anyways.. it's still worth a shot.) ... pretty much back-2-back... about their visions for future plans... on how to take things forward... and, for me, it was just really powerful and energizing.
I'm excited about InSPIRE. I'm excited about Swaraj Shiksha Kendra (or Swaraj School?). I'm excited about having established relationships with people like Pawanji, Ganeshji, Sadhanji, Arya-ji, Preveenji, Mridu, Manish-Rashmi, Chaiti, Sumati, Ankit, Anuradha--ji, etc.
I defnitely need to take me Hindi to the next level -- to really be able to communicate FULLY and be 100% comfortable in the language... and to be able to read higher level Hindi as well.. and to understand.
Being here, I feel like I'm a part of something meaningful, even though I'm not really doing anything... but it's something within, the stithi (the state within me) has change, and the gati (the flow - my outward actions) is ready to follow.
I definitely need to focus on relationships - I don't think I've understood (see, perceived) what JV has to say about it.... I partially know it logically, but I haven't seen the reality of it within me or my life. Manav Sadhna, to me, is a beautiful example of quality relationships, and so is/was Swadhyay. I will be more aware of my relationships w/ the other... my expectations, different emotions, why they came about, etc...

31/10/2006 - Email to Sampat
THe JV Sammelan was this past week. It was in Kanpur. It was pretty cool actually... a few folks from SIDH went, as did Mridu and Ankit.... and met many others. It was good to see Arya-ji again, Ganesh-ji, Satya-prakash-ji, etc. etc... many others as well. And at the Sammelan, a lot of the focus is on the "program"... because everyone there has pretty in-depth JV background... so, it's a lot of sharing about the different programs/activities that people are doing and how people can cooperate and what's beneficial and what's not. There was a session on Solution-centred action, vs. Problem-centred Action... which was pretty good. And of course.. people there from all walks of life.... the ruralest of rural villages and the elitist of Delhi... it ran the gammot.
It's interesting because Vidya is all about having Right Understanding... and once you are in this process, and once your achieve this Understanding, then you can holistically tackle any problem... I feel that some people that I meet for the first time here, before they even get to me... they're already tring to find out my problems and 'solve' them for me. I know that there is no ill intention behind it... but I think people get a little too 'happy' when they think they've found the 'path'... haha, someone here had a term for it... 'over-jaagruti'!! I love it.. I think it can be applied to any religion, org., group.... you think that you've found 'it', the path to Truth... you may not understand it or realize it... but, you still are in this over-enthused mode to spread it to others and convince others.
But.. yeah.. overall.. i just love the feeling of being here..... I felt like I was part of this huge multi-pronged social movement that's going to change India... and at the base of it all is an internal evolution... through internal exploration. Of course, there are those that will 'puppet' it.. and follow it like a religion... and worship Babaji... but on the whole.. there's no org., there's no money involved... Hopefully.. i'll write a blog entry about it.

26/10/2006-29/10/2006 - Questions, thoughts, ideas during the Sammelan
- Many people here, and it seems like when people speak... are here doing adhyan of jeevan vidya. They are trying to understand the proposal fully. I believe that with this viewpoint, is that one must understand the proposal and then be able to 'check it' though one's own exploration. They are checking to see if 'this is it'... some 'want' it to be it, some are able to 'check it' unbiasly.
But, my process... i'm attempting to do an adhyan of reality. The jeevan vidya proposal is definitely a valuable tool that points me in the direction of what to look for... it draws my attention to these aspects... dhyaan aakarshan. But there are other things that draw my attention to aspects of reality as well.... relationships, conversations, work, activities, books, etc. In the end, everything could be used for this... and for this, a really high sense of awareness is needed.
-The world has two directions... one, we continue to overconsume, the prime purpose of life is to jump from one pleasure to another, the prime factor in business is profit, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to increase, the environment continues to be destroyed, indigenous people continue to be displaced, depression and loneliness and insecurity continue amongst the 'haves', poverty and aspirations of being able to CONSUME conintue amongst the have-nots, families continue to split-up, relationships continue to 'created' and 'ended', mental activity is seen as superior to phsyical labour, etc.
Or two, each individual begins to explore him/herself... and see that his/her true aspiration is to be continually happy/content/harmonious/at peace (basically to feel good at each moment!)... To do so, one must work at harmony at all levels -- within themselves, with their body, within their family, with society, with nature, and with existence. All problems must be viewed holistically... or the only thing that we usually do is solve one problem, but create 3 others.
Now.. my question.... is how can we win this battle?? They have mass media, they have advertisements on every billboard. They can scale up. What do we have?
- There's this concept that those with a higher level of understanding have the responsibility of facilitating those with 'less' understanding to look deeper and understand. That that is the reality of things. For some reason... although, sometimes, i may see the reality of it... it doesn't sit well with me. Maybe, it's because how does one really know who has the 'higher level' of understanding? And the problem usually arises when one things they've attained this 'high' level of understanding, and then tries to sermonize with others. Mutual sharing is what I'm all about. Everyone wants to share experiences, thoughts, ideas, etc. that they hold valuable for them.... and from this mutual sharing, one hopes that a higher level of understanding can be worked towards.
- What does harmony with nature really mean? Is it relative to us.. as human beings... and our survival? For example, creating air pollution... we're 'destructing' nature from our point-of-view, because for our survival, air pollution is damaging. But, the 'reality' of it... aren't we just 'changing' nature? We've taken something from nature, changed its form, and then spit it back out into the atmosphere. Who's to say that we're creating 'disharmony'?
- Concept: there's an intrsinsic value to every unit. Again, this is relatve to survival of human beings. But, isn't it also relative to circumstance? For example, a handkerchief can be used to blow one's nose, but, it also can be used in a game of 'steal the bacon'. So, do even 'man-made' (nothing is really made by man, we only change the forms of materials already available in nature) things have an intrinsic value?
- What is the reality of relationships? I enjoy being in quality relationships w/ people where I can be completely natural. I enjoy getting respect, and at the moment, I enjoy it even when people give me respect that I may not deserve (overevaluation) -- what does getting 'respect' mean? How about.. I enjoy when someone expresses respect for me.
Emotions seem to also be tied w/ having a person physically with you... so possibly tied with the physical human body... being close to you. If I see my mom in the physical form, emotions rush up. This can also happen if I imagine the person... but it's usually not as vivid. How about emotions that are attached to physical things... like a 'gift' given by a special person. Everytime you see the 'gift', emotions arise. I understand that that emotion is actually related to the person, but the physical thing, the 'gift' still causes the emotion. Finally... what is an emotion? What is a feeling?
How about the 'adrenaline' rush? It seems like everyone desires that 'adrenaline' rush.. which goes above and beyond the baseline happiness. For different people, it can be different things -- bungy jumping, sports, performing on stage, sex, extreme challenges.. etc. But, that adrenaline rush.. that desire for the 'spike' in feeling, even though one knows it's only momentary... what about that?
- Observation - my enthusiasm, my 'mood' is often dependent on my environment, and the people around me.
- Observation - there are times when i want to stand out, be special, be recognized. There are other times when I want to 'fit in'. Then, there are those times when I am trying to 'fit in', but in actuality, I am trying to 'stand out' by doing so..... such a perverted world, the mind!
- Many are suffering right now TODAY... EXTREMELY (dying of starvation, disease, rotting to death, etc.) --> what are the immdiate solutions? What are the temporary fixes while we are in the process of the long-term solution?
- Observation - In India, small business owners often don't pay much attn. to the customers. This actually gets to me, pisses me off sometimes.... is this a cultural-thing, because we're so used to great 'customer care' in the US?
- It is easy to identify problems, sadness, pain, 'disharmony' - but very difficiult to be aware of harmony. This seems like human nature in various dimensions (health - we only notice when there are problems, protests - we only attack when we see problems, pain - I'm only aware of my foot if it hurts, etc.).. It seems like the problems have a 'source'.. while the harmony is just what always exists in the background.
Also, as human beings, we only seem to attack the problems, instead of trying to sustain the harmony. Again.. this can be seen in various fields. Swadhyaya is an interesting example of how problems in villages were solved without ever addressing them. Alcohol, the status of women, caste, etc... all these problems were diminished.. by working on the 'solution', and not the 'problem'.

- The following is my notes from my 'sharing' at the JV Sammelan:
> My introduction
> Why I came to India - internal and external exploration, and figure out what i can do with my life to make it meaningful.... all of this was before being introduced to the jeevan vidya proposal
> Problem with giving it a title - by calling it 'jeevan vidya' I think we are putting it in a box; 'he's a part of Vidya, he's not' - there's no reality to this statement; maanyataa that those that have been introduced to JV are more samajdhaar than those that have not --> something to start being aware of; if someone uses different words than JV words -> their meaning can still be the same; claim that it has all the answers/solution without reaching full samajhdaari - how is this possible?
> My process - my efforts to do, to live, and to understand are all taking place simultaneously; I don't see any order to the various levels - self, family, society, nature... all of these efforts are also taking place simultaneously
> Future
1) more sharing about the PROCESS of adhyan, not just the content - what has been the personal process of Ganesh-ji? Arya-ji? Karan-Singhji? Sapna? etc.; is the process different for each individual, or the same?
2) more methods of dhyaan aakarshan other than just the shivir-format - expressions varies depending of situation, circumstance... the meaning can stay the same.; Gap Year College, Youth Shivirs, and InSPIRE are attempts of dhyaan aakarshan in various formats
3) In cities, and the US --> Youth - this is where I see my role; why youth - figuring out their lives, they don't have any responsibilities yet, still open-minded and have choices before them; when they are disillusioned with the current flow of the world and see that there could be something that is meaningful and satisfying, then what... where are the spaces?
-- Swaraj Shiksha Kendra / Swaraj School - land, education, farming, etc.; break barriers - rural-urban, boy-girl, Hindi-English, rich-poor --> must first break these barriers in our mind, that is where they originate

SIDH New Website

2006-10-22T13:13:00.000+05:30

The new website for SIDH (Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas) is up and running!

Check it out at http://www.sidhsri.com

What I'm up to

2006-10-04T21:46:00.000+05:30

I’ve been back up at SIDH for the last week, or so now…. And I love it…. I’m glad to be out of the city. After Ahmedabad, I was in Mumbai with my relatives for 4 days, where I watched Lage Raho Munna Bhai which was a fantastic movie!!! Haha.. funny, fun, gandhigiri… good stuff… then I was in Delhi for 2 days, where we met and discussed “InSPIRE”, and then I got here to SIDH.

For now, I’m involved in the preparation and execution of the Youth Camp coming up from 8^th October to 14^th October… it should be pretty sweet. A really mixed group is coming. There are college students from Delhi, college students from Shimla, youth from lower economic backgrounds from Manzil, two young guys who were Dalits and converted to Buddhism, two guys from SIDH who are from villages in the mountains. On top of that… there is this NRI Shreena who will probably be here for the camp… she did her high school in India, then college in the States. ANNNNDDD Karishma is coming with the group from Delhi as well!!! That’s quite exciting… I’m pretty sure that she’s going to absolutely fall in love with the place…. Although, I think, with her nature, she’s going to question many things… which is good… but it’s also good to be able to see past the questions (because usually, we’re only asking about things seen on the surface) and go deeper.

After that…. There’s “workshop’ week with the Bodhshala students here (class 6 to 8). They are going to broken up into four groups – dance, theatre, drawing, and creative writing. I’m going to be taking the dance workshop with the kids… should be pretty fun… we’ll be doing some bhangra, raas/garba, and film dance… and hopefully get them into being able to choreograph a little on their own as well.

Then… the main project, like I’ve mentioned before, is the planning and preparation for InSPIRE (Indian Summer Program to Inspire Real Exploration). Probably after the 19^th… I’ll head to Tehri Dam for a couple days, and also spend a couple of days at Bija Vidhyapeeth (possible sites for InSPIRE exposures). Then, I’ll be headed to Kaunpur for the Jeevan Vidya Sammelan from 25^th to 29^th October. Then, off to Sarnath/Benares… where I’ll check out the scene at the Coca-Cola factory… another possible site. And also, I’d like to visit the Krishnamurti school at Rajghat. That’ll probably be until 9^th November. Then, I’ll head to the Indian Social Forum in Delhi with the group from SIDH. At that time, I’ll probably talk with a lot of the groups that InSPIRE will partner up with in Delhi. Then, probably head to Ahmedabad, and meet with Anand and talk to him about the entire thing…. And work out details. Then, back up to SIDH for about a week, meet Satish Kumar (who is coming here at the end of November)… then, back to Mumbai… and then, back to the States.

That’s basically how I see my next couple months playing out… pretty busy… but all good stuff.

A Little Ranting

2006-09-30T21:49:00.000+05:30

Sometimes Untruth has to hit one in the face to really start seeking Truth.

I agree that most of the soldiers are "innocent".... but they are also "ignorant". They don't really know what they're fighting for. And, the situation is so bad out there, and the leadership so corrupt... look at all the horrific crimes committed by the U.S. military.

http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-grey240206.htm

http://www.aztlan.net/iraqi_women_raped.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/09/soldiers.charged/index.html

many articles describing the attempt of US Imperialism... in Iraq and elsewhere. Also, I mention again... Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire by Arundhati Roy....

http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-spencer160906.htm

http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-cogan080906.htm

http://www.countercurrents.org/saavedra200406.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2950154.stm

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2006-09-16T000250Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-267795-1.xml

http://www.countercurrents.org/us-pringle310306.htm

http://www.baghdadbulletin.com/pageArticle.php?article_id=162

http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-jamail020306.htm

It's very very easy to sit in the U.S., and be happy with the comfortable lives we live.... or in India and live the comfortable lives we live.... but, who's paying for everything we get at the wave of a wand? Why is our gasoline so cheap compared to the rest of the world? Why can you buy things for so cheap at Walmart? Why are companies like Monsanto, Coca-Cola, and McDonald richer than many countries in the world??? The COSTS are paid by the "other" 80% of the world. The world that while we're in the U.S. is SOOO far. The world that we don't see. The U.S. doesn't just outsource its jobs... it outsources its problems as well. And what do we have to do to do that? Either we have to convince the other gov't to open up their markets and let america exploit its people... or, if the other gov't doesn't budge... well, we have nuclear weapons and world's most powerful army... and other countries all over the world that want to get on our
good side (including your neighbours)... it's not that difficult.

http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=2463

And guess what? The U.S. no longer counts deaths of the "opponent" in wars. I wonder why??? Estimates range from 30,000 (by the Bush administration) to over 100,000 to near 200,000. While U.S. casualties in the war: 2,676

It's simple.. a U.S. life is just worth more than any other life.

We used to be partners with Saddam... gave him money, helped him arm himself.. to fight against Iran. Look what happenned. We used to be partners with the Taliban... gave them money, armed them, trained them... to fight against the Soviets. Look what happenned. And here we are again... Mr. Bush -- "We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us."

Is the U.S. policing the world because of moral fibre? haha.. yeah right... Civil war in Iraq? You think the U.S. cares? Sounds a lot like good ole divide-n-rule... sounds familiar.

And Afghanistan... huh... we completely blew that place to bits, and guess what they get at a reward, they just got to open a new Coca-Cola plan in Afghanistan!!! Money flowing out to the U.S. And the state of affairs in Afghanistan.. the Taliban is reemerging and a Civil War seems to be looming there, as well.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5334120.stm

Indigenous ways of life continue to get destroyed all over the world... for a "better life"... you can now work for a polluting, water-sucking Coca-Cola factory that produces stuff that's harmful for your health (in many places in India, you can't get clean water, but you can get Coca-Cola!).... instead of farming on the field that you used to work on. But, I guess it's just choosing btwn evils... because I'm sure Monsanto and its arms would have come to your area and "sold" their wonder BT seeds.... that will help you in the short run... but lead to debt, death and suicide in the long run.

http://www.indiaresource.org/issues/agbiotech/2003/btcottonseeds.html

And even the things that are indigenous.. they try to that from us as well!! India and Ayurved has used neem for thousands of years for alll sorts of things.... US Dept. of Agriculture tried to claim intellectual property rights over it! What does that mean? It means that they would have gotten royalties any time someone wanted to sell something with neem in it... even local
producers! Luckily... India won the court case.... but, unfortunately.. what's it really going to lead
to?? Basically, Indian companies are now in a race to get these intellectual property rights... why does the whole world have to play by these rules???

http://www.infochangeindia.org/IPRItop.jsp?recordno=3795&section_idv=23#3795
--> read India wins landmark neem patent battle in Europe ... and .... Poor nations can reap rich rewards by using IPRs, says World Bank

'Let's get direct access to their natural resources, and let's open up their markets so they can purchase our manufactured goods.... let's vertically control the entire process.' It's a formula so the rich can get richer... it's a formula where Americans can keep their standard of living and a small percentage in other countries can enjoy that standard as well. 'Then, we'll videotape that small percentage, put it on our news and show how even in Iraq they're living the "good life".' And the "good life" obviously means they are now consuming as much as we are, and are also now a part of this process that is completely unsustainable, inhumane, and profit-centred.

Anyways.. I could go on and on.....

no one's evil.... it almost seems like a progression from ... looking outside for happiness.... leading to high unsustainable rates of consumption and greed.... it's about wanting power.... and it's scary... because this has become the NORM... not the out-lier. A progress from this... to seeing that happiness doesn't lie in "things"... it doesn't lie in the present conception of "power"... but it lies somewhere that transcends these things.... it lies in realizing self-worth and interrelatedness.... it lies somewhere that isn't physical. It lies in understanding one self and relationships and fulfilling them....

Anyways... there are plenty of holes in this email... and there are definitely positive points from the other side... Saddam was definitely not a good leader and committed atrocities in Iraq... but Bush is also committing atrocities across the world so does that justify other countries and "terrorists" to come and just blow up and rape U.S. citizens (like the U.S is doing in Iraq?)? Violence only leads to more violence.... with each Iraqi we kill, do we think we're destroying terrorism, or creating more terrorists with each move?

Incredible Websites for Books

2006-09-29T22:23:00.000+05:30

www.otherindiabookstore.com ~~> buy great books at great rates

www.multiversitylibrary.com ~~> download great books for free!

Indicorps Orientation

2006-09-15T21:38:00.000+05:30

Written on 4th October

Pretty crazy… I spent a month at the Indicorps orientation… and really, there have been a few times that I’ve sat down and thought that I should write something about it in my blog, and I just can’t really think about what to write. Oddly enough, as much as personal reflection and journal writing/sharing, etc. are stressed at the orientation… I found it more difficult than ever to write in my journal as well. Why? I’m not quite sure. Oddly, I wan never fully comfortable during the entire month there.

I had a blast… and really thought that for an organization… Indicorps’ goal and orientation structure, etc.. are top-notch. What the fellows go through in a month – taking kids out for a day of fun, amazing race through ahmedabad, village stay, urban livelihood immersion (rag-picking, vegetable-selling, etc.), interactions with Jayesh-bhai and Manav Sadhna, gov’t school visits, etc… as well as getting an outline of Indian history, an outline of the Indian school system, an outline of the Indian gov’t. structure and politics…. intense language learning… it’s a pretty solid orientation for field-work in India. And the values that are stressed – integrity, personal responsibility, living simply, compassion, transparency, and self-reflection and self-growth… all good stuff.

I think one of the main reasons that I wasn’t ever fully comfortable.. is that Indicorps is an organization where people have their distinct roles. And, I didn’t really fit into any of those roles. Because I wasn't 'committed' to the organization nor to the support of the fellows over the course of the year, the role I could play felt quite limiting to me. To me, the hierarchy of the organization could definitely be felt… Over the course of the year, the “fellows” do come “up” to the level of the staff… but what does that really mean? For me, the evolution of an organization… that believes in the self-worth of each individual… is a network of individuals with a shared vision… where there are not predetermined roles that the individuals should fit into… but rather, the individuals create their own roles where they can blossom. In this way… no individual is stifled, everyone individual is working to reach their highest potential.. which also helps the group. There’s this feeling in orgs– “well, this is the grunt work that no one wants to do, but someone has to do it.” – Really, I think that if one was to REALLY explore that work, and that feeling “someone has to do it”… does someone really have to do it? What does that work really do? Is that work really as ‘valuable’ as we think it is? In this age of efficiency and divison of roles… I feel we spend much more time in the preparation of work, the planning of work, the discussion about the work, the review of the work, and the evaluation of the work than we do in actually doing the productive work that we want to do! And we have put so much value on all of this “mental activity”… and then, we also intellectually say “I believe in the dignity of labour and value physical work”… I don’t know.. I’m still figuring this out. Personally, I haven't stepped out of this framework either.

I had a long talk a couple nights ago with Pawan-ji… and one of the main things we talked about were “boundaries”. We CREATE boundaries… they aren’t there in existence. The rural-urban divide in India… are categories, and in many minds, boundaries have been created…. when in actuality… there is no boundary…. All are human beings that have the same needs and are going about various ways to fulfill those needs. Boundaries within an organization… this is your role, this is my role, just do your job…. created.. not there in existence. Political boundaries… personal property boundaries…. Just don’t exist. Boundaries are the source of so many conflicts.

That’s fine… categories and boundaries have been created to help us understand things, to help us do things more efficiently…. But when they are given precedence over the actual reality that links, that connects, that transcends ‘boundaries’…. That’s when there’s trouble. We are ignoring the reality and getting stuck in the constructs.

In the end… the fact that Indicorps has been able to facilitate so many young Indians from around the world to come back to India…. And has done with such responsibility… is awesome. They’ve really been ground-breakers in this realm… and hopefully things will just start exploding from here.

Quick Update

2006-09-13T10:49:00.000+05:30

Here is a quick update of what I've been doing and what I'm about to be doing:

For the last month, I've been in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, working with a group called Indicorps (www.indicorps.org). They basically provide one-year fellowships to Indian-Americans to do service projects with various NGO's all over India. From August 15th-September 15th, Indicorps has a 1-month orientation for the new batch of fellows. Therefore, I have been here adding value wherever I am able with the preparation, organization, and running of the orientation.

After this, I will head to Mumbai to spend a few days with my extended family. Then, I will head to Delhi to meet with 4-5 friends. We are planning to launch a Youth Summer Program in India (tentavily called In-SPIRE -- Indian Summer Program for Integrated & Relevant Education) for American college students where they will learn about Indian culture, being immersd in Indian culture, explore different issues that face India and the world today, etc. Actually, for now, the motto is: "Looking deeper at India. Looking deeper at your Self. And the interconnectedness and interdependence of the world." The main purpose it to get Indo-American college students to think outside of the box about their future aspirations and choices. I will send you more info if you're interested.

Then, around 25th September, I will be headed back up to SIDH. That will be my base until I return to the Bay Area at the beginning of December. The goal is to have the Summer Program planned by December. THerefore, when i return, I can focus on recruiting and marketing. I will also be involved with other side things, while I am at SIDH (including, hopefully herbal gardening!).

Coca-Cola??

2006-09-12T23:33:00.000+05:30

"Water Rights" Tour Begins in India

Coca-Cola, Pepsi Bottling Plants Targeted

For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 11, 2006

Contacts:Nandlal Master, Lok Samiti, India T: +91 94153 00520
Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center, US T: + 1 415 336 7584 E: info@IndiaResource.org

Varanasi, India: A 3-week long tour to assert community rights over water began yesterday in Mehdiganj, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The tour was flagged off at Mehdiganj, the site of one of Coca-Cola's bottling plants in India which has been accused of creating severe water shortages and pollution.
The tour will go through most of the state of Uttar Pradesh, stopping at both Coca-Cola and Pepsico plants in the state to bring attention to the water shortages and pollution being caused by the companies.
The tour will also stop in Kala Dera in Rajasthan, the site of another community campaign accusing the Coca-Cola bottling plant of creating water shortages. The tour will end in Delhi on October 3, and will include a protest in front of Coca-Cola's Indian headquarters in Gurgaon, near Delhi.
"The yatra (tour) is a campaign signaling the beginning of the end of Coca-Cola and Pepsico in India," said Nandlal Master of Lok Samiti, one of the main organizers of the tour who have also organized a series of protests against Coca-Cola's bottling plant in Mehdiganj.
"Privatization of water, where the cola companies get large amounts of groundwater practically for free, is not working for us. It leaves us without water, and is destroying the lives and livelihoods of thousands of farmers in India. Communities must have primary rights over water," said Nandlal Master.
A recent study of the water conditions in eight villages within a 3 kilometer radius of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj found that the number of wells that had dried up increased seven-fold since Coca-Cola commenced operations in the area, and on an average, the water levels in the wells in the area had dropped 18 feet.
Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been under fire in India recently after a study showed that their products contained excessively high levels of pesticides. Seven Indian states have imposed partial bans on the sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi products, and the state of Kerala in south India has also shut down both the companies' plants.
Dr. Sandeep Pandey of the National Alliance of People's Movements, also one of the primary organizers of the march, said that the "focal point of yatra is to highlight the miseries of farmers and communities as a result of the extraction of enormous ground water by companies for commercial use."
Both organizations have called for a boycott of Coca-Cola and Pepsi products.
"The government of India must immediately adopt stringent measures to protect the natural resources of the country from rampant exploitation," said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization. "Coca-Cola and Pepsico's involvement in India cannot be called development. Their activities deprive the very fabric of India - its farmers - of one of its most essential resources, water."

Farming

2006-08-26T19:39:00.000+05:30

From: Bhaskar Save, 'Kalpavruksha' Farm,
Village Dehri, via Umergam,
Dist. Valsad, Gujarat - 396 170
(Phone: 0260 - 2562126 & 2563866)
To: Shri M.S. Swaminathan,
The Chairperson, National Commission on Farmers,
Ministry of Agriculture,
Govt. of India

July 29, 2006

Subject: Mounting Suicides and National Policy for Farmers

Dear Shri Swaminathan,

I am an 84-year old natural/organic farmer with more than six decades of personal experience in growing a wide range of food crops. I have, over the years, practised several systems of farming, including the chemical method in the fifties - until I soon saw its pitfalls.

I say with conviction that it is only by organic farming in harmony with Nature, that India can sustainably provide her people abundant, wholesome food. And meet every basic need of all - to live in health, dignity and peace.

[Annexed here to are: (1) a concise comparison of chemical farming and organic farming; (2) an introduction to my farm, Kalpavruksha; (3) some recorded opinions of visitors; and (4) a short biographical note on myself.

You, M.S. Swaminathan, are considered the 'father' of India's so-called 'Green Revolution' that flung open the floodgates of toxic 'agro' chemicals - ravaging the lands and lives of many millions of Indian farmers over the past 50 years. More than any other individual in our long history, it is you I hold responsible for the tragic condition of our soils and our debt-burdened farmers, driven to suicide in increasing numbers every year.

As destiny would have it, you are presently the chairperson of the 'National Commission on Farmers', mandated to draft a new agricultural policy. I urge you to take this opportunity to make amends - for the sake of the children, and those yet to come.

I understand your Commission is inviting the views of farmers for drafting the new policy. As this is an open consultation, I am marking a copy of my letter to: the Prime Minister, the Union Minister for Agriculture, the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council, and to the media - for wider communication. I hope this provokes some soul-searching and open debate at all levels on the extremely vital issues involved. - So that we do not repeat the same kind of blunders that led us to our present, deep festering mess.

The great poet, Rabindranath Tagore, referred not so long ago to our "sujhalam, sufalam" land. Ours indeed was a remarkably fertile and prosperous country - with rich soils, abundant water and sunshine, thick forests, a wealth of bio-diversity, ... And cultured, peace-loving people with a vast store of farming knowledge and wisdom.

Farming runs in our blood. But I am sad that our (now greyed) generation of Indian farmers, allowed itself to be duped into adopting the short-sighted and ecologically devastating way of farming, imported into this country. - By those like you, with virtually zero farming experience!

For generations beyond count, this land sustained one of the highest densities of population on earth. Without any chemical 'fertilizers' , pesticides, exotic dwarf strains of grain, or the new, fancy 'bio-tech' inputs that you now seem to champion. The many waves of invaders into this country, over the centuries, took away much. But the fertility of our land remained unaffected.

The Upanishads say: Om PurnamadahaPurnamidam Purnat PurnamudachyatePurnasya Purnamadaya Purnamewa Vashishyate"This creation is whole and complete.From the whole emerge creations, each whole and complete.Take the whole from the whole, but the whole yet remains,Undiminished, complete!"

In our forests, the trees like ber (jujube), jambul (jambolan), mango, umbar (wild fig), mahua (Madhuca indica), imli (tamarind), ... yield so abundantly in their season that the branches sag under the weight of the fruit. The annual yield per tree is commonly over a tonne - year after year. But the earth around remains whole and undiminished. There is no gaping hole in the ground!

From where do the trees - including those on rocky mountains - get their water, their NPK, etc? Though stationary, Nature provides their needs right where they stand. But 'scientists' and technocrats like you - with a blinkered, meddling itch - seem blind to this. On what basis do you prescribe what a tree or plant requires, and how much, and when...?

It is said: where there is lack of knowledge, ignorance masquerades as 'science'! Such is the 'science' you have espoused, leading our farmers astray - down the pits of misery. While it is no shame to be ignorant, the awareness of such ignorance is the necessary first step to knowledge. But the refusal to see it is self-deluding arrogance.
----
Agricultural Mis-education

This country has more than 150 agricultural universities, many with huge land-holdings of thousands of acres. They have no dearth of infrastructure, equipment, staff, money, ... And yet, not one of these heavily subsidized universities makes any profit, or grows any significant amount of food, if only to feed its own staff and students. But every year, each churns out several hundred 'educated' unemployables, trained only in misguiding farmers and spreading ecological degradation.

In all the six years a student spends for an M. Sc. in agriculture, the only goal is short-term - and narrowly perceived -'productivity' . For this, the farmer is urged to do and buy a hundred things. But not a thought is spared to what a farmer must never do so that the land remains unharmed for future generations and other creatures. It is time our people and government wake up to the realisation that this industry-driven way of farming - promoted by our institutions - is inherently criminal and suicidal!

Gandhi declared: Where there is soshan, or exploitation, there can be no poshan, or nurture! Vinoba Bhave added, "Science wedded to compassion can bring about a paradise on earth. But divorced from non-violence, it can only cause a massive conflagration that swallows us in its flames."

Trying to increase Nature's 'productivity, ' is the fundamental blunder that highlights the ignorance of 'agricultural scientists' like you. Nature, unspoiled by man, is already most generous in her yield. When a grain of rice can reproduce a thousand-fold within months, where arises the need to increase its productivity?

Numerous kinds of fruit trees too yield several hundred thousand kg of nourishment each in their lifetime! That is, provided the farmer does not pour poison and mess around the tree in his greed for quick profit. A child has a right to its mother's milk. But if we draw on Mother Earth's blood and flesh as well, how can we expect her continuing sustenance!

The mindset of servitude to 'commerce and industry,' ignoring all else, is the root of the problem. But industry merely transforms 'raw materials' sourced from Nature into commodities. It cannot create anew. Only Nature is truly creative and self-regenerating - through synergy with the fresh daily inflow of the sun's energy.

The Six Self-renewing Paribals of Nature There is on earth a constant inter-play of the six paribals (key factors) of Nature, interacting with sunlight. Three are: air, water and soil. Working in tandem with these, are the three orders of life: ' vanaspati srushti' (the world of plants), 'jeev srushti' (the realm of insects and micro-organisms) , and 'prani srushti' (the animal kingdom). These six paribals maintain a dynamic balance. Together, they harmonise the grand symphony of Nature, weaving the new!

Man has no right to disrupt any of the paribals of Nature. But modern technology, wedded to commerce - rather than wisdom or compassion - has proved disastrous at all levels... We have despoiled and polluted the soil, water and air. We have wiped out most of our forests and killed its creatures; ... And relentlessly, modern farmers spray deadly poisons on their fields. These massacre Nature's jeev srushti - the unpretentious but tireless little workers that maintain the ventilated quality of the soil, and recycle all life-ebbed biomass into nourishment for plants. The noxious chemicals also inevitably poison the water, and Nature's prani srushti, which includes humans.

The Root of Unsustainablity

Sustainability is a modern concern, scarcely talked of at the time you championed the 'green revolution'. Can you deny that for more than forty centuries, our ancestors farmed the organic way - without any marked decline in soil fertility, as in the past four or five decades? Is it not a stark fact that the chemical-intensive and irrigation-intensive way of growing monoculture cash-crops, has been primarily responsible for spreading ecological devastation far and wide in this country? - Within the lifetime of a single generation!

Engineered Erosion of Crop Diversity, Scarcity of Organic Matter, and Soil Degradation

This country boasted an immense diversity of crops, adapted over millennia to local conditions and needs. Our numerous tall, indigenous varieties of grain provided more biomass, shaded the soil from the sun, and protected against its erosion under heavy monsoon rains. But in the guise of increasing crop production, exotic dwarf varieties were introduced and promoted through your efforts. This led to more vigorous growth of weeds, which were now able to compete successfully with the new stunted crops for sunlight. The farmer had to spend more labour and money in weeding, or spraying herbicides.

The straw growth with the dwarf grain crops fell drastically to one-third of that with most native species! In Punjab and Haryana, even this was burned, as it was said to harbour 'pathogens'. (It was too toxic to feed farm cattle that were progressively displaced by tractors.) Consequently, much less organic matter was locally available to recycle the fertility of the soil, leading to an artificial need for externally procured inputs. Inevitably, the farmers resorted to use more chemicals, and relentlessly, soil degradation and erosion set in.

Engineered Pestilence

The exotic varieties, grown with chemical 'fertiliser' , were more susceptible to 'pests and diseases', leading to yet more poison (insecticides, etc.) being poured. But the attacked insect species developed resistance and reproduced prolifically. Their predators - spiders, frogs, etc. - that fed on these insects and 'biologically controlled' their population, were exterminated. So were many beneficial species like the earthworms and bees.

Agribusiness and technocrats recommended stronger doses, and newer, more toxic (and more expensive) chemicals. But the problems of 'pests' and 'diseases' only worsened. The spiral of ecological, financial and human costs mounted!

The 'Development' of Water Scarcity and Dead, Salty Soils

With the use of synthetic fertilizer and increased cash-cropping, irrigation needs rose enormously. In 1952, the Bhakra dam was built in Punjab, a water-rich state fed by 5 Himalayan rivers. Several thousand more big and medium dams followed all over the country, culminating in the massive Sardar Sarovar. And now, our government is toying with a grandiose, Rs 560,000 crore proposal to divert and 'inter-link' the flow of our rivers. This is sheer 'Tughlaqian' megalomania, without a thought for future generations!

India, next to South America, receives the highest rainfall in the world. The annual average is almost 4 feet. Where thick vegetation covers the ground, and the soil is alive and porous, at least half of this rain is soaked and stored in the soil and sub-soil strata. A good amount then percolates deeper to recharge aquifers, or 'groundwater tables'.

The living soil and its underlying aquifers thus serve as gigantic, ready-made reservoirs gifted free by Nature. Particularly efficient in soaking rain are the lands under forests and trees. And so, half a century ago, most parts of India had enough fresh water all round the year, long after the rains had stopped and gone. But clear the forests, and the capacity of the earth to soak the rain, drops drastically. Streams and wells run dry. It has happened in too many places already.

While the recharge of groundwater has greatly reduced, its extraction has been mounting. India is presently mining over 20 times more groundwater each day than it did in 1950. Much of this is mindless wastage by a minority. But most of India's people - living on hand-drawn or hand-pumped water in villages, and practising only rain-fed farming -continue to use the same amount of ground water per person, as they did generations ago.

More than 80% of India's water consumption is for irrigation, with the largest share hogged by chemically cultivated cash crops. Maharashtra, for example, has the maximum number of big and medium dams in this country. But sugarcane alone, grown on barely 3-4% of its cultivable land, guzzles about 70% of its irrigation waters!

One acre of chemically grown sugarcane requires as much water as would suffice 25 acres of jowar, bajra or maize. The sugar factories too consume huge quantities. >From cultivation to processing, each kilo of refined sugar needs 2 to 3 tonnes of water. This could be used to grow, by the traditional, organic way, about 150 to 200 kg of nutritious jowar or bajra (native millets).

While rice is suitable for rain-fed farming, its extensive multiple cropping with irrigation in winter and summer as well, is similarly hogging our water resources, and depleting aquifers. As with sugarcane, it is also irreversibly ruining the land through salinisation.

Soil salinisation is the greatest scourge of irrigation-intensiv e agriculture, as a progressively thicker crust of salts is formed on the land. Many million hectares of cropland have been ruined by it. The most serious problems are caused where water-guzzling crops like sugarcane or basmati rice are grown round the year, abandoning the traditional mixed-cropping and rotation systems of the past, which required minimal or no watering.

Since at least 60% of the water used for irrigation nowadays in India, is excessive, indeed harmful, the first step that needs to be taken is to control this. Thus, not only will the grave damage caused by too much irrigation stop, but a good deal of the water that is saved can also become available locally for priority areas where acute scarcity is felt.

Conservative Irrigation and Groundwater Recharge at Kalpavruksha

Efficient, organic farming requires very little irrigation - much less than what is commonly used in modern agriculture. The yields of the crops are best when the soil is just damp. Rice is the only exception that grows even where water accumulates, and is thus preferred as a monsoon crop in low-lying areas naturally prone to inundation. Excess irrigation in the case of all other crops expels the air contained in the soil's inter-particulate spaces - vitally needed for root respiration - and prolonged flooding causes root rot.

The irrigation on my farm is a small fraction of that provided in most modern farms today. Moreover, the porous soil under the thick vegetation of the orchard is like a sponge that soaks and percolates to the aquifer, or ground-water table, an enormous quantity of rain each monsoon. The amount of water thus stored in the ground at Kalpavruksha, is far more than the total amount withdrawn from the well for irrigation in the months when there is no rain.

Thus, my farm is a net supplier of water to the eco-system of the region, rather than a net consumer! Clearly, the way to ensure the water security and food security of this nation, is by organically growing mixed, locally suitable crops, plants and trees, following the laws of Nature.

Need for 30% Tree Cover

We should restore at least 30% ground cover of mixed, indigeneous trees and forests within the next decade or two. This is the core task of ecological water harvesting - the key to restoring the natural abundance of groundwater. Outstanding benefits can be achieved within a decade at comparatively little cost. We sadly fail to realise that the potential for natural water storage in the ground is many times greater than the combined capacity of all the major and medium irrigation projects in India - complete, incomplete, or still on paper! Such decentralized underground storage is more efficient, as it is protected from the high evaporation of surface storage. The planting of trees will also make available a variety of useful produce to enhance the well-being of a larger number of people.

Even barren wastelands can be restored to health in less than a decade. By inter-planting short life-span, medium life-span, and long life-span crops and trees, it is possible to have planned continuity of food yield to sustain a farmer through the transition period till the long-life fruit trees mature and yield. The higher availability of biomass and complete ground cover round the year will also hasten the regeneration of soil fertility.

Production, Poverty & Population

After the British left, Indian agriculture was recovering steadily. There was no scarcity of diverse nourishment in the countryside, where 75% of India lived. The actual reason for pushing the 'Green Revolution' was the much narrower goal of increasing marketable surplus of a few relatively less perishable cereals to fuel the urban-industrial expansion favoured by the government.

The new, parasitical way of farming you vigorously promoted, benefited only the industrialists, traders and the powers-that- be. The farmers' costs rose massively and margins dipped. Combined with the eroding natural fertility of their land, they were left with little in their hands, if not mounting debts and dead soils. Many gave up farming. Many more want to do so, squeezed by the ever-rising costs. This is nothing less than tragic, since Nature has generously gifted us with all that is needed for organic farming - which also produces wholesome, rather than poisoned food!

Restoring the natural health of Indian agriculture is the path to solve the inter-related problems of poverty, unemployment and rising population. The maximum number of people can become self-reliant through farming only if the necessary inputs are a bare minimum. Thus, farming should require a minimum of financial capital and purchased inputs, minimum farming equipment (plough, tools, etc.), minimum necessary labour, and minimum external technology. Then, agricultural production will increase, without costs increasing. Poverty will decline, and the rise in population will be spontaneously checked.

Self-reliant farming - with minimal or zero external inputs - was the way we actually farmed, very successfully, in the past. Barring periods of war and excessive colonial oppression, our farmers were largely self-sufficient, and even produced surpluses, though generally smaller quantities of many more items. These, particularly perishables, were tougher to supply urban markets. And so the nation's farmers were steered to grow chemically cultivated monocultures of a few cash-crops like wheat, rice, or sugar, rather than their traditional polycultures that needed no purchased inputs. [See Annexure 5 on an old, six-crop integral system (of cotton, 2 millets and 3 edible pulse legumes) which successfully provided farmers in low-rainfall regions with more diversity and continuity of yield round the year - without any irrigation or external inputs.]

In Conclusion: I hope you have the integrity to support widespread change to mixed organic farming, tree-planting and forest regeneration (with local resources and rights) - that India greatly needs. I would be glad to answer any query or doubt posed to me, preferably in writing. I also welcome you to visit my farm with reasonable prior notice. Since many years, I have extended an open invitation to any one interested in natural/organic farming to visit Kalpavruksha, on any Saturday afternoon between 2.00 and 4.00 pm., which continues till date.

I may finally add that this letter has been transcribed in English by Bharat Mansata, based on discussions with me in Gujarati. (The annexures here to are excerpted from his forthcoming book, 'The Vision of Natural Farming,' Earthcare Books, which draws largely on my experience.)

Whether or not you agree with my views, I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,Bhaskar H.

Save Copy to: (i) The Prime Minister of India, (ii) The Union Minister for Agriculture, (iii) The Chairperson, National Advisory Council, (iv) The media.

1. Chemical farming fragments the web of life; organic farming nurtures its wholeness
2. Chemical farming depends on fossil oil; organic farming on living soil.
3. Chemical farmers see their land as a dead medium; organic farmers know theirs is teeming with life.
4. Chemical farming pollutes the air, water and soil; organic farming purifies and renews them.
5. Chemical farming uses large quantities of water and depletes aquifers; organic farming requires much less irrigation, and recharges groundwater.
6. Chemical farming is mono-cultural and destroys diversity; organic farming is poly-cultural and nurtures diversity.
7. Chemical farming produces poisoned food; organic farming yields nourishing food.
8. Chemical farming has a short history and threatens a dim future; organic farming has a long history and promises a bright future.
9. Chemical farming is an alien, imported technology; organic farming has evolved indigenously.
10. Chemical farming is propagated through schooled, institutional misinformation; organic farming learns from Nature and farmers' experience.
11. Chemical farming benefits traders and industrialists; organic farming benefits the farmer, the environment and society as a whole.
12. Chemical farming robs the self-reliance and self-respect of farmers and villages; organic farming restores and strengthens it.
13. Chemical farming leads to bankruptcy and misery; organic farming liberates from debt and woe.
14. Chemical farming is violent and entropic; organic farming is non-violent and synergistic.
15. Chemical farming is a hollow 'green revolution'; organic farming is the true green revolution.
16. Chemical farming is crudely materialistic, with no ideological mooring; organic farming is rooted in spirituality and abiding truth.
17. Chemical farming is suicidal, moving from life to death; organic farming is the road to regeneration.
18. Chemical farming is the vehicle of commerce and oppression; organic farming is the path of culture and co-evolution.

SHIKSANTAR - UNLEARNING... DEEPER LEARNING

2006-08-13T12:37:00.001+05:30

BODH

2006-08-13T12:37:00.000+05:30

JAIPUR & ALWAR - Here is the feedback that we wrote to BODH. If you would like to know more about BODH, visit www.bodh.org

Hello. How are you? We are fine. We are in Ahmedabad now, at Indicorps end-of-the-year workshop. Like you said, we thought we should write down our feedback and send it to you. Please forward this email toYogendra-ji as well. Thanks.

Clearly one of the most emphasized areas of your program is the way BODH involves the community it works in. By making the community contribute financially and/or physically to the school, keeping mother teachers, and the teachers performing "sampark" daily, the community clearly feels ownership over BODH's work. The presence of the community is also felt by its involvement in the school. But we question whether the community is left with an empowered mindset. Many community members we talked to still seem to have low self-esteem and said things like "We were backwards until BODH came…" and thus potentially valuable local knowledge that these members have does not seem to have a place in BODH schools. It seemed like the problems inthe villages we visited, such as child marriage, were always mentioned while the positive aspects, such as its sustainable relationship with nature, were not.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to BODH gaon. The campus is beautiful, especially when considering that it was only created 6 years back. The holistic approach to education used seems like it would be very enriching for its students. Activities such as farming, cooking, animal husbandry, etc. should be very useful to these (and all) students in the future. The fact that the teachers, students and staff live together creates a nice family-feeling that must ease the pains of homesickness felt by the students. The girls that we did have a limited chance to interact with came off as a very confident and fun-loving group.

The holistic view of education does seem to be missing from the rest of BODH's rural and urban program. BODH does use a few innovative methods to teach, such as TLM and their approach of initial language teaching. The teachers also do spend a good amount of time reviewing each student's progress and planning for the next day. All of this ensures that a certain baseline of quality of education is accessible to all students. However it does not seem like the methods used emphasize connecting learning to previous knowledge or ensuring that the curiosity of learning is awoken in the child.

Unlike most education NGOs, BODH has also taken up the unenviable task of working seriously with the government. This approach has the potential to ensure long-lasting, systematic changes. BODH has found creative entry points into the government system, such as deploying BODH facilitators and the teacher fellowship program it has just started running. From what we have heard about the state of government schools in Rajasthan, BODH's work has clearly made vast improvementin the places they work. We question whether this method is feasible in other areas since BODH is only able to enter because it has access to virtually unlimited funding. Also, as BODH moves out of the government system, we hope it finds a way to ensure that the level of the quality of education continues.

Overall, in our short time with BODH, we were treated extremely well, as staff members went out of their way to converse with us; show us schools; enable us to speak with teachers, students, and community members; and show us the various programs of BODH. We definitely think that BODH schools are providing education that is better than the government education, and is also improving the education in the government schools that they are working with. Also, BODH's effort towards universal access to quality schooling is commendable as well. The question that we are left with is: Does BODH believe that the education imparted is the most relevant, holistic, and empowering?Also, does empowering mean being able to compete better in today's global marketplace, or does it mean to realize one's own and one's community's worth and potential?

Digantar

2006-08-13T12:36:00.000+05:30

OUTSIDE OF JAIPUR - The following is the feedback email which we sent to Digantar. If you would first like to know more about Digantar, you should visit their website at www.digantar.org.

Hello Rohit-ji and Reena-ji. This is Raj and Sameer. We are now inAhmedabad at the Indicorps (the organization Juie Mahajan is from)end-of-the-year workshop.
First, thank you for letting us visit Digantar, sharing with us, and letting us observe the schools. It furthered our journey into understanding education.

We wanted to give some of our feedback, both points of strength andpossible critiques. We have just listed them in bullet-format:
• Community meeting seemed to value transparency and community voice.
• Digantar seemed to have a very good reputation in the community (asseen by the long waiting list).
• The idea of "Sampark" – the teachers going to the village andmeeting with parents and familes – every day seems like it can be apowerful tool.
• The "Apne Aas Paas" textbook series seems like a good attempt toallow the child to use the community as a learning means. However, isthere any attempt to ensure that they actually interact with community members or not?
• Architecture at school seemed to create a natural environment that was not stifling for the students. The circular building with a common"spill-out" area also seemed to create a positive environment for interactions.
• Students seem to enjoy and feel responsible for physically taking care of their school – cleaning, filling up water, etc. The teachersalso participating in these activities seemed to be a very importantcomponent.
• Having different "classes" or levels of student in one group seemedto have the following effects:
o Reduced (or no) competition
o Natural collaboration/cooperation
o Learning the material on their own
• As we understand Digantar's vision and the learning process, the goal is to make the students life-long learners. This would meanlearning from the people and world around them, not just in a schoolsetting. We aren't sure if the independent work in class wouldtranslate to self-motivated learning outside school boundaries. Also, it seems that "life-long learning" would result out of constant questioning. We did not see too much evidence that encouraged this questioning, or pushed the students to challenge their own assumptions/thinking.
• From observing the lower primary groups, did not notice any use ofactivities in learning math or language.
• Most students in the classroom were engaged at all times; and teacher focused his/her energy on these students, and allowed those students not engaged to come back on their own.
• The relationship between students and teachers and also the teacher:student ratio were good. The students did not seem to have any fear of the teachers.
• The amount of time that the teachers put in for review and planning after school was very impressive. However, possibly because of its structured-nature, the efforts seemed like mechanical, busy work. If the teachers use the time to creatively plan for the next day and/or qualitatively review progress of the students, the time and efforts may be of more value.
• Art projects seemed creative.
• The students seem to be in an environment that is pretty natural to them. Being able to speak in their local language in classes seemed to have added to this.
• Upper primary groups did not seem to "practice" the Digantar view of education as much as the lower primary groups. In most ways, it seemed like the "standard" methods of "teaching-learning".
• The teachers we talked to seem to value the "teacher training" process.
• We did not see any spaces created for the students to explore themselves – process of self-reflection, self-exploration, goal-setting, etc.

Unlike many NGOs and alternative schools we have seen, when you describe your vision and when we observe what is happening in yourschool (esp. the lower primary section) there is a high degree of correlation. The Digantar staff does show commitment to making all necessary changes and modification to fully bridge this gap between vision and practice. Clearly this is shown in all the success Digantar has had. The one question we both leave with, however, is: Does Digantar continuously and critically look at it's vision and evolve asthey delve deeper into it?

Delhi's Pride

2006-08-12T11:28:00.000+05:30

DELHI, 9th JULY - Metro: Delhi's Pride. The signs can be seen in many parts of the city. So many things going on in this city.. and its pride is the Metro? The metro is definitely a well-oiled machine. It is basically one of the newest public transit systems in the world... and covers many areas of Delhi. It's clean, efficienct, AC'ed, and fast. What more could you ask for? And, actually, from my first two visits to Delhi, I hadn't really seen anything else that Delhi could be really proud about. But this time, I was definitely hoping/expecting it to be different as we (sameer and I) actaully knew people in the city and had friends doing various interesting things.

Mridu and I took a night bus from Dehradun to Delhi, and got to Delhi in the wee hours of the morning (about 4:45 am). This was the first time for me going into a city after about 2-3 months at SIDH. I was definitely used to the village, small town lifestlye. As I stepped down from the bus... while... while I was even preparing to step down from the bus..... a whole crowd of rikshaw-wallah's... "chalo, kahaa jaanaa hai?", "chalo, mere saath"... 30 voices all at once... and barely any room to step off the bus. This isn't an unusual scene in India... but having been in the village for so long...... I felt like a villager seeing a big city for the first time.

Following this scence... Sampat and I spent about a week in Delhi, and reallly had a wonderful time!!! Thanks to all the people who opened up their worlds, homes, work, and hearts to us -- Harsh, Ankit, Mridu, Chaithi, Ravi G., Vicki Didi, Amit from Jamghat, Beyond Borders group, JV groups, etc... It was definitely a blast seeing the friends that i made while at SIDH in their natural Delhi surroundings... Urvashi, Ambika, Vinay, Sonu, Irfan, Vineet, Mukesh, Shilpi, Jenica, Pulu, Digant, Sumati, Deepti, Ruchika, etc.

From having a World Cup party and watching till 3 in the morning at mridu's place, to visiting Ravi's Manzil, to checking out Mirambika - alternate school, watching the Jamghat practice and visiting their place, talking to Harsh and his mom - a reminder of what I'm in for when I get back to States, to checking out the Beyond Borders meeting, to attending the Delhi monthly JV discussion ~~> all around a good time and valuable experience.

Quickly, I'm going to talk about a few of these expereinces.

First day that we're there... we're having lunch at some place... a "cool" spot. And the group that we haf.. included Delhi-ites, kurta-pajama wearing guys with American accents (myself and sampat), a Buddhist monk in his robes (Tenzin), a couple of hwite guys (Shae and his friend), and Asian guy (another friend of Shane's). It was just a great head-turning group... haha..

So... Ravi Gulati... started Manzil some years back. Ravi lives in an area where the extremely wealthy of Delhi live... all the bureaucrats, etc. However, for each rich family, there are probably a few poor families that serve it. Where do they live? Well, they are hid away in shanties, projects, slums, etc. Ravi - isn't really part of either of these groups... Big on travelling and learning through various experiences, has has travelled a lot. When his Dad passed away, he rushed back home to Delhi. During his stay there, some of the "poorer" boys came to him and asked if he could tutor them. He said, "why not?" So, he started tutoring in Math and English out of his home. Then, they asked if they could bring some more friends... he didn't see a problem with it, and more kids were coming to his home. His sister, who is handicapped, and his mother were supportive and also engaged with the kids. Soon, the endeavour blossomed, and Ravi started the NGO, Manzil... running out of his own home. Now, he has children, and youth of all ages coming... It started with just Math and English, but now, anytime there is a group that has other interests, they start a club. Which means, manzil now also teaches dance, music, computers, etc. From what I hear, their music group is top-notch. Other than providing a space to learn school subjects, the people who come to Manzil treat Ravi's home as their home. The door is always open, and there is a constant flux of people in and out, doing various activities, chatting, etc. They talk about curernt social issues that affect them, affect Delhi, affect the world. They talk about the effects of "English", and in India, English as power... and all the reason for feeling inferior. They talk about self-confidence. They've created great friendships with each other that are positive in nature. When you ask those who go to Manzil, usually, the reason they started was to learn English and/or Math... but ask them after they've spent some time at Manzil,that reason drops to about 4th or 5th on the list, as there's just so much more. And what does Ravi do for money? Well, Ravi worked in Canada for 9 months, where he lived a very frugal life and saved every dollar he could (rode his bike to work, etc.). Being in India, he calculated how much money he would need per month and per year to survive... he listed all the things that he considered necessary. After doing the math, he realized that he could survive off the interest that he makes from his savings in Canada. Therefore, in his late 20's, early 30's... Ravi retired. (if there any parts of this story that may be inaccurate, please forgive me... I wrote it out of memory).

Ankit is a "free lance" film-maker. Seeing his work was really cool. After graduating from film college, Ankit got a couple of good contracts on some films that paid well. Since then, he's mainly been working with differeny youth groups, schools, etc. and is guiding others in the art of film-making. We saw couple of his films where he works with a group of youth and makes the documentary with them. He uses the process of "making a film" to ignite questions in the youth's minds and his mind as well. He uses the medium of film as a process of self-exploration. For example, with a group of youth, he made a film about Delhi, and what these youths' aspirations are for Delhi, their home-town city. The youths that made this film are very Delhi... English-speaking, college-going, youngsters. So, the aspirations start with having a "modern" city with all the amenities - big malls, clean streets, safe streets, no slums, big roads, good transportation, etc. They also don't want poverty, don't want poor. As they looked deeper, some of the basic contradictions in their aspirations come to the surface. And they start asking the questions... we want all this "modernization"... but who's actually paying the human costs of this?

So yeah.. delhi was cool... we also had a pretty cool SIDH reunion before the JV meeting.. with Pawanji, myself, Tenzin, Mridu, Ankit, Sumati, Sampat... I think that's everyone.

But yeah... I would have to say that I think Delhi's got a little more than just its Metro.

We call ourselves American?

2006-08-09T16:08:00.000+05:30

Hussein Hamoud, age 15, from Tyre: “I am a now a refugee because of the war between Hezbollah and Israel, and Israel has tortured us, and destroyed our homes, and killed our children . . . I’ve seen everything. I’ve seen killing and destruction - everything. We were sitting in our house [in Tyre] when suddenly Israel bombed a factory for manufacturing medicine that is near where we live. First thing, this factory has maybe more than 40 workers. This factory helps a lot of people. It isn’t related to war or to weapons. When they bombed, pieces from the bombs came to our home too. At the same time they bombed a building, and in this building there were a lot of killed people and injured, and some were my relatives. One of them killed was my friend . . . If Hezbollah is destroyed it will be easy for Israel to cross our borders at any time, and there will be no one to resist . . . Israel crossed our borders, and entered to our towns, and killed a lot, and destroyed a lot. This was not for self-defense . . . I want to say something to George Bush: Ask Israel to cease-fire and stop destroying our homes. And for the Americans, if they are not believing what is happening here, to come and see for themselves. They will have the proof . . ."

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS PLEASE

2006-07-26T13:15:00.000+05:30

The following is a repeat post... except this time I WANT comments... actually, I DEMAND comments and questions. And hope for dialogue...

I'd like to share the concept of "natural acceptance". (Well, it's a concept as long as it's only dealt with "reasoning".... but if it's felt, if it's realized... it's much more.) This concept has described by many people throughout time... in different words.... "inner voice", your "conscious", etc. However, for the first time... I really felt the power and beauty of it. When I look in me... and listen to what I really want, what I really aspire for, and at least what I would like to aspire for... do I want to be happy moment-to-moment, continously? Do I want to be continually respected and trusted and loved? Do I realize that these emotional/mental needs are distinct from the physical needs and must be addressed as so (they can't be fulfilled continuously though physical things)? Do I feel a need to know? Do I want to "believe" that my family loves me, that my friends love me, that my boyfriend/girlfriend loves me.... or do I want to KNOW it? Do I want to know how to be happy? Do I want to be related to people or be in competition with people? Do I want the feeling of prosperity? Do I want to be fearless? Do I want equality? Do I want others to be happy, do I want to make others happy? Do I want to compete with nature or be in a mutually fulfilling relationship with nature? Do I want to grow? What's your natural gut feeling rxn to these questions? Sometimes, answering this question is difficult... because we have so many assumptions, perceptions, and conditionings that cloud our vision. Right away, we may think - this isn't possible... that's an oversimplification, etc. However, forget about what you think is possible and what isn't possible... forget about the society you live in today... and answer these questions from the "gut".. from the "inner voice"... from your "natural acceptance" -- sahaj svikruti.... And you may start seeing the beauty of this power within you. This power remains intact no matter what assumptions, what beliefs, what environment a person has grown up in. Once you answer these questions with your natural acceptance... imagine what the natural acceptance of all those close to you would be? Would it be the same? If so.... if at the base, we all want the same thing, we all would like to aspire for the same realities.... then what stops us from trying to achieve it? Society? The system? We make the society.. we make the system. What stops us from being able to relate with everyone around us? In the world, today... where importance is given to having your own opinion... where the stress is layed on being "unique", being "special.... we've lost that ability to see what is... what is intact in each human being.... And even so, while thinking that we're "unique" and "special"... in reality... we're usually just going with the flow.. and not questioning the systems around us.
So... this is my understanding of this powerful and beautiful concept.... and it is my proposal to you. Please comment and question and introspect and reflect... and let me know what you think.

Communication

2006-06-29T00:24:00.000+05:30

Words vs. Meanings

A very important distinction to make whenever listening to another person (or reading their blog) is between words and meanings. When the speaker is using "words"... he/she is trying to convey a meaning... and the goal of a dialogue... the goal of communication is to really try to get to the "meaning" of the speaker. Sometimes, the problem arises that different people use the same words and mean different things by it. A lot of times, disagreement arises between two people who are trying to convey the same meaning, but are using different words. So basically, this is the goal:
Speaker has M1 (meaning) and uses W1 (word) to convey it. Listener usually will hear W1... and communication/sharing has only occurred if the listener derives M1 our of W1... and doesn't come up with M2.

Without this... there is no dialogue.. no communcation. I have seen that many times... I'm not really trying to get at the meaning of the person that is talking to me. I'm just listening to his/her words and impressing my own meaning on to it. This isn't sharing.

Understanding vs. Agreement

To understand what meaning a person is trying to convey is the first, very important step. With all our efforts, we must try to do this without being clouded by our assumptions, beliefs, conditioings. Many times, we will agree or disagree with a speaker before we even really understand what he/she is REALLY saying. After ensuring that M1 has transferred from the speaker to the listener... then only can one really agree or disagree with another person's idea...

Natural Acceptance - Sahaj Svikruti

2006-06-29T00:02:00.000+05:30

The Jeevan Vidya shivir... was pretty powerful. It took place from 18th June to 25th June, and had quite a diverse range of people... with strong opinions... doing all sorts of amazing things with their lives.

Here is an excerpt from a descriptions written by a SIDH team member, Jitendra:

"There were over 80 participants and two shivirs went on simultaneously i.e. one in English and the other in Hindi. This was probably the most diverse group we have had so far. Engineers, doctors, teachers, yoga guru, Buddhist monk, a Swami, youth activists, pro-school and anti-school lobbyists, individual serving public administration, both confused and seeking foreigners…all were there. "

So, this time... I'd like to share the concept of "natural acceptance". This concept has described by many people throughout time... in different words.... "inner voice", your "conscious", etc. However, for the first time... I really felt the power and beauty of it. When I look in me... and listen to what I really want... do I want to be happy moment-to-moment, continously? Do I want to be continually respected and trusted and loved? Do I need food, clothes, and shelter at times? Do I realize that these emotional/mental needs are distinct from the physical needs and must be addressed as so (they can't be fulfilled continuously though physical things)? Do I feel a need to know? Do I want to be related to people or compete with people? Do I want the feeling of prosperity? Do I want to be fearless? Do I want equality? Do I want others to be happy, do I want to make others happy? Do I want to compete with nature or be in a mutually fulfilling relationship with nature? Do I want to grow, evolve?

What's your natural gut feeling rxn to these questions? Sometimes, answering this question is difficult... because we have so many assumptions, perceptions, and conditionings that cloud our vision. However, forget about what you think is possible and what isn't possible... forget about the society you live in today... and answer these questions from the "gut".. from the "inner voice"... from your "natural acceptance" -- sahaj svikruti.... And you may start seeing the beauty of this power within you. This power remains intact no matter what assumptions, what beliefs, what environment a person has grown up in. Once you answer these questions with your natural acceptance... imagine what the natural acceptance of all those close to you would be? Would it be the same? If so.... if at the base, we all want the same thing.... then what stops us from trying to achieve it? Society? The system? We make the society.. we make the system. What stops us from being able to relate with everyone around us?

In the world, today... where importance is given to having your own opinion... where the stress is layed on being "unique", being "special.... we've lost that ability to see what is... what is intact in each human being.... And even while thinking that we're "unique" and "special"... in reality... we're usually just going with the flow.. and not questioning the systems around us.

So... this is my understanding of this powerful and beautiful concept.... and it is my proposal to you. Please comment... and let me know what you think.

Roy

2006-06-16T23:19:00.000+05:30

I recommend Arundhati Roy's "An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire". It's a collection of her recent essays... really bad-ass book by a bad-ass writer. The common critique of her is that she depicts the problems very well, but doesn't offer an alternate path. I agree.. and disagree... Her alternate path is that in EACH situation, there are decisions to be made... and with each decision that goes against the current trend (of consumerism, corporate globalization, exploitation), that alternate path is being carved out.

And.. I also recommed reading Krishnamurti.

ANNDDD... especially for those that enjoy science and/or philosophy... I recommed watching "What the bleep do we know?" It's basically.. "reality" seen through the eyes of Quantam Physics. If you watch that.. read Krishnamurti... and read Roy... you'll have a pretty good idea of the path I'm on... the life I want to lead. Well... and read "Small is Beautiful" by Schumaker... although I haven't read it yet. And about my thoughts on education... I really haven't seen a book, or thinker that I completely agree with yet... althought Shiksantar and John Holt are on the rght track in again identifying the problem.

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Every day the natural scenery here is absolutely gorgeous. This evening was no exception. It was slightly drizzling with gray clouds overhead. The sun had dipped below the clouds, and was in the gap btwn. the clouds and the horizon. The horizon here consists of the Himalaya foothills. The entire gap glowed an orangish colour... with the light at the back, we could see about 7 layers of the mountain range. Then, when we turned around to face the camera for a picture... we saw a huge, arching rainbow on the other side! I could see where the rainbow started... and it arched across the entire sky..... absolutely beautiful.

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Look up high fructose corn syrup on the internet... do you know that Americans are basically the only people in the world that eat that crap?

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Phase 3 - Initiative

2006-06-16T22:12:00.000+05:30

So... there's this feeling inside me that "Phase 2" of this trip is coming to an end for me.

Phase 1 was the "Exploration Phase"... where we explored different places in India, had varied experiences, began the process of taking a look at ourselves internally -- for me, it actually ended up being exploring ways to explore oneself internally. I realize now... that at that point I was also trying to figure out what do I want to do with my life. Tied in to this question - was... what do I really stand for? There was definitely an inner drive to do what was Right... but I didn't understand what that meant.

Phase 2 was the "Learning, Understanding, and Focusing in" phase. Through my various experiences, and especially through the sharing that I had with many involved with Jeevan Vidya... I've started being able to put together different thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that I've always had... but never been able to connect. Why didn't I have a mobile phone in college? In my two jobs since college, 1 job during college, and 2 jobs in high school.... why did "working" for a company never feel right... yet working for ISU felt SOO right? Why was I attracted to the writings of Gandhi? Why do I value my friends and family so much? Why have I never placed an emphasis on money? Why did I do things that I was ashamed of over the last few years, and keep it all in? Why did I want to be a teacher during high school? Why did I always TRY to routinely meditate or bring "self-control" into my life? What brings continuous happiness.. and why am I in the search for it? How do I fulfill my role as a good friend.. a good family member? Why did I like Vegas so much? Why have I always really been a "searcher" but not really a "doer"?
Basically.. these and many other questions and thoughts... I've started seeing the connections between all these various, seemingly diverging questions.

Phase 3... I believe officially begins at the end of this shivir... and that's the "Taking Initiative" stage. And it's basically going to involve detailed planning of my next steps... which is definitely going to involve me "taking initiative", and DOING something. There are ideas floating around... the most solid one is a "Indo-Youth Camp" for Indian Diaspora college students for next summer. 1-month long camps... Also, planning short term camps and "Gap Year College" with SIDH... Also, figuring out what I'll do when I get back to the States - visit the Krishnamurit School in Cali... and the school in Mt. Madonna. Visit "Amit" for www.indiaresource.org in Berkeley.. he's mainly involved with the movement against Coca-Cola, and see what can be done. Start a program with a group of youngsters.. kids.... mentoring program that includes hiking, camping, discussions, etc.. but focused on dancing. But, basically... for now, I feel ready... whatever understanding I think I have of what is Right... what IS... it's time to put it to the test. I'm feeling good... I'm feeling confident... (and I'm feeling tired.. time to go to bed)

The JV shivir starts day after tomorrow... but, lot of people are starting to come in tomorrow. Sampat had told me that he was coming in tomorrow evening.. and I was excited because I thought we would have one chill night to talk, catch-up, etc. Actually.. he was mistaken... his train cmes in the day-after-tomorrow since he booked the SLOWEST train on the planet... and again, will miss the first day of the shivir. Haha... Sampat.. don't worry Bay Area.. you're getting the same guy back. (Unless I can convince him to stay in India longer!!! Forgive me, Rekha Auntie...)

Concessions...

2006-06-10T19:51:00.000+05:30

This blog entry again… is from an email. Whatever that is in “ – “ is what the emailer had said… and what’s not in quotes, is my response.

“i read ur new blog posts and saw ur pics! some of those pics are so good, i'm tempted to order some for myself. saw the pics of the garba/raas dance hahah.”

Yeah… some of those pics from here at SIDH were taken by a professional photographer. And the othe photos were taken by this American, Joanna, that as just here… and she has a pretty bad-ass digital camera. I took some of the pics on her camera as well. The pics are great… only downfall… I’m not in very many of them. =(
Did you see “the fan” in the pictures!!??? The kids are soo cute! Haha.. yet, I could get none of them to smile while they were dancing. Actually, almost all Indians also don’t smile in pictures. I came to thinking that maybe the idea of an “unnatural smile” isn’t the best idea in the first place. Out in the States.. we’re so used to “faking” smiles… pictures, dances, being “fake” with people, etc. that I think it may be at the point where we don’t even know when we’re really smiling/laughing and when it’s fake?

“i understand ur reluctancy to coming back here. what will getting a credential really do? and how does that play a role in what you want to do in the future? ya u'll have to come back and pay bills and be part of "the system" again, but its for a greater cause, and if you play a large role in local swadhyay stuff or maybe start something here, that'll keep you in touch with the ideals and philosophies you want to live by.”

So, a couple of points that I want to make here. “for a greater cause” … those are the same words that Pres. Bush used when he went to war with Iraq… yeah, thousands will die but it’s for a greater cause. We’ve been hammered with this “democratic” concept that “yeah, this will do harm, but it will do more good than harm”. How is one to measure that? By the number of people it affects? By if it’s good for “us” and harm for “them”? I think there comes a point where one draws the line…. no more “settling” for the “greater good”. As much as I possibly can, I want to do what’s Right. I don’t want to just be “in touch” with the ideals and philosophies I want to live by. If I truly want to live by them… then, I will live by them. If I don’t live by them, then I truly haven’t understood that ideal.

And… it’s not “ideals” or “philosophies” anymore either. It’s really understanding what’s Right. I see it as three stages. 1) Logically convinced that “yes, this is the way it is.” ; 2) Putting it into practice and validating it (or invalidating it), validating it by seeing that “this is the way it is” not just for me, but for everyone; 3) then, we get to the point, where we truly understand… truly realize that “yes, this is the way it is.” At this point, we don’t need to make efforts to bring it into our life… it’ll naturally manifest itself.

An example is, the idea: “Every human being wants to be happy at every moment; and every decision made is for what that individual thinks will bring them greater happiness” 1) Yes, I’m logically convinced of this.; 2) “Putting it into practice” is difficult. But, the way to do it is being aware. I may say “no, I want moments of happiness and sadness. If I don’t feel sadness, I won’t be able to know what happiness is.” However, if I am aware – at the MOMENTS that I am happy, do I want to stay happy, or not? At the MOMENT when I am sad or lonely, do I want to be happy, or not? These questions can only be answered in the moment… by being aware. After validating it with myself…. I validate it with those close to me…. And also check that if it makes sense that it is universal.; 3) Yes, I realize that at every moment, every human being WANTS to be happy, and every decision made is trying to achieve a higher level of happiness. It’s no longer intellectual. It just is. It’s “knowing”, not “thinking”, not “believeing”. When I drop a ball, you know it’s going to fall to the ground. And you don’t know this because you’ve studied gravity and know why it falls, etc…. you just know that it’s going to fall. In the same way, I know that all human beings want to be happy at every moment and every decision (conscious and unconcscious) is made towards attaining that state.

I see this as an ultimate Truth… what’s Right.. what is. It’s outside of opinion… outside of judgements… outside of the “greater good”…. It’s universal to every human being.

Like this, one can unveil the ultimate Truths of human beings and of nature/existence. And these are the Truths that I want to understand/realize. Living by these truths is a subset of understanding/realizing. There is no room for settling, or sacrificing, or “keeping in touch with”. Understanding/Living by these Truths is what will ultimately lead us to that “being happy at every moment” that we desire.

“nothing in physics really caught my attention, so i decided to go into engineering, altho my degree will still be in physics. i like the interdisciplinary approach and the applicability of the technology (biosensors, nanoelectronics etc). so far, i've done some modeling with a software program, but its a complicated beast, so i've got plenty more to learn about it.”

Sounds like some complex stuff… I had interviewed at a Nano-tech company a couple years ago when I was looking for a job. Haha… every topic of convo strikes some other critique in me. Please let me know if it irritates you and you want me to stop. BUT, I’ve realize that in our “modern” life, we very rarely make any decisions completely on our own terms. Actually.. this just isn’t “modern” life, but even in villages out here. Situations and opportunities determine what we do so many times. I’m talking bout… going to college. During high school, did I ever really decide that I want to go to college? Did I ever explore my options or did I think that I had only one option? Once we’re trying to get a job, do we really do what we REALLY want to do, or are we “flexible” to “whatever we get”? If you could really decide hat you wanted to do research in… what would it be? Would it be nano-tech?

I was talking to this girl out here who’s deciding to get an MBA or not… she wants to own her own company at some point… but doesn’t know what that company would do. And, I asked her, “If money was no issue. You receive a fatty paycheck at the end of the month… just for being. Then, what would you do with your life?” Forget about the “options” that society provides… forget about the different “majors”, etc. What do you actually want to do? And, before answering this question… I think comes the real realization that I want to be happy at every moment…. So, whatever I do with my life, I would want it to make me happy at every moment. Then, “doing” something in your life isn’t the “goal”… “doing” something is just the means to the “aim/goal”.

“yeah costa rica is awesome, it focuses on 'eco tourism', tourism which doesn't effect the natural, organic part of the country. and i think their livelihood depends on tourism.”

That’s cool that you gotta visit Costa Rica!!! How was it? Not just “awesome”, but you were able to learn abything about the lifestyle there, the people, etc.? There is also lots of “poverty” in the country, right? I haven’t really traveled much outside the U.S. and India. I’m pretty interested in seeing other places in the world where the indigenous people still live…. Not like the U.S., and Australia, where the indigenous populations have been wiped out or are being wiped out. But, places like India, Latin America, Africa, etc. All these places have a lot in common…. They were dominated by Western powers for many centuries. They are now being drained of natural resources by these Western powers. Their indigenous lifestyles and livelihoods are becoming replaced by “corporate globalization” leading them into poverty and dependency. The localler who used to be an entertainer by going around village to village and singing…. Has been replaced by the TV. The localler that used to bottle his own soda and sell it has been replace by Coca-Cola. The local farmers who used to grow food with their own seeds, without chemicals have become dependent on buying their seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides from multinationals… putting them in deep debt and causing thousands per year in India to commit suicide.
Now, we’re in Iraq and the Middle East… to have more control over their natural resources as well. Why? Because our economy depends on petroleum… plastics are made out of this gunk as well.
But… I think the world is slowly turning. Those on the “oppressed” end are finding ways to make their voice heard… through hunger strikes, protests, boycotts, “terrorism”, violence, etc. And those on the “oppresser” end… I think there are some beginning to realize that the current model isn’t sustainable. They’re beginning to realize that the harmony and “every moment happiness” that we desire cannot be attained through the current model. The current model is a model of continuous conflict.

And, then comes the question, am I on the side that is contributing to the disharmony, the conflicts, the injustice, and the unhappiness in the world?

How can I start contributing to harmony, peace, justice, and happiness?

Another Email

2006-06-06T22:10:00.000+05:30

Here is an email that I wrote to a new friend out here in India...

I’m excited about the June shivir, as well!! One, it’s Ganesh-ji’s shivir, and from what I’ve heard from Mridu and others, his shibhirs are “mind-blowing”. Two, I’m looking forward to just interacting with everyone that’s going to be here. It should be fun… I feel that there will be sooo many people here that it may be difficult to get quality time with people… but we’ll see… My friend that’s in Mumbai right now (the one who I came to India with) will be coming to the shhivir as well. I haven’t seen him in 3-4 months… soo, that is also exciting! =)

So, you said: “you have decided to extend your stay until november, that is good news indeed. Is it indicative of your desire to stay and learn more at SIdh paritucularly or perhaps the need for some more time to think about things, mull over ideas in general (i realise that this may come across as a rude question, but i am seriously interested)....”

So, first… yes, I will be staying out in India until Nov/Dec. I decided to reject the acceptance to the Teaching Credential program (like a B.Ed.) in S.F. to stay out here longer.

I’m no longer looking at this “India trip” as a “break” or “vacation” or a “gap year”… this is it. This is life. Not meaning that I’m going to spend the rest of my life in India, not saying that I’m going to live in India permanently…. But just saying that it’s no longer a “break” before I move on to “real” things, you know?

So, what am I going to do out here? Why did I make the decision to stay out here? #1 I definitely want to work in education… although I do want to eventually be involved in “formal education” (school), I also see education as more multi-dimensional… camps, workshops, etc. are all forms of education as well. So, maybe the main thing for me is that I want to work with children/youth… So, over the last 3 months, I have been trying to get more clarity on what my philosophy for education is. What is education? What is its purpose? How can we best serve that purpose – content & methods? Therefore, being at SIDH… has really been valuable. After the June shivir, my friend and I are planning to travel around and visit the various experiments in education or alternate education schools in India… including the big ones such as krishnamurti, aurobindo, shantiniketan, etc. but also visiting various NGO’s that are trying “alternate” education models. Again, I just want to further my understanding of education and get different viewpoints.

After that…. One thing that I want to do btwn. now and before I leave is plan out Youth Camps for indo-americans (or in general, Indian diaspora) college students during the summer. Having 1 month-long camp in June, 1 in July, and 1 in August (for 2007). So, there’s defintinely planning involved with that …. Do I want to do it under an organization… like SIDH? Or, do I want to do it privately… and also use it to make some profit? So, basically it would be mean opening a business… I would definitely need people on the India end that I’m partnered with.

Finally… the main thing… is when I do leave India… I want to lay the foundation of a long-term relationship with some education-related project (hopefully with a school, or the formation of a new school, or something). Right now, at SIDH, I’ve had my hand in many of their different programs… however, I don’t have a “project” of my own… So, there’s something there… I want to be involved in something from the ground up…. With a group of like-minded individuals. I know all of this is very vague…. But this is what is floating around in my head.

I definitely think that I need some real “on the ground w/ actual students” experience at some point for a regular, continuous time…. So, in the future, I’m not just talking out of my ass, but have real experience to base it on. Therefore, I was considering going back to the States, getting my teaching credential, and teaching for a couple years. However… in the end… I feel that I have too much momentum out here, and too many things that I still want to do… so, if I were to go back, I feel this journey would be incomplete. Also, I feel that I don’t want to get caught up in things that I’m not passionate about. The teaching credential program SEEMED cool… but it also seemed like it very possibly could have taken over my life… and maybe, I’m just scared of losing the momentum that I’ve created for myself out here? Being involved in this process of “understanding”… maybe I fear that without the right environment… I won’t be able to sustain it out there.

Altering of the proposal

2006-05-29T21:48:00.000+05:30

I'm going to alter the proposal I made in the last entry...

I don't think that "physical closeness" is completely independent of "emotional and mental closeness". But, I think that the "physical" is a small subset of the "emotional and mental". Our happiness is dependent on our emotional and mental states (let's call it the "I" state)... this does not discount the physical state (call it the "body" state), as my proposal is that our "body" state is a subset of our "I" state. However, if our prime emphasis is on our "body" state, we will never be completely happy. Our aim has to be on improving the "I" state if we want lasting, continual happiness.

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Being afar physically, but having a strong emotional and mental relationship is worth much more than being physically close by having a weak emotional and mental relationship.

"Missing" You

2006-05-29T11:01:00.000+05:30

I have decided to stay out here in India... until late November, early December. What makes this such a tough decision for me is my family and friends. My parents, especially my mom, are very emotionally affected by the decision. They really miss me... it's only 2 of them in the house, and basically want me home as soon as possible. Every time I talk to them I attempt to explain what I'm thinking, and why I want to stay out here, and what I'm doing out here, and how it's important to me, etc. I feel that if I had a job and was working in London, then things would be different. Then, they wouldn't be saying, "Quit that job, and come back home..." They would, of course, like me to visit, and they would visit me, but, probably... they would think that my being in London was justified.

And this is where my parents' opinions, conditioning, beliefs, assumptions, etc. come into play (in Hindi ~~> maanyataa). They aren't able to fully understand yet what I am aiming at, and of course... it's not easy... because I don't even fully understand yet what I am aiming at.

What exactly is meant when someone says "I miss you"? I definitely love my parents, family, and friends. And, there are many times when I wish y'all were here with me, or I wish I was with you guys... so, I guess you can say I "miss" all of you. But even missing only happens in "moments"... you can't miss someone continually... throughout the day... throughout your waking hours. Certain moments remind you of someone, so you may "miss" them. You may start thinking and your thoughts may lead you to a person or an event past, so that nostalgia may make you "miss" them. But in the end, it's in moments. So, when one says, "come back home, i miss you.. we miss you," it doesn't completely make sense to me. "I miss you" somewhat makes sense... but "come back home"... yeah, there will be a good feeling for a while when we meet, when we talk, but how many times is that? once-a-week? once-a-month? What does make sense to me is that I do get support (emotional and mental) from my friends, and do get support from my family... and when this is lacking, there definitely is a void. Maybe this feeling is what is meant by "missing"?

I'm talking to Manks online right now, and we're talking about "missing", as she and Neil are soon going to be separated distance-wise as well. Actually... I'm going to cut-n-paste our convo:

me: hey... what does "i miss you".. mean? i'm trying to figure it out....

Maneka: uh oh

me: writing a blog entry pondering it right now as well...

Maneka: oh i see

me: I'm just wondering if "I miss you" is a good enuf reason for me to come back home?

Maneka: it means i want you to come home

me: for me... it isn't....

Maneka: yes.. hhaha. if i were you, i would say that too... and actually, yea it probably isnt

me: it's tough with the parents. I want to stay out here... 95% sure, i'm making my decision by tomorrow...

Maneka: but thats all we can offer from our end as far as incentive goes

me: talked to parents yesterday and today...

Maneka: oh wow. that soon. and?

me: and mom is taking it tough emotionally...

Maneka: i can understand that

me: but what is it really? if i had a job in London and was making money.... would they still be saying, "quit the job and come back home, we miss you."

Maneka: me and neil are going to be across coasts and THATS hard.... i can understand how your mom feels

me: is it really the feeling of missing? or is it the feeling of not completely understanding what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.

Maneka: well, they would still want you home, but theyd feel better about your decision maybe

ohhh

well thats a DIFFERENT question... for your parents maybe.

for others, missing is just missing

me: but in the end.... missing.. i think.. and i think you agree... has to be dealt with if the cause of the separation is just/right

Maneka: agreed

i dunno, i think missing for a lot of people, is just an expression to you, to let you know that people are still thinking about you, still caring about you

its not something to deal with

me: like, you're definitely going to "miss" Neil a lot.... but, the cause for the space-separation is justified. ... in that way... you'll have "dealt" with that feeling...

or not?

Maneka: i dont think so

me: well.. if "missing" is i care about, i think about you...

then what is "i want you here physically near me"...

and where is the connection between those 2?

(i think all this applies to my situation with parents... and your situation with neil... although there are some differences...)

Maneka: missing is all of that at once

i agree

actually, i think missing has a lot of that physical proximity factor to it

me: is there a connection btwn. "understand" and "feeling"?? If i fully understand why we're physically separated, and believe in the cause, and believe that it is fully justified...... then, does that lessen the "feeling" of "wanting the person physically close to me"....

I think there is a relationship there.... you may still care about the person, and think bout the person..... but may not have the desire to have them physically near to you.

Maneka: oh see thtas what i dont agree with

the feeling of wanting the person physically near is regardless of understanding, regardless of truly appreciating the cause of the separation

me: then why don't i have an intense desire to be physically near to my parents?

because i don't care about them as much?

Maneka: no, but you're not the one in the position to do as much of the missing

me: why?

Maneka: because you're occupied with something new, exciting, and that youre passionate about and frankly... i think kids miss their parents lessthan the reverse

me: so is that the answer? everyone needs to be occupied with something they're passionate bout.

Maneka: ehh, i think its connected to the relationship too

its always hard for parents when kids are far

Maneka: parents arent used to it, whereas kids are ready for it

me: next time you get a feeling of "missing".... be it your parents, be it me, be it Neil..... examine the feeling... where's it coming from... what it actually is... possibly, it's different components....

me: we use words.... but we don't even know what they really stand for... their real meaning...... we use them because we see them being used....

and are used to using them.

Maneka: well,

i dont know if i need to be able to define missing to understand it...

me: i'm not saying "define" it in words...

Maneka: i know exactly what i mean when i say it, and i assume the person im saying it to knows what i mean

me: but actually know what the feeling is..... instead of saying "I miss you".... describe the feeling to me... that would probably be of more value. What you feel, what my parents feel, what I feel is probably all different.... yet, each will say "I miss you".

Maneka: hmm

that is true

well, here is what i mean,

i mean, i am thinking about you, i care about you, i want you to be out there doing your thing, but it would be nice if you were here too

me: hahaha.... thanks.

Maneka: oh

and also, when you are gone, there is something 'missing' in life

THAT is what i mean

me: the void. yes... that plays a role in this as well.

and we could go into what that void actually is (again.. different for each person).. but let's not go into it... for the sake of sanity.

Maneka: hahha

me: overall... i think understanding/knowing plays a big role in our feelings/emotions.... don't agree or disagree with me, yet...

just take a look for yourself... and get back to me later..

Maneka: ok

that seems like a good plan

me: my proposal is that in its purest, ideal form "physical closeness" is entirely separate from "mental and emotional closeness"

Maneka: thats an interesting proposal,

but some would argue, that in certain relationships, emotional and physical closeness are intimately tied

neil has made that exact claim to me quite often

me: i'm saying in its purest, ideal form.. which equals complete, right understanding.

i think for those where emotional and physical closeness are tied.... there's some glitch in the relationship.... which isn't a bad thing... no relationship is perfect... also a relationship btwn. boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife has a physical component to it. (added after the convo)

Maneka: hmm

thats interesting

and hard to swallow

but i can see that its possible

i guess theoretically it makes sense, but i dont like the thought of it

me: i love the thought of it... it means you're emotionally tied to everyone all the time...

it's beautiful

Maneka: i suppose

me: haha.

Maneka: hehe well it makes sense

but obviously im not there yet and the thought of physical separation from people saddens me

SIDH Youth Camp

2006-05-28T22:22:00.000+05:30

So, a youth camp at SIDH just ended... and basically, this month has left me pretty tired!!! These youths/kids come to the youth camp and they can stay awake till 2/3 and wake up at 6:30/7 because they are only doing it for a few days... then they go back home and sleep for the next 2 days! But this is my daily life here... so it was a little draining... but, overally... quite a blast.

Mridu (first mentioned in the JV blog) was the main person who got all these people together... she has quite the large network out here... kind of like myself back in the states. =) And, although she lives in Delhi, she's been really involved here at SIDH and making these youth workshops a reality, etc.

This last group that came consisted of about 25-30 youths, and they were quite the diverse group. About half were college students from Delhi... involved with a couple different volunteer orgs... Beyond Borders and Pravah. They were quite a group... shows me that it would have been a blast going to college out in India, as well!! There were also 2 from Orissa, Susant and Anindita, who are involved with an NGO called Patang. Then there was Manish who has made gender issues his life passion... And the 3 from Lucknow, who were a mystery coming in, but ended up being a dynamic 3-some. Then, there were the 2 girls from the Sri Ram Ashram, Manjula and Sunita, who are orphans who have grown up at the ashram. Also, there were two youngsters from Delhi who came with Mridu, Sona and Irfan. Mridu's been working with these two along with other kids in Delhi who basically have ran away from home, or are in tough financial situations, or living on the streets, etc. Also, there were two from Kaunpur, 14 and 17 years of age who thought they were just coming for rafting and trekking. =) Overall... quite a diverse group... and that's why it was really awesome when everything really came together...

For me... at the beginning of the camp... I was a little out of whack... because I didn't really know what my role was. I wasn't a participant... but I wasn't really a facilatator, either. I've still had a difficult time of being able to actually be able to organize things and let my voice be heard and followed through. And then, when there's an event being planned, and I'm not the main organiziner, I get a bit of an uneasiness feeling... especially if i see things aren't as planned as they should be, as punctual as they should be, etc. I'm all about planning events!!! I just always have the urge of taking the reins myself. I definitely had a role on the coordinating end... but it was a mish-mosh of things, I couldn't really put my finger on it.

But, I was able to get out of this "uneasiness" as I realized, in the end... it's all about making relationships, and sharing... so, I ended up really enjoying connecting to some people. I was able to open myself up a little bit and have a really quality conversation with Mridu one night, where I was able to tell her bout my feelings of uneasiness, etc. Then, when we went for rafting, and we were sitting on top of the banks of the Yamuna... had a long talk with Samriddhi as she's deciding to go to MBA school or not, and just was able to share my perspective and my views.... Sunita and Manjula, when they first got to SIDH, they were with a couple others from the ashram and one of their guardians. Right away, I knew I recognized them.. Sampat and I had visited the Sri Ram Ashram back in September!! They knew they recognized me, too... it was nice, because both were really shy at first, and to see a recognizable face was very comforting for them. They don't leave the ashram very often, and supposedly Sunita is dealing with depression, so the camp was a good opportunity for both of them to really open up. I was also able to have quality conversations with a bunch of others including Yagna, Vineet, Vinay, Mukesh, Manish, Susant, Api.... And Digant was a walking comedy show, definitely kept me laughing!!!.... and I was able to really kick it and loosen up a little with Urvashi and Ambika. Sometimes, being out in India and not having my close friends around has made me "tense" or a little more "serious"... sometimes, the humour out here doesn't quite homour me... a little dry, at times. =P but Urvashi and Ambika were able to open me up a bit... and just laugh and have a good time.

During the first 2-3 days, Pawan-ji basically took sessions during the entire day. I'm not going to go into content right now. For me... I get anxious just sitting and listening all day, even though if I know the content is valuable.....

After those days... we had 2 days packed with activities! We left at 9 am for a trek to the other side of the valley! We got down to the river at around midday where we bathed in the river for about an hour, and had our packed lunches... then, was the difficult part of the hike... the hike up. Our final destination was the village of Ghati, where Sanjay, a former SIDH teacher has started his own primary school... it's quite the feat.. the school is awesome... he is a local... his understanding of education and all are wonderful... the school's been going for 4 years... and he's only 28 years old!!! Just a great story. Before we reached our final destination... at around 4:30-5 pm.. we reached the village of Takarna... where we all breaked for about 2 hours. It was interesting... because usually, we try to really have guidelines before we bring a group into a village, because people come in with a lot of perceptions and when they act on these perceptions, they can really have a detrimental effect to the locals. This group... I feel has a lot of "leader" types, and when they went into village, a few of them felt like, "okay, we're here to do something... or help these people"... and they basically started their own "culture program"... telling the locals to sing and dance, putting on a show, etc. It was fun, and no ill intentions... but I definitely felt like there was a sense of superiority. We then got to ghati at around 7:30 pm.. where we soon started chopping vegetables, and making our own dinner!! it was pretty sweet.. even that tired... everyone pitched in to prepare dinner. That night... we had a "Rangarang" night... singing, dancing, jokes, etc... haha, everoyne finally got me up to dance.... which was goood times.... The next morning was the rafting on the Yamuna. With the last youth group.. I didn't go, because they didn't have enough spots... this time, I joined in on the fun. Definitely had a blast... the rapids weren't that rough.... but they weren't bad... had a few opportunities to just jump into the river and go swimming.... and had a great group on the raft with me.

After the shivir, myself, Jagmohan and Jitendra (from SIDH), and Mridu sat down and shared our feedback of the camp. Personally... I was hot and cold. The group dynamics were great... but I feel we just don't have any out-of-othe-box thinking. The ideas of SIDH and Jeevan Vidya are presented in session format, and is split from "fun" activities... when the whole point of "Jeevan Vidya" is to be able to see and understand reality as it is..... what reality is there in a room with one speaker and 30 listeners? Everything in reality is a continuium, and we have a relationship with everything... and we need to be able to understand these relationships... doing so in a session is definitely a positive step... but being able to do it outside those four walls... that's what needs to be practiced. Many times - I just felt that I had no important responsibility, no role... while I was expecting and wanting one. Secondly, I felt I was disagreeing with a lot that was occurring... disagreeing not with the content, but with the means. And... I still don't think that we can completely separate the means and the aim... if the means are pure and right, then the aim will be reached. But in the end, just forming relationships with the people here, and having a good time, and learning a little about myself.... was all quality.

It's also been very nice having Harsh Satya around... and Tenzin... and continuing to build a quality relationship with them. Harsh is from Delhi, an engineering graduate, worked for a while... but didn't really find it meaningful and he has prior connections with Pawan-ji, so decided to come up here. (sounds like a similar story). We've been "room partners" for the last month and a half or so.... and then, there's Tenzin.. who I wrote a long blog entry about earlier.

Shit, yaar - Mumbai/Delhi Adolescent Shibhir

2006-05-16T21:59:00.001+05:30

coming sooon...

Triumphs and Trials of Teaching

2006-05-16T21:59:00.000+05:30

coming sooon....

2006-05-16T20:01:00.000+05:30

John Holt - American education reformer / "Unschooling" -- http://www.holtgws.com/index.html

"AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN HOLT"

John Holt was a leading spokesperson for ‘Growing Without Schooling’. Some of his earlier books on school reform have been translated into Hindi; but his later, more radical, thinking has not been discussed much in India. In the following excerpts, adapted from Teach Your Own, (New York: Dell, 1981) by Robert Gilman, Holt describes why he gave up on trying to reform schools and started advocating that families liberate their children from schooling:
"It began in the late 1950s. I was then teaching ten-year-olds in a prestigious school. I was also spending a lot of time with the babies and very young children of my sisters, and of other friends. I was struck by the difference between the 10 year-olds and the 1 and 2 year-olds. The children in the classroom, despite their wealthy backgrounds were with few exceptions frightened, timid, evasive, and self-protecting. The infants at home were bold adventurers.
It soon became clear to me that children are by nature and from birth very curious about the world around them, and very energetic, resourceful, and competent in exploring it, finding out about it, and mastering it. In short, much more eager to learn, and much better at learning, than most adults. Babies are not blobs, but true scientists. Why not then make schools into places in which children would be allowed, encouraged, and (if and when they asked) helped to explore and make sense of the world around them (in time and space) in ways that most interested them?
I said this in my first two books, How Children Fail (1964) and How Children Learn (1966). Many people, among them educators, and parents, seemed to be very interested in and enthusiastic about the idea of making schools into places in which children would be independent and self-directed learners. It seemed to me that within a few years such changes might take place in majority of schools.
Yet from many experiences during this time I began to see, in the early 1970s, slowly and reluctantly, but ever more surely, that the movement for school reform was mostly a fad and an illusion. Very few people, inside the schools or out, were willing to support or even tolerate giving more freedom, choice, and self-direction to children. Of the very few who were, most were doing so not because they believed that children could be trusted to find out about the world, but because they thought that giving children some of the appearances of freedom (allowing them to wear different clothes, run around, shout, write on the wall) was a clever way of getting them to do what the school had wanted all along — to learn those school subjects, get into a good college, etc. Freedom was not a serious way of living and working, but only a trick, a ‘motivational device’. When it did not quickly bring the results they wanted, the educators gave it up without a thought and without regret.
At the same time, I was seeing more and more evidence that most adults actively distrusted and disliked most children, even their own. They also felt that the most important thing children had to learn was how to work mechanically, that is, when their time comes, to be able, and willing, to hold down full-time painful jobs of their own. The best way to get them ready to do this is to make school as much like a painful job as possible. As long as such parents are in the majority (and they exist in every social class) the schools, even if they wanted to, will not be able to move very far in the directions I and many others have for years been urging them to go.
As the question ‘Can schools be reformed?’ kept turning up ‘NO’ for an answer, I found myself asking much deeper questions: "Were schools, however organized, however run, necessary at all? Were they the best place for learning? Were they even a good place?" Except for people learning a few specialized skills, I began to doubt that they were. Most of what I knew, I had not learned in school, or in any other such school-like ‘learning environments’ such as conferences or seminars. I suspected this was true of most people."
Based on these experiences, Holt began to make more contacts with families whose children were learning naturally outside of school. Seeing their need for mutual support and continuous interaction, Holt began publishing (in 1977) a small bimonthly magazine, Growing Without Schooling (2380 Mass Ave., Suite 104, Cambridge, MA 021 40, USA). The magazine continues to share writings by parents and children, interviews, book reviews, and in-depth discussions about how people learn, and how families can ‘unschool’ their children by using real-life, community resources."

Oh Canada

2006-05-06T21:58:00.000+05:30

It was about 8 am, and I was taking my bath in the common/shared bathroom - there are two "bathrooms" and two "toilet rooms". I'm pouring water on myself.. and soaping the left side of my body (I'm trying this experiment - I'm not soaping my right arm and lef and observing is there's any difference - dirtyness, smelliness, dryness, etc. So far, it's been about a week, and no difference.... is the necessity of soap just another myth? Well.. at least the necessity of it daily?)
So, anyways as I'm taking my bath, I hear in what I thought to be American accents - "How do you pee in there?" Then, a reply - "Well, I took off my pants and held them, then squatted... and then poured water down there." At 8 am, all of a sudden, hearing voices from a far away land... I was a little bit shocked.

I later found out that they were a group of 9 college students from McMaster University in Canada. They were herre through some health org. on campus - spending 8 weeks in India, supposedly doing some research.... their first week was here at SIDH. They had flown into Delhi, took a night bus to Dehradun (their first night in India was on the bus), then took a bus to Mussoorie, and then a taxi here to the SIDH center in Kempty village. So, basically, being at SIDH was their first glimpse of India.

I found myself like the local villagers... just staring at these strange foreigners, wearing strange clothing (showing their knees, and butt-cracks, and shoulders, etc.), speaking and laughing QUITE loudly. So, I talked to the group for a while - and for a while, it was strange for me... because I really haven't interacted w/ a group of Americans/Candaians in a long time.

I had forgotten what college students and all talk about... you know... everything has sexual connotations... there's an inside joke every other sentence.... laughing at the smallest things... at first, honestly, it was a little annoying. I was thinking, "they're in a new country, and they're not respecting anything here... they're not respecting the culture, people, lifestyle, etc... they're just in their own little world..".

But, as a couple of days passed by... I started remembering the beauty of it... no worries in the world... just out having a good time w/ buddies. No ill intentions... just being completely laid back. Sitting in our apt. till 3-4 in the morning... talking bout who knows what... playing random games like dandia baseball... and me watching them all play mario kart.... eating frozen burritos and pizzas for dinner.... for 3 straight nights. Going bowling.. going to the beach... going to 3rd street... going to vegas... going snowboarding... allll that good stuff in college. Sitting on Bruin Walk and shooting the shit... missing class not because I was too lazy and was in the apt... but because I would rather kick it on Bruinwalk.

OVerall... I had a good time with the Canadians... played some cards wit them... played frisbee.... initiated some quality interaction btwn the SIDH Bodhshala students and the group.

It was interesting to see just the "free spirit, no worries, we don't care" attitude that they brought out here, though. It's quite different from what I've seen a lot out here.... where EVERY moment isn't about seeking some momentary pleasure.... well, maybe it is.... but it just seems there's a little more awareness about it.

Dancing the night away...

2006-05-02T22:23:00.000+05:30

Who would have ever thought that “the fan” would be brought to this rural area up in the mts in Uttaranchal Pradesh?? (The fan is a “raas step” that Rah and Resh brought over from Chicago, and that our dance group made famous out on the West Coast). Ha ha… the crowd didn’t go as crazy as they did back in the days of our prime…. However, MOST of the students did say that they enjoyed watching the raas/garba the most out of all the acts in the program!
Every year, at the end of the school-term, they have an Annual Day Program – this year it consisted of two dramas, four dances, group song, a few solo songs, a few speeches (about the student’s experiences, etc.), awards ceremony, and some other things… So, here I was… king of culture shows, involved w/ another one out here! Overall, I wasn’t a big fan of the way it was organized – some kids were in 3 items – other kids weren’t in anything. Out of the 75 students at this school, I would estimate that half participated and half did not. The teachers decided who would be in what. I’m all about giving everyone a chance… especially when they’re still kids, and their self-confidence is so fragile. A lot of time, the kids that are good at things have self-confidence… and they continually get positive reinforcement… and their self-confidence (ego) continues to inflate. Those kids with low self-confidence usually experience negative reinforcement or indifference… which further lowers their self-confidence. Schools, often, seem to widen the gap that already exists….
Anyways… so I was involved w/ choreographing two dances – 1) The garba/raas to some song that I didn’t know and 2) Hindi film dance to “Ghana Ghana” from Lagaan. Most of the same kids were in both dances. We had to do some crisis management at the end – one of the boys, the day before the program, decided he didn’t want to practice. This kid has a really hot temper (maybe, kind of like I had when I was younger… and still to some degree now) and for 3 straight days, he would angrily leave practice in the middle. I would never even able to pinpoint the reason why he was angry. I, and other teachers and students, tried talking to him about it, but he wouldn’t talk to us and he would just run off. On the day before the program, he said he didn’t want to be in it… and ran off. I thought he was all talk, and that he would do it. But the other teachers told me that he’s done this before… and that he WON’T do it. Sooo, on the day before the show, we had to teach another boy both dances. Overall… not a big deal… the program wasn’t anything professional… about 100-125 people were watching. And now, we’re going to re-do the program in 3 different villages as well. I still have to talk to the boy who got upset...
It’s always fun being involved with dancing, though!
There were about 50 5th-7th graders staying here the 3 nights before the program, as well. One night was all just singing and dancing folk songs of this region (called Jaunpur). I’m trying to learn their Jaunpuri folk dance… it’s pretty cool. They all sing while they dance as well (no CD’s)… the boys and girls sing back-n-forth, and the steps go along with the words. It’s pretty sweet.
Sooo… overall… lot of singing and dancing going on in my world… so, don’t worry… it’s not only discussions about the “understanding of reality”. =)

Sandesha Article

2006-04-30T22:19:00.000+05:30

I sent this article for UCLA ISU's magazine Sandesha (www.laisu.com). I don't think they will print the whole thing, I just told them to cut whatever they find unimportant or boring. But, I can publish the full for here!!!

Dear Diary,

My head hit the floor, and I lied there, alone, confused, in the dark. It was the 5th morning of the Vipassana mediation camp, a 10-day course teaching the Vipassana meditation technique. All the participants of the camp stay silent for the entire course, meditate about 10 hours per day, and eat only two meals per day.
Every morning at 4:30 am, one of the volunteers came around ringing a bell for everyone to wake up. Our first meditation session was from 5 to 7 am. The 4th morning, my roommate woke up, turned on the light, and left for the session. I stayed in bed, hoping to sleep just a little bit longer. However, the volunteer saw the light in my room, came over, and knocked on the door. I dragged myself out of bed, quickly washed my face, and headed over to the session. I talked to the guru-ji that day, and told him that my morning sessions were going terrible (we were allowed to talk only when asking questions to the guru-ji). I would keep nodding off, and I asked if he had any suggestions. He calmly said, “Well, coe in at 5:45 instead of 5 am.” I’m thinking, “Sweet!” I was expecting some type of technique to keep myself awake or something of that sort.
The next morning at 4:30 am heard the bell ringing again. I’m thinking, “God d*#* that f#*$*@’ bell!” Not really the peaceful thoughts one would normally associate with meditation. Again, my roommate woke up, turned the light on, and left the room. In my hald-asleep state, I heard the volunteer with the ringing bell coming nearer to my room. Horror ran though me…”He’s going to see the light on and knock on the door… I won’t be able to tell him that the guru-ji told me that I could come later… I’ll have to go in to session!”
The next thing I remember was being on the floor. For a while, I was confused and dazed. Then, I started piecing events together. Half asleep, I had rushed out of bed and turned off the light. On my way back to the bed, I hazily remember stumbling and hitting my head softly on the floor. In the pitch dark, I sat there and just observed the state that I was in. And realized that if I continue to hide things in my life, if I continue to try to turn the lights off so other people won’t know what’s going on inside me, then I’m going to end up alone, confused, on the floor, in the dark.
I have realized that breaking down the image that I have created of “Raj” for others is my biggest fear. At the larger scale, I have done things that would absolutely shock the people the know me well. Not even my closest friends knew about me, my cravings, and my unseemly actions. At the smaller scale, I am starting to notice the many little fibs I tell to uphold the image of myself that I have created for others.
Just right now, I was visiting a teacher here because today she fell extremely ill and was taken to the hospital. I sat with her for about 15 minutes, and then I started feeling like I wanted to return, get som work done, read a little, and then go to sleep. However, instead of just being honest, I said that I hadn’t taken my medicine yet, so I needed to go back to my room to take my medicine (although, in reality, I had already taken my medicine). Why did I need to tell this seemingly harmless fib? Something inside me probably said that if I told the truth, her image of me would be affected. She would think that I didn’t care and wasn’t compassionate. There were also two others in the room. This small fib was an attempt to uphold an image. It indicated that I’m not comfortable with myself. It indicates a self-confidence problem. It indicated a gap between who I want to be and who I am.
So, what’s the solution? I think the solution is constant awareness. My understanding and practice of Vipassana, reading and understanding of J. Krishnamurti, and learning and understanding of the jeevan vidya philosophy (which I’ll talk about later) have all led to the focal point of being constantly aware. It’s not easy and definitely requires practice. I would break it down into two directions of being internally aware. Here s where I see the role of Vipassana. It’s a set aside time where I can practice being aware at every moment. Hopefully, this slowly translates into every-day life. There have been times when I’ve felt really lonely out here. In a few of those instants, I’ve attempted to be aware of the loneliness, and observe what that feeling really is. Similarly, there have been times when I’ve had a strong desire, but instead of acting on it, I have been able to become aware of it and observe it. I see a difference between suppressing a desire versus being aware, observing it, and allowing the desire or emotion to naturally pass away. There also have been times when I’ve tried to be aware, but the emotion would just be too strong, and not allow it. It’s been interesting attempting to observe anger, observe loneliness, observe confusion, observe cravings, and try to get a grasp of what these feelings actually are.
Being internally aware, to me, is being aware of my desires, aware when I am telling those lies, aware of my emotions, aware of my thoughts, aware of my conditioned reactions. Since I have sporadically started this practice, I’ve noticed how many things that I do mechanically. Am I really deciding to do things, or are they just conditioned reactions? Eventually, I see this as a process where I can gain greater and greater understanding and natural control of myself – my needs, my desires, my emotions, my thoughts, and my actions.
The second dimension is being externally aware. This includes being aware and observing people (family and friends) close to me, other people in the world, society and its systems (education, government, media, economics, etc.), and nature. It also includes being aware and observing my relation and interactions with all of these components.
I have found this process very difficult because there is always a lens that I am observing through. This lens includes all of my conditioning – the environment of my upbringing, my family, the education system, media, books that I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, my friends, society, etc. Usually, I’m not even aware of this lens. Right now, I’m not sure if the lens can be removed, or if it can only be changed. Krishnamurti discusses that the goal involved deconditioning completely, the dissolution of the lens. Then, on is able to clearly perceive and understand what’s real – internally and externally. Then, one has the clarity to make decisions and act, not react.
Jeevan vidya (JV) is a philosophy that proposes the absolute reality that is, and it is up to individuals to check it through their experiences and understand it. It is called a darshan, which in English, loosely means “to observe and understand things as they are”. The darshan is an understanding of the self (body and “I”), family and friends, society and its systems, nature, and the relations between each of these. Currently, we are all seeking happiness, and try to attain it by living according to our beliefs, which are based on our past conditionings. It seems like no one is reaching the continual, lasting happiness that we are striving for. The claim is that by understanding what is, one is no longer living by beliefs, but is living by knowing. It is proposed that this life then leads to happiness within the self, prosperity amongst family and friends, peace within society, and balance and harmony with nature. It gets to the root of all our problems.
I see “choiceless awareness” (as Krishnamurti terms it) and JV as interrelated. To me, the reality that JV proposes can only be understood if I am able to develop the art of awareness and observation, being able to learn on my own.
Trying to get a clearer understanding of JV has directed a lot of my wanderings over the past few months.
In December, I spent eight days with Ran Singh Arya in his village of Paldi (about 100 km from Delhi) in western Uttar Pradesh.
First, I really enjoy spending time in the villages. All activities seem so much more real, in the sense that what they do is directly linked to fulfilling their necessities, such as getting water from the hand-pump, growing food on their farms, spending time with their family, etc. Work, play, leasuire, family, social life, and religion aren’t put into different life compartments, but are all one. I am not glorifying the villagers, though, because most are also lured by the temptations of “modernity” (although they don’t even really know what that entails). If they had the chance, many would leave their lifestyles to live in cities, drive around in automobiles, watch movies in theatres, and eat at McDonald’s (from what I have seen, men I villages tend to be lured by all this more than women).
Secondly, it was great spending time with Ran Singh-ji. He is one of the many incredible, inspiring personalities that I have met on this journey. After starting a huge farmer’s movement in the 80’s and then being deeply immersed in Vipassana meditation in the early 90’s, for the past 5-10 years he has spent much of his time understanding and living the JV proposal.
In January, I attended a JV workshop in Raipur, Madhya Pradesh. The entire proposal is laid out during the 7-day workshop, along with much discussion and questioning. After the workshop, I found out that there was a function for Babaji’s (who perceived and expounded the darshan) birthday I Amarkantak, which is only 5-6 hours away from Raipur. I saw this as a unique, possibly life-changing opportunity, and ended up spending 4 days in Amarkantak. Although Babaji’s Hindi was a little too complex for me and it wasn’t completely life-changing, it was a great experience being in his presence and meeting so many others who are involved in trying to understand this, as wll. Many of these people are ex-engineers like myself, who were disgruntled with their jobs, felt like they wanted to do something meaningful with their lives, and in their search stumbled upon JV. Others are everyday homemakers, balancing career, family, social life, and “purpose-seeking”. Many are involved in various aspects of the development sector (“social work”) in India as well.
The “development” sector in India is actually a huge, booming field. There are people in this sector because it is a viable career choice financially. However, many people are attempting to do genuine work, as well. I’ve realized that one of the big questions that must be answered is, “How do you really know if you’re helping people, or if you’re just solving one problem, but creating three more?” (This question not only applies to “social work” but to the corporate world, education, religion and much more.)
Towards the en of December, I went to Pondicherry and the Cuddalore District on the Tamil Nadue coast where the tsunami had hit one year ago. I visited an organization called Bless that was doing tsunami relief and rehabilitation (R&R) work. For what I observe, they had good people working for the NGO and their intentions were in the right place. After the tsunami, foreign funding came flooding in for tsunami R&R work. This money could only be used for villages that were affected by the tsunami.
I visited two very similar villages that were side-by-side. In both villages, the people had lived in small mud huts and were in hand-to-mouth conditions. However, one village was affected by the tsunami, while the other was not. The result was that the village affected by the tsunami received so much funding. New cement houses were built, new fiberglass fishing boats were purchased, and a lot of money went into livelihood development, as well. Meanwhile, the neighboring village, due to the fortunate (or unfortunate?) fact that it was not affected by the tsunami, was left in the same condition as before. Now, there is anger, frustration, and animosity in this village. On the other side of the coin, the villagers with the new houses are now expecting more things to be jst handed to them. They have become dependent. Is this development?
I’ve come to the conclusion that any “development” work done must be done at the level of understanding. According to this definition, then development is not only needed in monetarily poor or areas considered “backwards”, but all over the world. With this in mind, I really think education is the best avenue for me to make a difference, not only in others, but in myself as well. Teaching is a two-way process where the teacher is learning just as much as the students. I’ve always had an inclination to education, teaching, youth camps, etc. ever since high school.
So this brings me to where I am today. For the last two months, I have been with this organization called SIDH (www.sidhsri.com), located near Mussoorie in the Himalayas of Uttaranchal Pradesh. I had visited this place earlier in September, and wrote about it in my previous diary entry. It is where I was first introduced to the JV philosophy. The main thing is the people here are genuinely attempting to make education more relevant and holistic. Pawan-ji Gupta and Anuradha-ji Joshi (the founders of the NGO) have been guiding, inspiring, and caring. Their view, that I agree with, is that that education should guide students to living happy and meaningful lives, not just teach them subjects, get them to college, and get them jobs. Education must attempt to draw out the innate desire to learn in each student, not suppress it. It should not be just another form of conditioning that molds students into fitting into a system (i.e. an economic system). At SIDH, I am here to learn about how education should be, and also to help out as a “volunteer”.
I have realized that in the future, I definitely want to be doing work in the field of education. I want to be involved with work ou here in India, possibly with the opening of an alternate school and/or working at grassroots level education. In the States, I want to be involved with formal education, probably teaching, and/or involved in supplementary education (children/youth camps, after school programs, etc.). I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t see money as a barrier. I know my needs and desires, and to fulfill them, I know how much money I need. I’ve been floating around a couple of business ideas, as well, and I’ll see when I have time to develop those. One thing for sure is that my engineering days, and my days working for a private corporation are over.
For those of you that actually made it this far into the entry, it may have been a little dry. You’re probably wondering – come on, he’s in India, what about the diarrhea, the squat toilets, and using water to clean your butt; traveling on trains, buses, and rickshaws; the food, no Taco Bell or Del Taco or In-N-Out, the dirtiness; the poverty; what does he do for fun, girls, parties, going out; doesn’t he miss his friends and family; what about a career? Don’t worry; all of these also play their role. I was lucky enough to have my family visit me during the month of February. It was a challenge to explain to them what I’ve been thinking for the short-term and long-term. A lot of the tangibles are uncertain and that, of course, causes them a little bit of distress. However, I realize that explaining my point-of-view to them is a necessary step for my happiness, and theirs. From time-to-time, I do have strong urges to be with my friends, or to be dancing at a club, or to be taking a long hot shower. For now though, because I feel that I am doing something meaningful, all of these take a back seat. (Actually, till yesterday, the diarrhea was definitely taking a front seat! Squatting THAT many times a day definitely takes a toll on my already bad knees. After a couple weeks of mediocre health, the last 3 or 4 days the stomach has took a turn for the worse. My health was the worse it has been on the trip so far. Reluctantly, I started antibiotics yesterday. Things are better today. The poop system is back to normal.)
If anyone is planning to be out in India in the near future, then please contact me… I’ll be out here until at least July (and possibly until November).

Till next time,
Raj Kanani
rkanani@gmail.com
http://rajkanani.blogspot.com

My wanderings (since the last article):
November
● Diwali – Mumbai, Maharashtra
● Vipassana Camp – Kolhapur, Maharashtra
● Regroup, Reflect, Hang Out with Friends – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
December
● Visit Ran Sing Arya – Paldi, Uttar Pradesh (village near Delhi)
● Two of My Best Friends’ Wedding – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
January
● Aurobindo Ashram, Bless NGO, “Group Honeymoon” with Friends – Pondicherry and Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu
● Jeevan Vidya Shibhir – Raipur, Chattisgarh
● Babaji’s Birthday Program – Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
● Time with Family (cousins, parents, sister, brother-in-law) – Mumbai
February
● Travels with Family – Surat, Gujarat – Ahmedabad – Jaisalmer, Rajasthan – Jaipur, Rajasthan – Amritsar, Punjab – Haridwar, Uttaranchal Pradesh – Rishikesh, Uttaranchal Pradesh
March – May
● Time at SIDH – Kempty, Uttaranchal Pradesh (village near Mussoorie)

Rajesh-s Wedding in the village...

2006-04-19T22:11:00.000+05:30

I'm cutting and pasting the following from an email to Sampat:

We (all the SIDH staffers) went to Rajesh's wedding last week... which was pretty sweet. The night before, myself, Mahdev (one of the teachers, and Joanna and Jay (the two Americans) got to Rajesh's house... for the mehndhi. The next day, the wedding was in the girl's gaam in the day time, and the reception was at Rajesh's gaam in the night. They both live btwn. rishikesh and haridwar. Overall, the wedding was pretty similar to normal Hindu weddings.. little differences here and there... it was a "Garhwali" wedding. I saw a dowry for the first time.... after the wedding.... they started bringing out all this stuff... furniture, coaches, TV, refrigerator, etc., and a cow! haha... All part of the dowry... very interesting. At the reception, there was DJ-dancing after dinner with Hindi, Garhwali, and Bhangra music... we only stayed for 15-20 minutes, since we were making the drive all the way back to Kempty that same night. Good times...

You can see pics on ofoto...

Jeevan Vidya Shibhir - Meeting Folks

2006-04-16T21:59:00.000+05:30

I'm just going to cut-n-paste from an email to Sampat about the shivir....

There were bout 50-60 people here for that. It was pretty sweet... met a lot more interesting people. One person, Aditya, that taught/teaches at the Krishnamurti school down in Bangalore... he's bout 30... studied in Hawaii for a year. Another couple, Manishbhai and Rashmididi... they live in Bangalore... but lived in Cupertino for few years... IT guy... Interestingly, they had googled Jeevan Vidya, and came across my blog. So when they get here, Rashmi-didi is like, "so you're Raj?" Haha... it was interesting meeting someone that knew me by my blog first, then
me. There was a lot of English in the shivir because there was a group from England that came. Also, Sindhu-ji and Victor, the people who head the ILP (India Literacy Project) office in India, were at the shibhir...soo, it was pretty cool talking to them a bit. Bhupesh, a 29-year-old, is still here... he's one of those "quit the money-making world, trying to find the purpose in life" type of people. He has gotten a lot out of Krishnamurti teachings, and is quite an interesting character (some may call him odd). But, he says that 70% of the time.. he's just "aware"... thoughtless, choiceless awareness... have had some interesting talks with him. Have met and am working with two cool people from Delhi on the youth workshops - Mridu and Deepjyoti. Mridu seems very cool... did her Bachelors at Duke in the States... where, as Pawan-ji puts it, she spent much more time protesting than studying. =) Back in India, she's been involved with this group called Beyond Borders, supported by the British Council. Right now, she's working with a group of 10 street kids in Delhi... she's basically their mom, older sister, etc. There are two girls, Sneha and Mayuree here from TISS in Mumbai. They are doing their M.A. in Social Work, and are finisihing up their last semester with a one-month itnernship here. Both of them also seem like the thinking, want to change the world type.

There were many other interesting folks at the camp... but those were the people that I had the most interactions with.

Education Article

2006-04-06T13:03:00.000+05:30

There's a decent article on the state of education in India at the following site: http://www.infochangeindia.org/EducationIbp.jsp

Life and Beyond

2006-04-04T21:33:00.000+05:30

April 1

This is from my journal entry on the above date.

I just got back to Kempty... I had checked my email in Rishikesh - Sunil send me an email saying that Sach passed away in a car accident... and sent me a link to the article.

The internet cafe was on the banks of the Ganga. Even though, I'm so far away... it felt right for me... to step into the Ganga and just... remember Sach, and think about him, and send my condolences to his parents, sister, and all of his friends. I stood there with tears.. in the flowing, ice-cold, refreshing water... explaining to a couple folks with me what happenned.. And I just kept staring at the flowing water.

It makes life so frickin' real. I know I'm so far away right now - if I don't TRY to think about it, then.. I would just be going on. BUT, I have been thinking about it - and I keep going back-n-forth - I imagine the car accident; his family - Lilam Auntie, Satish Uncle, Swati; Kev and Sahil; all the family friends; my parents - and just how REAL those feelings are........ and then I look around here, at night I looked up at the stars, and think about how small we each are in this universe - according to time and space.

The Sachin I know... Sach was a great kid... with a quality heart. I don't know if he ever realized the abilities that he had... smart, charismatic, handsome, athletic, friendly, etc.... I never saw him angry... I never saw any animosity or ill will in his heart - ever.

And, man... it just makes life real - all these stupid complexes we have, all this "settling", all this "image" creating - it's nothing... meaningless. Just to be... to have REAL relations and experience real LOVE. To recognize and really follow that inner voice. It's not hard - just imagine... it's your last week of life... what would you be doing?? I know this isn't a practical way to look at it... but, if you're always planning for the future, only living for those couple of moments during the week.... then are you really ever living in the present? Anyways.. this probably isn't the solution to anything - but the idea is to STOP settling - I really like Guri's blog entry on settling (see ajourneytoindia.blogspot.com).

My heart, my mind, my thoughts... everything is with all of sach's family and friends.

May all beings be free.

May all be full of happiness and good will.
May all be full of peace and harmony.
May all be full of love and compassion.

May I be able to share any happiness I have within me with those around me.

May all beings be happy, and
May we all realize the Unity.

(end of diary entry)

Personal, Reflective Essay

2006-03-28T15:29:00.000+05:30

Here was the essay I submitted for the program - Thank you to Manks and Pinki for helping me with it!!!!

Teaching for Harmony

In June 2005, I resigned my position at Genentech, the company that was declared by Fortune magazine to be the best company to work for in America, and headed to India for some “soul-searching”. Through this “soul-searching”, my dream of teaching and engaging with children and youth has reemerged. In the past 3 years, I have gone from graduating with a degree in the expanding and lucrative field of bioengineering to volunteering with a non-profit organization called Society of Integrated Development of Himalayas (SIDH). SIDH is an organization that is dedicated to bringing relevant, holistic education to the villagers of the Jaunpur region in Uttaranchal Pradesh that will enable these students to lead happy and meaningful lives. After my experiences in India and working with SIDH, I come with a broader global perspective, an inner fire to invigorate change to current unsustainable systems, a theoretical understanding of possible solutions, experience working in challenging and diverse classroom environments, refined skills in motivation and leadership, and an open-mind and desire to understand all the aspects of what makes an effective teacher.

In the human quest for happiness and harmony, teaching is my means to achieving this. As I explored India, I visited different non-governmental organizations working in the education discipline and other areas, learned the theory and the technique of Vipassana meditation at a 10-day camp, was introduced to the philosophy of Jeevan Vidya (knowledge for life), engaged with people who’s lives are being uprooted by “development”, learned about various Indian thinkers, and met inspiring people who have dedicated their lives to bringing harmony into this world. Through all of this, I have come to the premise that all people have a desire to be continually happy. Some people try to make lots of money, other people try to achieve a position of power, others try to help society. All of these people are doing what they think will make them happy based on their understanding of happiness. Most people do not seem to reach that unremitting happiness that they are seeking, because of a glitch in their understanding. For example, one may work towards positions of power because they believe this will bring them respect. Respect is a universal value that we all need to be happy. However, are people in power really respected, or is the respect only on the surface? Some people try to make more money, so they can have more luxuries that they believe will bring them their happiness. However, without harmonious, loving relationships with other human beings, those luxurious items will probably not help them out of their loneliness.

Where do all of these misunderstandings come from? Learning from my experience with Vipassana meditation and my basic understanding of the Jeevan Vidya philosophy, I am becoming more aware of the numerous influences around me. The media, the government, advertising, the “system”, our parents (who grew up with their own conditioning), our religion, and our own education system are all constantly conditioning my ideas on what will bring me happiness. A life without conditioning may not be possible, but a life being aware of my environmental influences is possible. As I free my mind and become aware, I am able to perceive that harmony is what will ultimately lead me to continual happiness. This harmony includes harmony with myself, family, society, and nature. Finally, this brings about the understanding that my happiness intrinsically depends on an awareness and understanding of myself; of my relations with every other human being; and of a sustainable, environmentally friendly society. Teaching allows me to work towards a happy, harmonious life in all of these different facets.

I want to teach because the times that I have felt the most fulfilled are when I have been working with children and youth. After exploring India and myself for five months, I knew that I wanted to pursuit a life devoted to education of youth. Back in August, I was visiting an orphanage called the Sri Ram Ashram near Haridwar. The Ashram also runs a school there for 500 students. I was appalled by the Indian education system that seems to be based mostly on rote memorization and standardized exams, and where teachers seem to be absent 40% of the time. More importantly, I treasured the challenge to step in and become a substitute teacher for a few days in a Hindi-medium school, when my Hindi was barely functional (I first learned Hindi in college.). At that moment, I realized that as a teacher, I have 30 developing human minds depending on me. I have the power to draw out genuine feelings, thoughts, and questions, but I also have the opposite power of dulling those minds. The word “educate” has its roots in a Latin word meaning to “draw out”. In today’s schools, I feel education has often become the “filling of a pail” instead of a “drawing out”. The purpose of education, in my view, should be to develop those faculties that are already intrinsic in the student that will enable them to free their mind. Examples of these faculties include sharp observation skills that allow students to become aware of the reality around them, critical thinking skills that enable them to be able to identify and analyze the problems (disharmony), and the sensitivity and creativity to come up with sustainable solutions. Depending on the drive and the inner fire of the teacher, he/she will either only “fill up” the student with knowledge from books and dull his/her mind, or will engage the student to question the world around him/her and search for answers.

That inner fire continued to develop in me as my exploration continued. Finally, it led me to the decision to volunteer at SIDH.

I have learned a lot being at SIDH, and many of my personal values and views on education have come into concrete formulation as a result of my experiences here. For over a month, now, I have been teaching English at the Hindi-medium school SIDH runs for sixth through tenth graders. Most of the children speak Jaunpuri at home, while some speak Hindi. Most are Hindu, while some are Muslim. Some are part of families that live off the land as farmers, while others own stores. The challenge facing me is immense. Firstly, I do not share their cultural or linguistic background. Second, each of their situations is different. Third, I have never been trained as a teacher. Lastly, English is very distant from their actual lives, and they also have preconceived notions that English is difficult and only for the “educated.” However, when I stepped into the classroom, and saw the 30 faces looking at me, I was determined to overcome these challenges of teaching. I knew that I was in my niche.

Over the last month, I have realized that each student must be treated as an individual, instead of the entire class being treated as a herd. I think many times in today’s school system, the teacher is teaching a class, but does not realize that that class consists of distinct individuals. As I go through this understanding process, I have seen that many times during class I make general statements, which I think apply to all of my students. For example, after I administered the same test twice in a four-day period, I said, “Those of you that did not improve, clearly do not think it is important to learn English, and did not put in any effort.” However, I failed to take into account that some of these students do not have time to study at home. They walk for two hours to get back home, and then must help with housework and work on the farm. On the other hand, the students that live in the nearby town go home, have no responsibilities, and have plenty of time to study. Each individual must be understood and given attention according to his/her circumstance. This is of utmost importance in a culturally and linguistically diverse class. I saw the significance of this and am attempting to form relations with students and understand their upbringing and home situations.

Making the subject of English relevant to their lives and helping them overcome their “fear” of English are other challenges. My first step was to discuss and come to the understanding with the students that English was just a language, no different from their local dialect of Jaunpuri, or Hindi. I continued the discussion with them and together we discovered that due to historical occurrences, English has spread into use all over the world, and therefore could be of importance to them. Along with the discussion, we conducted an activity as well. In class, they came up with many English words such as “computer”, “television”, “pants”, etc. that do not have equivalents in Hindi or Jaunpuri. When I asked them to think of words in Jaunpuri that had no English equivalent, at first, they were stumped. However, soon, the words came pouring out and their eyes lit up. Some examples are unkater (meaning a tree that has not been cut) and kandulo (a special container for chapatis – unleavened bread). Their homework was to go home and come up with five more words that only existed in Jaunpuri. In this way, their education was made relevant to their life at home, as they engaged with their parents and elders to come up with these words.

In today’s education, I think that students do not usually see the relevance of the subject material taught at school. Either the subject material may actually be irrelevant to their lives, or the teacher does not explore the relevance of the material properly with the students. Both of these situations must be addressed. To tackle situations such as these, I want to be in a classroom teaching and to be involved with education, taking advantage of my understanding and of various skills.

First, there are my leadership skills. A teacher is a leader in the classroom, and also should be a leader in the community. When I was a student at UCLA, I was the director of the Indian Student Union, an organization of over 350 members and a staff of 14. We were one of the most active student organizations on campus. I learned that to lead one must listen, understand, and discuss before coming to decisions. There were a few times when I made a unilateral decision and told the staff what they had to do. I had already reasoned to myself why that decision was the right one. However, because I did not go through the reasoning and discussion with the rest of the staff, the decision seemed to be ordered upon them. Their respect for me diminished and they were not as dedicated to their task. I realize that this same situation plays out in a classroom setting. If an issue is discussed in the open and a decision is reached upon, then that decision has more value because each student was a part of its formation. The second integral quality of a leader that I place emphasis on is to lead by example. The teacher must be constantly trying to improve his/her methods and further his/her understanding. The student seeing the effort put in by the teacher will naturally be influenced by it. I know that I will constantly be striving to “walk the walk”, as I am committed life-long to my self-development, and because I care. I have resolved only to get involved with work that I am passionate about. My experience at Genentech taught me that if I am involved in work that I am not passionate about, my best efforts will not come out, and I will not be happy. I have now left that behind. Teaching, education, and human relationships are things I deeply care about. Because of this, my relentless effort is not a question.

Another skill that that will be important for me in tackling the challenge of teaching is my ability to understand and convey concepts, especially in math and science, to others. I have an engineering degree, and in high school, the subjects that I performed best in were math and science. In high school and college, I tutored others in mathematics and continually thought of new ways to teach different concepts. It takes someone with ingenuity to make these subjects interesting and relevant, and this quality is what I bring to the table.

Finally, in order to understand and manage a diverse classroom, one must come in with a broad perspective. Over the years and through my varied experiences, I believe that I have developed an open-mindedness that is essential to teaching. I cannot say that I no longer look at the world through various frameworks, but I am constantly attempting to be aware of the framework that I am looking through. This awareness is the first step in getting rid of the framework altogether.

One framework that I believe schools have perpetuated is to constantly look outwards and learn about the world “out there”. However, where is the space for a student to study, learn about, and understand one’s self and what is going on “in here”? A common fear may be that such a process inevitably delves into religion. However, this easily can be done in a secular way. Self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-development are universal concepts that can be discussed in a classroom. J. Krishnamurti, a famous philosopher of recent times, pointed out, “Why are so we surprised that there is so much chaos in the world? Just look at the chaos within each of us. We must first bring order and clarity in our inner world, before we can bring order to the outer world.” I do not believe today’s schools create those spaces for students to explore their inner beings.

Another framework that is used by schools is that of categorization - for example, the categorization of subjects - math, science, history, English, etc. To understand various concepts, categorizing is necessary, but it must be explained that categorization is just a learning tool, and not an end. There should be work done on further integrating the various subjects. The framework of compartmentalization seems to carry on for the students through adulthood, where they put their career, family life, their religious life, and social life in different categories. Instead of being one whole, the individual begins to have many different, and sometimes conflicting, dimensions. One can see the cultural difference in India, where for people who live in the rural areas, work, play, family, and religion are all one.

A few weeks ago when I went on to Google searching for quality teaching credential programs, I came across The New College, and, immediately thought it to be the most harmonious match for me. At New College, I hope to continue to refine my views on what quality education is. I want to learn how to teach a class of thirty, but still take into account the diversity and individuality of each student. I expect to develop the ability to create a classroom culture where students are encouraged and feel comfortable expressing their genuine thoughts, feelings, and questions. I would like to explore the real relevance of all the subject material in the students’ lives, now or in the future. Additionally, I hope to learn and practice various methods of teaching different subjects in a relevant, interesting, thought-provoking, and curiosity-developing manner.

The bottom line is that teaching is real. There are students and teachers, and real human relations between the two. There is a mutual exploration of the self and the world. There is a desire to effect change in the world and to bring greater harmony to the world. To me, teaching is not a career, but a life-style.

Plan A and B

2006-03-28T15:03:00.000+05:30

Those plans (in my previous post) take me up to about the middle of June... where, I then have a plan A and B (in no particular order)

Plan A
Continue to work with SIDH after the shibhir. Continue with the Education Tourism and the Youth Workshop projects... along with getting clearer on my view on education and formulating long-term plans with Pawan-ji. I would probably finally get time to write my article on "The Use of Fear in Schools".

Probably in July and August, or so... and, hopefully Sampat may come with me as well.... there are places and schools that I want explore - 1) Tehri Dam - completed a few years ago, displaced approximately 100,000 villagers... and is only a couple hours away from here. 2) Vimarsh - a group started by ex Sanjeevani students (a one year youth program that SIDH used to run) that have now opened schools in other parts of rural Uttaranchal... 3) Krishnamurti's Rajghat school near Benares - want to observe the methods and content of the "alternate" school... 4) Tenzin-ji's ashram - which is near there.... 5) Coca-Cola plant that is also near there... 6) Visit an organization called Bodh that seems to be doing a good job in the field of education for underprivelidged in urban and rural areas... 7) Visit Shiksantar - basically an education think-tank started by NRI's like myself (see link of left)... 8) KPM school in Kerala - again "alternate" school, want to see how they work... 9) Aurobindo School in Pondicherry - another alternate school. When I was there, we were able to speak to Vijay-bhai, who was aweosme and told us about the school... but didn't have time to really visit it and study it.... 10) Kanyakumari... just to say I went from Kashmir to Kanyakumari... and it's gorgeous... and a spiritual milestone for many Indians in the past including Vivekananda and Gandhi-ji.

After this, I would like to return to SIDH and talk to Pawan-ji and see if we can get into motion either - 1) The starting of a teacher's training school (B.Ed program), or 2) Start planting the seeds of an education movement - either the opening of a new "alternate" residential school, or maybe some other idea. Possibly, have a meeting with our contacts on people that CARE about education, and are interested on discussing education, and coming up with some plan-for-action.

Also, starting in September or October, I can see myself working for a possible Camp India for college students for the following summer. Indicorps wants to start one for high school students... so, either, I can see myself helping with that.... or starting one for college students (I like this idea better).

Somewhere in there, I would like to spend a month or so coming up with business ideas.

I would come back to the U.S. in November or December (in time for Roomie's wedding), and possibly I would apply for a Teacher's Credential program that I could start in the winter or spring.

Plan B
I just finished my application to the Teacher's Credential program at The New College of California in SF. The program begins on July 31st, and they also have 1000 pages of reading that must be completed by July 28 (written assignments along with it). IF I get accepted, and IF I decide to join the program, then I would see myself coming back around July 12.

Plans for next 2 months

2006-03-28T14:43:00.000+05:30

Well... for the next couple of months, here is what I am planning to do: Tomorrow, the entire SIDH family is headed for a 3-day "retreat" at an ashram in the middle of the forest... near Haridwar. There will be fun and games (we have dandias.. an I'm going to teach everyone raas/garba!), but there will also be some serious introspection, and planning going on. After tha, I will continue to teach in the various grades at SIDH, especially focusing on the 10th class. There are many volunteers that are arriving to SIDH over the next couple months (4 boys from a technical college in Gandhinagar, 2 girls from Delhi, and another American girl just came in yesterday). It's going to be one of my responsibilities to kind of take these volunteers under my wings. A lot of times it just takes a few weeks getting used to the place and understanding the philosophy behind SIDH, that by the time all this understood, it's time for the volunteers to go home.

So, one of the main projects that I and the volunteers will probably be working on is this concept of "Education tourism" (or Eco-tourism, service tourism, responsible toursim... the name hasn't been decided yet). There are tourists in this area because the hill station of Mussoorie is here. Usually, the relation of tourists and locals is not a very enriching one. Villagers look to profit off tourists.... tourists leave these places of natural beauty looking like a mess. Neither understands each other. The idea of "Education tourism" is for mutual learning and understanding to take place, while being fun for the tourist (trekking, getting to know local communities, visiting different villages, etc.), and profitable for the villagers (get paid to house and feed tourists). They have a similar program that Sampat and I were consumers of in Ladakh -- village homestay. And, we learned that there are some dangers to the concept... but... overall... it's going to be starting from scratch... and I think will be pretty interesting.

Also, there is a ggroup of youth coming from Mumbai in May for a one-week camp/workshop... so, I am helping out with the planning of that. This concept of youth camps for city kids (Dehradun, Delhi, Mumbai) is also something SIDH is thinking about doing on a regular base... so, at some point, I may get involved with that. I'm all about camps, and planning events, and all that good stuff!! haha...

Also, there has been a retired American teacher here, Jay Davidson, and I may organize a workshop with him for the teachers on "multiple intelligences".

ALSO, I have started writing an article on "The Use of Fear in Schools", but, for now... that may be on the back-burner.. for later when I have time.

From April 9-16th, there is a Jeevan Vidya shibhir here, so I will be attending that... and there is another Jeevan Vidya shibhir in June which is English, and is going to be taught by Ganesh-ji... who's supposed to be a real bad-ass.... so, for the better part of those weeks, I'll be in the shivir.

Back to Paldi

2006-03-27T16:20:00.000+05:30

March 22

Pawanji asks me... do you want to come with my to Paldi, there's a small function there, only for a day? I jump on the opportunity.

Paldi is the village, about 2 hours North of Delhi, that Sampat an I visited back in December. Ran Singh Arya lives there, and that's who we were visiting back in December. I stayed there for about 7-8 days, and got to know some of the people there, and all... so I was exciting to go back. And, I'd be in the car with Pawanji for a long while... so, we'd really get an opportunity to chance about various opportunities at SIDH, about education in general, about Jeevan Vidya, etc.

On the car ride... I found out that the function was being held because Dharampal-ji, a famous Gandhian and Indian historian, was going to be there. We had been introduced to Dharampal's work the first time we came to SIDH, with his book Rediscovering India, and later came across his book again when we visited Jay, who was working with infinityfoundation. Dharmpal's main work has ben redifining the history of India, especially uncovering the myths that were a result of the British rule. Often going back into the British documents, themselves, he goes on to show that India wasn't as "backwards" as the British made it out to be. It had its own systems that were often superior to those of the West... however, the British, through various methods broke down those systems at their roots - because they didn't understand them and to be able to rule India.

Dharampal-ji is now 85... but once again, for an old man.... a lot of fire in his voice. He was also walking around on his own, and seemed in good health. During the small function, he didn't speak much... but a common theme was that India's minds are still colonized. He says Indians must understand who they are, what their history is, etc... before making decisions. In an interview a few years back, Dharampal says, "What is great about India?...we need to understand this...the greatness of this country is that the ordinary people in this country have a certain understanding, that everything in nature is connected...and they have built their lives around this understanding...this is the greatness of this country."

I conversed with him a little bit... he knows about Swadhyay and Dadaji... so, we talked about that for a little bit.

Although I was in the gaam for less than 24 hours.... it was good times... a warm feeling! This little girl that lives in the same house that I had stayed at... comes running up to me... "Raj bhai... raj bhai..." I try to remember her name... try... try... nothing. The little girl of 4 has a better memory than I do. Haha.. it's all good.

The car rides with Pawan-ji were good. I really like what these people are all about... and so, even Pawan-ji wants to know if I'm down for something long-term...... there are visions of starting a B.Ed. program (teacher credential program).... and there are also visions of starting a completely independent residential school somewhere in India. And that would start from scratch... getting people on board... buying land... etc. In India, all schools are associated with some "board"... either the state's education board or the country's education board... and very few select schools are associated with some international boards. Basically... each of these boards has exams that the students must follow to pass on to the next grade. When they graduate school, they get a certificate from that particular board.... some colleges would consider some boards "better" than others. Bottom line is that these schools must teach to these "Board Exams" so the students can pass the exam and move on to the next grade.

There school currently run at SIDH is trying to bring relevant, holistic education to its students, but it's often limited by having to teach towards these board exams, the expectations of the parents on what a school should be, and the conditioning of the teachers (who are also developing and learning in the process.)

There are other alternate education schools in India, including a Krishnamurti school and an Aurobindo school.... but, Pawanji says that even these have been limited by having to teach towards boards.

Basically... these exams are to get you to college to get you a job... the standard village to city to abroad series.

So, the idea is to start a school that basically says "We're just going to go completely against the grain, and screw the boards."

So, maybe, over the next few months... the first seeds of this idea can be planted....

Holi Hai!!!!!

2006-03-27T15:17:00.000+05:30

March 13-16

I'm writing this much after the fact... so, there won't really be the same emotion and feeling in it.

For Holi, the school at SIDH was closed for two days, so a lot of the teachers went home, and I decided to go home with Rajesh, the history and geography teacher. He lives near Rishikesh in a village called Amitgram (one of its many name....). His father is a great Gandhian of this district, but now is quite old, and due to a cataract operation gone wrong, he can no longer see. His name is Kameshwar Bahuguna... he was very much involved with Sevagram (Gandhiji's Ashram in Wardha) for many years, and also spent 3-4 years with Vinoba Bhave. So, the main two reasons I was going was to meet Kameshwar-ji and talk to him, and also to celebrate Holi in the village!!!!

So, when I got there, I soon got introduced to Kameshwar-ji. At first, he said a quick hello, but didn't pay me much attention. However, the longer I stayed there, the more and more we got into conversations. And even though he is old, can no longer see, you can still hear the passion and drive in his voice. His main passion is education, as well, and through his life, he had conducted various experiments with Gandhian education models... I told him I've read Gandhi, but am not too familiar with what he thought about education. So, he told me to read more. =) We ended up having many conversations... althought I don't remember too much of the substance of them.... I do remember the warmness I felt... and his passion. He gave me all sorts of contacts all over India of people and work that I MUST see if I'm seriously interested in education.

Then... there was Holi! So, at first... the two kids in the house, Rajesh's nephew and niece, were at even before breakfast! The colors were flying... I was spared as I was the "guest", and just got a "Holi chandlo". Soon after breakfast, Rajesh went to go see a couple of his friends... asked if I wanted to come, and I declined. I stepped outside... and enjoyed the chaos! Kids running thoughout the village... with color, water, the works!!! Then, slowly... everyone started getting into.... even the Dadi was making her rounds in the village and when she came back before lunch... she has a nice spattering of red, blue, green, and yellow all over her and sari.... =) I was enjoying watching... but, I kept thinking, "man, imagine if I actually lived in this village... and had my buddies here....." Just then, the "bhabhi" that lived across the street says, "The 'bhai' in your house is still clean...." And all of a sudden, I have about 5 kids, 6 aunties, and a dadi coming at me.... ready to smother me in colors and water!!!! Haha.. let the fun begin! We all ended up playing for another hour or so... and then immediately... people would just take baths and wash their clothes (outside... we're in the gaam).

Overall... a great time for my first Holi in India!!!!

BRUINS, BABY!!!!

2006-03-24T11:13:00.000+05:30

Whoa baby... so, I was following the Bruins-Zags game on internet a little bit during the first half. Then, I followed it until about 6 minutes left in the second half... UCLA was still down about 10. Then, the next time I checked.... UCLA wins 73-71!!!! Chills ran through my body... I was reading the score over the internet... but I felt like I was at the game, or something! I definitely am thinking about all my fellow Bruins out there... Mit, Harleen, Nim, Roomie, AP, Ronak, Amol, Sampat, Rosh, Shinde, Kosh, Jigs... etc. etc..... and the euphoria that they must be feeling!

Go Bruins baby.... Farmar... Afflalo...!

haha... now back to India...

Jeevan Vidya Intro

2006-03-11T23:13:00.001+05:30

Jeevan Vidya... it's not really a philosophy... it is kind of... and I don't think it's exactly like Buddhism. It basically puts out this whole proposal of Existence. And, then, observe yourself and the world around you... and you'll start to come to an understanding, and check it with the proposal.

The basics are - Everyone person wants to be happy/have harmony/be fulfilled/content (whatever you want to call it). So, everything we do, in some way or another, we are trying to achieve this happiness. But, why aren't we always happy? The actions that we undertake to bring us happiness are based on our understanding. So, if there is a glich in our understanding, then the result of the action will not bring us the happiness we desired. So, the main work has to be done on our understanding. If one takes a look at any of the problems that one has, that is an obstacle to harmony/happiness than they will find that the root of each of these problems is a lack of understanding, somewhere.

So, then, it goes into the understanding of what? Of everything... what's everything? Well, there's me, and then there's everything else. So, understanding the "I" and understanding everything else in "Existence" - which consists of I, my family, society, and nature. And the relationship btwn each of these.

It goes on to give a proposal to the Reality of all these things.

One thing that stands out for me is in the understanding of the "I"... understanding the difference btwn. "believing" something and "knowing" something. Almost EVERYTHING we live by is our beliefs... and this is where differences arise. Also, we have to closely examine where these beliefs come from... they come from some type of conditioning or memories.... books, TV, parents, education, media, alternate media, prior memories, etc. "Knowing" something is the ability to naturally accept something and is universal for everyone. "Knowing" is knowing that when one is thirsty, water will quench their thirst. "Believing" is that with this meal, a soda would jive better. "Knowing" is knowing that everyone wants to be happy/ fulfilled/ in harmony/ content. "Believing" is I need x amount of money to be happy.

It goes on... and in more detail... which I haven't really even delved into too much. For now, I'm sticking with the basics.

And I think... the process in this... and in Vipassana... and according to Krishnamurti.... is developing the ability of PURE OBSERVATION. What is pure observation? The ability to observe with all our senses... without any preconceived notions, prejudices, conditioning, memories, etc. clouding our vision. With this, the separation of believing and knowing becomes clearer. Is it possible? I don't know....

Me, India, and Education

2006-03-11T22:30:00.000+05:30

Again.. the following excerpt is from an email that I wrote... most of it repeats stuff that I've said in various places in the blog:

It's good to be here... but I'm trying to get some real projects that I can be responsible for, WHILE I also observe and learn.... but it's been difficult actually getting my hands on anything concrete, yet.

But, still... there's just so much uncertainty about what I'm doing with myself, and my future... that it's difficult for me to maintain a peace-of-mind... although, it's there ... off-and-on.

Sometimes... there's this urge - man, I need to do something now... there's so much crap going on in the world, in India... i want to get involved to fight against it. Then, every-now-and-then, there's this urge to return to my peaceful suburbian existence back in California.

But, overall... I feel alright here... =)

The one thing I do know... is that my future path doesn't involve very much money, nor do I care much for the green stuff (or multi-colored stuff here in India)... as long as I got food, shelter, water, and clothing... I'm good to go.

What are my thoughts bout India??? My thoughts are that each nation much follow its own path, just as each individual must.... yet India continues trying to trace the steps of the West (on the macro scale - politically and economically). India is a land of 1 billion people with 70% still living in villages. It has a higher percentage of farmable land than any country of the world, of significant size. It's in its best interest to maintain the sustainability of its villages... not sell-out its villages to multi-national corps and more comforts for the wealthy and powerful living in the cities. India post-independence... the "main-stream" systems in place are ruled by fear... politicians use fear to control, police use fear to control, and the school systems use fear to control. HOWEVER, there's a WHOLE nother world to India... that is only seen by those who seek it... and that's the India of complete freedom... complete freedom to do whatever you want... freedom to become a sadhu, freedom to start an ashram, freedom to get into whatever field you wish to, freedom to conduct whatever experiment you want to experiment, freedom to become a monk, etc. There's a freedom to think and believe whatever you want to believe... the freedome to seek Truth... and I think that's inherent in the "Indian" being... not a result of any political policy, any system, etc....

Education... my views... I don't know... there's practicality... and then, there's what the world needs... there's trying to acheice Truth. What's the goal of education -- teaching a child that x^10/x^4 reduces to x^6??? Or enabling a child to see the Reality of the world today... opening up the child's eyes to the world around him? For now... this is what I think the goal of education should be - I think the main idea should be to develop those skills, abilities, faculties of a child that will enable them to FREE their mind. Enable them to observe and learn on their own, think on their own, and through this to really get a vision of what Reality is.

What does it mean to "free" one's mind? It means to be able to be constantly aware of the conditioning that is bombarding our minds - from advertisements, to media, to even parents, and education! Once we are cleared of all this conditioning, we'll begin seeing the Reality of the world around us. (These skills of observation and awareness can be brought about through education) Once one realizes their relation with all human beings and with all of nature, they'll begin to care about the disorder of the world. (Sensitivity, the reality of our relationships with each other and with nature can be brought about through education) Once Reality is seen, once the disorder of the world is realized, one can then creatively come to solutions. (Creativity and problem solving can be brought about through education).

Or... we can just come up with better methods to teach math, science, english, history, geography, etc.. and just be happy with that. =) (sarcasm) I'm not knocking it... because I think these "better methods" are developing VARIOUS faculties of the mind of the child - multiple intelligences, different ways of learning, etc..... but, there's still something missing. Maybe it's the actual content that needs to be changed? Maybe it is the methodology... maybe we have to teach through things that are more REAL... not books, workbooks, chalkboards, toys, etc.

I don't know.... this is where I'm at right now.

Then, there's another side of me that says.. maybe I need to go teach somewhere for a year or two.... soo, I really know what it's all about....

go Bruins

2006-03-11T21:56:00.000+05:30

Go Bruins.

Globalization = Exploitation ?

2006-03-06T11:44:00.000+05:30

I wrote the following ideas and thoughts down in my journal towards the end of November.

There’s exploitation in this world. And it is driven by the consumerism. The culture that is marketed by the large companies, and that we now take as a “given”.

You can see a previous blog entry and find examples… Coca-Cola, prawn farming, etc.

Now, there are various angles one can attempt to tackle this problem. One is from “bottom” up… educate the villagers in a local context about the situation of the world today, and possible decisions that they will have to make. They must be educated on what exactly is going on and has been going on in their locality, or localities LIKE theirs, what possibly could happen in their locality… AND how this ties in with GLOBALIZATION, CAPITALISM, etc. When the Coca-Cola factory was built, do you think the villagers knew that all their ground-water was going to be used up? Two is a dialogue with the decision-makers of huge corporations like Coca-Cola… and see if a dose of humanism works (probably not). Three is the “top” down approach. Consumers have to put pressure on huge corporations. If consumers stop buying products and put real pressure, then corporations have to change their ways.

For the “top” down approach, as well, education is the key. People just aren’t aware of what’s going on. Mainstream media doesn’t share these stories because they are often controlled by a lot of these large corporations as well.

There needs to be people that are doing research and work on each of the different issues/companies/products (prawn farming, sweat shops, Coca-Cola, etc.), and conduct studies in ALL parts of the world that this is occurring. The opposing point-of-view, that of the company’s, must be listened to and understood as well… if, for nothing else, to formulate stronger arguments. Some group then needs to collaborate the individual efforts of people researching individual products and/or companies, and then publish it, and get the word out. At least people would be more aware… maybe a 9-11 type documentary?

Some sort of list of products (clothes, foods, appliances, raw materials, etc.), and what the REAL costs of these products are needs to be created. When someone buys a shirt at Macy’s, they should know all the REAL human costs of that shirt, and make an educated decision on whether to buy it or not.

Hopefully, naturally… this awakening would be SO broad and effect so many industries that people will begin to realize that the entire base of today’s capitalism is FALSE (limited resources – unlimited desires), UNSUSTAINABLE, and is having negative effects on nature, people in other parts of the world, our minds (conditioning through advertising), etc. We are not in competition for a limited amount of resources, and, therefore, do not have to grab as much as we can. By doing this for our own security and “happiness”, we are not leaving enough for others... we’re grabbing their share, as well. Resources are abundant for everyone and naturally recycle if we don’t mess with their cycles, and our needs ARE limited. Many people have shown that there is plenty of food in the world for everyone, plenty of resources from everyone – but the problem is in the systems we currently live by... the systems that determine the distribution of these goods. In the name of “capitalism”, we are paying little attention to the destruction of our resources.

And, I really think that the U.S. could be the MAJOR player in this movement… in this understanding – as there are a lot of people that ARE socially-minded and justice-minded, but right now, the power lies in the hand of those with $$$. However, in the U.S. and with the use of alternate mass media tools, such as the internet, where money isn’t an issue, an awakening can begin.

To have a global, united front (from top down, and bottom up) that has a vision of a more just, natural, and cooperative system of sustenance… and has the understanding of Gandhiji’s SATYAGRAHA – that would be incredibly powerful.

When you see small steps… such as the Coca Cola situation… “bottom” up, there have been massive protests here in India, and one factory was shut down in South India. “Top” down there have also been boycotts of Coca-Cola in the U.S. on this issue, for example at the University of Michigan. I begin thinking that there is a way…
All the information and research needs to be put together without propoganda, but with facts. The universal nature of this understanding… how any and all religions would support this understanding… needs to be clearly delineated. And also, there has be a think tank of minds from around the world to come up w/ a new method for distribution of goods – the problem may not be with capitalism… capitalism may work… but is must be an AWARE capitalism… a capitalism based in humanism… aware of society at large (world society), nature, and oneself.

Write me?

2006-03-03T12:23:00.000+05:30

So, I’m finally in one place, and I’ll probably be here for a while… at LEAST a few months. I’m at this org. called SIDH (www.sidhsri.com), and it seems like an almost ideal situation for me.

The main reason for this blog is that since I will finally be in one place for a while, you can finally send me that letter (or birthday card... wink, wink) that you’ve been wanting to send me!

Here is the address:

SIDH Bodhigram
Kempty via Mussoorie 248179
Tehri, Garwal
Uttaranchal Pradesh, INDIA

Also, if you’re in India… this place is absolutely gorgeous (up in Himalayas), and the culture in this region is awesome – lots of song and dance, terrace farming on the mountains…. And the org. is doing some cool work, and I like their vision…. So, if you’re in India, let me know when you’re coming up here. =)

I'll get a phone number that you can call me at, soon.

Tenzin-ji

2006-03-03T12:20:00.000+05:30

So, the same day I arrived at SIDH with my parents, this man by the name of Tenzin Rigzin also arrived. On first appearance, he looked like a Buddhist monk – wore red robes, seemed a bit to himself. I love getting to know the stories of people like this. Our first night together at SIDH, we had a long chat… and, whatever I remember of his story, I will tell it here:

His dad was in the military and was an engineer. Being in the military, he had to move the family around a lot. Tenzin was actually born in Baroda. They were a well-to-do family, and he went to these English-medium schools… where, basically, the kids were “made to export”. They were trained so they could get the best chance at those overseas jobs… or to study overseas. As Tenzin put it, his path was either an NRI (non-resident Indian) or NIR (non-Indian resident… working for some foreign company in India). As he was growing up, he was really good with electronics and would fix things around the house, and was a bit of a “whiz kid”. After finished school (12^th grade), he actually wanted to go study abroad in the U.S.A…. so, he applied to all the top-notch Ivy-leauge schools. Maybe a little overconfident… he didn’t get into any of them. He was shocked a bit at the rejections, and thought, “Next time, I’ll be in a situation where they can’t reject me.

As he was studying in 10^th, 11^th, 12^th… he saw how things were getting more cut-throat and competitive. Friends would be competing against each other and no one would have just “normal friend” conversations – everything was about math or exams, etc. All of this didn’t sit too well with him, as he saw all the back-stabbing, cheating, etc. involved. To go into engineering or science fields.. it’s really competitive out here. He decided that he didn’t want to study Engineering, like everyone expected him to. Instead, he wanted to study English.. Literature. He calls this the biggest bomb that he laid on his parents… because they were so sure that their little whiz kid would become an engineer, get a good job, make a lot of money.. and maybe even get the chance to go overseas! There ended up being a lot of tension and disappointment in the house. As his parents, they still supported him financially, during his studies.

So, he went to Delhi University, and was doing really well in school. His parents saw that he was doing really well… and got new aspirations… now, he could get a good gov’t. job with the civil service and be settled, and secure, etc. After finishing his B.A., he went on to get his M.A. at Jawarhal Nehru University… a top-notch school in Delhi that basically runs along the same lines as an American university… with more choices for the student, etc. There was a point that he was feeling guilty about using his parents’ money for his education… but he justified it to himself… only a couple more years, it’s okay. During these college years… he began getting used to living a very expensive and extravagant lifestyle. As he neared graduation, he began to worry about finding a job that would support his lifestyle.

He started working two jobs in Delhi – an editorial job, and some other job… but, even so, he couldn’t maintain his lifestyle. He decided to go back home to Hyderabad, where he found a marketing job, and, from his parents, he now received this new found respect from because he was an “earning man”. He was making a good amt. Of money, and didn’t have to spend on food & lodging because he ws living at home. But, he was also working long hours, 7 days a week, and didn’t even have time to spend the money that he was earning. Soon… things started to get to him again. Honesty has always been his knack… and he saw all the lies and dishonesty in the workplace. He’d be telling 10 lies a day, schmoozing w/ the boss, screening phone calls, etc.. just to get ahead… and he started seeing the reality of the whole “rat-race”. Previously, he had received a fellowship to continue his studies at IIT Delhi, so, at this time, he decided to leave his job and continue his studies. Tenzin wanted that extra time to ask the “whys” – time to reflect on what he was doing, why he was doing it, etc… and he never really saw the time nor the space to do this while working.

At IIT Delhi, he had this professor that would connect Gandhian thinking and spirituality w/ engineering topics… and this shook Tenzin up. – “What do these things have to do with science?” Tenzin grew up in an a-religious family, and since he was a child, he claimed that he was an atheist and was proud of it. He believed that spirituality, religion, and “all that” were for those that weren’t rational, that didn’t think clearly, that were confused and superstitious. But here.. he saw this professor that was confident, brillian, and definitely clear-minded… yet, he called himself a neo-Gandhian and connected spirituality with engineering? Along with this professor, Tenzin was also introduced to many strong personalities who were doing work outside the “system”, people that really seemed to be doing something of value with their life, and weren’t caught up in the “rat race”. He met these people through various clubs and orgs. on campus. While at IIT, he first was introduced to Jeevan Vidya… but at that point, he wasn’t ready to listen, as he just saw them as another club on campus. He didn’t pay much attention to them… but, overall, his interest in spirituality grew. He started reading various books that were in the IIT library. Partly because there were many books on Buddhism in the library & partly because Buddhism appeals to the rational mind, he started getting interested in it.

Through a club on campus, he got the chance to live for one month in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Dharamsala (where the Dalai Lama stays). As he was living there, he thought… “wow, this monastic life is pretty cool. It’s nott too strict, you can leave the monastery & do things for society… and you can focus on studies and have time to think at the monastery, etc.” He soon made up his mind to become a monk, and was ordained by the Dalai Lama into the order as a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Even after becoming a monk… he was at the point of “what next?” He met a man (whose name I forgot…) that was an activist and, at the time, leading a “tree-huggers” movement to save forests from getting cut down. He was also involved in protesting the building of the Tehri Dam (see …). When Tenzin visited this site, he got involved in the protest movement as well… and ended up staying there for one year. He got caught up in it.. but, in the end, realized that this life of protests and all wasn’t for him. But, it was a good experience… the area was a very “tribal” area… he had to learn how to tough it out in the jungle.. no running water, no electricity, etc…. this was a far cry from his extravagant living style he enjoyed during his college days.

After this episode, again.. what next? He had heard of a large monastery just 10 k away from Benares. He decided to go check it out. At this point, he was living a very simple life-style and had only 3000 rps. In his bank account. He stayed at the guest house of this monastery for about a week… and started to worry a bit – “what now? These people aren’t going to let me stay in the guest-house forever.” He saw that the school needed an English and a computers teacher… so he went to the “principal” and told him his situation – “I have very little money… I can teach English or Computers, and in return all I would need is a room to stay in.” After a couple days, he got a letter saying that he was appointed as a temporary teacher and was to receive a 1700 rupee monthly salary. At this point – this was a huge sum of money to him, because he was used to living a very simple life. He didn’t know what to do w/ all the money. He didn’t believe in saving money… as who knows what nefarious things the bank is doing with that money, and money can be the root of downfalls. He soon became very involved in the school life & student life… gaining various positions such as dean of the students hostel, leader of xyz club, etc, and soon, he gained tenureship – 15000 rupees/month salary – gov’t job. Whoa! Again – what do to do with all this money!? He set-up various scholarships for the students and spent the money on various social projects, as well.

As he stepped back and took time to think about thing… he saw that the life at the monastery wasn’t very different from the rat-race of the corporate life – there was competition at every level, schmoozing, politics, etc. Eveytime he would try to change something, he was met w/ resistance. Finally, he had enough… he resigned and left w/ a bas taste in his mouth.

Again, what next? He feels that he probably should have gone home to think things over, etc. However, he was at the point in his relationship w/ his parents where he didn’t feel like he could go home. They didn’t really know nor understand who he was… and, in reality, he didn’t really know either. Often, he had been told… that if you’re not happy… then study some more. So, then he went to Pune to study Sanskrit & linguistics. And after a year or two, he completed it.

Again.. what next? He got a call from the Monastery… asking him if he knew of anyone that could teach English, as they still hadn’t adequately filled his vacancy. He thought about it, and said, “yeah.. me.” But, this time, he went in w/ a different mindset – he wouldn’t get involved in the life on campus, he would live off campus, and he was just doing it for the livelihood. So, he went back.. while he was teaching.. he also started an ashram near the there with some of his colleages and friends (www.vidhyaashram.com).

There was a teachers’ training workshop at SIDH a couple of years ago… and Tenzin attended this training. Here was once again introduced to thos involved with Jeevan vidya… but, this time… he was really impressed by what they had to say, and by the people themselves… Ransinhgji, Ganeshji, Pawanji, etc… He saw the assurance and clarity w/ which they spoke, and they seemed to have answers to all his questions and everything seemed logical, and made sense. At that point, his curiosity and interest in JV grea – over the last couple years, he has done a couple of JV shibhirs and has started to study the proposal and check it through his experience, in depth. And, for the first time… he feels that he has discovered something of value. Before, people on the streets wuld often stop him and ask him, “Please, tell me something.” Basically.. walking around in a monk’s rover, this is what happens sometimes, and people expect Tenzin to give them some words of advice on what they should do w/ their life. Before, he would never really have anything tot ell them. Now, though, he says, he is able to confidently and with ease, answer their questions…

He continues to work at the monastery, but says in one year time that he is going to leave & then pursue only work that is consistent with his pursuit of understanding Reality, understanding Truth.

Here at SIDH

2006-03-03T12:14:00.000+05:30

To learn more about SIDH… visit their website at www.sidhsri.com. The website isn’t completely updated, but it’s good.

So, why is this the perfect situation for me?

1) I want to clarify my thoughts on education, on what education should be, and that basically has been SIDH’s goal for the last 15 years.

2) I don’t just want the theoretical, but I want to see the real thing. SIDH runs schools – the real thing.

3) I want to be involved in the process of making new, big ideas into reality. Pawanji has already told me that if I’m serious… we can start formulating our ideas of what education should be (methods and content), and aim at opening a completely independent school in 5 years. (currently all the SIDH schools still take the board exams, so they still have to teach toward those… because they have to consider the villagers desires, as well).

4) I’m on a similar wavelength, thought-wise, with Pawanji and Didi. They say that over the years, their 3 biggest influences on their thinking have been Swadhyay, Vipassana, and Jeevan Vidya.

5) I’m in a GORGEOUS setting, up in the mountains with nature, with not many of the distractions of city-life. I can wake up early and do pranayam, yoga/exercise, meditate, wash my clothes, sweep my room… all those little things. I can find time to read. I still have my Ipod that I listen to, and they do have a TV if I so desire to watch… like a little of the India-England match.

6) The teachers at the school are btwn. the ages of 25-30, so I am surrounded with people my age.

7) Just a couple days ago, an American, Jay Davidson, came in. He’s from San Francisco and is a retired teacher. So, now, whenever I have the urge to speak American English… I got a partner. It’s also interesting to hear all his insights on teaching, education, etc. as he taught for 30-35 years.

8) There are a lot of different things that I’m already getting involved in – I took classes today in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th, and will be taking them for the next 2 days… substitute teacher. It’s an English class… but still a Hindi-medium school. My Hindi’s definitely getting better though… but, again… this being my first times in front of a classroom, it’s tough. I’m also a translator here… now that Jay’s here. I am also a Hindi teacher for Jay, and an English teacher for all the SIDH staff. I am also the videographer for the upcoming “Herbal and Natural Medicine Workshop for Local Women”. Etc.. so, there are definitely things that I can do day-to-day around here… while I observe, learn, experience, discuss, formulate, etc.