India - 2009-2010

Please visit www.pramalinindia.blogspot.com where I am sharing my recent experiences in India as an Indicorps Fellow.  Content on this blog is out of date (although still interesting!).

Indicorps /// Service for the Soul

The Indicorps fellowship is a profound personal experience and an opportunity to understand participatory development through intense voluntary service. The structured program encourages participants to leave their comfort zones, place others' interests before their own, test their own potential to affect change, explore their relationship with India, and understand what it means to lead by committing themselves to innovative grassroots projects. Indicorps believes that giving one's time and energy, without any attachment to the outcome, regardless of the circumstances, is an unparalleled personal experience in service. At the same time, the fellowship is a chance for fellows to address their own identity, recognize their personal boundaries, and understand how to produce change in their environment(s). The fellowship is deeply rewarding, a transformational and challenging personal journey, and part of Indicorps’ collective experiment for change.

Approach to development:
Indicorps’ approach to development involves a total investment of body, mind and soul into the process of “being the change.” Fellows take individual personal responsibility to execute and complete projects, defined in partnership with local development organizations, that address particular community challenges. Recognizing the project as a foundational cornerstone or platform for change, Indicorps pushes fellows to actively test their and creatively explore the possibilities of community-oriented leadership.

More about the Fellowship program:
The first month of the fellowship involves an -intense, physically and mentally rigorous, month-long orientation to India, the Indicorps philosophy, and practical living. In conjunction with grassroots fieldwork, Indicorps also requires fellows to attend periodic workshops that encourage participants to deepen their understanding of Indian development, to reflect, to share progress, to collectively solve problems, and to re-energize. Some fellows opt for a second year to broaden their understanding of development and take leadership in managing projects or Indicorps programs.

The fellowship has stringent documentation requirements and promotes self-accountability. The program is carefully crafted to consider long-term impact and to defy common critiques of both international volunteers and the organizations with which they work.

Indicorps provides a nominal stipend to enable fellows to live simply and work in India for the duration of their fellowship. Basic room, board, and fellowship-related travel are covered by Indicorps or the local project partner organization. Indicorps is a total immersion program and encourages fellows to be a part of their communities to the greatest extent possible - including attempting to live within the means of their location.

Melting in India....

So, it’s been two weeks since I arrived here in Ahmedabad and it has been HOT. Currently around 38 degrees and rising…!

I have had sufficient time to settle in and I’m now getting stuck into various projects here at Manav Sadhna. My accommodation, although basic, is full of life. Waking up to the sound of peacocks, I would walk down stairs from my second floor room (with a fan to keep me cool) around the front where the regular peacocks would be roaming, to the backyard, past the Gaushala (Cow home) to the reach the outdoor bathrooms / sinks where I freshen up, shower etc.

Letting go of many of the luxuries I’ve become accustomed to has been an integral part to making India my new home. Rooms are quite dusty and things aren’t usually spotlessly clean (although relatively hygienic). People have been very friendly and welcoming. I’m sharing my room with Simon, an Australian Architect who has come to help out on design projects building pre-schools for 5 weeks – I’ve ended up helping him out by acting as a translator with his builders!

Manav Sadhna family is very warm, led by Jayeshbhai and Virenbhai. Every morning, there is a Prathna at 10.45am – and that’s about it for organisational planning. In fact, Jayeshbhai calls Manav Sadhna an Unorganised Organisation. It’s more of a ‘flow’ where volunteers and people come, serve, leave, come back… etc. No particular structure or project definitions, targets or deadlines. I.e. the opposite to what I’m used to back in the UK, therefore it’s taken a while to just relax and go with the ‘flow’.

Food here has been great – as you’d expect. I’m eating well and drinking lots of water, so health has been fine. The odd few mosquito bites but other than that, I’m good. It is hard to get good sleep sometimes, especially when it’s hot in the room and you’re sleeping on the floor. The ceiling fan feels like a fan heater on full heat!

Projects that I’m working on include building a walkway at a recently renovated Blind School, supporting Health Projects / awareness camps, working on constructing pre-schools, and each evening, I’m volunteering at Seva Café. Seva Café is an initiative born out of Manav Sadhna to promote the experience of selfless service and paying it forward. Guests come to eat, they are greeted and served in line with the Indian saying “Guest is God” and then when it is time to leave, they choose what they want to pay. The concept being, that the person before you paid for the food you are eating today and your contribution goes towards the next days food. Volunteering there is hard work… first time I went, I was washing dishes for 4 hours, and the last time, I was co-ordinating orders with the canteen staff! Crazy and busy, but lots of fun and meeting new people all the time.

Although I’ve only been here for a short time, I’m learning a lot about life in India and about myself. I’m missing family and friends a lot however, there are many good friends here to visit when I do feel home sick (Thanks Sunilbhai!).

Photo of me and Sunil bhai after Holi Festival!

INDIA 2009

I have set up another page to update on my time in India. I fly on 28 February 2009 and hope to volunteer for 3-4 months before looking for longer term projects.

Keep up to date here: www.pramalinindia.blogspot.com

Volunteering at Manav Sadhna, Ahmedabad

From 1 March 2009, I will be a volunteer at an NGO based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India). Called Manav Sadhna (meaning 'service to mankind'), it is located on the outskirts of the Ramapir no Tekra (one of Gujarat's largest slums).

As I'm sure by now, most of you will have seen or heard of Slumdog Millionaire, you will be able to conjucture up images of what this experience may be like. Although dramatised somewhat, it is still a city slum that I will be based at. The work / service required will vary from spending time supporting children's education programmes to developing sanitation facilities in difficult areas of the slum. As I'm quite new to this, I am still unsure exactly what I'll be doing - all I know is that my sleeves will be rolled up and ready to help out as much as possible where ever the need may be!

Ahmedabad is a very cosmopolitan city, once being the capital of the state of Gujarat. It has a bustling culture with vibrant shops and places to see/visit. I've been there twice as part of the Learning Journey (YouTube Promo), an 8-day social development trip I co-organised last year. This is one of the main reasons for my growing affection for this place!

(Photo: Running a discussion session in India with Learning Journey Group, Sept 08)

To read about more about Learning Journey visit my other blog.

World Economic Forum 2009

The World Economic Forum is currently happening in Davos, Switzerland. An annual gathering, this has become a meeting point for international leaders, politicians and change-makers.

One of my favourite authors, Benjamin Zander (author of Art of Possibility) speaks on "Managing Complexity: A Different Approach".

Please visit the webcast of his very amusing and insightful session here: WEBCAST. Ben talks about living with possibility and uses similar ideas from the Landmark Forum. One of the quotes I like from his father - "There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing".

Ben talks about three ways to react to the future and expands further as he speaks:

1. Resignation
2. Anger
3. Possibility

I hopefully will add more notes once I get a chance! From understanding assumptions holding us back to thinking outside the box, this is a very inspiring session.

How to move from a downward spiral to realm of possibility.