Poof-Off Again!

I am going back to my field area again (Basavakalyan) :)

I am going all alone with no one to guide me this time :(

It has always been my dream to travel in the heart of rural India alone :)

The temperature in Basavakalyan is going to hit 40 :(

I am eager to meet the children at the orphanage and also Malgudi type uncle-Kishan Kaka :)

My trip got planned after a lot of anxious moments as I couldn't find a field assistant :(

I have now found 3 field assistants and I hope I get along with them :)

My bags are yet to be packed, I have to make photocopies of my questionnaires, I have to have one last discussion with my advisor and I don't know the pick up point of my bus :(

But I know that the journey is more that 13 hours and I don't have my berth on the wheel this time :)

Though I am leaving in a rush, I still feel that I am much better prepared than last time :)

Children in an Indian Village

Place- Sastapur Village,
Basavakalyan Taluka,
Bidar District,
Karnataka, India

I have been meaning to pen down my thoughts about my time spent in my study area since a very long time but somehow the words wouldn't flow out straight. I saw a lot of things and and it somehow confused me. I went down to field with no pre-conceived notions. My advisor had warned me innumerable number of times to get rid of any biases that I may possess.

Happy..Simple joys

The NGO that hosts me also runs an orphanage. This is not any 'ordinary' orphanage in the real sense of the term. The children who live here are either school dropouts, or children who work as labour on farms or children who are just too poor enough to afford going to school. And these children are around 25 boys ranging from 5 years to 14 years. The NGO trains them for a year and then helps them with admissions into primary schools. Girls still don't have the privilege to be a part of such an institution as it is difficult to convince the parents that girls also need to study. It is indeed a luxury to go to school when one can rather contribute by earning wages by working on the fields. 

The day begins for them at 5 am. They get up with a lot of clamour as all children do and start rushing off to start the day's work. They have to clean the compounds, bring in the vegetables, wash the rice (in a huge cauldron like vessel), wash their clothes and then take a bath at the community tap. Then at 8 they start their breakfast after a quick prayer to Annadatta. It's time for studies after this which continues till lunch time.

Bathing!

After lunch they have some respite from the rigor of their studies and they sit around trying to complete some sums or just 'read'. It sure was fun to watch them play kabaddi one evening. By 5 it's again back to studies till 10 in the night with a short break for dinner. The kids are a disciplined lot. They obey their master who doesn't refrain from using his cane liberally. They fear their elders and flinch when spoken to. 

Prayers before dinner

I looked at the kids hard for 2 days before I ventured out to speak and play with them. I could only think that city kids are such a privileged lot and I was so thankful that I was lucky enough to receive the 'benefits' of living in a city and well, not a life like these kids.

On my last night I was invited to teach the children some English so that it would inspire them to keep trying to learn it. The logic being that an outsider would have greater impact on the kids rather than someone close harping about its importance day in and day out. I hesitated at first thinking that I didn't in any way want to play a part in already burdening the children but after some insistence I gave in and went.

It was 10 pm. The kids looked dead sleepy to me. A bunch of 5 kids were made to sit upfront because they were 'better' in English that the rest of the class. I mulled over what to teach such a lot because I was sure that hardly anything would make sense to them when all they wanted to do was sleep. Having no choice I started by telling them about seasons. The response was overwhelming. I could see no trace of their sleepiness and they were just so eager to soak in any bit of knowledge that came their way. Maybe the night was playing games with me.

In the classroom

The kids were very willing to sing songs so we started with Jack and Jill and Hum honge kaamyaab. And they just loved it. They followed the tone of my voice and the actions of Jack and Jill sent them into thrills.

Song singing-still looking fearful

Before leaving one boy who was 'better' at English asked me, "Tumchya sarka English bolayla kay karava lagta?" That is the point when a lot of conflicting emotions hit me-I was so touched and glad they they have the hunger to learn and yet saddened by the fact that though the hunger exists, the opportunities were not going to be easy to come by.

I say this because they previous day in one of the villages I saw one kid in his uniform roaming in the village while the rest of the children were in school. I asked him why he wasn't in school. Pat came the reply, ''Today I had to go on the field to work with my parents''.

Though these kids will be sent to school in June, there is no guarantee that they will remain in school. For most it will be back to the fields. 

The Story of the Garbage and Open Sewers | iJanaagraha

The Story of the Garbage and Open Sewers | iJanaagraha

A piece that I wrote. Check the link.

The Forest People

My interest in knowing the lives of field assistants began in December when I met Karan in the Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary a.k.a Indira Gandhi Wildlife Park. Karan is a forest guard and also doubles up as a guide and a field assistant according to demand. He is adept at guiding people and helping them spot wildlife. He knows the roosting spots of birds, the time a particular bird is expected to  give out it's call and thus is of tremendous help to visitors and scientists who come to study and learn about the forest. We started conversing when I had to play translator for our group leader who would speak in English and Karan who would speak in Tamil. He was very surprised by the fact that I was born in Maharashtra and yet could speak Tamil.

In conversation with Karan

Karan is as dark as the night as his teeth are yellow and betel stained. He has an air of pride about himself and a quiet confidence. Pride because his years spent in the forests has made him indispensable to the many scientists and students that come to the forest for research and wildlife trails. He could 'hear' sounds before any of us could even sense the presence of any movement. He could spot birds so well camouflaged with his old but sharp eyes. We got talking eventually and he told me that visitors are so impressed with his skills that they most of them have present him with bird books, binoculars and other paraphernalia when they leave. These people have respected him. He said that though he cannot read or write English he has picked up enough from the visitors and now he has even taught himself to read so that he could make use of the Bird books. Karan was born and brought up in the Annamalai Forest and he knows every inch of the forest like the back of his hand.

He has made sure that his 2 children are well educated. He takes great pride in the fact that his elder daughter has completed her B.Ed and his younger son studies 'properly' in school. He is also happy with his life. He doesn't ever want to leave the forest he says but he also doesn't want his son to end up like him. He wants a better job and future for his son and daughter.

Once he came with us into the interior of the Forest to the Elephant Camp and then back again to our camp site in the bus. Night had set in by then and the forest took on a scary and mysterious appearance. Shadows seemed longer, menacing and threatening. Annamalai was playing up to its reputation of being the dark forest that it was, abiding with hidden secrets. He then told me that now he has to again go back to the camp on foot. The distance was more than 10 kms and then night seemed deadly cold. He said that he will enjoy the walk back and all I could think was how brave he was!

Karan also made sure to train his juniors who accompanied with him. He would teach them to hear calls and would also scold them in a fatherly manner if they wouldn't walk lightly like him. It was evident that they were not from the forest like him. He would then crack jokes with them and they all would listen when he would speak. 

People like him are indispensable for researchers and people who come on nature trails. Scores of dissertations are completed because of them. Their income also depends on research projects which again are time-bound. I wondered how they supplement their meagre income when projects wind-up and finish. They deserve much more recognition than a fluctuating supply of cash and a passing reference in the acknowledgements section.

The day we left Karan wasn't around and so I couldn't tell him goodbye. I wanted to tell him that I was really grateful for the time he spent with us. He had given me a lot to think about and I realised that the forests speak to us through them..and thus we learn.

3 weeks in Bangalore and counting

Nothing can be more exciting than moving to a new city. The 3 S's (sights, sounds and smells) have to be imbibed all over again. I set off on my new city mission just a couple of days into the new year so moving into a new city was doubly exciting. Too much new stuff.
As I journeyed from Bangalore City Railway Station to Shrirampur I was thrilled by the bustling in the city. I was eager to dump all my luggage and jump off and go exploring. All the new routes to be learnt, quaint shops to be chanced upon, favourite places to be discovered. Aaah each thought set me up on a high.
My weekdays are very busy here. Every morning my roomie and me set off at 9.00 am to catch our shuttle bus for work. It makes us feel very important because we both are playing adults now. From buying our groceries, cooking, going for work and all in all we are carrying an important air about us. Smug really. I too have gotten more responsible. I can't seem to find trace of the lazy bum that I left home. I get up early, prepare my breakfast, clean my room and am always ready on time. My mum's efficiency has left it's mark on me. Thanks mum.
The weekends are a different story all together. The days are spent roaming the length and breadth of some place till my legs give way. The first weekend my friend and me had a leisurely brunch at the IISc Prakurthi Canteen and watched some monkeys play haovoc with food. Later we ambled all over Malleshwaram. We found a second hand bookstore and I bought a Wodehouse and English, August for myself-something that I had been waiting to read since a very long time. We ate yummy apple cakes and bought Moong Dal Halwa from Asha Sweets (Yum Yum!).  And later we rested in Sankey Tank looking at the water and the birds and gossiping after a very long time. My day was made.
The next weekend my roomie and I set off to Shivajinagar. Here too we roamed all over Commercial Street, Brigade Road and Chuch Road in search of the elusive Blossoms Bookstore. We tired out eventually with no luck and then we chanced upon Russel Market. I couldn't resist and plunged inside. And we again out on our adult demeanours to shop and bargain for some veggies. The day was awesome all in all.
And yesterday I finally met my sister. Co-incidentally we both got to work in the same city for the same time period. Real Sisters ??? :) She took care of me like always and I became her baby sister again. Now once again I'm off to be wrapped up under her wing again. Sisters are the best darlings in the world. Nothing comes close.