Summing Up Seva

I closed the Seva chapter of my trip a week ago. It was similar to when I quit work- lots of emotions and feeling a little threadbare after having left everyone. My relationship with India has formed through the lens of service, and my time was spent with Indians who live without the luxury of things I took for granted. I am excited to see family but to some degree I feel like it’s a persona changing experience. The luxuries we claim, as NRIs, are so harshly different from the lives of the people I have interacted with for the past 5 months. I’m not ashamed of the experiences I've been privileged to have in my 25 years of life, rather, I’m struggling with how to let my heart feel comfortable having see the other side of things. Some may say ignorance would have been bliss.

On a positive note (I do still dub myself a realistic optimist), I have loved the experiences of the last five months. I have met so many amazing children and inspiring people. My time has really planted a seed in my heart to return in some capacity and be part of India again.

A few of my most special experiences were eating pani puri roadside with some of the kids and talking to one of the girls about resolving a quarrel with her friends. The friendships built through the Dosti Project have been so incredibly amazing to see and hearing the children scream “Ami-didi” when they saw me are memories that will remain close to my heart. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have spent these five months here. It sounds so cliché but I am pretty sure I gained more from this experience than I was able to give.

All and all one of my biggest lessons learned has been the importance of clarity of heart. My heart and mind were focused on service when I left the states in August. Unfortunately, my first go wasn't as smooth as I would've hoped. The fallout left me in a week-long haze of confusion, but then I found a new organization and miraculously was able to focus back on my original intent. Opportunities presented themselves organically and I was able to persevere through daily obstacles because I had clarity of heart.

Another Dose of Dosti

Tuesday January 8th was our third round of the Dosti program. As a review, 32 children were paired together: one coming from a very humble backgound and living in a hostel in Gandhi Ashram and one from a much more affluent background going to a private school in Ahemdabad. The days together have been quite positive and children have gone from barely talking to giggling together.

While planning the last day with the children living in the ashram shala in Gandhi Ashram, the children suggested a wide array of activities. With the 5 hours they would spend together, the children wanted to play sports, make cards, dance, sing, and water trees. Yes, that's right- one of their ideas to spend their fun time together was water the trees in the ashram. It was very beautiful to hear their idea to do seva. Needless to say, we included that in the program.

Other activities for the day included football (soccer), badminton, rangoli (an artistic creation made from colored powder), a three-legged race, and an introduction to the importance of service. The heartwarming end to the day was hearing some of the girls ask me for a pen so they could write their buddy's phone number in their notebook.

Current Happenings

Over the last three weeks I have tried to find a fit for myself and develop a schedule to engage with the communities which surround the ashram. I have been fortunate enough to see the majority of current projects, ranging from health to education and from children to elderly, and in the last week I've found a space to focus my time.

I have started helping with two community gardens, one in an NGO-constructed center and the other in front of a home in the slum community (Ramapir No Tekro). We are cleaning the spaces and starting to plant okra, tomatoes, cilantro, and eggplant. The garden in front of the family's home is especially important because it has brought five families together and sets an example of teamwork for others in the community. The women have been amazing to work with and the children really love to be involved. There are other families that have already started asking for advice/assistance for the land around their homes.

Also, I've recently started "working" with 10th standard girls from a nearby hostel. In my first meeting with them we created name tags and then they each wrote something nice about each other. It was a nice exercise and I hope it reminded them of their good qualities and gave them a reason to smile (they have such amazing smiles!). 

My most recent engagement has been sitting with widowed maajis (maaji = elderly women) in the slum community and helping them in any way. We tried to offer to help with house work, but they were not having it so now another volunteer and I sit and talk with them while helping them with some of the sewing work they do. It's been a nice way to practice Gujarati and to interact with a part of the community that generally gets forgotten. 

Another totally different thing I'm doing which is more planning focused, as opposed to directly community focused, is create a Dosti (meaning friendship) program. We are inviting 32 7th standard private school students to the ashram to engage with 32 7th standard students from the slum community. Currently thinking of activities that will help create a foundation for a friendship, and fighting the chance of students only focusing on their differences. 

All in all, my key take away from the last few weeks has been to live without a back-to-back schedule and let the day create itself. I still have specific things to do at specific times, but what I'm learning is to let the time between "meetings" exist and to appreciate the moments where anything can happen.

Frequently Asked Questions - Answered

I've tasked myself to define my objectives and hopeful outcomes for the next year to help answer the "why India?," "why now?," "why for a year?," and "what will you be doing there?" questions most people may have. Here we go:

• Why India? - I've always felt like something was missing from my identity. I grew up in Southern California and had a comfortable upbringing. I was fortunate enough to be very close to my family, both nuclear and extended. Spend a good amount of time with both parents, together and individually. Additionally, I was the youngest of all cousins so I was exposed to a wider array of experiences. However, I never have felt very 'Indian'. I didn't take up any Indian dance classes, never really spoke much Gujarati, and for the most part, didn't attend very many Indian functions. To that end, I have always wanted to gain that culture. I've been curious about my roots and paired with a strong interest in philanthropy, I decided that doing some social work in India would be a good fit. 

• Why Now? - I worked for Deloitte for just under 3 years and have honed my ability to work with clients and coworkers. I now understand where I thrive and what challenges me. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Deloitte making lifelong friends and learning life lessons, I began to feel stale and unenergized in the working environment. So, I wanted to till the soil and uproot myself, letting myself thrive within new nutrients. I turn 25 a day before the program begins so I will use the year to test my 25 years of character-building as I adapt to a new culture, community, and climate.

• Why for a year? - Anything shorter would not have done justice to the community or NGO (non-governmental organization). I aim to leave India in July 2013 having become a part of their community as well as having delivered something of value that will benefit the students and faculty at the school. The year will let me experience all the seasons of weather and festivals, as well as give me time to really feel comfortable in my new surroundings. 

• What will you be doing there? - From my current understanding, I will be working with the school faculty to organize and supplement the current math curriculum with career information from the students' parents.  I will split time between being at the school office and traveling to the students' homes to meet and interview the parents. I have a few ideas of projects that I may be able to create, but will learn more about the objectives and challenges when I arrive on-site in September, after the month-long Indicorps orientation. [For my information about my project, click here]

I hope this helped you understand what my next year will entail as well as understand why I am doing it. As always, thank you for your support and love.