A Day with the Aasraa Trust, Part 1 - The Hard Part

Twice now I have lost the draft of this blog post! It really has been the hardest to write!

Dehradun was a city not initially in our itinerary, but when Susan mentioned the possibility earlier in the year of visiting the slum areas and the schools that support them, we were all in. Personally for me, this was always going to be a highlight of the trip, but I don't think I realised the extent the impact of the experience was going to have on me. It will be enduring.

In listening to Susan across the days, I had tried, prior to visiting the slums, to get a picture of what life is like for these children. Begging for slum (and other) children is seen as a vocation, and we learned that by giving money to the children, we are compounding the problem and reinforcing the cycle that needs to be broken. We met one boy on our journey who could converse in four languages; he was a smart boy -  but he had learned the languages to charm and get money off the tourists at the spot he worked. He was not interested in the food we offered him, and neither was going to school (other than Koran school) an option for him.

To give context to our experience, lets first look at the Aasraa Trust, and what it does. It's truly amazing. We were so fortunate to meet Neelu, the inspiration behind the programmes. Neelu started teaching small groups of slum children on a blanket in the street next to the slums several years ago. 

Neelu then met Shaila, an Indian who had lived and worked abroad for years, and had returned to Dehradun. Shaila was able to provide financial backing though the Aasraa Trust which had actually been established by her parents for precisely this type of work (so my research tells me). Since 2009 what has been achieved by the work of Neelu, Shaila and the trust is incredible. They now have 21projects  running across the city. 

Information I have been sent about the trust best describes its vision:

"Aasraa has a vision of life with dignity for our children from the streets and slums of Dehradun. The cycle of poverty needs to be broken. We believe that the outside intervention needed to break this cycle for these children is education; education and vocational training combined with health care, nutrition, clothing and shelter. This is what we do, daily. We reach out to vulnerable children and we provide opportunity, care and attention to them. This is our mission." children in the slums we visited were often rag pickers, the term coined when children would literally collect rags to reuse is some way, these days they sift through the rubbish and select plastic and other items that can be sorted, bagged up and sent on to the next person in the chain. The value of, or opportunities provided, by education can be mystery to these children and their families.

I am going to write about our time with Aasraa in two parts, firstly The Hard Part (our time in the slums) and the the Hopeful Part, seeing the children in school.

The first part of their work was what enabled our visit to the slums. Its called Outreach, and it is, in effect, community and trust building. Team members go into the slums to meet with the the families in a daily basis. And they round up the children for school.

The first slum we visited was a Brindal slum. We had of course past many slums on our travels by train and van through India, but nothing can prepare you from actually standing amidst one. Approaching Brindal, we walked down a slope and could see nothing but piles of rubbish and refuse. Much of it was in large white bags for collection. Amidst all this was one small child playing in the dust. Neelu extracted from him a razor blade he had been playing with, and explained how important it was that the trust also provides vaccinations. Behind the child in a large pool of mud, two pigs rutted for food. There is, naturally, loads of dust and an unpleasant smell.

As we moved forward a friendly boy came to speak to us, He was 13, he said. He told us his friends were over there gambling. As I approached the groups of boys playing cards with my camera, one became agitated, but when Neelu said I was a teacher, he relaxed somewhat. Another group of boys were playing a game in the sand . Across a small, highly polluted stream were the shelters. Several families were watching us and all ages a greeting and happily looked at and waved for camera. The dwellings were very makeshift and I can only imagine what would happen in the rainy season to this area.

Steph had bought with her an instamatic camera. The young boys crowded around and revelled in getting their picture taken and actually having the proof their to look at. I can't wait to properly edit this photo of the boy who first greeted us, with his photos.

At  the second slum we visited the children as they were coming out to go to school. Several families (women and their children/babies mainly) came to look at us and were quite happy to be photographed. The children were filthy and dishevilled, but the sense of family was strong.

Steph again brought out her instamatic and made photos for the families. One women returned to her dwelling to share a photo of her own... of her son/grandson, not sure which. He was not impressed and grabbed and screwed the photo up before she could show us. He didn't want us to see him as the boy in the photo with a lost leg as the result of a train incident. He wanted us to see the young man with his injury not visible to us. The woman of course, wanted our sympathy... and money.

The whole experience was very confronting. I am still trying to reconcile how humanity as a whole allows places like this to exist. I know India is but one place where people live in a way I could previously not realistically imagine. But now I have seen it and smelled it, heard it and felt it. It makes me think differently, and it will take time to process. Also considering that whilst it's shameful that human beings need to live like this, they 'seem' happy. And what's happy? So many internal questions to churn over in the ensuing months I tell you!

My mood started to change when I saw the children start to walk down the road with the Outreach worker, ready for their journey to school. Their clothes were clean, hair brushed, bags loaded. They walked proudly to the end of the slum road, and then waited, as did we, for th bus to arrive. Towards hope! Look out for Part 2!

Refreshing in Rishikesh

We left our 'hometown' of Delhi early this morning in typical chaotic fashion and travelled 5 hours by train to Haridwar. An erratic one hour-ish drive in a tiny car then took us to the foothills of the Himalayas, and the banks of the Ganges river. Rishikesh, you are a perfectly timed oasis for city weary travelers. 

Now don't get me wrong, each city we have visited has had its own appeal (and challenges) but I find that cities in India in general are a lot more energy sapping for an old girl like me than say, a European city like Rome or Paris. Everything is just so different that my brain is constantly adjusting and readjusting to sensitise myself to what I am experiencing as everyday normality here. Add to that the heat, the noise and the sheer volume of people in the cities and I think it would be fair to say that for all six of us, time in Rishikesh is just what the doctor ordered. The pace is slower, the air is cooler, there's green to look at and the spiritual vibe is all encompassing. 

Rishikesh is known as the pilgrimage town and is of extreme holy significance to the Hindu. Already we have watched as streams of pilgrims cross the swing ridge in foot to visit the amazing temple directly across from our accommodation. 

It is also a place where many Sadhu (a holy person who has renounced the worldly life) gather in their distinctive orange clothing, so we will definitely be looking to photograph a few of them tomorrow (for a price). Many old pilgrims also live here, coming to end there days in this holy place. A donation for a photography for them is a given. 

Rishikesh is also well known for its yoga schools, and was the place where the Beatles spent timewith a  famous Yogi in 1968, which in turn influenced their music for that period (I'm singing my all time favourite Beatles' song as I type... Across the Universe...  "Jai Garu deeeeevaa, oommmmmm)***

We took a stroll around the streets across the river after lunch (Rishikesh is meant to be vegan, but doesn't appear strictly so) to orient ourselves to where to capture sunrise photos in the morning.., not necessarily of the sunrise itself, but of the cleansing and other rituals that happen on the banks of the Ganges. Later in the day we are going to walk 2km upstream to watch a traditional aarti ceremony.

Rishikesh is also renowned for its aggressive monkey population. They gather around the bridge area to prey on the Hindu people in particular, who are taking food offerings across to the temple. We saw them in action in the late afternoon as we sat at a cafe of sorts for an afternoon drink. But anyone with food is fair game. Unfortunately before that, one of our party experienced their stealing abilities first hand. Poor Justine had her prized mango stolen as she approached the bridge. It would be fair to say the attack was quite traumatising for her and has us all on high alert. We now know to never walk with any food, and have been advised to keep our heads down and walk purposefully on and around. They actually hang out on our balcony too, and quite a nasty character had to be scared off earlier in the day. Hopefully the monkey business stays well away from us from now on.

In the late afternoon we photographed the temple and its reflection in the river before dinner listening to the chants and ceremonial song from the temple a r ss the water. Refreshing indeed. 

Note: I finally tried a masala tea today... It's a regular drink for many of the girls, and I'd stuck to coffee up till now. Verdict? Interesting and may try again 😉

**** fun fact from song facts.com:

• The refrain "Jai Guru Deva Om" is a mantra intended to lull the mind into a higher consciousness. The words are in Sanskrit, and they mean "I give thanks to Guru Dev," who was the teacher of The Maharishi. The "Om" at the end is the drawn out "oooohm" used in meditation to relate to the natural vibration of the universe. While visiting the Maharishi in Rishikesh, John purchased a set of brass bracelets with the words "Jai Guru Dev" imprinted on them. The bracelets are now in the possession of Julian Lennon and were on display at the "White Feather-The Spirit Of John Lennon" exhibit at the Beatles Story in Liverpool.

A Journey through Jaipur

I write this post as we travel away from three awesome days in Jaipur, back 'home' to Delhi. Our minivan is super comfy and despite a 4:15am rise, my spirits are high after a quick breakfast stop. I thought I had better break the back of this blog post or I will loose track of what we have done, as so much is packed into each day.

Jaipur, the capital of the Rajasthan region, is known as the pink city because of its trademark building colour. There are several sites of significance in and around Jaipur, and we visited many of them. The first was the Hawa Mahal, the exterior walls of which feature myriads of small windows (953 according to Wikipedia) designed so the women of the Royal family (read concubines), who were not allowed to be seen by others, to view the outside world.

Late afternoon we wound our way up the hill to the Nahargarh Fort. The vantage point showed the vastness of the sprawling city of Jaipur. It was super hot up there, and although we intended to stay for sunset, the presence of haze suggested we'd be waiting in the heat for little trade off in terms of photography, so we returned to our accommodation, stopping at the Lake Palace (Jal Mahall) on the way. What a vibrant place, shame time was short as there were many characters and beauties to be seen.

Next day (yesterday!) we first visited the Amber Palace, also know as the Amer Fort. Travel to the top cannot be done by car/van. One of our party, Linda, took an elephant with the rest of us grateful that times had changed since Susan's last visit, and that we were able to catch a jeep as opposed to walking in the intense heat! 

The Fort is constructed of Sandstone and marble, and is decorated with incredibly detailed mirror and art effects. It is a stunning place. But oh so hot! We also got our first taste of monkey business at the fort, heeding the warning not to incite them although a local did and freaked a few of us out when one came hurtling our way. I also managed, quite by chance, to catch up with my NZ friend Kathy, who would have thought that would happen in a city with a population nearly as big as our entire country!

On our trip we have now visited three step wells, one in Delhi, one at Abhaneri in Rajasthan, and a third in Jaipur itself. The most impressive of these by far had been Chand Baori at Abhaneri. This amazing structure was built between 800AD and 900 and it's an incredible example on enduring perseverance and resilience. The steep walls without boundaries gave me a bit of vertigo so I wasn't too keen on getting in close. I do have better shots of the green water far below, but I could process them as I'd like in my phone.

Later in the afternoon following our obligatory rest which is crucial in the is heat, we made our way back to the old city for some street action - this was me in my element. I am definitely getting more confident, and in doing so, am getting the connections with people which show in the shot. Town was super busy with a whole lot of Hindu women out in preparation of Husbands' Day today... The festival is called Karwa Chauth (thanks Linda) and offers a long life for husbands... Sari shops were pulsating and up and down the street, women were getting henna designs done.

So many characters to capture in this walk, and I know that once properly edited up, some of these will be eternal personal favourites.

And another enduring memory of Jaipur will be this, a Virgin Mojito (read "Mogeeto). Collectively slugged back a fair few of these at the restaurant atop our accommodation.

Agra and the Taj Mahal

It's just after 5am and I'm stil in bed... Feels like a sleep in. We don't have to leave till 7 today and seeing as my body wants to be awake I will write the blog post I thought I could manage last night but could not. Zzzzzzzzz.

We are leaving Agra today. Have had some incredible, interesting and slightly macabre experiences. I'm leaving feeling like I have ticked a big ticket item off my bucket list, with visiting and photographing the iconic Taj Mahal, which is everything people say about it. It's bloody magnificent. A sunset view from across the river, followed by an early rise to be some of the first in to get some images without myriads of people. 

Our stay here has been refreshing, particularly because our accommodation has been like a real oasis. In an earlier post I wrote I felt like I was in a movie, and here it felt a bit like Eat, Pray, Love. The Coral Court is a home stay which only opened in about the last year. It's bright, vibrant, clean and cool. Our rooms are fab, and we have also taken a few meals here. Each dish is different, and just what Mumma in the kitchen feels like cooking up. At dinner we were given a specialty sweet from Agra - petha - and it was delicious.

Yesterday on our rest day, Susan 2 (not to be confused with Susan he tour leader) and I decided to take a "walk around the block" to get some water and maybe meet some local children. I took with me two small books of stickers to give in exchange for photos. The first kids we met were obviously no stranger to the tourist cameras. Whilst we were probably after candid shots, we got some outrageous posing from the first group of boys we met. Cute and cheeky.

Then I brought out the stickers and within minutes multitudes children had eked from the buildings and I was completely surrounded by out reached hands and calls of "One! One!" I felt like the Pied Piper as I attempted to walk away to get some space, but no.... Even all my best teacher skills could not gain order to proceedings. The number of children had clearly outnumbered the amount of stickers I had, so I walked over to a group of mums in a doorway (we had attracted quite a lot of attention form adults too!) and passed the stickers over for them to hand out. This managed to disperse the crowd, though a few boys continued to follow us and we were rewarded with a few lovely portraits. Job done,

Thanks to Susan2 for the first two photos here.

 

Day Two Khari Baoli Markets, Delhi

It's actually Day Four now, and we are having restful day in Agra. Our mornings have been early (like this morning for early light at the Taj Mahal) and despite my best intentions, blogging at night has just not eventuated as I have been needing to sleep instead. But it's not a bad thing that my body clock seems to be set in 4am to 9 pm.

So I am transporting myself back through our experiences of the past few days. The blogging is as much for me as it is for anyone else who cares to read it, and writing on a day of rest is soothing for me. Helps me make sense of what I have seen and experienced, and also provides me with a memory bank in addition to my photos.

Rewinding to our second day in Delhi seems an age ago. We seem to be packing a lot in, but because breaks are carefully and thoughtfully timed, it's not as overwhelming as it might be if you were trying to do all of these things on the trot.

Day two began with a tuk tuk ride to Khari Boali, the market street of Delhi. Apparently it was a public holiday, and while many things may have not been open, there was still so much to see, do, experience and photograph.

Let's not case it, by New Zealand standards much of Delhi, including the market street, is filthy, smelly, loud, busy, and at the start, a bit intimidating. It wasn't that I felt unsafe, more than it is so vastly different to my normal everyday life. At times I feel like I am in a movie here... 

There was so much to look at that it was difficult to isolate things to photograph. My eye is naturally drawn to people, so that's what I honed in on. I gradually became more comfortable with making eye contact to gain consent for a photo. Most were keen to oblige, some wanted money for it. To be fair, the rupee is worth so little that flinging some cash their way is not a hardship for us, however to maintain the natural balance of things, we've been advised not to over tip or over pay.

It's not hard to get attention though. Being white, a woman and having blonde hair I stick out like the proverbial. I am learning to use that attention to my advantage, and return it with a smile, which is universal. To me in India, a smile and greeting to a man does not seem like it would be taken as anything other than a genuine greeting, and more often than not, is reciprocated with just that.

A highlight of the journey down the street was being invited by a man (for a fee) to traipse up several sets of dark concrete stairs to the rooftop looking over the surrounds. Our intrepid leader Susan said this was the sort of opportunity one dreams of. Not something I would ever have done without her, same with venturing down dark alleyways to photograph the locals hanging out. That seems to be a what a lot of the men do with their day... hang out. Sitting, squatting, standing, lying, chatting... I'm still trying to make sense of the social complexities of India. 

Over the course of time I am getting used to some of the things I found shocking on he first two days. One being the street dogs, thin and in some case emaciated, lame, covered with sores... passive in the day time but apparently can be territorial at night. I don't know why they don't round them all up and euthenise  them, I think it would be kinder. I guess the next question would be, but who would pay for that? Considering the same description could be given for many of people (thin and ill) I doubt the welfare of the dogs is of any priority. 

The sacred cows of course roam freely though the streets. They wander gently with no regard for the beeps, bustle and busyness of the tuk tuks, motorbikes, bicycles and other vehicles that jockey for place and position on seemingly road rules-less streets. But in four days I have seen one minor bump! They obviously happen as the vehicles are dented, but it's a miracle there aren't accidents every ten metres. As our taxi driver (of a real car complete with aircon and plastic still in the seats) said yesterday in India to drive you need three things: Good horn, good brakes and good luck!

Anyway back to Khari Boali. If I get no other decent photos this trip, the black and white portrait of the young man here will keep me happy. And a few other characters who caught my eye.