Full Circle: A Trip to India

The days have passed quickly. We haven't been here long enough to adjust to the time difference, so once again, we are heading to bed before 9pm and will undoubtedly wake up around 4 or 5am!

We have worked from dawn until dusk - until the natural light of day we used to our advantage for filming and photographs, faded away to night - a constraint that forced us to make the most out of our days. Often, Dominique or Francis would be up and walking about getting early morning shots of the first sunrise and the gentle hues of the rice fields, the mango trees and flower beds that are scattered about the compound. I think we have been blessed to experience rural India. Driving through the streets of Rajahmundry and Kakinada to and from the Sankurathri compound, I have felt as though I walked into a National Geographic magazine for I found nothing in my surrounding that was remotely familiar to my way of life back home. I felt far way from home. I felt very much an outsider. I felt as though I was walking through the pages of a National Geographic magazine, for this is the only reference point I could connect to as I tried to make sense of the bustling cacophony of car horns, truck and motorcyle motors, people speaking/yelling in Telugu, roosters crowing, dogs barking,and radios playing the latest Bollywood hit as we wove our way through congested, polluted, garbage ridden city streets and rural village roads.

As I near the end of this stage of my blog, I must make mention of the efforts Dr. Chandra has made to show that clean, sustainable living is possible. Creating environmentally friendly ways to live and work on the compound is testimony to the great strides the Sankurathri Foundation is making. They have a working farm which grows food they need, cows provide fresh milk for making cream and yogurt, an irrigration sysytem for the farm and other areas about the compound that need watering. Even the children garden and clean their own playground. They make art out of recylced materials and are learning that living in an environmentally friendly way is possible. It just takes, effort, thought and proper action - and the "Clean India" signs posted in and around the compound are a constant reminder of Chandra's mission.

When I return to Canada, I will be visiting schools to promote educational trips to the Sankurathri compound here in Kakinada. The main focus for these visits would be cultural and environmental: learning about India, how its rural populations live and learning about the devasting effects of pollution and exploring possible solutions for such problems. Dr. Chandra's compound is the perfect place for students coming from developed countries to explore and learn about social and environemntal issues affecting developing nations. This would be the perfect educational experience for our youth interested in environmental science and socio-political issues. Here they would be challenged to find ways to make India - or the world - a cleaner place. The classes here, you see, take their students outside of the classroom walls!

Dominique and I spent time going through the high school this morning, taking pictures of the library, science and computer labs, as well as a room dedicated to teaching traditional Indian dance. How wonderful it would be for foreign students to come and learn the intricacies and meanings behind traditional Indian dance hand gestures? I didn't get a chance to try. Maybe on my next visit?

Today was our final day here with Dr. Chandra and his sister Hema. My teens are going through waves of emotions. Elation has been one of the most prevalent of emotions for them, I think. They have been caught up in their art of capturing the world on film - and this world has taken them in! Their favourite: the kids, of course!

Although this 12-day journey is coming to an end, so much is just beginning. We have the editing of the documentary to complete, compilation of the photos to create promotional materials for MSMF and then, my Montreal team will be hitting the circuit of schools, hospitals and univeristies to spread the word of Dr. Chandra's work and how Canadians can get involved. His work is meaningful. His methods are honest and transparent. The results are staggeringly positive. These past 25 years, he has bettered the lives of so many people - brought them health, education and belief in themselves that they can pull themselves out of poverty. I, for one, am going to lend a hand.

Namaste. xo

And so our sixth day begins with a brainstorming session on the front porch. Our time here is running short so we still have to make sure we get enough footage of, well, everything! While Dominique and Francis head back to the hospital to get footage of doctors and nurses in action, I finally get to do what I came here to do: teach!

There are so many activities going on within the Sankurathri foundation:

a primary school
a high school
a vocational college
the Eye Institute

weekly "eye camps"
Eye clinics in various towns - tomorrow afternoon, we're going to the inauguration ceremony of their 8th clinic!

a disaster relief program in times of flooding, tsunamis etc...

Although I am learning a lot about the hospital through the creation of this documentary, the place where I feel most at home is at the Sarada Vidyalayam - aka: at school or the temple of learning.

In this first image, Dr. Chandra and I are discussing the English program with Harish, the new director of academics here at Sarada Vidyalayam. Many of the government schools and even most of the private schools here in India use English as the main language of instruction from as early as grade 1. This may give most students a head start to learning the second most imporant, or should I say useful, language in India, it is to the detriment of their first language that they focus so early on English. Dr. Chandra believes strongly in first language teaching in primary school to give the children a solid knowledge base in their mother tongue before delving into English.

English is taught from grade 1 all the way through to the final year of high school, which is grade 10. Presently, they receive basic grammar instruction, enough to have the students learning English by rote: memorizing sentences, vocabulary and grammatical structures suited for passing government approved exams. Where I come in, is to assist the teaching staff here to incorporate a whole-language learning experience. My goal is to work with Harish and our two English teachers to build up the students' communication skills through the implementation of new teaching strategies. Through Internet and Skype, I'll be able to hold regular teacher-training sessions with the team at Sarada Vidyalayam from the comforts of my home in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Another goal we have is to build up the students' level of English so that upon reaching high school in grade 6, they will be able to study science, math and social studies completely in English. And after having met all the students yesterday, after assessing each and every one, I can say with complete certainty that this will work.

What Dr. Chandra has built is a school based on discipline and values of honesty, hard work, routine, diligence and community. As you can see from the images, the students line up in staight lines, almost military style. This may seem harsh, but it is done with love and purpose. These children come from very poor families. Most often, their parents are illiterate and they, themselves, do not practice diligent routines of proper hygiene, proper nutrition, let alone the completing of homework assignements. In showing the children how routine, order and structure, accompanied with meditation and prayer can be brought into one's life, the students adopt these habits which carry them successfully into adulthood. The proof is seen in the graduates who have gone on to have successful, happy lives.

Dr. Chandra wants all his students to be their best. His philosophy is that every person must learn to do their job perfectly and stay focused in whatever job it may be. If one is to become a construction worker or a doctor, the job must be taken seriously, with respect for the people they are working with and for. In thinking like this, these graduates have been able to pull themselves and their families out of poverty. They are not all doctors or teachers, but as not one student has ever dropped out of Sarada Vidyalayam in 25 years, the truth is told that education is truly the key to improving the lives of the poor. A solid income. A comfortable roof over head. Healthy, clean food to eat and clean clothes to wear. Being able to read a contract and manage personal finances. ...these are the things that the young adults leaving Sarada Vidyalayam possess as they enter the real world. From beyond the walls of the Sankurathri compound, there is chaos - the traffic and pollution strewn about the streets are clear examples of the chaotic world these children come from. This is rural India and it is here where Dr. Chandra has chosen to focus his efforts in providing the people of Andra Pradesh an example of healthy, prosperous living and a clean India. (topic for my next blog post: Dr. Chandra's "Clean India" initiative)

And as this is my first blog entry for the New Year, I leave you with the rich colours of India as found in the local market this afternoon outside of the tailor's shop (yes, Dominique and I are being fitted for our very own saris! Thank you Dr. Chandra!!!). I was not quite sure what these powders would be used for, but upon my return to the compound, my new friend Abul showed me just what can be done with powered rainbows.