Govindpuri stories

Thought I would share this article which highlights the work done by ASTHA, where I volunteered for the past 3 weeks. As they say 'necessity is the mother of invention'- I have been impressed by the 'Jugardh' can-do spirit in India, i.e. when the system is broken, find a way to get around it through your network and your own skills!

Have a good one ;)

Walking Foodie Tours of Delhi

*What to do if you have time to kill in Delhi… Stay at a hostel, make some friends, explore the city and generally have fun!

This weekend was shiny and sunny and it appears that Delhi has transitioned from Winter to Summer without much of a thought for Spring. I no longer shiver in the shower and have indeed begun to seek shady sides of the street.

I had made tentative plans to leave the city this weekend- another girl from the hostel, Akshata, was interested in going to Amritsar or Agra with me. Not having seen the Taj, we were both somewhat curious to see it despite my misgivings of overly touristy areas where the touts are aggressive and tourists are over-charged. I had a nap on the couch (overnight) and was ready to go on Saturday morning but my friend had gotten ill overnight and wasn’t up to it.  So instead I napped some more and we decided to see the Old City with two other ladies.  It turned out to be full 5-hour gastronomy tour.  We stopped for amazing parathas at one of Delhi’s landmark hole-in-the-wall eateries , ate pani puri on the streets (pani puri are these funny little ‘puff-balls’, to borrow my friend Athena’s expression, that are filled with tamarind sauce which gives them a salty-sweet taste – rather addictive.). We had ice cream and shopped all around Chadani Chowk for a wedding outfit for one of the ladies, who had recently been invited to attend her first Indian wedding.

Then another night at the hostel watching movies, and a day spent exploring the street art festivals of Delhi.  We went to the industrial/container city of Oklha where graffiti artists had put some time and thought into beautifying old containers. I think my baby brother would have enjoyed it, there was even beat-boxing and hip hop dancing.  There was a real “hipster vibe” at the street art festival, a world away Old Delhi.  It did feel a little strange being there in Okhla- I guess most of the people working there are men earning a few hundred rupees a day (maybe 200 rps = about 4 CAD) so the sight of foreigners walking around attracted some attention (frank stares from the locals is pretty much a given in Delhi).  But it was a relaxing Sunday nonetheless and I had a lovely time- stopping for delicious watermelon and honey melon on the side of the street, dancing around, taking pictures, being a real goof and enjoying the company of new friends. 

Delhi life - Vie quotidienne a Delhi

(Le francais suit!).

Mini-blog of my "Delhi" life (my "daily" life... hahah)!

I came back from the state of Gujarat on Sunday and now am planning to spend 3 weeks in the throbbing metropolis of Delhi. Staying at a pretty decent hostel, the Moustache, that serves breakfast, has hot water, and has the added benefit of being fairly close to where I am volunteering.

I am spending 3 weeks as a volunteer fundraiser-cum-strategist-intern with ASTHA, a charitable trust set up in 1993 which advocates for greater inclusion for children and people with disabilities, in the slum areas of Delhi.

ASTHA folks are quite welcoming and learning everyone's name has become quite the game for me. My colleagues are very amused at my struggles to remember and correctly identify the 15-odd staff that I have met, from Jyoti to Kaushlendra, to Bimesh and Rakesh.

A shocking number of children with disabilities never go to school in Delhi, despite the right to education being clearly enshrined in the country's legislation (see Right to Education Act 2009). The various laws and policies specify that children cannot be turned away by pretext that the school does not have adapted facilities or special educations - although this is often done in practice.  Since ASTHA has been around for 20-odd years it has shown some pretty good results, and the kids who grew up with the organization have now formed their own youth advocacy wing which helps people with disabilities in various manners, such as supporting the obtention of disability certificates.

It is the little things that can throw one off when working in a foreign country... I have learned now to count in 'lakhs'  (1 lakh= 100,000, and people will indicate for instance that 5 million is 50 lakh or 50,00,000 ). Also people in this office share all their (home-made) lunch items...even me although I have to ask the office cleaner/manager if she can kindly go out to get my lunch.  I was told not to wash my own dishes as that is her job... so all this is a bit of an adjustment although there are benefits to working here as well.  Such as that since I dont speak Hindi, it is actually much easier to concentrate on what I am reading or working on, since the general conversations don't distract me, hehe.

There is lots to do on weekends and weekdays as well as work. Last night I checked out the trendy Haus Khaz village and ate Tibetan food with an LSE friend. I am also hoping to get to the Darbah to hear the Thursday evening Sufi singing, the qawali which is apparently a truly lovely experience. The hostel folks are all enthusiastic and the hostel is located near a lot of cafes and bookstores so guess where I am heading tonight :)
--------------------------------------------

En resume... Je fais du benevolat pendant 3 semaines avec une ONG qui travaille en plaidoyer pour les enfants handicappees. C'est tres bien comme experience et j'apprends beaucoup sur la culture indienne. ASTHA, ou (Strategies alternatives pour les personnes handicappees), oeuvre dans les quartiers defavorises, et ce depuis 1993. En Inde il y a plusieurs lois qui visent a assurer une education de base a tous les enfants y inclus ceux qui sont handicappes, mais en pratique cela se fait difficilement. Mais ASTHA persevere, et en fait produit des bebes... les jeunes qui ont ete aides par l'ONG par le passe ont maintenant cree leur propre organisme pour aider les gens, notamment pour l'obtention de certificats et de documents necessaires pour prouver son statut de 'handicappe' et pour mener des activites de plaidoyer.

En plus de cela, je m'amuse bien. Hier je suis allee dans le quartier tres chic de Hauz Khas pour y manger de la nourriture tibetaine. Je vais essayer d'aller entendre des chants sufis dans un temple qui s'appelle un 'dargah'. Mon auberge de jeunesse est tres bien situee pres de plusieurs librairies et cafes donc je vais bien en profiter!

Gros becs, je vous embrasse,

Mia

Bhuj, Gujarat, Land of Gandhi

Bonjour!  Je me trouve presentement a Bhuj, Dans l Etat du Gujarat, et c est un endroit qui me plait enormement.I arrived in Bhuj on Momday and will be here til Friday evening. so far it has been one of myf avourite places to visit.  I spend Tuesday in Mandvi which is a little coastal town near the south of the Kachchh district. Kachchh is famous for its shipbuilding insustry which even today relies on traditional building techniques. I wandered happily around the OLd Town, ate amazing Gujarati thali at Osho restaurant and went to Vijay Vilas palace which is fairly unremarquable save for its stuffed tiger and the gorgeous view of the area that it provides from the top of ita tower.  Yesterday I shopped in the artisan village of Ajrakhpur which houses the muslim Katri clan known for the hand block printing technique and for their uae of natural dyes.  I also went to the living, Learning and Design Museum which presents a very comprehensive exhibition on 10 different tribes and the embroidery and textiles they produce. Embroidery was until recentlt a personal art not for commercial purposes but things are changing, and the Shru jan Trust wjich administers the museum and sells the handicrafts for many artisans is doing a good job of ensuring this this is done in a locally sustainable manner. Finally I also visited the office of Khabir, an Ngo that represents shoemakers, dyers, and other artisans. Their centre is quite good with a guesthouse, pottery and dye centre, cafe, kitchen and exhibition space. Bhuj itaelf is a great little town with a lovely although somewhat polluted lake. I ve walked around it a few times and wathed herons, ehrets, pelicans, cormorants and lots of other birds which are active in the early a.m. and ar sunset.

Delhi adventures

Much as i would like to blog on a regular basis, i find it challenging to blog using mt phone and have not always had access to an internet cafe. so please excuse spelling mistakes and lack of photos for now...i am however having a wonderful time in India and finding it a most fascinating country.After three days in Kerala, we took a two day train up to Delhi. the train ride was quite pleasant and relaxing. After a while one needs a break from being a tourist and train time affords just such a break plus the chance to enjoy the view of the countryide.

 In Delhi we saw Humayon's tomb after whih the Taj Mahal is modelled. i also visited  a Sikh temple where j learned about Sikh traditions and customs such as buyig prasada or food offerings for the poor and bowing to the Sikh's holy book. I also saw a bit if Old Delhi with its maze of backalleys and its gritty and faded glory.  Delhi has a great metro system and its fair share of gardens and temples plus some nice bookstores (visiting bookstores has been a pretty regular thing for us...we visited Full circle bookstore in Khan Market which i recommend for its selection of Indian books and its top floor cafe, Turtle Café. We took an overnjght train from Delhi and have just today arrived in Jaisalmer in the popular traveler destination state of Rajasthan. tomorrow we will explore the city and plan to also tour the desert by jeep and camel!! i am super excited about that. My travel buddy picked an amazing hotel located  inside one of the city's top havelis, or traditional maharaja compunds. it feels very Lawrence of Arabia here, one can easily feel the mark of centuries and pretend to be British colonialists (we are simply Canadian-Chinese-Quebecois, quasi unemployed young women but of course its impossible to forget how privileged we are especially in India where people struggle with poverty, caste, gender, pollution etc) . Although I have had my share of frustrations in India its impossible to deny its charms or to fail to be impressed by the history, or by the generoaity of most people ( who dont hesitate to share their chapatis with inquisitive Canadians  sitting next to them on the train, even those who dont understand a word of Hindi...) 

Introduction to India

I am in India and enjoying it thoroughly so far. Arrived in Bangalore on Monday and since then its been 'eat eat eat' (manger manger manger... I hear my grand-father's words when I say this).

The food pictured above is Dosi with three types of chutneys (tomato, and I forget the other two) and a little bit of sambar in the little bowl. This is real South Indian food, not to be confused with the heavier curries of the North.  This was also my first meal in India, when our friend Geeta and her mom took us out for food at a place called Ananda in Bangalore.

More food pics will come! :)

Blessings,
Mia

Bali

Selamat! I am in Bali for a week to enjoy a "honeymoon" after Celine's wedding. We stayed for three nights in a crazy lovely place called Chapung Se Bali, which has been around for 8 years and recently built a gorgeous infinity pool with a view of the valley below and of the resort across the way. The food was quite decent, the staff were very attentive (they kindly picked us up at midnight after our flight from Singapore was delayed - and still greeted us very warmly!) and my friend and I have decided that we could quite easily get used to this luxury!! :)  The owner of Chapung Se Bali is a Danish furniture designer who clearly knows how to keep customers happy, and apparently the former GM was from Quebec, woot. 

(For a more detailed review of Chapung Se Bali, see here )

We spent yesterday touring central Bali (Ubud and surrounding areas) with Bali Traditional Tours. Our driver We was very friendly and told us all about his four sisters, his life as a rice field farmer, and of course Balinese culture and local Hindu customs. 

First stop was the rice plantations of Tagallagang. The plantations are both practical and beautiful as the many "layers" or ledges built into the side of the mountain allow farmers to plant rice and to maximise their space and use of water. 

Second stop was the Holy Water Temple. Wednesday was a Holy Day so there were quite a few people in the temple. They come to provide offerings and to purify their bodies in the holy spring (pictured below). The people get in the water from the left side and immerse their bodies/dip their heads at each of the 20-odd water spouts, moving from left to right. Small square baskets with offerings of flower, food, or paper money are put on the ledge before immersion. 

We then stopped at Mount Batur to enjoy the view. Mount Batur is actually a volcano, and the lava remains are quite visible as they cover half the mountain on the side that was visible to us. We asked our guide/driver We how long it would take to cool the lava, and he said, "It happened before I was born, but thank you for the question. I will ask my grandfather!". Guess the last volcano eruption happened sometime in the sixties. 

Our final stop was to check out a batik factory and shop, located in Batulalan, close to Bali's local capital of Denpasar. The space reminded me of the silk factory that I visited with my family in China two summers ago. The batiks can either be hand-printed or stamped using one of the wax-resistant molds pictured below. The process is time-consuming, as you can imagine. The white cloth is first covered with the outline of the drawing in pencil. Then a first layer of wax covers the areas that should remain white. The cloth is dyed in one colour, then dried and then immersed in hot water to wash off the wax. The process is repeated several times to add several different colours.  The traditional batiks have a black backdrop but we saw several examples of newer styles, with the purples, greens and blues that I personally love. 

Bali is wonderful (yes, even though it is by far one of Asia's top tourist destinations - luckily, we came at a good time after the Christmas vacation!) and I am already looking forward to my next trip back here.