#localskills

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WHAT?? In an instant, countless calculations resulting in one word. Eyebrows sink in unison in a form that screams "cannot compute." Ears perk and suspend in the space between what was expected and what was said. This is the initial response I've received thus far in search of learning locally available skills. The two that I've targeted thus far are Urdu and bamboo making. Given that I look like an "angrez," or foreigner, people expect me to be rich and to have no interest in local skills. The thing is, there's little recognition in the villages I've been to that local skills, like bamboo or clay work, are actually of any value. They're denounced as "dehati," or "rural," and seen as "poor people skills." My own interest in learning these skills is purely intrinsic, and not in order to make a living. However, the ironic reality is that both skills are highly coveted and fetch a high price; a few months of intensive Urdu classes run a few thousand dollars, while a 20 day bamboo course in India at Auroville costs rightly ₹40,000, the same amount that my current, local teacher would earn in about 133 days. Why is there such a huge gap between what people can earn for the same skills? Why is there such a gap in the perceived value of these skills across geographies? Is it simply English and the ability to communicate with a group that's willing to pay for the skills? Is it branding and the ability to market one's skills? In a system that gives clear signals via dollar signs and rupees for what your skills are worth, it's hard to blame people for seeing lowly compensated skills as something that's not worth learning. And, in a practical sense, if your skills, in the current system, give little opportunity for you to even meet your own basic expenses, then it's not hard to understand why people also want to leave these professions behind. Yet, the thing is, many of these skills have intrinsic value -- bamboo as an environmentally friendly building material and Urdu as a store of cultural knowledge and diversity. Without looking at overly commodifying these skills, how do we make it easier for people to live off and share the skills they have with others? This is a major question that's currently occupying my mind, and I'm hoping that the process of learning these skills might help me figure out BEO to facilitate more exchange between curious minds looking to learn and share.