#narikuravar

சென்னை பிராட்வே பஸ் நிலையத்தில் பிளாட்பாரத்தில் வசிப்பவர் விஜய் (வயது 32). நரிக்குறவரான இவர் பாசி போன்ற பொருட்களை பாரிமுனை பகுதியில் விற்று பிழைப்பு நடத்தி வருகிறார். இவரது மனைவி பெயர் வஜா (30). இவர்களுக்கு பிறந்து ஒரு மாதமே ஆன ஆண் குழந்தை உள்ளது. குழந்தைக்கு பெயர் சூட்டவில்லை.

சென்னை மண்ணடி ரேவு பகுதியில் வசிக்கும் திருநங்கைகள் முத்தழகு (24), சக்திநாயகி (32), பிரியா (19) ஆகியோர் தினமும் பிராட்வே…

Unfortunatley I didn't manage to do much between my time in Puducherry and our trip to Varkala in Kerala as I ended up getting rather ill meaning I missed out on some of the village visits and work. I'll tell you what I can though!

We'd been doing a lot of fundraising work i.e. e-mailing many businesses and charities in the hope that atleast one would get back with interest. We're still waiting! However, Sapph did manage today to push for a meeting with the chairman of a local rotary club who we'd prepared a letter for around 4 weeks ago requesting a donation of sand for the outside of the school to level out the ground. It's taken all this time for us to finally grab a time when he is available for the meeting so fingers crossed he'll say yes as the kids all return to school in 2 days!

Kavhita invited us round to her house one day which was really nice. She's got a lovely and CLEAN house that we were all jealous off. We met her family, her neighbours and Rajhni was there with her son too. Kavhita cooked for us and it was tasty! Then we played the ever infamous 'dancing game' - it's a instant hit with everyone we've played it with. Basically, you stand in a circle and throw the ball at one another if you don't catch it you have to do a dance. Simple but fun! We got to see Puppatee as well as he now lives with Kavhitas neighbour, he's got so big! When we left Kavhita gave us flowers that all the Hindu women wear in their hair. It was a really nice evening. (:

We finally managed to visit Keernu the last of the 5 Narikuravar communities we're working with. Only took 6 weeks mind! Kavhita and Rajhni said it was far but I was not at all expecting it to be THAT far. I think it took around an hour for us to get there but it was worth it. Like in every village the kids are eager to welcome you with open arms and so excited to see you! I will admit my enthusiasm didn't match that of the rest of the team that day but I wasn't feeling my best which sucked. We played games with the children and then sat them down for an english class, they were quick to learn and definitly need to be challenged a lot more next time it was our first visit though so was more about getting to know them all. What was shocking whilst we were there was when we saw the NEWS ladies handing out sanitary pads to the teenage girls, it became apparant that a lot of them aren't aware what periods are and many started theirs and quite understandably were alarmed as to what was happening to themselves. After seeing this we're going to try and set up a health camp, one part being a discussion for the girls so they're aware (and prepared) for when the time comes.

The journey back from Keernu was one that i'm sort of glad I experienced but would never want to repeat again. After waiting a long while for the bus to turn up, we saw it was packed literally solid so much so that the men were hanging on to the windows by just their hands or clinging on to one another. We had to get this bus as there were no more, so they all got off to let us on but then watching everyone trying to squeeze back on was just a joke and people were getting nasty. One man started punching me in the middle of the back because he couldn't quite get on but I had no where to move too. Then, several women started pushing Jenny around (she's a small one!) as if she were a rag doll. It was like playing twister standing up and such a health and safety risk it was beyond a joke. I totally agree that health and safety has gone a bit bat shit crazy in England, but this! I was literally waiting for someone to fall off and under the tyre.

Eventually the bus started to empty but then the tyre burst because of the pressure of the amount of people the bus had been carrying. Which would also explain why they 'strategically' decided to place a spare tyre right in the middle of the aisle that didn't help when there was a bus crush. From there we had to switch on to another bus and finally we arrived where we wanted to be!

From then until Varkala (though I had been under the weather so to speak since Puducherry) I began to feel even worse and ended up having to visit the doctor 3 times in total. I'd had intense abdominal pain for 10 days, to the point where I couldn't even walk and i'd begun to get lovely, attractive, yellow and pussy sores. Finally, an injection in the buttocks (fun times!) sorted me out for the abdominal pain which i'm still not sure what it was as the doctor didn't explain himself too clearly and the sores are slowly starting to disapeer. Have to say though the difference between the Indian health system and British health system is SUBSTANTIAL. 

I understand it is custom to remove your shoes in India when entering holy sites or peoples homes but in a hospital? I'm not sure how that prevents infection, especially as one of the sores I had was on my foot. The typical attributes of a British hospital are 100% not there in an Indian one. There's no hand wash, there isn't that 'hospital smell', there's no uniform, the staff are wearing jewellery, there's no patient confidentiality and there's certainly nothing done to conceal what it going on with the patient next door. When waiting to see the doctor with Sapph on 2 out of the 3 times I went we heard the most chilling screams coming from next door. I've honestly never heard screams like these, almost as if she was being tortured. It's then I was so happy I don't have a fear of doctors or hospitals because if I was one of those people i'd of been out of there! On several occassions (one being when I was having the injection) a nurse or patient just strolled in without knocking! If that happened back home i'd of been fuming.

Oh and one quick little story - Sapph went a bit nuts one night and adopted a dog from the village, in fact we both did but she took it to the next level by wrapping him in her scarf and letting him sleep in the kitchen. We named him Barnaby! Sapph woke up in the middle of the night and he'd shat all over the kitchen though haha, the he buggered off the next morning back to the village. She felt so used, bless!

Anyway, the children are all back to school on the 1st June so not long at all! I'm looking forward to teaching them again and hopefully setting up some health and sport camps. We've only got 3 weeks and 4 days left here in Deverayaneri - the last day being the 24th June, my 21st birthday! So that should be very interesting. Then we're to get the delightful Tamil Express back up to Delhi hopefully without any complications this time! There we'll have 3 days in Delhi for debrief before flying back home on the 30th June. Time really has crept up on us here and there's still much we want to do, so let's hope 'the Indian way' co-operates and we get everything we want to do, done! :)

The last 3 weeks have consisted of temples, village visits, fundraising and a cheeky weekend break to Puducherry that I barely know where to begin.

Tamil Nadu is famed for its temples, often referred to as the land of the temples and there is certainly hundreds to see! I've visited 3 in the past few weeks, Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, the Rockfort and the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli. I think out of all the temples i've seen so far the Brihadeeswarar Temple has been my favourite however that is most likely heavily infulenced by the time of day we chose to go. We went very early in the morning when the sun was rising, so the sunlight reflected beautifully of the tawny sandstone and we was allowed around the whole of the temple site, we even got to watch a morning ritual where they poured milk over a shiva lingham and everyone recieved blessings. This was great because many areas within Hindi temples are off limits to non-Hindus which can be frustrating at times! The highlight of the visit for me though was being blessed by a temple elephant, i've never seen one so close up before! They're so intelligent as well, if you put food into his trunk he'll eat it, but if you put money into his trunk (like we did) he'll pass it up to the man sat on his back then bless you! The first person to do this was Mitul and me, Sapphire and Jenny started freaking out like you can't feed him money, he'll get ill!

The other 2 temples that we visited in Trichy (that's short for Tiruchirappalli) were still nothing short of amazing, there was just a special sparkle at the one in Thanjavur for myself. Lonely Planet describes the Rockfort as 'lording over Trichy with stony arrogance'. I can't think of any better description! It's a hike to get to the top but the view is definietly worth it! You can see for miles around and we could also see the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in the distance which looked magnificent so we decided there and then that once we'd completed the trek back down to jump on a rickshaw there. Sri Ranganathaswamy is more like an enclosed city as opposed to a temple, when we passed through the first gopuram we thought that was it but it kept on going, and going, and going! The architecture was stunning, especially all the carvings. A lot of the temple was cut off to non-Hindus which was frustrating, but what we saw was beautiful and you can tell a lot of attention to detail has gone into this temple. It's unfortunate that non-Hindus cannot go in certain parts, they're that strict they wouldn't even let Mitul in because he didn't have a certificate to prove he was Hindu - apparntly the reason behind this is because Muslims used to come in a lot and steal all the gold. Another thing i've learnt from living within India is that there is great hostility between Hindus and Muslims, I wasn't particularly ignorant of this (you only have to look at the long standing problems between Pakistan and India to know) but you don't truly realise it until you're here. 

There was a point of around 8 days where there was literally nothing we could do here, which was extremely frustrating and I really did find myself in a place I didn't expect to be. Angry and wound up, sitting in a village with nothing to do. The main reason for this was because the month of May is the school holidays and all the children had been sent away for summer camp. Granted there were things to be doing in the office, but not enough to fill 8 days and the internet connection is so poor here it makes getting anything done extremely hard add that to the long power cuts we have and we're pretty stumped. I'll never take electricity for granted ever again!!! 

We finally began to visit the villages again once all the children had returned from camp. Tollgate has fast become the teams favourite village, they're feral but in a good way, over excitable and eager to learn and play! I instantly fell in love with one little boy who was a right scruff, he had a mass of crazy black hair then two long rat tails down the nape of his neck. He just reminded me of a few people I know back home and I found it hilairous! On our first visit to Tollgate one man ran up to us ranting and raving, though I couldn't understand I knew he didn't want us there so I asked Kavita what he was saying. Apparantly volunteers in the past (not Skillshare) have come to Tollgate to try and convert them all to Christianity - he obviously saw a white person and instantly assumed that was what we were there for. To clarify for anyone reading who doesn't know me personally, i'm agnostic.

We also visited Pudhukkudi and Poolongudi, we live in Devarayaneri - we're yet to visit Keeranu (NEWS supports 5 narikuravar communities). We'll finally be visiting Keeranu on Monday, as long as the 'indian way' doesn't ruin our plans!

It's hard to beleive I am now halfway through my placement and I feel like i'm only just starting to get a grasp on things here. Lesson plans are starting to be cemented and we hope to plan some youth camps. The children here are all very intelligent for their age and many would put us Brits to shame, I met a 14 year old girl today (whose a crackin cook!) whose studying 2yrs in advance and has just completed our version of GCSEs. I want to leave this placement feeling like i've enriched atleast ONE persons life, I think a good place to start is Tollgate as only 1 child from the whole village goes to school there which is extraordinary. They're such fast learners, yet their parents won't allow them to go. Of course I will not forgot about the other villages either, but most the children in the other villages do go to school. I'd also like to fundraise specifically for the hostel - this is the childrens home for 10 months of the year as it's too far for them too travel each day and all they have are straw mats to sleep on and nobody to properly watch over them.

We did write a letter to a local rotary club, however in typical Indian fashion the meeting keeps getting pushed back! I'm in the process of contacting schools and businesses back home as well. I'm perfectly aware of some peoples views on giving aid to India (to clarify Skillshare is not an aid giving charity we're here to help enrich peoples lives and help them live sustainably and support themselves) however the Indian government is corrupt and does not spread its riches responsibly or evenly. These people are trying their best to help themselves, however it is thanks to generous supporters that they got themselves off the ground in the first place. Through the classification of Scheduled Tribe, the Indian constitution provides legal benefits to communties that have been historically marginalized. The exclusion of the Narikuravar people from this consitution denies them legislation safe guards and benefits. In other words, the goverment won't help them because they see them as the 'most backward tribe'. NEWS is and has been fighting for ST status since they were founded in 1990 however despite many petitions (one amounting 50,000 signatures!) and conferences the status has still not been granted. 

It makes me sad because the Narikuravar people have been extremely hospitable towards myself, the team and past volunteers. They're nothing like what many Indians assume them to be and don't deserve the prejudices they recieve each day.

The Indian Way is starting to grate on me a little this morning. We've been sat in the office for an hour and a half now waiting to begin English and IT lessons that we've prepared and no one is too be seen. I'm growing tired of waiting around for people in this country, as much as I love India their time keeping skills are appauling. In this time spent hanging around I could be doing something a lot more productive with my time - such as getting out of the village. Living and working here can make one extremely claustrophobic especially when Indians have no concept of personal space.

For example, the other day one of the villagers just decided to walk into our house unannounced when we were getting changed. My bedroom door is directly in line with the back door that she came through and I was just stood there barely covering my dignity with a towel so I ran back into my room shouting that I was getting changed and Sapphire darted in too because she'd also just got out the shower. When I opened my bedroom door again she was still stood there in our kitchen, perfectly aware of the fact we were getting changed and didn't even excuse herself from our house! This is just one example of many similar cases, however one of the most aggravating things is when someone comes into our house (usually one of the children) and pulls my skirt down because my legs are showing from the knee down, or points at my top because it's slipped a little showing a bit of bra strap! It really infuriates me, I completely respect India's dress code but when I am sat in my own house (and in this blistering heat too) I shouldn't be put under scrutiny by people who i've not even invited into my home. Simple things such as going to the toilet which is 10m away from our house are a chore, we can't just go out in our pajamas (shorts and a t-shirt) without having to cover our legs and shoulders for fear of offending someone. Yet the men can walk around almost completely naked in just a towel that's been folded in such a way to look a little like a kilt and even then i've already seen several unwelcome sights when they're 'readjusting' yet it's not frowned upon?

I'm not asking to walk around constantly in a bikini or next to nothing, because that isn't who I am anyway - but even just to be able to get away with wearing a strap top without my shoulders offending someone and i'd be grateful!

It's unfortunate that this post is a largely negative one but please do not be under the impression that I am not enjoying it out here, because I really am there're just a few things I am struggling to cope with as with any new country someone decides to live in for a while. Culture shock is definatley the correct phrase to describe the above.

Originally this post was intended to update you on what i'd been up too since i'd last updated, however after a 'heated discussion' this evening with the team as regards to how women are treated in India - I feel it's only right for me to highlight the problem as it's something that's affecting myself and the rest of the team directly.

After some research online I came across a blog post from a past ICS volunteer who was based at the NGO, SOVA in Orissa - I urge you all to take a read of Cristina's post as it was done towards the end of her placement confirming that not only are women oppressed across India but that also this isn't just 'teething' issues with me, the team and India. I completely understood where she was coming from and related to many of the problems they recieved despite only being at NEWS itself for just over 2 weeks.

"But no one would rent out a room or apartment to three single women because, why would girls live alone?  They are to be living with their families or husbands. Anything else is inappropriate and wrong. Luckily, after three weeks, we managed to get a house through our boss’s father in law. Luckily, we thought… He imposed a curfew at 8pm."

http://cristina-amrein.blogspot.in/2011/12/woman-in-rural-india.html

Like Cristina we also had accommodation issues here at NEWS. I can only speak for what information i've recieved from past volunteers and the NEWS staff as by the time we arrived the issue was resolved. However, we're the first team to live within the community at NEWS after many issues between past ICS volunteers and their landlord at previous accommodation in a nearby town. It's not seen as 'proper' for women and men to live together in this country unless they're married or related and the landlord had a massive problem with this. In the end it resulted in the previous team leader Chris, moving out to the house we're in now in Devarayaneri. Whilst the girls continued to live in the usual accommodation, but even that was frowned upon because why would three women be living together? The living arrangement now consists of me, Sapphire and Jenny living in the CEO's house that Chris was also living in previously for a short while whilst Mitul lives opposite in a small hut. Needless to say when we first arrived we all felt awful at the thought of pushing the CEO and his wife out of their marital home. Luckily they both seemed very happy to accomodate and only live next door, granted in a much smaller house and we're all in debt to them for their generosity. 

My team leader Sapphire raised a very good point tonight - for a long time she's had low self esteem when it comes to her body image and it's only in recent years she's learnt to accept herself and be happy in her own skin. I'm sure most women, including myself will have experienced something similar to this in their lives. I used to never be happy with what looked back at me in the mirror and often felt extremely low not only about my body, but why some days I even existed. I became extremely self destructive and depressed - mainly thanks to cruel bullies in secondary education. It's only since around the age of 18 (bare in mind i'm only 20) that I began to accept and feel happy with what i'd been given. Not to say we all don't have our down days, but that's perfectly natural. I don't want to become another cliche sob story - bullied in school and a mess because of it but unfortunatley it is (or was) the truth and what i'm saying here only scratches the surface. The point i'm trying to make here in relation to how women are viewed in India is that women are not pushed to feel good about themselves, they're encouraged to cover every part of their body up and deny themselves any feminity. Study hard, marry a 'good man' (that's been prearranged by her parents) and live to please her husband, in fact everyone but herself. Some people may argue that this is all they know, but why should a women just accept that? Once upon a time it was all we knew in England until Emily Panchurst chose to take a stand.

It's frowned upon in this country for a woman to bare her skin, drink alcohol, have sex before marriage, make eye contact with a man, marry for love, speak to most men without it being viewed as promiscuous, divorce a man who mistreats her and marry old.

As you can see the subject of marriage comes up a lot and arranged marriage is something that I believe is a tradition that needs to be outlawed. Of course, my opinion isn't gospel but i'm sure many people will agree with me. The marital age in India is 21 for women and 25 for men, notice how the age for women is younger? It's usually viewed that any woman whose not yet married past the age of 25 as a bit past it. I asked an Indian man why the marital age was older for them, he replied because they have more to do with their lives. So, a woman doesn't? Absolute garbage of course! When discussing arranged marriage with an Indian woman she chose to tell us that before her husband there was a man she loved, but her parents did not like him (or most probably a suitable dowry wasn't offered) and she was told to forget about him. When we asked if she was happy with her husband, she simply replied 'I have too be'. How is this living? 

She inquired about 'lovers' in England and quite blatently frowned upon what we had to say, but in hindsight how is arranged marriage any better? 'Lovers' to Indian people is basically what they call anyone who isn't married, regardless of the fact if you've been with your partner for many years and have just decided not to marry - you could see by her face that she was disgusted. I tried explaining that marriage really wasn't seen as neccessary in England, as many people weren't religous either - just because a couple isn't married doesn't mean they're not devoted to one another. I'd rather be unmarried spending my life with someone that I loved and was happy with as opposed to being married too someone I had nothing in common with. I used my parents as an example they'd been together happily for 24 years before finally deciding to get married 2 years ago - not out of neccessity, religion or because people expected them too - but because they wanted too. 

I'd just like to finish up this blog post by first of all saying I started this around 10 days ago, when there was little to do due to certain circumstances and we were all growing very frustrated. My thoughts and feelings on the above are still present, however i'm able to let them go over my head a lot easier now and also understand why some of these things happen, even though I may not agree. One of NEW's objectives is to empower women and I beleive they're doing much to try and achieve this so i'm happy.

Here's to hoping women all over India can one day be treated as equal to men, at the end of the day there is no point pretending half of your population doesn't exist.

NEWS - Narikuravar Education and Welfare Society

The Narikuravar are a nomadic tribe with a distinct culture that has been passed from generation to generation. They are an artisan and hunter community traditionally hunting foxes for meat, medicines and religious amulets. NEWS is a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) formed in 1990 by M.Seetha and S.Mahendran, an innovative Gypsy couple who aspire to contribute to the holistic development of the Narikuravar community. With the strong belief that formal education is the most powerful catalyst for development, NEWS works diligently towards ensuring that the children of the Narikuravar fulfil their right of an education. NEWS wishes to educate and thus empower the Narikuravar towards the improvement of their livelihoods, attainment of equal opportunities and the upliftment of the community as a whole.

My role within NEWS will be the following:

Improving awareness of alcohol, drugs and HIV among the community.

Improving language and IT skills of the school children and NEWS staff.

Strengthening holistic development of the school children.

Strengthening documentation and visitation of NEWS.