David Wilkerson ’12 is a 2011 Brandeis-India Fellow who spent this summer in Bangalore, India.  He is majoring in the Premedical Program and Anthropology with a minor in South Asian Studies.  The piece below is an entry from his journal.

16 June 2011

Eye Screening, Kanakanapalya Govt School, Jayanagar, Bangalore

I’ve been quite busy the last couple of days.  Most of this week has been spent finding and then asking permission from government schools in Jayanagar and Basavanagudi.  Swathi and I have been very successful at scheduling the eye pre-screenings.

Tomorrow I will conduct my first eye prescreening at Crescent School.  It should make for a very interesting start as a result of the unique Muslim flavor of the school.  I hope that perhaps just this brief moment of contact might make some impression on their conception of Americans, etc…  Despite the general feeling of unwelcome-ness, I feel that the headmaster there has genuine concern for the well-being of his students.  He was quite keen in determining the role of esteem in the lives of impoverished children.

On a similar note, the neighborhood maid stopped by again today.  Apparently her grandson who accompanies her saw me today visit his principal at NR Colony GHPS.  He seems undernourished and likely mentally impaired.  His movements and speech were a bit spastic and his mental capacities below average.

A local maid, Thyagarajanagar, Bangalore (She did not understand that I was American and kept asking if I was from London, even with translation. She was hard of hearing, and yet very clever.)

Cousin Balu was here at the time and his presence and demeanor reflected an interesting intercaste/interclass dynamic.  It seems such constant exposure to poverty and the like will most definitely lead to desensitization.

Balu and I spoke for some time this afternoon–nearly 4 hours!  We spoke mostly about cultural and religious differences i.e. touching, relationships, Hinduism, etc… but also about growing Chinese influence and the possibilities of war.  Most interestingly, I was asked to provide an analysis of the family–personalities, relationships, and the like.

Ate delicious North Indian thali today for lunch.  Bajis in the afternoon and a butterscotch drumstick.  I caved and ate KFC yesterday.  It was my first meat and probably garlic I’ve had since arriving here.

The entry below is by Terry Li ’14.  Terry is a Brandeis-India Initiative Fellow who worked in Dharamsala, India this summer with Love Volunteers.

graffiti in McLeod Ganj

As a Chinese student, I spent ten years studying at government schools in China. Since elementary school, our teachers told us that Tibet was, and would always be, part of China. No one ever doubted this statement. It seemed that all of us believed that the 14th Dalai Lama was a betrayer of our country because he tried to divide Tibet from China and dictated the Tibetans. I was furious when I heard from the Chinese news that he provoked a storm of protest in Lhasa in March 2008 which eventually killed some innocent Han Chinese people. It was not until I studied at an international school in Myanmar when I realized that the information I received before might be extremely biased and misleading.

I never thought about why the Tibetan protested. I also had no idea what their living situations were. If the Tibetans lived happily and had freedom of religion, why would they protest? I wondered if there was some misunderstanding between the Han Chinese and the Tibetans. I started to look for reports that could reflect the real Tibet, but it was hard to find a neutral source. Therefore, I hoped to meet some Tibetans in person and to hear what their actual opinion on the Han Chinese and the Chinese government.

The display at the puppet museum in Norbulingka. The background of the display is the famous Potala Palace in Lhasa.

With a lot of questions in mind, I took the bus that ran from Palampur to Lower Dharamshala. From Lower Dharamshala, I took another bus to Upper Dharamshala (McLeod Ganj), home to the Tibetan Government in Exile and more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees. McLeod Ganj was a town packed with tourists. I heard people talking in different languages in the street, and more than one person recognized the word “Brandeis” in Hebrew on my t-shirt. I visited the Tsuglag Khang Temple, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence, Tal Lake, Norbulingka, and the Tibetan Children Village.

A temple located inside Norbulingka.

In Tsuglag Khang Temple, I met some monks who recently fled to India. When they knew that I was from Mainland China, they were surprisingly friendly and they even talked to me in fluent Mandarin. Norbulingka was an institute for Tibetan studies which was located near Lower Dharamshala. It had a lovely museum which uses puppets to display Tibetan history, and also had a grand temple and an exquisite shop. Many of the Tibetan refugees worked in the institute. To my surprise, the songs that they played in the working area were all Chinese pop songs, and the DVD stalls outside the institute even sold Chinese TV drama. It seemed that many of the Tibetans did not reject all the Chinese products.

The prayer wheels at the Tsuglag Khang Temple. Turning it clockwise will bring one good luck.

In McLeod Ganj I met Tenzin Dhonyo, a Brandeis alumnus who worked as a planning officer in the Tibetan Government in Exile. He gave me a lot of information on the Tibetans, both inside and outside of Tibet. He told me that many of the Tibetans were not satisfied with the Chinese policy on religion and were irritated by Beijing’s negative propaganda of the 14th Dalai Lama. He also told me that many Tibetans’ jobs were taken by Han Chinese who immigrated from mainland, and much of Tibetan culture was either damaged or abandoned.  However, he praised Beijing’s achievement on improving Tibet’s infrastructure, and said there was no hatred between Han Chinese and Tibetans.  Most Tibetans only abhorred the Chinese government but not the Chinese people.

There were certainly some mistakes regarding Chinese government’s religious policy on Tibet. The “patriotic re-education,” for example, interrupted the normal order of temples. From Tenzin’s speech, I got to know more about on why these Tibetans fled from China to India. If I was a Tibetan, I would also be frustrated if my spiritual leader was criticized as “betrayer” or “deceiver.” Some of the things I heard were so much different from the information I got from Chinese media. For example, he mentioned that the Dalai Lama did not intend to separate Tibet from China. The Dalai Lama wanted Tibet to be part of China, but he suggests the Tibetans should have more religious freedom and the Tibetan culture should be well protected. However, the Dalai Lama also wanted Tibet to have equal right as Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, where special permissions were required for mainlanders to enter, but I did not think that would ever be possible.

The lamas at Tsuglag Khang Temple.

I visited McLeod Ganj every weekend. It was a strange town. Although only three kilometers above Lower Dharamshala, it felt like another world. I could see “Free Tibet” labels almost everywhere, but I did not feel that I was being treated differently. When I visited the Tibetan museum near Tsuglag Khang Temple, I saw many visitors leaving their messages on the guestbook. Some of the messages were filled with hatred or simply insulted China, but I wanted to write something more moderate. In my message, I prayed for the peace between Tibetans and Han Chinese. I wished people from both sides could have more understanding of the other side, and I hoped that these Tibetans refugees could return to Tibet some day in the future.

Read Terry’s first article here and see his photo collection here.

This article has been reposted, by permission, from Samantha Grosser ’12′s blog “a redhead in India”.  Click here to see the original entry.  You can also view her final presentation here.

American wedding guests in traditional Indian apparel

Over the summer I worked at John Paul Slum Development Project, an NGO that strives to “enhance the lives of the downtrodden in Pune.” JPSDP works with street children, victims of HIV/AIDS, and sex workers in the city’s slums. I worked in the Mukta project with sex workers. It was my responsibility to interview sex workers and peer educators (current/former sex workers trained to conduct health check ups with other sex workers) about the female condom. If the women were unaware of the product I taught them how to use it and talked about taking control over safer sex practices. If the women knew about it, we discussed the challenges of using and promoting the female condom and brainstormed ways to overcome these obstacles.

The bride and groom greet their guests. They do so for each and every guest at the wedding.

This weekend I had the honor of attending my first Indian wedding. Our Indian friend Aditya was able to get all 16 Alliance students invited because he is best friends with the groom. All he had to say was “it would make me really happy if these people could come,” and just like that we were invited. Indians are incredibly welcoming and hospitable! We woke up early to put on our saris, a seemingly daunting task. Our host mom wrapped us and sent us on our way to the wedding hall. Everyone looked stunning in their colorful clothes and complimented us on our saris. During the ceremony, we were given a handful of holy rice to throw on the bride and groom. This practice symbolizes holiness showering down on the newlyweds. At one point, the groomsmen held the groom up.  At first, I thought this was similar to the hora, but apparently they lift the groom to make it more challenging for the bride to adorn him with a marriage garland.

The couple seemed so happy to be with each other and greeted every guest personally. They laughed when I said Abhunundun and were happy that we came to experience our first Indian marriage ceremony with them. It was a beautiful day and definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

The entry below is by Chenyu “Terry” Li ’14.  Terry is a Brandeis-India Initiative Fellow who worked in Dharamsala, India this summer with Love Volunteers.

You can see photos from Terry’s explorations in India here.

With the students from a local school

I would never expect my experience in India to be this exciting yet meaningful.

It was not my first time to go to a foreign country alone, but it was my first time to visit a country that I had little knowledge of. On May 28th, I hopped onto the China Eastern flight to Delhi with anticipation and a little fear. However, when I arrived at the sparkling-new Indira Gandhi airport, my fear was gone. The minute I stepped outside the terminal, I did not see the famous Ambassador taxi, nor the samosa sellers; instead, I saw some latest version of Mercedes E-series and a Costa Cafe. I was a little relieved yet a little disappointed. I was relieved because the living situation in India was not as poor as I thought, and I was disappointed because I thought I would not live in an environment that is different from my life back in China. However, it was not until the next day when I knew that I should not judge a country by its airport.

At daycare center with four of the seven children that I took care of.

My next destination was Palampur, a distant town located in Himachal Pradesh in northern India, and I had to spend a twelve hour train ride and four hour road trip to get there. On the way to Palampur, I could see the snow-caped Himalayas standing in the north like a natural barrier that separated India and Kashmir. The minute I arrived in Palampur, I realized that I was going to live in a community much different from my home. When I passed by the central bazaar (market) of Palampur, I saw cows lying in the middle of the streets and smelled the odor of Indian spices. My project village, Village Lohna, had a breathtaking view of both the Himalayas above and the rice field below. My host family lived at the foot of a hill, so I could see the tea plantation from my bedroom window.

I woke up at six everyday and had a warm cup of chai upstairs, then I had to climb over a hill and cross a river to reach the school where I taught computers and English. The morning fog and the snowy mountains made the trip even more joyful. For instance,  I would walk in the fog where I could barely see the trees on the side,and  a minute after I could see the Himalayas and the glaciers on the top. After spending two hours at a school and three hours at a daycare center, I walked back to the host family under either extreme sunshine or heavy rainfall.

With my students at school.

My lunch was usually Basmati rice with peas and pickles. My host mother used her fingers to eat the dish, while I used spoon and fork. After lunch, I had to take the same path to the school to teach for another one and half hours. In the afternoon, I could see the villagers casually walking their cows and sheep on the road. After the classes, I usually laid on the balcony on the second floor and read books. It was the most relaxing moment of a day, since most of the time I simply felt asleep when I was reading. I did not mind the buzz of insects nor the sound of rainfall: I felt that I was part of the peaceful nature when I slept.

I had my dinner at eight thirty with my host family. My favorite dish was chapati with curry potatoes. We teared the chapati into slices and used the slice to grab the vegetable. Different from other parts of India, the dinner was served with a small bowl of special salty yoghurt. Since my host family are vegetarians, I did not have any meat or eggs for forty days. I thought it was impossible for me to become a vegetarian before I came to India, but my host’s excellent cooking skill turned me into a vegetarian, and I eventually lost almost 20 pounds after I left India.

Update 11/1/2011: Terry was interviewed in the October 28, 2011 edition of The Brandeis Hoot!

This entry has been reposted, by permission, from Samantha Grosser ’12′s blog “a redhead in India”.  Click here to see the original entry.

Stamped henna in Sarasburg Gardens

After two weeks and two days in India, the best way I can describe this experience is in one word: crazy. When I arrived in Mumbai, I was struck by the heat and the vivid colors. I was also shocked that the first thing I saw was an ElAl plane. It was as if India knew I was coming and had a special sign waiting for me, letting me know that everything would be alright.

We spent the first week at orientation in Durshet, a forest lodge. We learned about what to expect and how to overcome some of the challenges we might face.

1. The Food. This has definitely been a challenge for me. The spices here are incredible, and can be a bit overwhelming at times. I am working hard to adjust to the new burst of flavors. At Durshet we tried many different types of Indian food and were taught the names of common dishes. There are so many new things that I’d like to try, I hope my stomach cooperates.

2. Manners. We sit with our legs crossed. Pointing your legs at someone is a sign of disrespect. We address elders with proper titles, they appreciate this and you will become friends. We eat what we are given and do not waste food. When you are surrounded by so much poverty, it would be inconsiderate not to finish what is on your plate. When you are full, be assertive so that you do not get more food on your plate. Say “maza pot bharla” (my stomach is stuffed). Always listen to your host family. No matter what. Alcohol is not socially acceptable. When you enter someone’s home, take your shoes off. It is better to put your hands together and say Namaskar rather than shake someone’s hand.

Traditional Salwar Kameez

3. Dress. We do our best to wear clothes that look like Indian clothes. A traditional Salwar Kameez, Sari, or Kurta is appropriate. Western clothes are OK too as long as you do not show your chest or legs. It is OK to bear your midriff if wearing a Sari. Scarves are always beneficial.

4. Speech. In Pune the native tongue is Marathi, not Hindi. Some commonly used phrases are:

• Namaskar (hello/goodbye)
• Maza nav __________ aahe (my name is ____________)
• Mala chaha hava aahe (I want tea)
• Mala coffee havi aahe (I want coffee)
• Tu Kashi aahes?/ Tu kasa aahes?/ Tumhi kashya aahat?/ Tumhi kase aahat? (how are you? for—woman/man/elder woman/elder man)
• Me damle (I am tired)

More to come on games, transportation, tea, bollywood, and life in Pune!

This entry has been reposted, by permission, from Jessica Christian’s blog “Masala Chat”.  Click here to see the original entry.

MILANA's logo

Approximately 70,000 children are affected by HIV in India. The numbers for adults are even higher. As a leading nation in HIV transmission, India is at odds with its urge to grow and yet its extremely sick people.  Sexual relations and sexually transmitted diseases/infections are incredibly taboo to speak about in society. HIV/AIDS is among those topics not openly spoken about, allowing the disease, stigmatization, and discrimination to pillage on.

MILANA- an HIV/AIDS NGO that I am working at this summer, is a place full of warmth the minute you walk climb up the narrow stairs.

Director of MILANA Jyothi Kiran, a hero to many

The walls, painted peach are chipping, covered with posters about the mission of MILANA, the transmission of HIV, safe sex practices, and photos from all the events the organization has put on in the community. Standing strong now for almost a decade, the NGO is always looking to increase their effect on the Bangalorean community.

Everyday 10-15 HIV+ women walk through the door and make substantial contributions to their communities. Meena, a mother of four, married twice, has lived with HIV for 17 years now after contracting the infection from her husband. Her words are quick, crass, mirthful, and to the point. She reminds me of a rebellious school girl with a smart mouth. Even more interesting than her quick words is that she has lived with the infection- a healthy, productive life without any medication. She is a brazen example of how people living with the infection have not only the right but the ability, the God-freakin given ability to live, thrive, and be happy.

For more photos from Jessica’s work in India, please view her “Big Picture” post.