Scenes from Driving Throughout India

We have spent countless hours driving by bus throughout the streets, towns, cities, and villages of India.  These are pictures I have gathered to try to show different areas.  There is clearly no escaping the effects of extreme poverty and pollution.  I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted, and we are only around halfway through our tour.  Day in and day out of taking in what the Indian people live, work and survive day by day in has greatly impacted my life and changed me.  These people don't know any other lifestyle, and it wounds me deeply.  There are various organizations, around ten, that we have visited, that work around the clock to try to help as many people as possible to leave the poverty cycle and to give them hope.  These organizations are not always looking for monetary donations.  Sometimes it's as simple as showing you care and offering a skill, suggestion, or time to make even the smallest difference. The poverty cycle and impact of over 1 billion people living in one country not only impacts people, but also various animals, rivers and lakes, the environment and air quality.  Throughout my time here in India, I have been coughing and blowing out black soot out of my nose.  I can't imagine how the lack of air quality impacts the people who live here.  It's definitely felt on a number of levels.    

Salt Farmers

Please see previous picture and post about the salt miners and the pump that was donated to help these poor workers.  These pictures here show first hand the living and working conditions of these salt farmers who work and live 7 months of the year at this site.  After the 7 months, they go back to their villages.  Life for these workers is extremely difficult and dangerous.  They can develop snow blindness from the sun reflecting on the bright salt and the combination of the wind and grit from the salt can cause loss of eye sight.  There is a high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy for these people.  The children of these salt farmers are being deprived an education when parents are working so the poverty cycle and dangerous conditions continue on generation to generation.  Workers have tried striking the conditions 3-4 times, but it has done very little to improve their conditions and the government fears unions so anyone who is caught organizing can be killed.  Plus the workers can't afford to strike as they are paid very little as is to make it from check to check.  This type of work is a skill and can't be done by machine.  There is a process for knowing how and when to harvest salt, and it needs to be a certain size in order to be sent out to be sold.  

Blog Expectations

This is a photo from the desert salt mines.  We learned about the living and working conditions of the salt farmers.  We heard from the head of the organization who works to help these people who believe this is their fate to do this type of hard and dangerous labor.  This is a picture of a solar-powered pump that pumps water to the surface.  The donation for this pump was given to the workers as a 1.5 million Rupee loan that needs to be paid back but without interest.  Using a solar-powered pump saves the workers money.  Now the workers don't have to use their own hard-earned money to pay for diesel which is a much more expensive process for bringing water to the surface.  More money is left in the hands of the worker.  The reason salt is in this part of the desert is that at one point this area of India was under water.  Dr. Arun Gandhi and his son Tushar Gandhi are pictured here as well.  That is a rusted salt pan which shows you the impact of salt on metal.  Now imagine the impact on people's skin handling salt all day long.

Hi everyone!

  I have been checking your blog comments daily and will be answering your questions either through commenting directly or through YouTube Live with the Gandhi's.  We are working on making this happen on 1/4/17 during 4th period and for those of you who are following the blog but not in my class that will be at 11:35am U.S. time.  Before commenting, really think about what life is like here in India and the impact on the culture and people.  Think about the connections to the themes of Economic (money, resources, sustainability, sufficiency or lack of, trade, jobs, skills), Political (laws, policies and government), and Social (the way people interact, their story, culture, religion, language, customs) Impact and/or Changes.  Think about the turning points that will need to happen in order to help support these people and their livelihood.   When I return, we will talk about the organizations that are in place and you will have a say in which one we we as a school can support.

The comments will be based on a scale from 1-5.  I have been recording these scores in the gradebook.  Some have not received credit yet.  Please be sure to go back to the first days of the trip (I haven't seen many comments on these posts) which include pictures, experiences and stories from Mumbai.  The expectation is that you have responded with at least 18 different comments about different text and or pictures by 1/14/17 that follow the rubric check below. You will be given time each day in class.  We are now making our way through Northern India in Ahmedabad (heading towards New Delhi and Agra).  

1-Minimal response-one to two word response.  Might only use an emotion or adjective to describe what has been read or seen
2-Makes minimal reference to the themes above and might just include an emotion to express what is read and/or seen.
3-Describes and makes connections to the themes above.  Uses text or details from the pictures to support evidence.
4-Describes and makes connections to the themes and there is some level of understanding of the impact on the culture and people.  Uses text or details from the pictures to support evidence and inference made.
5-Critical thinker-someone who really thinks deeply about the material and pictures seen.  Makes reference to text read and inferences.

Hope you all are well!  Miss everyone!  

Stray Dogs Are EVERYWHERE!

It seems that everywhere you look there are stray dogs!  Most appear to be starving, thin, sick, and ill.  A good percentage have flees and some had tics that we have seen.  It really breaks my heart to see them!  Many times when you see these strays, they are eating any trash or handouts they can find. You have to be careful because they dart out into the streets so it makes driving even more challenging than it already is here.  It's a good idea to not pet the stray dogs, but some people can't help it and the locals seem to take them in almost as pets.  Dr. Gandhi was telling us that they do have areas reserved to protect the dogs, but it's not enough.

   

16 Hour Train Ride to Kush Safari Resort in Bhuji

We paid people Rupees to carry our bags on this cart to our train.  Notice that there are only 2 wheels so he lifted and dragged this cart of our over packed bags quite a distance.  I saw one guy put his sandals on his hands so that he didn't get blisters or hurt his hand while lifting and dragging our luggage to the train.

With 22 people on our tour, it was quite a project getting everyone their luggage, once we were on board.  There were other passengers who were not part of our group who were trying to get situated as well.

The Gandhis arranged for us to have box lunches on the train which included cooked vegetables (we are not allowed to eat raw), naan, potato chips, and sandwiches.

You will see this sign in some of our pictures.  We are required to hold it up and then submit these pictures to the the Fund For Teachers Organization that gave us the grant.  They use these pictures to inform other teachers, recruit people to apply and to get donations.

Well, our group survived the 16 hour train ride from Mumbai to Kush Safari Resort in Bhuji (which is right on the India and Pakistan border).  We were worried about the train adventure for a number of reasons.  We over packed for the trip (which we now regret) so dragging heavy bags on, off, and through a train, plus making sure to not miss the train or our stop, can be very scary.  Also, being that we were on an over night train, we had to sleep with one eye open because people are entering and exiting the train all night, and we were sleeping 4-6 per cubicle (and yes there were strangers in our cubicle).  As soon as we boarded the train, the conductor came through and checked our passports and to be sure we were sitting in the correct seat. While we were waiting for the train to leave the station, beggars and people trying to sell items were hopping on and off the train.  We had been warned by some of our tour directors that the bathrooms can be very unsanitary (depending on the train).  Our group was also informed that there is a hole directly down to the train track from the squatter (toilet-see previous post for a picture) which some lose their belongings down and the train shakes and is bumpy so that makes it difficult as well.  The beds are not very comfortable on the train.  In fact a few people from our tour were complaining of back and hips aching.  The trains in India can be dangerous to get on and off as some people do so while the train is moving.  I read an article in the newspaper before leaving on the train that an elderly man fell between the track and train trying to board.  Despite the challenges, I found the train very peaceful and quiet, and the experience was more pleasant than I had thought it would be.  It was well worth the 16 hours once we arrived at our hotel for the night.  This is the beautiful view we see from our hut and where we eat breakfast.  The water and lands you see here are protected for wildlife, and there is a dam that controls the water levels during the monsoon months from June-August.  The water gets so high that it covers the land you see in the picture.  Tonight I'm writing this blog at our bonfire while listening to the wild animals in the background and listening to the stories told by the Gandhis and our tour group.  They have alligators in that water so we won't be swimming, just admiring from afar:) The beauty of this place made it all worth the long journey.       

Our Toilet Today

If you are not in a hotel, these are common.  

Aga Khan Palace: Prison of Mahatma Gandhi, his secretary and Kasturba Gandhi

 Aga Khan Palace with Tushar Arun Gandhi (great-grandson) and the prison room of the Gandhi's in the background.  This is where Mahatma Gandhi, wife and secretary were put in prison for treason by the British (see prison room in pictures below).  Kasturba Gandhi, his wife, and secretary died here, and there is a memorial on the grounds honoring both.  This is also one of 22 sites that Mahatma Gandhi's ashes are kept.  This palace was eventually made into a National Monument.

Prison room of Mahatma and Kasturba Gandhi.  The secretary's prison room was next door to theirs.

Replicas of things that were used by Mahatma Gandhi.  Original items are in a different museum.

 The courtyard pictures are where Mahatma Gandhi would take his morning and evening walks when in prison.  He wasn't allowed to walk in the courtyard until after his wife passed away.

This hallway was the only part of the palace that was a prison.

 This is the memorial to Kasturba Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi's secretary.  It was a very powerful and moving moment with Dr. Arun Gandhi and Tushar Gandhi.  Kasturba Gandhi was cremated in this very site for 6 hours and Mahatma Gandhi stayed there for the whole 6 hours until the process was completed.

Replicas of things that were used by Mahatma Gandhi.  Original items are in a different museum. 

 Mahatma Gandhi's ashes have been placed in 22 locations.  This is one of the 22 locations.

On our way out of the prison, Dr. Gandhi gave us an opportunity to ask questions.  He said that Mahatma Gandhi's funeral was the very next day after his assassination.  The government did this to prevent the entire country from showing up.  Over 1 million people attended his funeral.  Dr. Gandhi explained how his own father was not able to make it to the funeral because he was living in South Africa at the time.  In fact, President Franklin D Roosevelt also wanted to attend the funeral and asked the government to move it to a later day, but they didn't.