I spent one month amidst the beautiful plateaus of Panchgani in Maharashtra. The month went by swiftly once I settled into my “volunteership” with Grampari (www.grampari.org). Grameen Paryavaran Kendra a.k.a. Grampari a.k.a. Rural Development and Ecology center started 3 years ago as a part of the NGO (not for profit organization) Initiatives of Change (www.iofc.org). IofC, an international organization has played an important mediator role in bridging gaps between various countries, communities, and people. It strives to provide ethical living and leadership training to people and promotes taking the initiative for bringing change in the world by starting with one’s own life. Grampari was started by an IofC member known as Jayashree Rao who wished to bring this training to the rural part of Panchgani. Grampari is a participative organization that works in collaboration with villagers in strengthening the Panchayat Raj (local government) system, encouraging women’s gram sabhas, setting up water harvesting systems, replenishing water sources, promoting the creation of low cost toilets and hand-washing with soap (www.tippytap.org), encouraging organic agriculture, and sustainable alternate livelihoods (diyas/lamp painting, leaf plate making, mobile repairing, computers, brick making, sewing etc.)
While in Grampari my job was to start an organic vegetable garden that might serve as an example to villagers around as a better alternative to chemical farming. One month in the life of a vegetable garden is like one hour. However I decided to give my best even in the short time. With the help of wonderful mentors and bosses that gave me free rein, and colleagues who had similar convictions, we were able to set up the garden and begin the planting while I was there. I feel proud to say that we cleared a jungle of weeds that were taller than me, created the beds, added compost, and planted chilli, tomato, cabbage, onion, brinjal, and garlic seedlings. What a wonderful feeling to work hard and see a wonderful garden. I can only hope that it inspires other farmers to stop using chemicals. I have always been sceptical of working in any organization that has the word “development” in it. I have wondered what it means. I am an urban dweller and I can walk into a village and decide what development is for the people. I could say development is better roads, more jobs, better infrastructure, more economic growth etc. Or I can be like Grampari and ask the people what they think development is, and then collaborate with them to achieve their own goals. However we live in a world now where mobile repair classes and computer classes and making quick bucks is what the villagers think development is. I struggle to accept these. Why? Is it because I have lived with these luxuries and so now I can readily say that these are not what I want? Maybe. Maybe my privileged life has given me access to the knowledge about the other side of development. The inevitable decline. A decline in growth, GDP, environmental conditions, human happiness, health, and motivation to live deep and simple lives. But who am I to judge what a person wants? Who am I to think that this decline is not inevitable? Check out the Photographs: http://emotionallandscapes.weebly.com/photography.html
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“Maushi” in Marathi means my mother’s sister. She is often called Mangal Maushi or Mangal Bai. “Bai” is also used to mean lady or maid servant in Maharashtra. By profession, Mangal is Mangal Bai and has been working at the IofC (http://www.iofc.org/) center in Panchgani, India, called Asia Plateau for several years. I wish I could give you a figure, but what if she cannot tell you her age? So I will guess that she has worked here for 45 years. Once upon a time, there used to be a farm at the center where Mangal spent her younger years working. Due to my interest in farming, I asked her about her work. She told me about the days when the center was completely self-sufficient and produced all kinds of vegetables using only cow dung and compost as soil additives. She feels horrified by the use of chemicals now in the fields. Her eyes glowed as the memories of the early years flowed through her and she described how the center did not have enough money but they always had a lot of food. So for the extra work they did, they received 4 kgs of potatoes instead. When I asked her if she preferred to have received money instead of food, she merely responded, “Work is not for money, it is for personal satisfaction. Those were the days of abundance.” There were 20 cows, and 500 chickens that once lived and all of them slowly died. She looked pained as she thought of the cows that died. She felt that she had a special connection with them. Then she said something that moved me so much, “ माणूसच प्रेम तुटतो पण गायच प्रेम कधी तुटत नाही" Love and loyalty between people breaks but the love given by a cow never breaks. Times have changed. How we live, how we love, and how we grow food has changed. Instead of working in the fields which she loves, she folds laundry and cleans rooms. She dislikes the newer maids; they do not understand what working with integrity means she says. They only work for money. Gone are those days, when we harvested 100 sacks of potatoes, 100 kgs of cauliflower, and went home with happy hearts and full stomachs. Mangal Maushi is living her long life, as I look towards the future, hoping not to be laughed at again and again when I propose a chemical-free, simple life. |
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