Another planet?

CSA- Centre for social action is a student organisation; belonging to Christ University, Bangalore. CSA have different kind of projects, in Bangalore and the areas surrounding it. They have now grown to be a big and meaningful organization and their projects, based on self-help and sustainability have shown good longterm results. They are expanding and new projects are being implemented. This is whats happening in the tribal areas or rural Maharatshar, boarding to northern India. This is a place where the villages never have had foreigners visiting before, and where the word Europe and white skin are given the same questioning face.

Given the fact that most of the Indian population live in rural areas, I consider this a journey to discover the “real” India. The journey began with 22 hours on a train.

Somebody later asked me if the trains in India are comfortable? Comfortable is not a word I would use, but it is a really interesting experience.

We met all kind of people; young Indians

Old Indians, baby Indians, Coffee selling Indians, chai selling Indians, food selling Indians, staring Indians and Indians sitting in airy places

And beggars – child beggars, performing beggars, transsexual beggars, beggars with missing limbs and beggars with interesting pets;

On the train station we where met by the Fathers and Brothers of Balashar, where we spent one day waiting for the others, this was like coming to paradise (literally speaking):

In Balashar is also when we first really felt the reality of being white in places not many white people come. Lets face it, Indians stare. They stare at each other to, but for someone coming from Norway where staring is learned to be bad even from kinder garden it can be challenging. But the staring in cosmopolitan Bangalore is nothing compared to the countryside. So we got some attention:

The reaction from seeing us varied from people to people;
We got curious looks

Sceptical looks

frightened tears

But to get some poses for the camera was never a problem

But we were met with some much more than staring, and the impressions were overwhelming, exhausting and causing the strangest dreams I have ever had, but absolutely unforgettable and unique:

The whole village gathered for our cultural night, where we sang ” kjerringa med staven” and danced “halling” and Polka

These people might just as well been living on a different planet, their values and everyday-life were so far from Norwegian values and everyday-life than I think is possible. The challenges they had to face when it comes to health, superstition, education and living-conditions are huge. But this is still not what made the biggest impression. They had an attitude towards the future I found admirable. There is no rush. If you can define living in the moment and appreciating what you have, these tribal people with no TV, radio, car, motorbike no nothing, they have found it. They were perfectly happy just hanging around the house doing what seems to me like nothing every day. I am not saying they do not work hard, because they do, especially in the harvest period. But spending one day, week, month or year with just doing whatever is needed with the family or village is their everyday-life. No need to improve, develop, become better, bigger or richer. If it doesn’t happened today, maybe tomorrow.

We talk about development, we want to help, but what is development? And who shall define it?

Is it becoming like the western society? Is it having food and water available every day? Is it education or knowledge? Is it the same all over the world?

After 10 days there was some tired Norwegians that got home, exhausted, hungry and glad to be back with beds and toilets, but with a feeling that what we experienced collecting information for CSA about the family’s in the villages was unique and at least made us develop…

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