November 23, 2010
Meant to leave Hindupur at 6.15 am. Finally, at 8 am the government car complete with the government employee and his wife using it, arrived. The introductions went something like in our German advertisement for Bausparen (saving plans) that shows these schoolmates meeting up after many years and pull the photos our of their purse competing around their achievements on the three-some status symbols 'my house, my car, my wife'. Only in this case, it went more like 'my house, my (government) car, my (government) job.' No mention of his wife who sat in the back of the car wearing what seemed a bucket load of apparently new bangles. Particular attention to more German like status symbols like the ladies' handbag was not paid. The poor bag was so worn and torn, it was hard to recognize what it once used to be and I seriously considered buying her a new one right there and then.
Once on the 'highway' we had our idlis. Practically packaged in a non-sticky butter paper and wrapped into a diary, these savory cakes made from rice and lentils are typically dipped into some spicy chutney from ground nuts aka peanuts. Together with Ragi, sticky cereal-type balls made from finger millet are the most common South-Indian breakfasts. Ragi is extremely nutritious and considered one of the best ways to ensure a healthy diet especially for villagers living mostly on polished rice or maize meal. In Tekulodu, the location of ProtoVillage, this is what pretty much everyone seems to eat in the mornings.
Idlis are finished. Sweets are next. But what to do with the rubbish??? Oh, let's just throw it out of the window - that's easy. I am used to Indians throwing everything wherever they just stand or walk. But even in this case of educated government employees my curious and perhaps slightly distressed sounding question why we wouldn't take it with us and throw it at the next bin, was just met with a wiggle of their heads. Wow, I'm thinking. What the heck??? What am I doing here?? I don't want to blow things out of proportion but that's certainly a behavior not even a school kid back in Europe would consider displaying.
Along the next sixty odd km we pass (in no particular order) monkeys, school kids in uniforms, farmers going to their fields with their lunch packed in those typical steel containers, wet and dry rice paddies, corn cobs and corn that's drying on the sides of (and sometimes right ON) the road, lush green shrub forests and water ponds, every now and then rock and monolith formations, hockers with their varied goods on carts, bikers transporting their (live) hens and chicken between their legs or simply dangling them from their feet, women preparing meals on their smoking chulas... and of course, cows, sheep and goats.
We passed the Sai Baba Airport, the Sai Baba Railway station and the Sai Baba Super Speciality Hospital where doctors from all over the world devote a portion of their time (mostly their annual holidays) to treat each and every patient for free. Eventually, we also mastered the road diversions put up to cope with the immense traffic of devotees coming to celebrate Sai Baba's 85th birthday with him and arrived in Puttaparthi where his main Ashram is based. We parked the car (and the driver), took an auto rickshaw and had a very adventurous 2-3 km drive to the main entrance of the Ashram. From there we walked pass numerous buildings such as an indoor sports hall, galleries and schools, schools, schools. For boys, for girls, from nursery to Ph D studies, it's all there and yes, all of that is free of charge too.
When we finally got to the Hillview Stadium purely designed for the annual sports and cultural meets and of course, the celebrations of Sai Baba's birthday (the stadium is capable of holding some 30.000 people on its spectator gallery alone), I was 10x overwhelmed already. No cloud was saving us from the heat increasing by the minute and the crowd impatiently pushed and shoved it's way through the many barriers. Soon it should be over with Indian hospitality as I had gotten to know it. Volunteering staff members completely lost their calm, any feeling of spiritual grounding and equanimity that surely surrounds this place normally was gone. I'm guessing that, in addition to the 30.000 spectators seated in the galleries, at least another 20.000 people tried to find a place to sit cross-legged on the ground in the stadium itself. Water and nibbles were given out, as well as little paper shades to at least protect the head from the worst of the heat. Many thousands, we learnt, had camped out here at night to get a seat at the respective ladies-OR-gents-only sections of the gallery. Our delay in the morning now took its toll. No way of getting onto the gallery seats, the only option left was the middle of the stadium and even that looked impossible. With the help of a friend amongst the staff members Kalyan's mom was allowed to stand and we were allowed somewhere near the posts shielding THE path where Sri Sathya Sai Baba would pass by on his golden chariot.
We waited for what must have been a couple of hours, the aggression levels rose by the minute as more and more people looked for a place to stay and there was times when my mind went into bouts of thinking 'this is more like a camp'. Having some of the volunteers clearly abusing their power, pushing and hitting even elderly and children and just having watched the movie 'Waltzing with Bashir' may have contributed to such abstruse thoughts. I was clearly stunned. This was not at all what I had expected. But that's how it goes with expectations, right? They aren't met and we don't meet them either.
Inside, I remained calm though, I had nice 'conversations' with everyone near who spotted the foreigner in me and the camera in my hands. The usual 'photo, photo please' worked here as well and nobody minded me video documenting and photographing the whole lot. Neither the beautiful moments of sharing a water with another, helping someone up after being pushed down nor the harsh scenes. I had no idea when Sai Baba was supposed to arrive or what would happen after that and I was separated from the others. But you could tell by the vibe of the crowd, so, when he finally was about to enter the stadium I knew immediately. Musicians play a tune, the procession starts and before I knew it, Sai Baba had passed and was gone. No speech, no addressing his devotees, instead there was one speech after another BY them. Nobody seemed to care however, everyone got up and left, at least the entire crowd squatting in the center did not. That was it!!! We traveled hours, walked for ages, waited for another century and THIS WAS IT???? Hmmmm…..
I should take some more pictures of people then, I thought. Catch a glimpse of the vibe. The results of that (videos will need to be edited) you find as the latest photo album on our Facebook page. Enjoy checking them out, I enjoyed taking each and every one of them. In the meantime, I'm making plans to double check against this experience and go back to the Ashram on a 'normal' day ;-).
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
First marriage proposal
November 17, 2010
A few days ago during the photography workshop held for us by PhotographyONTHEMOVE, I got proposed to. To my surprise, it wasn't some guy that was proposing. It was Narenama, a woman here in the village. I was quite shocked, she seemed to seriously consider. When I inquired with the help of some guys around why she wanted to marry me it turned out she was attracted to my 'cos I wear pants. Wearing pants, hence being the man in the house, right?! And it was not even the same woman as the one wanting to pierce my body all over. That one just groped me today instead - pulling on my chin, my cheeks and going over to body parts that no stranger in Europe would dare touching. They should start haggling for me, I thought. Let's see who's got more to offer. Anyways, I was slightly disappointed. I hope the next time it's a man. And the next one after that the man of my dreams, yeah…
But I guess that's the least of my worries. There's a lot of other things to get used to. On Sunday for instance, we just came back from day 2 of our photography workshop at Lepakshi Tempel village and there was this guy from Hindupur Police. First of all, it was Sunday. Secondly, he didn't let us know he'd come. Well, why would he. He was checking on me on behalf of the FRO Anantapur, the Foreign Registration Office. Fine, fine, he's just doing his job… And I'm here. Kalyan was still in the bathroom, so I addressed the officer. Well, that was a one-way street, wasn't it? He'd simply turn away from me and started talking to Kalyan's father. Oh… Nice!!! I tried a few times more and got so upset, I wanted to shout at the guy. Luckily, Kalyan came out just in time and sent me up to the office to get some papers. More papers, of course. They just love documents. Lots of them. And always the same ones. Again and again. He got his documents, he was even happy just seeing them on the laptop. After a few name drops here and there he only asked Kalyan to write a letter that he'd take full responsibility for my conduct, which we had grown used to as well. But this letter contained a new, really interesting clause: he had to declare that the NEIGHBORHOOD had no objections to my stay!!! Kalyan countered that by adding a sentence that I had to travel through rural India for work. The officer didn't object but simply asked for a phone number he could reach us on. Yeah!!! Of course, we aren't entirely sure who's who in the food chain but we've got something. One win more over bureaucracy and one tick more one the list of rather touchy things-to-do!! I can travel now. Yes, yes, yes!!!
Next step on the ladder of bureaucracy to climb was the local Police Station. The FRO had told us ANY foreign guest staying at a private home has to be registered with the local police as well. They apparently just want to keep a tap on foreigners movements (some of these rules and restrictions strongly trigger memories of life back in socialist East Germany). Now picture this: we arrive at the police station and ask to register me. One person gets another person. Kalyan explains our intention and even makes a point of mentioning the C Form, which - according to Mr. FRO - we have to complete. Helpless faces. We're kindly treated and offered a seat. The next police officer comes. The whole story is being told again. Where is Madam from? What is she doing here? Which NGO does she work for? What does this NGO do? Where do you get funding from? Which visa is she on? How long is the visa for? All of which has nothing to do with our query as we're done with registering me and my work visa. This is supposed to be the private part. Hmm… They don't know what we want, do they?? I'm getting quite good at guessing how a conversation is going - an English word here and there, a Telugu word or two I picked up. After some 20 minutes we're asked to come back on the next day, as the boss would be there. Ok… Sure. Same time, same game. We complied happily with the firm intention to close this case right there and then. Some of the people from the previous day are there, some are new. The story telling begins again. One guy corrects us 'it's Form C not C Form'. Finally however, they agree that there is no Form C. It doesn't exist. Until then they had always just said, they don't have it at the moment!!! And nobody dared admitting they didn't know this form. It doesn't exist!!! Did this FRO guy in Anantapur just want to sound important or what's going on here?? Ok, what now? Oh, I know, I know: let's just copy some other documents instead… We went out, copied my passport, my visa and some InteGreater letter and back we went. Oh no but wait. Another officer arrived. No, please. Not again??? Yes, again. We leave the copies but are asked to come back next Monday.
Will this ever stop??? I just wanna get over and done with this!!! At least I always get some sort of nice treat every time I freak at these scenes. This time Kalyan invited me to have a drink made from some local plant roots mixed either with soda or with milk. It's called Nannari. Hmmm… yummy. As long as things balance out like this, I'm ready to go the extra mile. Hopefully reporting back with a happy end next Monday.
A few days ago during the photography workshop held for us by PhotographyONTHEMOVE, I got proposed to. To my surprise, it wasn't some guy that was proposing. It was Narenama, a woman here in the village. I was quite shocked, she seemed to seriously consider. When I inquired with the help of some guys around why she wanted to marry me it turned out she was attracted to my 'cos I wear pants. Wearing pants, hence being the man in the house, right?! And it was not even the same woman as the one wanting to pierce my body all over. That one just groped me today instead - pulling on my chin, my cheeks and going over to body parts that no stranger in Europe would dare touching. They should start haggling for me, I thought. Let's see who's got more to offer. Anyways, I was slightly disappointed. I hope the next time it's a man. And the next one after that the man of my dreams, yeah…
But I guess that's the least of my worries. There's a lot of other things to get used to. On Sunday for instance, we just came back from day 2 of our photography workshop at Lepakshi Tempel village and there was this guy from Hindupur Police. First of all, it was Sunday. Secondly, he didn't let us know he'd come. Well, why would he. He was checking on me on behalf of the FRO Anantapur, the Foreign Registration Office. Fine, fine, he's just doing his job… And I'm here. Kalyan was still in the bathroom, so I addressed the officer. Well, that was a one-way street, wasn't it? He'd simply turn away from me and started talking to Kalyan's father. Oh… Nice!!! I tried a few times more and got so upset, I wanted to shout at the guy. Luckily, Kalyan came out just in time and sent me up to the office to get some papers. More papers, of course. They just love documents. Lots of them. And always the same ones. Again and again. He got his documents, he was even happy just seeing them on the laptop. After a few name drops here and there he only asked Kalyan to write a letter that he'd take full responsibility for my conduct, which we had grown used to as well. But this letter contained a new, really interesting clause: he had to declare that the NEIGHBORHOOD had no objections to my stay!!! Kalyan countered that by adding a sentence that I had to travel through rural India for work. The officer didn't object but simply asked for a phone number he could reach us on. Yeah!!! Of course, we aren't entirely sure who's who in the food chain but we've got something. One win more over bureaucracy and one tick more one the list of rather touchy things-to-do!! I can travel now. Yes, yes, yes!!!
Next step on the ladder of bureaucracy to climb was the local Police Station. The FRO had told us ANY foreign guest staying at a private home has to be registered with the local police as well. They apparently just want to keep a tap on foreigners movements (some of these rules and restrictions strongly trigger memories of life back in socialist East Germany). Now picture this: we arrive at the police station and ask to register me. One person gets another person. Kalyan explains our intention and even makes a point of mentioning the C Form, which - according to Mr. FRO - we have to complete. Helpless faces. We're kindly treated and offered a seat. The next police officer comes. The whole story is being told again. Where is Madam from? What is she doing here? Which NGO does she work for? What does this NGO do? Where do you get funding from? Which visa is she on? How long is the visa for? All of which has nothing to do with our query as we're done with registering me and my work visa. This is supposed to be the private part. Hmm… They don't know what we want, do they?? I'm getting quite good at guessing how a conversation is going - an English word here and there, a Telugu word or two I picked up. After some 20 minutes we're asked to come back on the next day, as the boss would be there. Ok… Sure. Same time, same game. We complied happily with the firm intention to close this case right there and then. Some of the people from the previous day are there, some are new. The story telling begins again. One guy corrects us 'it's Form C not C Form'. Finally however, they agree that there is no Form C. It doesn't exist. Until then they had always just said, they don't have it at the moment!!! And nobody dared admitting they didn't know this form. It doesn't exist!!! Did this FRO guy in Anantapur just want to sound important or what's going on here?? Ok, what now? Oh, I know, I know: let's just copy some other documents instead… We went out, copied my passport, my visa and some InteGreater letter and back we went. Oh no but wait. Another officer arrived. No, please. Not again??? Yes, again. We leave the copies but are asked to come back next Monday.
Will this ever stop??? I just wanna get over and done with this!!! At least I always get some sort of nice treat every time I freak at these scenes. This time Kalyan invited me to have a drink made from some local plant roots mixed either with soda or with milk. It's called Nannari. Hmmm… yummy. As long as things balance out like this, I'm ready to go the extra mile. Hopefully reporting back with a happy end next Monday.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Our first video - check it out
Our first video ever!!! So very excited about the results of our filmworkshop. In case you wonder, we haven"t done the editing by ourselves. Without Pankaj Trivedi from Horn Ok Plz none of this would have been possible. You"re simply the best, man!!!!
The Glass Half Full Trailer
The Glass Half Full Trailer
Monday, November 8, 2010
Oh no, will I have to stay put in Hindupur??
November 8, 2010
Today turned out to become a very important day even though we didn't know that this morning. Being strictly law-observing individuals Kalyan and I set out to give the to-do 'registering Wiebke with the Foreign Registry Office' a tick within the 14-day period as is the rule. Now we have to do this in the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, in Anantapur. Anantapur is only some 120 km away but it still takes some 2 hrs to get there by car. The road is pretty good for local standards once out of town. Yet it's one of the most accident prone roadways and I couldn't quite get why that is. Just around half way we came by a terrible accident where a bus had crashed into a truck - fully frontal with the first few rows of seats fully immersed in the truck. I wonder how many lives that carelessness has cost, if it was carelessness. Cars and busses, rickshaws and motor bikes pass and overtake each other so fast and cutting each other so close, I've held my breath my good share of times already in the past week. Sometimes you wouldn't even be able to pass a credit card between them but somehow they always seem to find just the right twist and angle to get by.
But back to business. So, we arrived in Anantapur and found the FRO after being sent to the wrong place only once. The responsible Officer was very friendly and explained the 101 things we had to lodge. Four (4!!!) passport photos, a copy of my passport and visa, pretty much the entire list of certificates and letters of InteGreater Foundation one could think of, my work contract and just one form to be filled out by me. The form was to be completed four-fold, 2x with a real carbon-copy between them and the same exercise again for 2x more. Whilst going about that, the officer told us very friendly but as a matter of fact that my visa was good for work with InteGreater (yes!!) but that I wasn't allowed to be at any other place than Hindupur.
What???? Hang on a second. The job for which I was employed is a research journey through all states of India and I'm only allowed to be in Hindupur??? How did that happen? Would I have gotten a tourist visa, I could roam around freely but not work. With an employment visa I've got the appropriate visa for volunteering but I'm not allowed to move. The officer cited some laws and that he'd take his job very serious. He'd be responsible if I was to do anything unlawful and how would he check that if I wasn't in one place??? Right… How the heck do you do the right thing in this country. Well, I kind of do remember quite a few instances where I asked myself the same question in Germany too. So, maybe it's a question of bureaucracy and left not knowing what the right is doing and the likes. I don't know.
We left gobsmacked but of course, Kalyan wouldn't show any despair. He shouted a really nice lunch with yummy butter rotis, cashew nut curry and Alu Gobi. We got my set of 8 passport photos within 3-4 minutes for only 40 rupees, i.e. 5 rupees a piece. That's not even 10 Euro Cents per photo and the came out really nice too. As a matter of fact, I think this was by far the best service I've ever had in India up to this day. Super fast, super friendly and dirt cheap. Luckily we also had our laptops on us, so the printing of all the documentation was a piece of cake too. Back to the FRO - in the meantime it was 3pm. Mr. FRO took the whole pile of documents - he didn't smile anymore - and sent us away with a dry 'I'll get back to you'. Hmm…
I'm communicating non-stop with my angels since we left the office. The universe will provide. I've gotten all the way till here and I've done so abiding with all laws - in Germany as well as in India. So let's hope I'm not suddenly becoming the coordinator of ProtoVillage instead of The Glass Half Full. Anyone out there with connections to the universe? Or the A.P. government? Please let me know... Hahaha...
For today, I hope surprise time is over. Give me something to smile, I think to myself as we drive back and promptly, the universe delivers. We're back at the little cabin where they collect the highway toll. The driver pays, one officer takes the money, a second one makes out the receipt and four (4!!!!) others note down the receipt number that the guard is shouting across to them. Wohow, that's what I love about India. Every little service creates employment for a fine bunch of people!!
Today turned out to become a very important day even though we didn't know that this morning. Being strictly law-observing individuals Kalyan and I set out to give the to-do 'registering Wiebke with the Foreign Registry Office' a tick within the 14-day period as is the rule. Now we have to do this in the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, in Anantapur. Anantapur is only some 120 km away but it still takes some 2 hrs to get there by car. The road is pretty good for local standards once out of town. Yet it's one of the most accident prone roadways and I couldn't quite get why that is. Just around half way we came by a terrible accident where a bus had crashed into a truck - fully frontal with the first few rows of seats fully immersed in the truck. I wonder how many lives that carelessness has cost, if it was carelessness. Cars and busses, rickshaws and motor bikes pass and overtake each other so fast and cutting each other so close, I've held my breath my good share of times already in the past week. Sometimes you wouldn't even be able to pass a credit card between them but somehow they always seem to find just the right twist and angle to get by.
But back to business. So, we arrived in Anantapur and found the FRO after being sent to the wrong place only once. The responsible Officer was very friendly and explained the 101 things we had to lodge. Four (4!!!) passport photos, a copy of my passport and visa, pretty much the entire list of certificates and letters of InteGreater Foundation one could think of, my work contract and just one form to be filled out by me. The form was to be completed four-fold, 2x with a real carbon-copy between them and the same exercise again for 2x more. Whilst going about that, the officer told us very friendly but as a matter of fact that my visa was good for work with InteGreater (yes!!) but that I wasn't allowed to be at any other place than Hindupur.
What???? Hang on a second. The job for which I was employed is a research journey through all states of India and I'm only allowed to be in Hindupur??? How did that happen? Would I have gotten a tourist visa, I could roam around freely but not work. With an employment visa I've got the appropriate visa for volunteering but I'm not allowed to move. The officer cited some laws and that he'd take his job very serious. He'd be responsible if I was to do anything unlawful and how would he check that if I wasn't in one place??? Right… How the heck do you do the right thing in this country. Well, I kind of do remember quite a few instances where I asked myself the same question in Germany too. So, maybe it's a question of bureaucracy and left not knowing what the right is doing and the likes. I don't know.
We left gobsmacked but of course, Kalyan wouldn't show any despair. He shouted a really nice lunch with yummy butter rotis, cashew nut curry and Alu Gobi. We got my set of 8 passport photos within 3-4 minutes for only 40 rupees, i.e. 5 rupees a piece. That's not even 10 Euro Cents per photo and the came out really nice too. As a matter of fact, I think this was by far the best service I've ever had in India up to this day. Super fast, super friendly and dirt cheap. Luckily we also had our laptops on us, so the printing of all the documentation was a piece of cake too. Back to the FRO - in the meantime it was 3pm. Mr. FRO took the whole pile of documents - he didn't smile anymore - and sent us away with a dry 'I'll get back to you'. Hmm…
I'm communicating non-stop with my angels since we left the office. The universe will provide. I've gotten all the way till here and I've done so abiding with all laws - in Germany as well as in India. So let's hope I'm not suddenly becoming the coordinator of ProtoVillage instead of The Glass Half Full. Anyone out there with connections to the universe? Or the A.P. government? Please let me know... Hahaha...
For today, I hope surprise time is over. Give me something to smile, I think to myself as we drive back and promptly, the universe delivers. We're back at the little cabin where they collect the highway toll. The driver pays, one officer takes the money, a second one makes out the receipt and four (4!!!!) others note down the receipt number that the guard is shouting across to them. Wohow, that's what I love about India. Every little service creates employment for a fine bunch of people!!
Tuition time at ProtoVillage
November 6, 2010
It's 6.30 pm and that means tuition time. Right now it's the girls turn, mathematics is the subject. There is always a small bunch of kids who take up this opportunity very gladly and Kalyan does his best to mentor them through their homework and questions. There is nothing he expects back, not even cooperation. It would not matter if there is only one child coming, he'll be offering the tuition as many evenings as he is in the village. Here the kids have light, which also is not the case in all households. Outside the loudspeaker is blasting devotional songs as it's temple time. Some of the kids not coming for class (or on their way here) burst the left over crackers, light fireworks and have a jolly good time.
Earlier Kalyan and I danced around some sort of spinning firework in a frenzy that was just too hilarious. He's always up to some sort of mischief with the kids, no wonder they're in love with him. I believe it's his passion and humble Gandhiji-like attitude, which will sustain him through his journey to make Tekulodu the ProtoVillage of his dreams. It's the detachment from the results and the focus on the path he's chosen for himself. He hasn't studied social science, psychology or development. He's an engineer with a steep climb on the corporate career ladder behind him that had left him deeply unsatisfied. He uses his common sense, his passion for all beings and most of all, his ability to inspire and motivate others to walk alongside him. Whatever the end result may be, I'm sure he's changed the course of life of quite a few of the villagers already.
And that's something I aspire to as well: walking my path independent of what others may think of me. Whether they like me or not. Only acting upon my own beliefs, fearlessly. All too often fear has stopped me from reaching for the stars, for it was the result I was attached to. On the other hand, the greatest break-throughs I've achieved in my life where owed to facing whatever fear wanted to hold me back - head on, pulling it apart and checking out what there is really to it.
So, at first, I thought ProtoVillage is not like any of the imported development program I've looked at or know of. Though now I am slowly realizing there is many examples of successful village transformation in India and the world, which started with a single person moving to a village and treating it as his own. They're living the simple life of a villager but with the awareness and education of an urban citizen who's seen the world and who is happy to search for the solution to any challenge without reinventing the wheel.
Most admirable of all in the approach Kalyan takes to building an adequate village is the fact that he refuses to accept charity. Everything done for the villagers is done by the villagers. Every dimension to be tackled - from water solutions to sanitation or social equity - is approached as an opportunity for a community business. Right now they're about to set up the first one in a chain of planned businesses - the production and distribution of clean drinking water. Even though there is not necessarily a lack of water as such, it's the poor quality of it that causes many diseases. High levels of fluoride are causing brittle bones amongst other problems. These in turn lead to inability to perform heavy duty labour such as farm or construction work.
The business model has been co-created with the villagers under the guidance of Kalyan and some passionate mentors who are happy to share their experience. The capital to be invested in buying the equipment necessary is raised amongst the villagers who are passionate about this particular dimension - in this case the water. What can't be raised amongst the partners may be held as some sort of intermediary stakes or social loan by a third party. And as profits are made the social investor slowly sells his shares and is returned his investment. This way - at least for the beginning - there is no reliance and/or dependency from banks, NGO's or money lenders necessary.
I shall report more on when the first business is up and running…hopefully soon.
It's 6.30 pm and that means tuition time. Right now it's the girls turn, mathematics is the subject. There is always a small bunch of kids who take up this opportunity very gladly and Kalyan does his best to mentor them through their homework and questions. There is nothing he expects back, not even cooperation. It would not matter if there is only one child coming, he'll be offering the tuition as many evenings as he is in the village. Here the kids have light, which also is not the case in all households. Outside the loudspeaker is blasting devotional songs as it's temple time. Some of the kids not coming for class (or on their way here) burst the left over crackers, light fireworks and have a jolly good time.
Earlier Kalyan and I danced around some sort of spinning firework in a frenzy that was just too hilarious. He's always up to some sort of mischief with the kids, no wonder they're in love with him. I believe it's his passion and humble Gandhiji-like attitude, which will sustain him through his journey to make Tekulodu the ProtoVillage of his dreams. It's the detachment from the results and the focus on the path he's chosen for himself. He hasn't studied social science, psychology or development. He's an engineer with a steep climb on the corporate career ladder behind him that had left him deeply unsatisfied. He uses his common sense, his passion for all beings and most of all, his ability to inspire and motivate others to walk alongside him. Whatever the end result may be, I'm sure he's changed the course of life of quite a few of the villagers already.
And that's something I aspire to as well: walking my path independent of what others may think of me. Whether they like me or not. Only acting upon my own beliefs, fearlessly. All too often fear has stopped me from reaching for the stars, for it was the result I was attached to. On the other hand, the greatest break-throughs I've achieved in my life where owed to facing whatever fear wanted to hold me back - head on, pulling it apart and checking out what there is really to it.
So, at first, I thought ProtoVillage is not like any of the imported development program I've looked at or know of. Though now I am slowly realizing there is many examples of successful village transformation in India and the world, which started with a single person moving to a village and treating it as his own. They're living the simple life of a villager but with the awareness and education of an urban citizen who's seen the world and who is happy to search for the solution to any challenge without reinventing the wheel.
Most admirable of all in the approach Kalyan takes to building an adequate village is the fact that he refuses to accept charity. Everything done for the villagers is done by the villagers. Every dimension to be tackled - from water solutions to sanitation or social equity - is approached as an opportunity for a community business. Right now they're about to set up the first one in a chain of planned businesses - the production and distribution of clean drinking water. Even though there is not necessarily a lack of water as such, it's the poor quality of it that causes many diseases. High levels of fluoride are causing brittle bones amongst other problems. These in turn lead to inability to perform heavy duty labour such as farm or construction work.
The business model has been co-created with the villagers under the guidance of Kalyan and some passionate mentors who are happy to share their experience. The capital to be invested in buying the equipment necessary is raised amongst the villagers who are passionate about this particular dimension - in this case the water. What can't be raised amongst the partners may be held as some sort of intermediary stakes or social loan by a third party. And as profits are made the social investor slowly sells his shares and is returned his investment. This way - at least for the beginning - there is no reliance and/or dependency from banks, NGO's or money lenders necessary.
I shall report more on when the first business is up and running…hopefully soon.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Will I be tattooed???
November 6, 2010
We've slept in town last night and only made it back to Tekulodu this afternoon. The kids were waiting for us already. On the way there we bought a mat for Suresh, one of our neighbors kids to sleep on. We realized the other night when he was staying at our house (their roof leaked even worse than ours) that he didn't have his own mat. He slept on the stone floor with just a very thin piece of clothes underneath. No complaints, not even a blink. He seemed to be used to it.
And still it bothered me. I felt like buying a mat for this kid but obviously we can't buy everything that villagers need. Word surely would go around like a fireball and we might be expected to buy things for others as well. Nevertheless, I was glad to hear that Kalyan felt bothered also and had thought about a solution. We decided to get one despite all hesitations as it was a very basic need. We could let him simply use it as he stays here anyway and we could then leave it with him when we leave for our trip. He has earned it anyway, his family is providing us with food and cow milk (which I am not drinking but apparently it's very nice). What's certain is that I find it extremely hard to figure out what's right in situations like this. And I wonder how this will affect me once we're in a different cluster of villages every few days. We'll see a lot of inadequacy and suffering, that I'm sure of unfortunately.
Well, well, well. In the meantime I'm surrounded by quite a few people again. The only thing changing is the who. It's not just the kids anymore. The elder women are joining and surrounding me as well. They checked my whole body for suitable places for tattoos. They seem to think I definitely should have tattoos as it would come out so nicely on my white skin. Yeah, sure it would… One lady already got her needle out as well. Gee, I really thought that's it… I pleadingly looked towards Kalyan but he was busy preparing his meeting to finalize the water solution for the village. The women all the while had it figured out completely: my name on my right arm, some sort of flower on my inner hand, a bindi-like dot on my forehead and then they got on to my cheek. That's were I went into very obvious disobedience at last.
Next object of inspection were my bangles, which I had finally brought along with me because they already wanted to gift me theirs thinking I didn't have any. To prove the opposite I put them on today, two on each arm. They were approved of, only I should wear three or four of them on each arm, I was advised. It would look even better... They are very particular with their jewelry and everyone seems to have some no matter how poor they are. They might not have shoes or a mat to sleep on but jewelry is a must. Well, I guess that's for girls and women only. I wonder if men have an equivalent, I have seen only some wearing a necklace.
But seriously speaking, on my way here I always notice how the majority of people go barefoot - in town and in the villages - no matter how rough the ground on which walk. Their feet and hands are incredibly toughened, some of them look like leather aged over the decades. As far as clothing goes, most women here still were sari and the men lungi held with a simple knot across their hips. A few youngsters start wearing western dresses but it's not yet common. I'm wearing my kameez, a long shirt or tunic usually accompanied by shalwar or paijama pants (not to be confused with what we Westerners made of this word for sleeping dress). I combine them with my jeans or other trousers, as a foreigner I get away with pretty much anything. Only when my shirt slides off my shoulder or the straps of my bra show, the girls signal me giggling away to adjust accordingly.
More about that as I learn (or when I start wearing sari myself).
We've slept in town last night and only made it back to Tekulodu this afternoon. The kids were waiting for us already. On the way there we bought a mat for Suresh, one of our neighbors kids to sleep on. We realized the other night when he was staying at our house (their roof leaked even worse than ours) that he didn't have his own mat. He slept on the stone floor with just a very thin piece of clothes underneath. No complaints, not even a blink. He seemed to be used to it.
And still it bothered me. I felt like buying a mat for this kid but obviously we can't buy everything that villagers need. Word surely would go around like a fireball and we might be expected to buy things for others as well. Nevertheless, I was glad to hear that Kalyan felt bothered also and had thought about a solution. We decided to get one despite all hesitations as it was a very basic need. We could let him simply use it as he stays here anyway and we could then leave it with him when we leave for our trip. He has earned it anyway, his family is providing us with food and cow milk (which I am not drinking but apparently it's very nice). What's certain is that I find it extremely hard to figure out what's right in situations like this. And I wonder how this will affect me once we're in a different cluster of villages every few days. We'll see a lot of inadequacy and suffering, that I'm sure of unfortunately.
Well, well, well. In the meantime I'm surrounded by quite a few people again. The only thing changing is the who. It's not just the kids anymore. The elder women are joining and surrounding me as well. They checked my whole body for suitable places for tattoos. They seem to think I definitely should have tattoos as it would come out so nicely on my white skin. Yeah, sure it would… One lady already got her needle out as well. Gee, I really thought that's it… I pleadingly looked towards Kalyan but he was busy preparing his meeting to finalize the water solution for the village. The women all the while had it figured out completely: my name on my right arm, some sort of flower on my inner hand, a bindi-like dot on my forehead and then they got on to my cheek. That's were I went into very obvious disobedience at last.
Next object of inspection were my bangles, which I had finally brought along with me because they already wanted to gift me theirs thinking I didn't have any. To prove the opposite I put them on today, two on each arm. They were approved of, only I should wear three or four of them on each arm, I was advised. It would look even better... They are very particular with their jewelry and everyone seems to have some no matter how poor they are. They might not have shoes or a mat to sleep on but jewelry is a must. Well, I guess that's for girls and women only. I wonder if men have an equivalent, I have seen only some wearing a necklace.
But seriously speaking, on my way here I always notice how the majority of people go barefoot - in town and in the villages - no matter how rough the ground on which walk. Their feet and hands are incredibly toughened, some of them look like leather aged over the decades. As far as clothing goes, most women here still were sari and the men lungi held with a simple knot across their hips. A few youngsters start wearing western dresses but it's not yet common. I'm wearing my kameez, a long shirt or tunic usually accompanied by shalwar or paijama pants (not to be confused with what we Westerners made of this word for sleeping dress). I combine them with my jeans or other trousers, as a foreigner I get away with pretty much anything. Only when my shirt slides off my shoulder or the straps of my bra show, the girls signal me giggling away to adjust accordingly.
More about that as I learn (or when I start wearing sari myself).
Diwali - Festival of Lights and Kalyan's birthday
Friday, 5th of November 2010
Had a leisurely late start into the day today. Cold shower, yummy breakfast with idlies and spicy peanut chutney, work on the computer, more food, more work.
Now it's evening and the sound of crackers bursting has been an accompanying sound since last night. "Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes." I educate myself on Wikipedia. It seems to me that these traditional activities in the homes are very similar to the ones we know in the West for our New Year. Crackers are bursting (and littering the streets afterwards), all sorts of fireworks are being burnt (you wouldn't believe the number of roadside stalls just solely for selling these) and candles are lighting up the houses and their entries (that's the part I like best, personally). And in fact, many Indian businesses start their business year on Diwali.
Kalyan's mom and grandma invited me to light the small clay lamps filled with oil, which I really enjoyed. As Diwali also happens to be the day on which Kalyan was born. So we squeezed in some birthday time too and drove out of town - literally to 'the end of the road' where a residential area with high-rises is to be constructed one day. The houses are still missing but a beautiful, smooth and pitch-black road is there already. It ends near a small cliff, which you'd think would be marked. Well, we are in 'incredible India' after all, so it's not marked but fortunately Kalyan knew that already from his first visit there. So, we sat there 'at the end of the road' looking at the super long trains passing by, the fireworks in the city and the frogs provided the background music.
All in all a very relaxed day but I missed the huzzle & buzzle of the kids roaming around the village already. Happy that we'll be back there tomorrow after visiting some surrounding Panchayats (village councils) to talk about ProtoVillage.
Had a leisurely late start into the day today. Cold shower, yummy breakfast with idlies and spicy peanut chutney, work on the computer, more food, more work.
Now it's evening and the sound of crackers bursting has been an accompanying sound since last night. "Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes." I educate myself on Wikipedia. It seems to me that these traditional activities in the homes are very similar to the ones we know in the West for our New Year. Crackers are bursting (and littering the streets afterwards), all sorts of fireworks are being burnt (you wouldn't believe the number of roadside stalls just solely for selling these) and candles are lighting up the houses and their entries (that's the part I like best, personally). And in fact, many Indian businesses start their business year on Diwali.
Kalyan's mom and grandma invited me to light the small clay lamps filled with oil, which I really enjoyed. As Diwali also happens to be the day on which Kalyan was born. So we squeezed in some birthday time too and drove out of town - literally to 'the end of the road' where a residential area with high-rises is to be constructed one day. The houses are still missing but a beautiful, smooth and pitch-black road is there already. It ends near a small cliff, which you'd think would be marked. Well, we are in 'incredible India' after all, so it's not marked but fortunately Kalyan knew that already from his first visit there. So, we sat there 'at the end of the road' looking at the super long trains passing by, the fireworks in the city and the frogs provided the background music.
All in all a very relaxed day but I missed the huzzle & buzzle of the kids roaming around the village already. Happy that we'll be back there tomorrow after visiting some surrounding Panchayats (village councils) to talk about ProtoVillage.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
hello from kalyan
i am kalyan, and i wanted to write this a lot earlier. but wiebke didn’t let me ;)
Ok, let me tell you a bit about myself, and how this started – i traveled a bit in 2008-09 for around 10 months across India, without much of a plan or a goal… the experience gave me perspectives that got me to start my social enterprise InteGreater with the objective of connecting people across diverse backgrounds, to work cohesively for a happy planet.
i want to focus my energies on creating a desired state rather than on eradicating poverty. A year and a half of research in collaboration with several people, led me to the concept of “adequacy”. Adequacy is a state in which all the living forms in a given region have optimum access to factors that ensure dignity of life.
In May this year, I was three months away from launching my first grassroots project, called ProtoVillage, a time bound attempt to co-create the state of adequacy in a remote village cluster in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India. Around that time, I met Wiebke who was traveling through India looking for stories on social entrepreneurship.
We met for, what on hindsight appears to have been a super prolonged lunch, that almost stretched to dinner… just that the waiter didn’t want us there anymore ;)
We realized our common interests in rural development, and it immediately looked like we were going to work together on something. The next day, we met at a few places ;), and I briefly mentioned my idea for a trip across rural India, and called it the sunshine journey. The idea was simple – go around the country meeting people who are doing amazing things that can be replicated, and document it all.
The idea got us so excited; we committed ourselves to taking it further, beyond casual discussions. Over the next few days we added a number of layers to the idea, and a vague idea called the sunshine journey gradually metamorphosed into a credible project called The Glass Half Full. 5 months ago, it looked like a dream, and now it’s a project that we are counting down days for… My contribution so far has been very limited, except in terms of conceptualization, owing to the fact that I’ve been living and working in ProtoVillage since August, and I am super proud of the way Wiebke almost single handedly got us here.
There are still a few things that we need to sort out, before we hit the roads, but having done this distance already, what lies ahead looks easy!
Ok, let me tell you a bit about myself, and how this started – i traveled a bit in 2008-09 for around 10 months across India, without much of a plan or a goal… the experience gave me perspectives that got me to start my social enterprise InteGreater with the objective of connecting people across diverse backgrounds, to work cohesively for a happy planet.
i want to focus my energies on creating a desired state rather than on eradicating poverty. A year and a half of research in collaboration with several people, led me to the concept of “adequacy”. Adequacy is a state in which all the living forms in a given region have optimum access to factors that ensure dignity of life.
In May this year, I was three months away from launching my first grassroots project, called ProtoVillage, a time bound attempt to co-create the state of adequacy in a remote village cluster in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India. Around that time, I met Wiebke who was traveling through India looking for stories on social entrepreneurship.
We met for, what on hindsight appears to have been a super prolonged lunch, that almost stretched to dinner… just that the waiter didn’t want us there anymore ;)
We realized our common interests in rural development, and it immediately looked like we were going to work together on something. The next day, we met at a few places ;), and I briefly mentioned my idea for a trip across rural India, and called it the sunshine journey. The idea was simple – go around the country meeting people who are doing amazing things that can be replicated, and document it all.
The idea got us so excited; we committed ourselves to taking it further, beyond casual discussions. Over the next few days we added a number of layers to the idea, and a vague idea called the sunshine journey gradually metamorphosed into a credible project called The Glass Half Full. 5 months ago, it looked like a dream, and now it’s a project that we are counting down days for… My contribution so far has been very limited, except in terms of conceptualization, owing to the fact that I’ve been living and working in ProtoVillage since August, and I am super proud of the way Wiebke almost single handedly got us here.
There are still a few things that we need to sort out, before we hit the roads, but having done this distance already, what lies ahead looks easy!
Fireflies and drumming village announcers
Tuesday, 2nd Nov 2010.
Surrounded by at least six kids in a distance of only some centimeters (they just give me enough room to move my fingers on the laptop and actually read every word out loud as I'm typing them), I am desperately trying to concentrate for a little while. Some 7-8 more girls are studying their English books in front of me. Kalyan is in the next room with the volunteers discussing a potential water solution for the ProtoVillage. It's like this from the moment we arrive in the village until the moment we're gone. Well, actually that's not quite correct. Usually we'll come across some villagers on our way there, in the next city or along the road. They stop us for a hike and one person soon becomes two or three. We've never ridden into or out of the village with a car anything less than max passenger number. Today I experimented with the video camera, which Thomas Bernstein gave us to use on the trip and that attracted even more attention than usual. It would be such a laugh to publish this video. A) because I'm totally new to the world of video and B) because you'd see how there is just no chance to hold it still or focus it on any particular scene of interest.
I like what all of this is doing with me. I might be stressed, I might even be in a bad mood or sad. But the minute I'm out there with the kids around me, I'm happy. I forget everything else, my cold, my tiredness, any challenges - imagined or real. Different things matter. Attention, curiosity, thirst for finding out about the world out there. They teach me a million words per second in their native language Telugu and learn English as I translate it for myself and repeat after them with their chorus as background music. They want me to remember their names and they wouldn't leave me alone until I do. I can call at least some 15-20 kids by their name and I'm real proud of it too.
Tonight will be the first night I'll stay here at Tekulodu (the location of ProtoVillage). I look forward to this as Kalyan promised to take me just out of the village to a pond where the fireflies light up the night. I've seen it in the past nights when we drove to Kalyan's home to Hindupur. The first time I saw these beautiful creatures buzz around was on my very first evening here. I waited for Kalyan in the car as he was out in the surrounding villages with the man who makes announcements by first drumming everyone together and then shouting out loud whatever word they want to get out. That night Kalyan wanted to remind the villagers of medical camp next day and the opportunity to get a free health check including free medication if they needed any. Medical camp was a full success with some 300-320 villagers receiving treatment from a dedicated team which will now come regularly at least once per quarter.
So, all of this wonder is now forming part of our bootcamp. Kalyan and I brainstorming, planning, scheduling, strategising, exercising and most of all - getting to know each other better by the minute. He's still very busy with his work here at ProtoVillage and right now I can't even imagine how he'll be able to leave in just a few weeks. But that's only one in many challenges. As off now we still haven't got our bikes secured. On the other hand side, a lot of things have fallen into place and many people have come onboard to support us. Ulrike Saade from Velo Berlin still hasn't given up despite the fact that we're in India and contacted Trek and Canondale. With Ortlieb joining just before I left Germany, we are well equipped even already for our time here at the village. All the waterproof bags come in very handy with the rain leaking into our house!! Soon we'll even be able to blog independent of Internet thanks to the pilot project with tickertxt.org and betterplace lab. I mean, how good can it get?
And when I still stress, Kalyan will step in to calm me and remind me how everything WILL happen in its own time. I keep forgetting that despite my best intentions. It's an art to see the glass half full instead of half empty, right? And our name IS program and not just a glossy outer shell meant to be meaningful to others. So, I'll better practice. And at the moment that means getting over my cold, acclimatizing and getting used to the (very!!!) spicy local cuisine. Good night to you all!!
Surrounded by at least six kids in a distance of only some centimeters (they just give me enough room to move my fingers on the laptop and actually read every word out loud as I'm typing them), I am desperately trying to concentrate for a little while. Some 7-8 more girls are studying their English books in front of me. Kalyan is in the next room with the volunteers discussing a potential water solution for the ProtoVillage. It's like this from the moment we arrive in the village until the moment we're gone. Well, actually that's not quite correct. Usually we'll come across some villagers on our way there, in the next city or along the road. They stop us for a hike and one person soon becomes two or three. We've never ridden into or out of the village with a car anything less than max passenger number. Today I experimented with the video camera, which Thomas Bernstein gave us to use on the trip and that attracted even more attention than usual. It would be such a laugh to publish this video. A) because I'm totally new to the world of video and B) because you'd see how there is just no chance to hold it still or focus it on any particular scene of interest.
I like what all of this is doing with me. I might be stressed, I might even be in a bad mood or sad. But the minute I'm out there with the kids around me, I'm happy. I forget everything else, my cold, my tiredness, any challenges - imagined or real. Different things matter. Attention, curiosity, thirst for finding out about the world out there. They teach me a million words per second in their native language Telugu and learn English as I translate it for myself and repeat after them with their chorus as background music. They want me to remember their names and they wouldn't leave me alone until I do. I can call at least some 15-20 kids by their name and I'm real proud of it too.
Tonight will be the first night I'll stay here at Tekulodu (the location of ProtoVillage). I look forward to this as Kalyan promised to take me just out of the village to a pond where the fireflies light up the night. I've seen it in the past nights when we drove to Kalyan's home to Hindupur. The first time I saw these beautiful creatures buzz around was on my very first evening here. I waited for Kalyan in the car as he was out in the surrounding villages with the man who makes announcements by first drumming everyone together and then shouting out loud whatever word they want to get out. That night Kalyan wanted to remind the villagers of medical camp next day and the opportunity to get a free health check including free medication if they needed any. Medical camp was a full success with some 300-320 villagers receiving treatment from a dedicated team which will now come regularly at least once per quarter.
So, all of this wonder is now forming part of our bootcamp. Kalyan and I brainstorming, planning, scheduling, strategising, exercising and most of all - getting to know each other better by the minute. He's still very busy with his work here at ProtoVillage and right now I can't even imagine how he'll be able to leave in just a few weeks. But that's only one in many challenges. As off now we still haven't got our bikes secured. On the other hand side, a lot of things have fallen into place and many people have come onboard to support us. Ulrike Saade from Velo Berlin still hasn't given up despite the fact that we're in India and contacted Trek and Canondale. With Ortlieb joining just before I left Germany, we are well equipped even already for our time here at the village. All the waterproof bags come in very handy with the rain leaking into our house!! Soon we'll even be able to blog independent of Internet thanks to the pilot project with tickertxt.org and betterplace lab. I mean, how good can it get?
And when I still stress, Kalyan will step in to calm me and remind me how everything WILL happen in its own time. I keep forgetting that despite my best intentions. It's an art to see the glass half full instead of half empty, right? And our name IS program and not just a glossy outer shell meant to be meaningful to others. So, I'll better practice. And at the moment that means getting over my cold, acclimatizing and getting used to the (very!!!) spicy local cuisine. Good night to you all!!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Arrival in India – a new phase begins
After five months of virtual preparations with Kalyan in India and me in Germany, I've finally made it back to this country full of contrasts yesterday. This means our mini journey team of two is complete now and a new phase begins. A phase of working together side by side. I've been anticipating this day for quite a while now. Whilst collaborating from the most far-away corners of the planet these days is quite alright as long as you've got a computer and internet, it's still a far way from being next to each other and seeing things for yourself.
My first impressions since arriving in Bangalore only yesterday morning are pretty overwhelming, despite having been in India before. It all started pretty exciting with driving onto the highway on the wrong side of the road. After calming down over some idli and a chai I had longed for since London airport, we drove to Hindupur, Kalyan's hometown. We passed mainly through lush green scenery, even vineyards. Whilst that is pretty normal in the state of Karnataka, it wasn't normality for its neighboring state Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) at all. It used to be extremely dry here, so I was told. The villagers of A.P. could literally see the rain right in front of them but it would never reach their region, which made Anantapur one of the poorest districts in India. Thanks to the climate change, perhaps, this has changed. It still doesn't rain heaps but enough to farm the fields and get a reasonable harvest.
Coming off the highway we soon passed through Lepakshi, one of the oldest temple villages the country dating back to the 15th century. It's got the 2nd biggest statue of Nandi (a holy calf ridden by the God Shiva), yet the tourism industry hasn't really discovered it. Being slower and driving through the villages also started yielding the famous Indian stares. Even after having experienced it a million times it was just too much fun to see people pass by and then, all of a sudden turn their heads back in a millisecond realizing there is 'something unusual' to be seen. Without any accidents we finally reached our destination Hindupur: Kalyan's home and the office of InteGreater Foundation.
Kalyan's parents and grandmother were waiting for us already. We had lunch, a first good chat and then drove off to the location of the first ProtoVillage. We hadn't even reached it and already we were surrounded by a crowd of children and adults alike. Only this time I wasn't the cause of it. It was Kalyan who was and is the center of attention every time that he's entering this place. The kids literally cling to him and the adults look up to him and ask a million questions at once. But more about that another day… Now I'm dying for dinner and a good, deep sleep. Talk again soon. W
Photos of the first couple of days are here.
My first impressions since arriving in Bangalore only yesterday morning are pretty overwhelming, despite having been in India before. It all started pretty exciting with driving onto the highway on the wrong side of the road. After calming down over some idli and a chai I had longed for since London airport, we drove to Hindupur, Kalyan's hometown. We passed mainly through lush green scenery, even vineyards. Whilst that is pretty normal in the state of Karnataka, it wasn't normality for its neighboring state Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) at all. It used to be extremely dry here, so I was told. The villagers of A.P. could literally see the rain right in front of them but it would never reach their region, which made Anantapur one of the poorest districts in India. Thanks to the climate change, perhaps, this has changed. It still doesn't rain heaps but enough to farm the fields and get a reasonable harvest.
Coming off the highway we soon passed through Lepakshi, one of the oldest temple villages the country dating back to the 15th century. It's got the 2nd biggest statue of Nandi (a holy calf ridden by the God Shiva), yet the tourism industry hasn't really discovered it. Being slower and driving through the villages also started yielding the famous Indian stares. Even after having experienced it a million times it was just too much fun to see people pass by and then, all of a sudden turn their heads back in a millisecond realizing there is 'something unusual' to be seen. Without any accidents we finally reached our destination Hindupur: Kalyan's home and the office of InteGreater Foundation.
Kalyan's parents and grandmother were waiting for us already. We had lunch, a first good chat and then drove off to the location of the first ProtoVillage. We hadn't even reached it and already we were surrounded by a crowd of children and adults alike. Only this time I wasn't the cause of it. It was Kalyan who was and is the center of attention every time that he's entering this place. The kids literally cling to him and the adults look up to him and ask a million questions at once. But more about that another day… Now I'm dying for dinner and a good, deep sleep. Talk again soon. W
Photos of the first couple of days are here.
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