Thursday, February 20, 2025
to Uttarakhand
Today I head to Uttarakhand. If you look at a map, you may notice that it is not at all in South India, but way in the north in the Himalayan foothills. So how did it get on my South India itinerary? Well, there are two cool graduates there whose work I know a little about from their social media posts, and since no ARI people had visited that part of this country in many years, AND since internal flights are not expensive, I decided it was time to pay them a visit.
My day started with breakfast at the hotel, where I was served by staff from other parts of India, just like before. These folks were from Assam and Tripura in northeast India, and another was Nepali. They come to big cities to find work, (often in the service industry) and although they are in their own country, for them it is like a foreign land, complete with unfamiliar customs and culture. Even the language is different.
The three-hour flight to Dehradun was uneventful, except for a few weird noises at takeoff … and the awesome Chicken Junglee Sandwich I was not expecting, yet somehow special enough to receive. Who knew India made amazing sandwiches? I had the same surprise in Vietnam once. Ever heard of a bánh mì? I think I may be a certified sandwich lover and will one day have to do a world sandwich tour. Oh, and one more thing about the flight is, the pilot was a woman, which can’t be called surprising, but is notable, as they are still a distinct minority in the cockpit.
Greeted by TWO graduates
In the cool evening of Dehradun, I was met by Surender Singh (1989 ARI Graduate and 1996 Training Assistant) and to my surprise he was with another graduate I was not at all expecting to meet, making a grand total of three ARI grads in Uttarakhand. It was Reeta from Manipur (2007 ARI graduate), who has been working with Surrender the last few years. We all climbed in Surender’s trusty Mahindra 4×4 and headed into town. Dehradun, I neglected to mention, is the capital city of this state, but we won’t be here long because Surender’s territory is in the up, up regions of Mussoorie. It took me forever to learn how to pronounce Mussoorie. If you are American, you’ll keep wanting to say it like the US state of Missouri. But if you are determined to get it right, you’ll have to forget that such a place as Missouri exists, then say “Moose” and add an “oory.”
MGVS
The long road to town was heavily forested and the roads in town were heavily “cowed.” That is, this was certainly not a “cattle free road.” Here and there signs warned of elephants crossing. There is no doubt about who has the right of way there. As we drove along, Surender explained that he still works at the same organization that sent him to ARI. More than 40 years he has been with MGVS and for quite some time, has been its director. MGVS is the Mussoorie Gramin Vikas Samiti, or, for non-Hindi speakers, the Mussoorie Village Development Committee. The thing that was most on his mind, though, was that last August their FCRA application had been rejected. Sorry, I don’t know what these letters stand for, maybe something in Hindi, but the gist of this matter is that they are disallowed by the Indian Government from receiving funds from foreign countries. Twenty staff had to be laid off and all programs stopped, except one. What is particularly frustrating is that their supporters want to continue, but are barred from doing so until Surender can get this resolved. The reason stated for the rejection is a simple auditing error, but there could be more nefarious motives. The BJP ruling party in India is Hindu Nationalist and many contend it is repressive toward other religions and cultures. So far, in this blog, I have tried to steer clear of political comments I’ve heard, as I find them extremely messy and confusing and maybe a little dangerous, but the fact is that those who are not Hindu feel vulnerable.
Two discontinued programs are (1) Outcome mapping of MGVS’s rural development programs. Soon I will take you for a walk in the hills to learn more about what they have been doing the last 40 years. And (2) Girls Resilience, in which they work with female students in 18 schools to help them discover their talents and dreams. Keep in mind that in conservative societies, girls aren’t really expected to have dreams.
When we reached a section of the city called Rajpur, we turned in through a gate beyond which stood a tree planted by Ghandi himself. This compound is the Christian Retreat and Study Center, founded with backing from the World Council of Churches in the 1950s to help Indian Christian churches become more independent. Here is where MGVS was born in 1981 as an outreach program to the mountain villages, becoming an independent organization in 2006. The grounds and facilities were spacious and well cared for, but I was confused as to why the side of the guest house I stayed in was enclosed in a steel cage, including the balcony and front door. Monkey protection, was Surender’s explanation. A reverse zoo, it seemed to me.
Garam garam chapati
After checking that I was supplied with hot water, tea, soap, towels, a properly functioning heater and anything else I might need for the night (super caring hosts!), Surrender and Reeta invited me to supper. In the dining hall, I found a table laid with perfectly arranged cuttings of local guava, oranges, and apples. We sat and prayed and then the cook served fried chicken, vegetables and as many chapati as we could possibly eat, made fresh and hot, one by one – garam garam chapati! (see below)
Over the meal, Reeta shared her recent story. For four years she was teaching at a mission school in Tripura State, but when COVID came and all the schools closed, there was no longer any work. She tried connecting with other ARI graduates and Surender responded, inviting her to teach at the school we would visit tomorrow, on condition that she complete her teaching certification at the same time. With her brother’s assistance, she did exactly that, and now she is living up in the mountains as a school teacher.
Another language
Since we are in a new part of India a new language lesson is required. For the first time on this trip, I am in a part of the country that speaks Hindi. For Reeta, though, it is a foreign language. I hope I may be confusing you with all these languages and other complexities of India. Confusion is the first step to learning – to dare to look beyond the simple and understandable generalizations, into the intricate and entangled stuff that truly make up a culture and a people. Flounder for a while in confusion and you are bound to ask questions that will make you a little wiser. That is how I look at it, anyway.
So, your Hindi lesson for today is:
Namaste – hello
Dhanyavaad – thank you
Swadist – delicious
Garam garam chapati – hot hot chapati
