Talmin Nadu

September 18, 2008

I had my first train experience today!  We rode a sleeper train from Bangalore To Karur.  It was definitely an experience.  The train was supposed to pick us up at 9:30pm but it was almost an hour late.  Once we got onto the train I knew that I was in a different kind of place.  We squeezed ourselves down a narrow row looking for our compartment.  We walked past people deep into their sleep.  I knew that the snoring passengers were going to drive me crazy.  There were eight beds in our compartment (two of which were already occupied).  As quickly as we had gotten onto the train it began to move.  We were on our way to our first field visit in India.  We tucked ourselves in and tried to get some sleep.  It was about a seven-hour ride to Karur.  I slept most of the way because I was so tired.  I needed to use the bathroom, but in India that can sometimes be a chore.  I didn’t think that I would be able to pee standing up in a moving vehicle with water allover the floor.  I decided that I was going to hold it. 

We arrived at AREDS (Association of Rural Education and Development Services), an NGO, at about 5:45am.  We were taken to our rooms.  The room that we were given was a sauna.  It was so hot!  I didn’t think that I was going to be able to make it for an entire week sleeping in this hot room.  AREDS is an NGO whose purpose is to empower marginalized people (Dalits, Women and Children).  AREDS helps these people create support groups and promotes social movements among them.  AREDS helps these people understand their rights and gives them the tools to help themselves.  One organization that AREDS supports is SWATE (Society of Women in Action for Total Empowerments).  We went to a nearby village to meet with women involved with this organization.  Groups of local women use the SWATE to gain support for their personal and village rights.  On our first night we were invited to join a branch of the SWATE and listen in their meeting.  We learned all about the good the group has done for the village.  Women were given the opportunity to voice their concerns and come up with solutions to their problems.  We were surrounded in the small village.  Men, women, and children all came out to see us.  As we got up to leave after the meeting everyone wanted to know everything about us.  They wanted to know our names and get our autographs.  I don’t think that I have ever felt more like a celebrity.  Everyone wanted us to shake their hands, hold their babies and come to eat at their homes.  It was really crazy.  Everyone was taking a ton of pictures.  None of these people had ever been in contact with Americans before.  Shaking hands with the villagers was a very important part of meeting with them.  The villagers were Dalits (part of the untouchable caste) and most people will not even look at them let alone touch them.  It really meant a lot to me to see how excited these people were to be with us.  We were able to shape their opinions about Americans and that makes me very happy because I know many people only get to see one side of Americans.  We left a good impression on them.