Day 11 - amazing kids, organization and Ghandi

This morning was an early start up at 6.30 so we could start our walking tour of the old city in time to experience the worship of the sun. Along the way we saw an elephant walking along the road in the middle of the city.

So the first place we visited was a Shiva temple which is more than 600 yrs old. We heard the chanting and were given sugar - sweet blessing from the god for a sweet life. We then visited the women's area (nunnery) and were lucky to have an audience with the "queen" of the sect. She is related 8 generations back to the founder of the sect. She was interested to hear where we had been and were going and informed us that there is a temple in Blacktown! She also told us the temple we visited in Bhuj was also the same sect.

We were then lucky enough to see people worshipping the sun - our guide says this is getting less and less common.

We also found our from the guide why we  have seen so many dogs - the belief is that the dog is your guide to heaven!

We saw lots of amazing old wooden buildings  in the old city as well as the home of a famous poet Dalpatram and a grand old mosque. At one point I managed to get lost in the middle of the market and panic set in! Luckily I had the number for trusty Kate (tour leader) however when i called her she had no idea who it was as she had not realised i was missing!

Getting ready for the kite festival 

Poet

600 yr old street gate

Mosque

Chilli and lime to protect you against jealousy 

We then went to visit an Anganwadi in the second largest slum. There are currently 21 Anganwadi for a slum population of more than 20000. Kids up to 6 come at 11am and get breakfast and get lunch at 2.30 when they leave 6 days a week. Each Anganwadi is owned by a community in the slum. The schooling is done by songs and stories. It is supported by the govt and also the food is dictated by the govt ie what they can serve. The program has been in operation since 1970s. They also provide wellbeing and health services to the kids and to women with babies as well in the Anganwadi. 

It is the responsibility of the Anganwadi to enrol the kids into primary school (govt school). They have to maintain a growth chart for all the kids to chart if they are suffering malnutrition. 7 kids at the Anganwadi we visited are suffering severe malnutrition.

The kids were so beautiful and we were treated to wonderful singing and dancing and watched them play a game.

We then went to the Ghandi ashram and had lunch with the wonderful people from Manav Sadhwa.

We then went to visit one of the community centers created by Manav sadhna. We were lucky enough to meet one of its founders who told us all about it. The following will not come close to doing justice to this amazing and mind blowing organization. I wish the world were filled with more people like this. We met a few people who are working for the organization now who were recipients of its services as children in the slums it was humbling and a very moving experience.

Manav sadhna  started 25 yrs go as a concept. It started with 3 people who shared the same drive to make a difference and they started with 4 kids at the ashram - cleaning them up and feeding them. It then grew and grew as more and more kids came to the ashram but they realised some kids could not come as their parents did not want them leaving the slum so they went into the slum to see where kids coming from. Found 220 kids never been to school and 4 or more girls who never left the slum and were aged 14 or so. So they started with informal education - at night teaching value  based education and hygiene. This way kids especially girls could get an education. They then started to notice bad health so started real clinics and within 3 days had 200 or more patients a day. Then grew from there. No founder has got a cent from it and give their money and time themselves. They do not try and get donations they believe if you serve from the heart then the universe will deliver and it has worked. The name means "serving people".

In the time they have been there they have made a difference now all kids go to school and the clinics see only 20 or so patients a day - they have improved the health.

Just recently they have turned their attention to the plight of women. They realised how bad the life of the women in the slum is particularly the "rat pickers" - get up in middle of night and pick through rubbish and collect recycle materials then come home and sort it and then sell it. From that money she will have to buy everything she needs for the day (she ives from day today) she feeds her kids first and if her husband is not drunk or dead she feeds him next then if anything is left she eats. They have huge issues with alcohol and it is so bad quality that if men start drinking at 30 they are dead by 45. Then they found out that the women get paid very little - they get 8 rupees and by end of line it is worth 80 ruppees. They also found  that the guys buying from them have set their scales down by 20-30%! These women also peform an amazing community service collecting over 500000kg of recycle material up each day (20kg each and 26000 women in Ahmedabad) before anyone else gets out of bed - material that would have ended up in land fill instead. So their latest project is to start a cooperative for these women in the slum - they buy the material at 2 ruppees higher from the women and sell direct to the recycling companies and then they keep  a record of the amounts the women have sold to them and then when the profit is made it will  be shared with these women by putting food directly into their houses every 6 months ie rice and oil and butter etc. They have called the coop "helpers of the environment" as that is what these women do and hope to convince the govt the women should be recognised for what they are doing.

There are 140000 people in the slum and they have now got 5 community centers up - the center is owned by the community not by the organization - they did this so that is Manav sadhwa is not around in the future the center will be. The community center is open 24 hours a day so kids can come in and read or even sleep there whenever they they want. Each day the charity through all its servictouches 9000 kids lives directly, 2000 get a glass of milk and 6000 get fed each day.

In 25 years have never had a woman come and ask for anything or say she is sad she just thanks them for educating their kids - has strength integrity - even if house is empty if you pass by she will want to feed you or give you tea.

We then visited the women's centre where they have created a safe environment for women to come together and work.

We then visited the Gandi Ashram. Ghandi created the ashram based on his experience in south Africa living in an ashram in Durban. He lived in it from 1918 to 1930 and it was the epicenter of india's freedom fighters. In 1930 Ghandi started his famous Dandi march and said he would not return until india got its  freedom so he never returned to this ashram.

We got to see the room in which Ghandi spent all his time and his wife's room.

Ghandi's room and desk he wrote at

Ghandi told his wife she was only to have 2 saris both of which she made as she did not need any more. I am sure there are lots of men who wish they could say the same to their wives about shoes and bags etc and have it happen! He also refused to have spices and salt added to his food he believed that if the food was tasty then it would be distracting. Clearly that is no longer the case at the ashram as the food we had at lunch was very yummy.

We then headed back to the hotel before going out to dinner to a restaurant that specialises in street food - but safe! The food  was delicious. We are all excited about the day of work tomorrow.