07/01

23:36

Eye-opening. I have never truly thought about being in India until today. That sounds a bit odd, but being in the ICRISAT center makes all of us forget about the problems outside of the center. Being in the center is just like living in a really nice hotel with room service (yes, we get room service and they even do our laundry). Because of the wonderful accommodations, I sometimes forget that I am in India. But, not today.

In the morning, we (Kavitha, two woman researchers, Vishnu and I) drove to Dokur. I did not have my questions prepared, but I decided to go to Dokur empty handed, but open minded. Right when we got there, I immediately went with Vidya to interview an SHG-member, Padmama. 

She is a very bright and curious woman that welcomed me to her house and even offered me food. Vidya and I interviewed her for about an hour, and she felt restless towards the end. Nonetheless, she still answered my questions, and our little chit-chat gave me a better understanding of the SHG process. I am just so surprised that I could learn so much more from a conversation that from my readings. I might not have gotten the correct information since Vidya would translate them, and there might have been some miscommunication. My conversation with Padmama opened my eyes on the importance of language access. For instance, if we want to do research in a certain place, we must know how to speak the language, or important information gets lost in between! And, I certainly get like Vidya and I were going in circles, but I understood the main concepts of the SHG process (and that was what truly mattered)! 

After bombarding Padmama with questions, I gave her the chance to ask me questions. She asked, "how much do you pay for your University?" So, I converted $36,000 to Rupees and her eyes bolted up. Then, I reassured her that I received a scholarship that pays for my entire University fees, and even government aid. Suddenly, her worried face disappeared! She definitely understands the importance of education since she is part of the SHG to pay for her son's education.

Although I was far from being prepared for my discussion with Padmama, I was extremely humbled to be welcomed to her home, and even openly answer my confusing questions. As I bid goodbye to Padmama, her whole face lit up because I remembered her name. Although it is difficult to remember names in India, I will go the extra mile to remember their names because their names have meaning (just like how I want people to always remember my name, hehe).

Vidya and I head back to her "aunt's house" and ate delicious food. I kid you not, but the village food tastes ten times better than cafeteria food! I think it was because I ate with my hands, and convinced myself that the food was not spicy (even though I kept sniffling). After lunch, we were ready to go to the Market!

I have seen a market like this before in India, but I never really pondered on the thought of actually being in a market. All these vendors practically sell almost the same items, so it is extremely difficult to make a profit. But, they still do it because that is their form of living. I thought about being a vendor and selling vegetables on a crowded area under the beating heat of the sun. At first, I would not be able to survive a day as a vendor, but if I was to do it on a daily basis to make a living, I would just adapt (practically like everything in life). While I walked through the Devarkahadra market, I kept thinking about putting myself in their shoes, and if they felt content or happy. So many of them even thought I was Indian! Then, I started talking English, and they would reply with their smiles. The market place is definitely a community of people filled with venders, children, mothers and fathers. And, the market place reminded me of a heirarchy and the never-ending problem of income inequality. Almost all the customers lived in a low-income status, therefore they would go to their local market to afford their goods. The "wealthier" urban and even other rural people would go to the grocery stores in the cities to purchase their goods. I know that sounds obvious, but I could not help but analyze the correlation of market places and grocery stores with income inequality in India (and even in all parts of the world). 

Sometimes I forget that I am in India, but visiting the Devarkahadra market reminds me that I am really in India. I could not help but feel like I am entitled to change India to make it better. But, my idea of better might be worse to them. This is one of the problems with me and a lot of other people. For example, when we see something wrong, like the crazy amount of traffic in India, we tend to think of ideas to enact change. Then, we realize that many people do not respect the government nor care about following rules. And, again, what I think is better might be worse for them. So, I am left with my own thoughts and somewhat overwhelmed that I am not making the world a better place. Therefore, I just end up not doing anything. This is a problem that I need to learn to overcome. I need to see injustice and adversity, and to not be overwhelmed, but instead inspired to work towards creating policies or innovation.