Saying Goodbye to the Blind School and Ahmedabad

Yesterday was my last day at the Blind School, in Gandhinagar.
The school had many visitors to celebrate Raksha-Bhandan and so it was a joyful mess. We eventually gathered in the music room and the children sang bhajans for us, and I had a chance to goodbye to all of them. The singing was as beautiful and striking as ever, giving me goosebumps and bringing tears to my eyes...
just watch a bit of this video... :



Since I got back to Ahmedabad a couple of weeks ago, I've taken every opportunity to be present at the Blind School. I'm really happy I could introduce new volunteers to the children and on-going projects - some will even come regularly to the school!

A new school year is time for new resolutions, and here are some improvements at the school - current or soon to be:
- A follow up on the eye-camp is planned, more children should then get glasses/ telescopes and low vision learning kits (large print books, etc). At the beginning of the school year, 3 children already had glasses, 2 pairs are now broken  :s but Manisha still sports hers with pride (at least when I'm here)...  :)
- Younger students are now learning how to create shapes and forms with Play-Doh in a dedicated class on Saturday mornings 
- New uniforms have been distributed, thus less torn clothes, missing buttons, stains, etc
- 10 computers were delivered and set up before the Summer Break, so the children can now learn how to use those, with a dedicated screen reading software. The computer teacher, Nitin, is fully blind, but you wouldn't know it from the way he browses the web and navigates a computer!

Album: Blind School

I will certainly miss those children, and I want to express my gratitude to all those who have worked with me throughout the past year, volunteering at the school, sharing ideas, translating! (no words can sum up how much you've helped me!!)

In Ahmedabad, it has been also goodbye time; I got back just in time to visit a LeCorbusier building with Caroline, bring volunteers and MS staff in charge of school curriculum, to visit Umang, the school for hearing impaired my friend Brinda runs, meditate with Mukehsbhai, volunteer at Seva Cafe...

Album: last days

I will be taking off Sunday at dawn - back in Paris in the afternoon.
I'll miss you all.
Love,
Karuna

Ca vous gratouille ou ca vous chatouille?… - Fleas and Zen

… as Dr. Knock would ask (“Does it itch or does it tickle?”).

The Itch started in the train, with bites around my neck and feet; it took me a while to realize (accept?) that it was an allergic reaction to … flea bites. AAARgh

Try to sit and meditate when you body is itching all over and you just want to peel  your skin off and get a new one, and you know it’s not going to stop until you’ve eliminated every single one of those invisible enemies! Clearly they are “merciful avatars of Buddha” here to help me practice (as we chant every morning)…

Luckily, the heavy dose of antihistamines eventually makes me drowsy, and I can sit more quietly, if not always focused… After a few days of mindful washing and spraying and letting dry in the sun – and medication – my body finally calms down and I can relax a bit – just in time for the mini-Sesshin, an intense 3-day meditation splurge in silence…

It was however so lovely to be back at Bodhizendo – Andrew, Sassi, Alosanai welcoming me with big smiles! walking in the hills and reading in the garden! It was home! I quickly got used again to the routine, and seeked advice from the Master.

-Father, how to face physical pain? (or giant unnerving itch that wake you up at night)

- Aaah, it’s inevitable to feel some pain in life, but best you go and see a doctor. [always the pragmatist!]

- Father, my meditation practice is not very deep, what to do?

- Aaaah, don’t worry too much about that, best work on a Koan [a zen spiritual riddle, a way to dynamic enlightenment in the Rinzai tradition…well, this will take me a while…]

I’m reading every day a few pages of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Creating True Peace. The peace practices laid out and the compassionate tone are just what I needed: somehow they perfectly complement the experiences and learnings of the past year, paving the way forward on this inner journey, like the last piece of a puzzle, falling into place in a giant, slow motion, silent “click”… This is nourishing my sittings in the zendo, my walks in the back garden, my take on the centre’s residents... Hard to explain that book, best you go and check it out :)

One aspect of Zen that I love is the stories: every point to be demonstrated is starts with a tale or Koan.

“A Master brings his students near a cliff, and asks them to come closer.

-         -   But Master we are scared.

-         -  Come closer!

-         -   But Master we are scared.

-         -  Come closer

        The students eventually came closer, the master pushed them over and they flew…”

        Dear reader, I’ll let you meditate on that one J

  And a last thought on this post: the recommendation of the Master in Dokusan on my last day, and now my    new mantra:

      “Aaah, sometimes, don’t take it too seriously…”

Album: tamil nadu

Before Bodhizendo, I spent a few days in Madurai, where Deepa gave me a tour of Araving Eye Care Hospital - mentioned in a previous post here - and I had some of the best dosa and sambha ever, cooked by her mom :)

Ladies coach on the suburban trains in Chennai:

-          L a sign that “eve teasing” is still on-going in regular coaches (not sure exactly what it is, but does not sound friendly towards women)

-          J love it when a women fiercely tells men to get off that coach and they sheepishly retreat to another coach

The fruit shop keeper lets me try one of his mangoes and then tells me to use the dustbin for the peels and his tone says that I’ll be in trouble if I don’t J J so it IS possible!

 
 I am now back in Ahmedabad, Gujarat - arrived yesterday July 10th - discovering the city in the monsoon!

PS: un grand merci a mon Tonton pour la consultation a distance et le soutien moural dans la lutte contre les puces

Now in Chennai...

After a couple of very relaxed days in Manali (walks in the forest, hugging trees...), we had a very comfortable bus ride to Delhi (it's all relative, but boy it felt comfortable after all those crazy mountain rides!), and then followed Mariette's advice to go out in Haus Khaz Village - Mariette, thanks so much for the tip!!! we ate so well! and I totally fell in love with the tiny little street, design/eco-friendly shops and cool hang out cafe's (French people would call it 'bo-bo'!?).
Then it was time to say goodbye to my travel companions of 1-month and there I am, in transit in Chennai, waiting for the night train for Madurai...


I even have a sort of planning for the rest of my stay:
- visit Aravind eye hospital
- go back do Bodhizendo for 10 days
- around July 12th, fly back 'home' to Ahmedabad - a few more weeks of service with Manav Sadhna, enjoying the monsoon
- on August 5th, fly back to Paris...
Let's see if I stick to that! :)

Ladakh - on the roof top of the world

So Caroline K., Ian and I hoped on a mini-bus to Leh on June 5th, 2 a.m.: 20h ride, the most beautiful scenery all along the way, from green and lush in Lahaul Valley to dry and rocky to snow covered passes, including Taglang La at 5359 m high! (my highest point of this trip)
The driver was gentle and careful, maneuvering on tricky terrain - melted snow, mud, rocks, unfinished or irregular asphalt roads, missing bridges that make you drive parallel to the road for a bit; he didn't even lose it when we had a puncture an hour before getting into Leh, and changed the tire quite swiftly. We only got worried when we saw him get really tired and realised he had been driving since Delhi, arrived in Manali at 11pm and started driving again a couple of hours later...

Leh is a cute little town, at the foot of an austere palace and beautiful gompa. A backpacker hangout, which means access to some nice 'western' food, lots of shopping opportunities, and some historical buildings, it was not yet the high season we didn't feel overwhelmed and could enjoy its quiet pace...

As planned, we met up with Sev after 1 day: instead of the harrowing bus ride we did, he had actually walked from Kunzum La to Chandratal Lake down to Batal and on to Chitru gotten various rides until Keylong (Lahaul Valley) and got on a mini-bus too from there, to arrive one day after us. The scenery was incredible, and the whole story epic, although Ian and I were quite happy we had slept in warm comfy beds in the mean time. :)

Next step was a trek around Rumbak. Philippe, from Quebec, joins us for the few days of trek. So we start from Zingchen, where a taxi drops us, and walk for 4h to Rumbak. The last part of the walk is under the rain, Ian is feeling sick, and once we are settled in our homestays (one for the girls, one for the boys) and the snow starts falling, the moral is at a low...  We get up to a bright blue sky, and in high spirits. We decide to head to Ganda La Pass, climb up and return to Rumbak that night, leaving Ian to rest. Well, the map at the entrance of the valley is largely inaccurate and we end up trekking up a canyon that appears to not be the one we expect. Anyways, the views are amazing and we enjoy the blue sheeps (sort of Ibaxes) running wild and the eagles above us. The climb is really tough for me and while the others are powering through, I enjoy more and more scenic breaks - after all we started walking up from 4000 m high...
It's a much easier walk downwards, especially the parts where the ground is so soft we can slide down. Nothing like a chai after a 8h day out!

Time to take it easy for a few days - Ian goes on a meditation retreat, while Sev and I roam around town and enjoy the vegetable garden view from our guesthouse... The next big day is Pangong Lake: 5h drive to the lake, beautiful scenery and another high pass, Chang La, 5289 m, covered in snow, and a starkly blue and green colored lake, 4350m. This is a big attraction for Indian tourist as the lake appears in the last scenes of "3 Idiots", a big Bollywood hit from a few years back.
We feel we've had our quota of trekking in the mountain and uncomfortable jeep rides for the season and we are ready to pack up and move to Manali... which means more bus in the mountain!
This time the driver is on a mission to get us there as fast as possible and 'takes no prisoners' as Ian would say! so we make it in less than 16h despite the traffic jams of tourists coming to experience 1 day of dirty melted snow at Rohtang La pass...
This was two days ago and I'm still recovering ...

Thanks to Caroline and Sev for the pictures!!

Album: Ladakh

Manali is now at perfect temperature, and mostly sunny, so really enjoyable. Making the most of it before heading for Delhi on June 23rd!

Ladakh

In Leh since 2 days - enjoyed the awesome minibus ride from Manali! Now getting ready to explore the area...
Pictures and stories to come :)
xx
Caroline

Incredible Spiti Valley!

All the details of what I've been doing in the last few weeks and the pictures!

Album: Spiti Valley

In Manali, Dave and I stayed at Amar Family Guesthouse, actually in Vashisht. Vashisht is really pretty and cute, but a bit overwhelmed by the traffic of tourists coming up to see the temple.
I had a wonderful grilled trout and glass of white wine at Johnson Lodge, as a birthday pre-celebration...

After an 18h bus ride, I reached Rekong Peo, where I needed to get an inner line permit to get into the Spiti Valley, and first met Ian, Sev and Leah. I stayed in Kalpa, a beautiful little village surrounded by apple tree orchards. That would be the most green I would see for almost 2 weeks!
Back on the bus, for only 8h but a pretty scary road and amazing side, I met up with Sev and Ian. We then simply followed the Spiti valley northwards, visiting Gompas (Buddhist temples) in this largely Buddhist region and walking around/trekking where we could. Each village was incredible for their unique location and surroundings, always mountains but always so different... Nako and Tabo, the first villages we got to, were really beautiful.
Dhankar simply blew our mind away for the way it is hanging from this rugged and steep mountain. There we stayed in the comfy homestay run by Anil, who also organised our 5 day trek and guided us there. We walked from Dhankar to Lalung to Demul to Komik to Langza to Kaza; with the support of Tanzin and of a donkey and her baby, re-named respectively Dil and Prem :)
 In each of these villages we stayed also in a homestay, cozying up in the family kitchen near the stove, eating local comforting food, and playing cards with Anil! We got used to the irregular bucket showers, the dry toilets (happily contributing to fertilizing the fields :) ), and the nurishing Dahl Bhat (rice and lentils), but we were quite happy to reach Kaza, and, when the power came back on, to jump in a hot shower, wash some clothes, use the internet, eat nuttella croissant at the german bakery...

Our next target is Leh. Ian and I opted for the uncomfortable and long bus ride back to Manali - 3 days that felt like "groundhog day" to me - but what a pleasure to find this cute little guesthouse in Old Manali, and have dinner again at Johnson Lodge, this time with Caroline (MS volunteer) and Ian! So lovely also to catch up with Caroline after 2 months away from Manav Sadhna!

Merci – from the Himalayas

A couple of days ago, I reconnected to the internet after over 12 days ‘in the wild’. I found this avalanche of emails from all of you and felt so much love building up from reading those emails and FB messages one after the other; tears of gratitude came to my eyes for this feeling of connectedness. Merci J J J

I was in Kaza, at the heart of the Spiti valley, with limited access to power and to internet connection, so please be forgiving if I take time to get back to you individually but please know how much I was touched, and feel the love vibration I’m sending beyond borders and oceans and continents to reach all of you.

The last weeks have been wonderful as I’ve been travelling deeper into remote areas in the mountains, on scary roads, into simpler guesthouse and homestays, and also deeper within, inspired by the mighty mountains surrounding us, by the quietness of no connectivity and no cars, by the forced mindfulness when walking, between 3900 and 4700 meter high, where each breath and each step matters.

Sev, Ian and I have been travelling together ever since we caught up on the bus ride to Spiti Valley, and those days have been full of fun also and Buddhist discussions… We were able to celebrate my birthday with Nutella Chapattis, learning how to make momos, drinking a cup of local homemade alcohol, and looking at the starry face of the night. The monasteries reveal their secrets to us, with smily monks and sometimes opportunities to meditate.

We are now trying to figure out the best way to get to Leh, with some passes open and others not – to be continued!

Xxx

Caroline

PS: I'm now in Rekong Peo again, with Ian. Going through Manali to get to Leh; while Sev has opted for the walking option. We should all meet up again in Keylong or Leh in a couple of days! 

PPS: pictures to come, it might take a little while to load.

from Mc Leod to Manali...

The photo album below covers the last day in Mc Leod Ganj, with friends, then the bus trip to Eastern Himachal Pradesh. On the way, I met Jeff and Zach who convinced me to travel to Manikaran, in the Parvati Valley. We enjoyed the hot springs and the Sikh temple and the little Indian town...
Once in Manali, I met up with Dave, a Manav Sadhna volunteer, and we went walking in Solang and trekking up the mountain for three days; incredible views of the mountains, immersion in untouched nature, walking and sliding in the snow, seeing Spring litteraly sprouting up from the ground ...

Album: Manikaran and Manali

Back to travelling on my own for a bit, I am planning to bus all the way to Rekong Peo, leaving this morning, visit the Kinnaur and Sangla Valleys and work my way North to the Spiti Valley. From there, either travel back to Shimla, or if the right passes are open, make my way to Ladakh... I think this leg of the trip will take about two weeks, and I don't expect my internet connection to work too well then. I'm guessing phone connection will be erratic too, but hopefully still work somewhat...

In Manali

I finally arrived in Manali, after a 2-days detour to the Parvati valley and the village of Manikaran, with its famous hotsprings and Sikh temple...
Dave, a volunteer from Manav Sadhna, is also in Manali, so we are going trekking together in the coming few days - hold you breath for pictures to come :)
Love!
Caroline

Mc Leod Ganj

Two weeks I've left Ahmedabad, and stayed in and around Mc Leod Ganj, the residence of the Dalai Lama and of the Tibetan government in exile.
A nice opportunity to discover Buddhist meditation at Tushita, to go trekking around, and to meet other travellers and tibetan exiles. The atmosphere is overall very friendly and I splurge on the pizzas!

Album: Mc Leod Ganj

life in Ahmedabad...

During the last few weeks, I had opportunity to visit the Darpana academy quite a few times: to hear Nimo sing a bit of hip-hop to us, to watch the week-long festival of Indian classical dance (I went twice) and to tremendously enjoy the French jazz band Ozma, performing their own music but also collaborating with the Darpana Musicians in a unique performance (see video!). and of course one has to have a pudina-lemon (a deliciously refreshing mint and lemon juice), when one goes to Darpana...

What a beautiful opportunity it was also to see all the progress made and the final outcome on Bolo 11, the preschool that the architects team delivered while I was here. After seeing all the different models at home, witnessing discussions, seeing them come back dirty and stained, but happy... it's finally there and in use! :) Well done!!

End of March, the Craftroots fair was held in Ahmedabad. Once again, it was an amazing opportunity to connect with Gujarat craftsmen, look at beautiful objects and textiles, and indulge in some shopping... I reunited with the Bhandini craftsmen that Tim and I visited 2 years ago in Kutch, we felt like family!

I am now back on the road! I just left Ahmedabad yesterday and should arrive in McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, tomorrow morning... quite excited about the sceneries and temperature to come!!

Album: ahmedabad

Other activities at the Blind School

I didn't have a specific role at the Blind School, but rather tried to do things when it seemed to make sense.
This included connecting with external volunteers and helping them play new games with the children. or introducing math teaching approach for blind children, as found on a specialised website. or organizing a workshop with the teachers, working together on how to improve the teaching approach. This workshop yielded several ideas, which should be implemented when everyone returns from the summer holiday, in late June.
As I should be back at the school at some point in July, I'll hopefully have some good news! :)

Album: educational work at the Blind School

awesome!

Today, the Blind People Association (BPA) held an eye camp at the Blind School, Gandhinagar - checking over 40 children in a couple of hours.
As a result, 11 children will get glasses or other appropriate optical devices and will study on enlarged prints rather than Braille, taping on their 'low vision' potential (as opposed to fully blind).
A couple of others might be getting surgery, depending on further tests to be done.
The teaching team embraced the event: Illaben, the teachers' principal was there during the whole session, took notes about each child and picked up follow up actions, like to contact the parents, as the case may be. Nitinbhai, the blind computer teacher, organised the event, leveraging his connections at the BPA, and, I think, will be the point of contact with the BPA in the future.

Needless to say, I'm very happy, and excited to see how it unfolds after the 'summer' holidays. [in India, the summer is in May, June, and children return to school around mid-June].

Love!

Decorating a wall at the Blind School

A project had germinated through late night discussions with volunteers: involve the children in decorating their school, through a medium that they could touch and feel. The whole idea was to involve everyone, explore the creative ability of the children, and their appetite for such activities, and bring a nice touch of color and fun to the Blind School in Gandhinagar.

I was a bit scared about such a project: both really hands on and somewhat artistic, trying to take everyone on a journey beyond the language barrier...
It was a journey alright and a beautiful one as you can discover in the pictures below! long discussions with volunteers who had lots of ideas but were for the most part too busy with their own beautiful projects (building pre-schools etc); broken English and broken Gujarati talks at the Blind School reaching to different degree of comprehension, or incomprehension! ; getting lots of input and feedback on the design, the most critical one being to ask the children what they wanted; and then getting started, step by step, without being 100% sure of where it was going and or what help I would get.
The beauty of it is that it eventually seem to happen by magic: people would give me advice and I would simply put them in practice, volunteers would show up unexpectedly when I most needed them, or I would start to remove the old paint with almost my bare hands and someone would come up with a much more efficient solution, and the kids would simply love touching and experimenting whatever we would be sticking or doing to the wall, the staff would throw me big smiles or ask questions and touch the wall, developing further an understanding of what we were trying to achieve.

So all in all, it was a real collective effort and delivery: with blind and partially sighted children playing a key role at each stage, the staff being enthusiastic and providing whatever was missing, volunteers who came once or many times (especially Aparna, who was also dedicated to that project for a whole month and helped tremendously with her language skills and sweetness!), others who were coaching me on the process making sure the focus was still there, the 3 women artists who came and did the mudwork, learning to involve the children, Jaggatbhai who gave so much advice, Brinda, who was determined that the children should own the wall!

Enough words, enjoy the pictures below and the small video!

Album: Blind School Mural

Indian dance festival!

With Suzanne and Mom, we were also able to attend a festival of danses from all over India: Sanskruti Kunj. We all enjoyed so much the variety and the quality of it all, that I can't help but share a couple of videos. The most relaxing one is of course the Goan danses, but watch out for that Punjabi smile in the last video!

Feb and March visitors...

That's it: end of March and the Summer is definitively here (around 40C)! According to locals, the heat we are immersed in is only a preview of what remains to come :s
I'm sitting at home under the fan, after a small inauguration of the mural we did at the Blind School - I will post very shortly on that topic, all I want to say now is that I feel content and happy about it :)

End of February, Suzanne arrived for 2 weeks 1/2, followed closely by my Mom; Mariette/Miraben arrived the day before Mom left to stay also a short week: so a few weeks packed with social activities, visits of projects and cultural events!
It was Mom's first time to India - she had 10 days beforehand in Rajasthan to get acclimated - and it was amazing to share what we 'do' here, the culture, the atmosphere, a full immersion experience. The Manav Sadhna family would call her aunty or mom - she cringed when I explained it was in respect of her age, but it might also have to do with the complexity of saying her name ;) She learnt to relax during rickshaw rides and took like a fish to water to meditation with Mukeshbhai, but then, who wouldn't :)

The album below are her pictures for a large part so you can discover sights that have now become familiar to me (and some new ones).

Of course, the peak of Mariette's stay was Holi, and you can't miss those pictures in the album (if you recognize us!)
Suzanne's presence was a great opportunity to share and reflect on the volunteer experience here, and get all her tips about restaurants and shops I had not yet discovered :)

So much gratitude to the 3 of you for visiting Manav Sadhna (and me at the same time :) ); so much love and fun shared!!

Album: feb march visitors

technical interruption ?

Dear reader friends,

I'm afraid my computer is slowly but surely breaking down into pieces, which means I'll have to send it back to France tomorrow. I mean to replace it very soon, but in the mean time, it will be a bit more of a challenge to update this blog or respond to emails in a timely manner, sorry about that.

Love from Ahmedabad!
Caroline

Getting away - taking a step back

Sometimes, the fastest way to where you are going is NOT a straight line.
The experience here is so different from whatever I've done before, and intense on so many levels, that it leads to a deep journey within, challenging priorities, assumptions, values... sometimes inspiring, sometimes leaving me low and exhausted, not being fully there and fully functionning. End of January was time to take a step back

Aurelia and I decided on a whim to head to Udaipur, its beautiful lake and palaces for a couple of days: we enjoyed a boat tour, the rooftop terraces, our endless chats, and the German bakery :)

Album: Udaipur

Next, I spent a day at Sughad on Jayeshbhai's suggestion: Pavitra Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy were touring India to introduce 'Infinite Vision', the amazing and inspiring story of Dr V and the Aravind eye hospital. Hearing stories on service and helping the underprivileged was also a way to reflect on my own purpose here. You can see a documentary on this story, also directed by Pavi.

Mukeshbhai asked volunteers to join him in Nadiad on his temple festival - after begging so much to spend time with him, I couldn't say no and jumped on a bus to Nadiad; I found myself serving food and offering prasad (in the shape of rose petals) to the 100,000 or so devotees visiting the temple on that day. I also got a chance to sit in meditation with Mukeshbhai - shanti...

Last weekend, Jayeshbhai took all the volunteers on a tour in North Gujarat: we visited the Lokniketan centre, which educates thousands of rural children in the tribal area, and surrounding villages. We got a glimpse of houses made of mud and cow dung, buffaloes grazing, and tasted the best cucumber ever, when this old women offered us some rest on her porch, and of the lives of people there, where children can walk a couple of hours a day to get to school and back.

Album: getting away

These various short trips really helped me: I felt I could be back at Manav Sadhna with a more relaxed and focused mind and a more open heart. Note to self: take time away when required!

Working at the Blind School

For the last two months, I've been going to the Blind School every week (from one to three days, sometimes staying overnight).

You come in with the best of intentions, willing to 'help', eager to 'do something'; and then day by day, being exposed to a standard of living very different from what you would be expected in the West, seeing whatever change you had in mind would depend on so many behaviour changes and decisions, feeling the inertia, finding that not only sight seems to isolate you from the children but also language, that each visit makes you more and more tired ... this energy gets slowly eroded until it has left you almost entirely.

This is the time you learn that you have to leave your mind aside (at least for a while) and listen and look with your heart. And then I see.

That those children are so independent, able to take care of themselves so well - finding their way in the school, washing their clothers, helping each other, laughing, inventing games, telling stories.
That they are so alive when they play music, sing, or clap their hands in rythm.
That, last time, they all got a fresh aircut.
That a trustee and teacher at the school always welcomes me with blessing words and made me sing "we shall overcome" with him, making my heart melt.
That the children recognise my voice, shout out 'Karuna* didi!', hold your hand, and here I am, with Shina and Kaushal guiding me around the school, while they are gently chatting to me.
That by taking the bus back with the teachers I shared a bit of their life.
That I let a connection happen with the staff and the children at that shool and, somehow, I feel part of it now, rather than a project to do...

With the guidance and support of many volunteers, we were able to make kites with the children, in anticipation of Uttharyan, we visited the school on Uttharyan day, attempting to fly kites with them, and then run an art and crafts workshop!
Thanks Rahul and Aurelia for the pictures (and Jagruti!)... Thanks to all who helped on those days: you rock!

Album: working at the blind school

*The Indian name I was given

Pictures

Thanks so much to Ellie, Jagruti and Rahul for 'lending' me pictures of the last couple of weeks.
In this album, last few pictures of Christmas time and New Year's; some volunteer moments; a gratitude walk to celebrate Iswhardada's life; and Ekatva, the show bringing together 16 kids from the slum into an amazing dance show and story telling, soon touring the US and the UK...

Ishwardada was the father of Jayeshbhai, a co-founder of Manav Sadhna. He dedicated his life to service, with a tremendous focus on cleanliness.

Album: 20120113 India

Auto rickshaws are my Practice

An autorickshaw near Gandhi Ashram...

After a couple of weeks in Ahmedabad, I noticed how strongly annoyed I was with rickshaw wallahs:
- Despite there being a meter system and a table that will translate this into a price, I would often feel that they were trying to rip me off one way or another (and sometimes they certainly did!), end up in argument with them, feel angry and frustrated... over a couple of rupees.
- When trying to cross the street, which requires all my brain power, gut feeling and faith, they would always swerve by, in the hope of some business, blocking me from that one window of opportunity to cross.
- Or they would swerve by, full of male clients, just to gawk at a blonde woman, I guess.
- Or the occasional few would have no clue where they were taking me, despite being famous places (like Gandhi Ashram, seriously!).

I was losing a lot of energy over things I could not change, while I could look at them differently and with a tad more awareness.
- they are there when you simply want to cross the street, which means they are also there when you actually want a rickshaw (and the same can't be said of taxis in London or Paris!!)
- in Ahmedabad, they do most of the time know the place you want to go, or get out of their way to find and everyone on the street is willing to help
- the meter system does make the 'negotiation' easy as the price is regulated: a good opportunity to laugh and joke with them if they give you a crazy price, as more often than not they will end up agreeing to the regulated price, with a big smile as a bonus.
- they are a great opportunity to practice my Gujarati!
- One late night looking for a rickshaw in the old city, I realised the rickshaw wallahs were sleeping in their rickshaws, despite the cold temperature. Surely, a couple of rupees above the regulated tarif doesn't mean much to me but can make a difference in their day...

Of course, it's a journey and I'm still progressing, but since I changed my mindset, going around the city has been so much more fun!

And one day I might even treat myself to a ride on Udhaibhai magical gift economy rickshaw...