Orientation

So this week of orientation has been absolutely fantastic! There are a total of 8 interns out of whom 3 will be in Bangalore, 1 in Hyderabad, and the rest of us will be in Pune. We’ve all bonded so much just after one week and I’m bummed we aren’t just working in the same city this summer. There were way too many things we did and fun stories to write about all of them. So that’s why the stories in this post don’t really have a logical flow. But over one week we got to learn about and visit a variety of NGOs, understand the idea of sewa (selfless service), learn how to approach our projects, and hear about experiences of other volunteers.

The first talk was an overview of the history of India and the evolution of thought and ideas in the country over time. One point that really got me thinking was that Indians always go abroad to study or work and then don’t end up coming back. But in the end we’re still Indian and the idea of universal brotherhood ties us together. It’s our duty to come back to serve our country in some way. Just a little something to think about :)

One of the evenings we split up and had dinner with a host family and I had pani puri for the first time during this trip, and it will definitely not be my last time! But it wasn’t from one of those awesome little carts on the side of the road; it was made with mineral water from a restaurant. But obviously still amazing :)

We went to help out at the schoolkit drive 3 times during the week. And I’m pretty sure I built a lot of arm muscle from moving hundreds of backpacks and school supplies. But we collected over 25,000 bags, but more importantly provided over 25,000 students with smiles and the basic needs for the school year.

We had a few speakers on various NGOs and got to visit some as well just to get an overview of the different areas that sewa work is being done. But the one visit that had the most impact on me was Chaitanya Mahila Mandal. They have a home on the outskirts of Pune which rescues girls/women from human trafficking, abuse, and abandonment. It was so difficult to hear some of the horrifying stories of what these women had to go through. But they are in a much better place at the institution where they stay for about 3 years and receive counseling and are trained in various skills to make them financially independent and mentally strong when they go back into the real world. Next we went to a night care center for children of commercial sex workers right in the middle of a red light district. The children are dropped off there at 6 p.m. and stay till the morning and it provides a safe environment where they can learn various songs, play, and interact with other children. All the kids wanted was someone’s attention and care from another person. At some point I had 3 kids on my lap and 1 on my back playing and talking to me. For the hour that we were there I completely forgot about the kid’s situation and spending time with them was one of the happiest experiences of my life. But after we left I got some time to think and it just made me so incredibly angry to see and hear this. Why do people have to live like this, why does this situation exist here? We’re always boasting about how great our countries are and how mankind is so advanced. But I really don’t think we have any right to say that until these problems are fixed.  

After lots of muscle building at the Schoolkit Drive

The crazy animal faces of the YFS interns of 2012!