Deeper into the Indian Jungle

Our last group picture before leaving Mysore and moving to our individual project locations. 

L to R: Marko, Ruby, Shannon, Aminatta, Prabu (the man who ran the powerpoint presentations in each of our lectures and taught us incredibly fun children's games every day at tea time), Kevin, Aarti, Henry, Chelsea, Sam and Me.

Last Saturday afternoon, I arrived in Kenchenahalli and moved into my new "home away from home" in SVYM's Vivekananda Memorial Hospital compound.  I am living with three other students - all of which are graduate students (dentistry, nursing, pharmacy) from the University of Iowa.  They are going to be here with me until the end of June, so it is really nice having other primarily English-speaking people around as I adjust to this new location.

The campus itself is adorable - it is nestled in the Indian "countryside" (that's not the correct word to describe this region, but I'm not sure how else to explain it... It's very hilly, lush, full of fields and exotic plants, lots of insects and wildlife) and it's absolutely beautiful.  The view behind my little house is incredible in the evening near sunset... we have a field immediately behind with a large pond to the right and a very large banyan tree to the left.  Oh, and speaking of wildlife, I have acquired two new pets since my arrival.  I am now the proud surrogate mother of the small pink lizard that lives in my room who I affectionately refer to as George, and the large-ish spider that lives in my bathroom... I don't have a name for him yet, but I'm working on it.

My backyard.

The hospital has two parts: the traditional medicine (Ayurveda) component and the western medicine component.  Ultimately, their philosophy is to treat people, not just their illnesses and symptoms.  This hospital is blessed to have three medical doctors that work here full time (which is 6 days a week here) and each is trained in both Ayurvedic and western medicine.  It is the needs of the patient that dictate the type of treatment they will receive.  I will be living and working here for the next six weeks, spending most of my time in the Ayurveda department, but basically will work wherever they need me.  One of the biggest lessons that I've learned in India: Patience.  It's okay to not always know exactly what I'll be doing at every minute of every day... having a little room for the unexpected - and an open mind to embrace it - is all part of the fun.

This past Tuesday, I spent the day at SVYM's tribal school in a village named Hosahalli ("hoh-sah-lee").  The tribal children are so adorable.  Dr. Dennis (one of the doctors from Kenchenahalli) and I went together, and he was saying that the children were all staring at me because I am "like alien" here.  I laughed so hard because it is entirely true.  Being so much taller and paler, I definitely stick out like a sore thumb.  That day, we measured the BMI (body-mass index) of over 260 elementary school children as a basic indicator of their nutrition and overall health.  Dr. Dennis visits the school every week to conduct basic health checks and to measure BMI of the students.  The tribal school is incredible.  I loved it there.  The organization provides everything for those children (grades 1-10) from notebooks and uniforms to backpacks and meals to housing and field trips as long as the children will dedicate their time to learning diligently and to the best of their abilities.  Never have I been in a school where all the children seem so happy to be able to go to school.  The children all appeared to be so happy... here, in India, education is still not a right, but rather is a privilege.  Something that, unfortunately, tribal children are not always able to access.   

Some of the younger boys playing on the slide outside of the dining hall.

The work that SVYM does for the tribal people in this region is both remarkable and commendable.  They do their best to ensure the tribals are involved and comfortable in order to maximize compliance.  In fact, at the hospital in Kenchenahalli, treatment is so greatly discounted (thanks to the goodness of many people), but is never free.  SVYM has discovered very poor compliance when something is given for free, as there is no incentive or sense of ownership to follow-up or to complete the prescribed regimen.  Furthermore, the tribals assume that if a medication is given to them for free, it is a faulty drug with minimal efficacy and they will not use it at all.  Despite their poor socioeconomic status, they will not accept what we would call "hand-outs" when it comes to receiving healthcare.  It's very interesting.

Communication Blackout

Hey everyone, my apologies for not posting anything recently!  Everything is still going well, but I have had both minimal time and internet access recently.  I now have access to slightly more reliable internet, so I should be able to post more regularly again soon. 

Exploring Buddhism in India

Before coming to India, I had always been under the illusion that Buddhism was widely practised here.  However, it is actually rarely practised (in comparison to the prevalence of Hinduism), and is more widely practised in Northern than Southern India.  Despite all of this, in the region of Karnataka where I am living, there are numerous Buddhist monasteries and temples.  Two Sundays ago, my first full day in Kenchanahalli, I went sightseeing with the grad students from Iowa (Julie, Mandi and Mikey) and we visited two such Buddhist monasteries.

The first monastery that we visited was my favourite of the two.  Tucked way off the main road, we had to take a very small one-lane bumpy dirt road to reach it.  As we were nearing the monastery, it literally felt as if we were crossing the border into Tibet.  There were prayer flags strung across fences and between trees of every property and all of the people were Tibetan - I didn't see a single Indian person.  Interestingly, the area we were in was one of many Tibetan refugee camps founded over 100-years ago.  Anyway, when we arrived at the monastery, the Buddhist monks were praying inside - it was one of the most incredible sounds I've ever heard.  It was like a symphony of low, rattling voices chanting mantras interwoven with the methodical beating of drums, the clanging of a gong and the whistle of horns... very loud, and yet very peaceful at the same time.  The building was intricate and gilded without becoming gaudy - it was beautiful.

Later, we went to The Golden Temple, a much more famous Buddhist temple that has become more of a tourist attraction.  It was a huge complex - there were hundreds of monks (of all ages) that live and meditate there - consisting of three main temples (including the famed Golden Temple) as well as all the living quarters.  While we were there we even saw a monk using an iPhone... that was definitely unexpected!  But The Golden Temple definitely lives up to it's name.  The inside of the temple was breathtaking.  At the front of the large prayer room were three enormous golden figures, each seated in the lotus position - I only recognized Buddha, I'm not sure who the two statues flanking him represented.  Everything was so intricate - the walls, the pillars, and the front of the building.  I've never seen anything like it before.

Right after we finished looking at the inside of the temple, the gong began to ring - calling the monks to prayer.  It was so cool to watch them come running from all directions, kick off their feet at the base of the stairs into the temple and dart inside.

 

Indian Prom 2011

Tonight, Sindhu (our coordinator at SVYM) organized a “Cultural Evening” for us to attend.  We were taken to a special performance of “Ramayana,” which is one of the most famous epic Indian poems ever written.  From what I understand, it tells the tale of Rama – the man that encompasses all ideals that Indian men should strive to attain – and his journey to save the woman he loves.  Before the performance, I had never heard the story, so it was somewhat challenging to follow along.  However – it was performed in such an interesting style.  A single female dancer (one of the most celebrated in Southern India) wordlessly performed each role, and was accompanied by live vocalists and musicians. 

One of the most exciting aspects of this evening, however, was that we got to wear saris!  We all got ready together and proceeded to take dozens of pictures... thus dubbing our evening, "Indian Prom 2011."  Marko and Kevin gave each of the girls a wrist-coursage (hand-picked from the extra flowers that were growing over our fence and full of tiny ants, but hey, it's the thought that counts!), so we were being super cheesy about the whole thing.  It was great.  Previously, Sindhu had taken the girls out sari shopping at the only store in Mysore where she buys saris – and since we are all in love with Sindhu, we were totally excited to see where she shops.  The little store we went to was stocked with literally thousands of colourful (or not), patterned (or not) cotton and silk saris.  A sari is simply a very long piece of fabric that is wrapped around a woman’s body in a particular way, which actually varies between regions.  Each sari comes with the material to make the “blouse” (the itty bitty shirt that is worn underneath the sari), which must be custom made to ensure an ultra-tight fit.  I can’t imagine how Indian women are able to get themselves dressed every morning – it took 2 Indian women with me helping to get myself dressed.  We were each given a bindi (the little decorative sticker that women wear between their eyebrows), so it felt like we were really becoming Indians – at least for the evening.

Magnificent Vistas

This past Sunday, we were taken on a 13-hour sightseeing adventure... We were taken to two significant Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, and they were both beautifully and ornately decorated.  And, on our way back to Mysore, we came across a road that was literally half missing (due to the monsoon rains), and forced us to turn around - so that was an experience!  The absolute highlight of my day though - and actually my favourite site that we've been taken to see thus far - was the first stop of our day of sightseeing... Sravanabelagola.  (Pronunciation translation: "shrah-wenah-bellah-golah"... try saying that 5 times fast.  We had a hard time even saying it once! hahaha)

Sravanabelagola is a huge monolithic sculpture of a Jain holy man, built over 1300 years ago.  There are 2 major sects of Jainism, and they are easily differentiated by their attire: whether they are dressed completely in white or are completely naked.  Devout Jains walk from the Himalayas to the very tip of southern India, begging for their meals - and they are only able to eat a maximum of 24 morsels of food daily (the amount that would fit in your outstretched palms). 

At the base of the sculpture, there were 2 Jain "priests" who performed puja (or prayer) asking for guidance in our studies and our work.  We were given a flower as a symbol of welcome and were each given a bindi (the turmeric dot placed on the forehead) as a sign of blessing. 

The statue at Sravanabelagola was built atop a very large hill - which we climbed barefoot, out of respect for it being a holy site - and the view was absolutely incredible.  As far as the eye could see, it was a patchwork of green trees and fields, reddish-brown soil, tiny tan houses and little winding roads.  It was so beautiful.

The site was so majestic.  I felt totally on top of the world.  It looked like the perfect place to do yoga, or to meditate, or just to watch a sunset.

Our entire group in front of one of the Hindu temples we visited.  We're having such a great time together.  It's such a great, adventurous and compatible group of people - we have truly enjoyed getting to know India better together.  It's going to be sad when we all leave for our respective project sites (in various communities) this weekend.

A Saturday in Rural India

Despite being taught in class that 70% of Indians live in rural communities, until Saturday I could have been convinced that India (or at least Southern India) was just one large city.  I had only seen the bustling city streets with the constant stream of rickshaws, busses, pedestrians, cars and ox-carts, small homes and business piled atop one another and the constant presence of people - no green space.  Today, however, I was exposed to rural India... and I now understand why people fall in love with this country.  The cloudy, yet pale blue sky - unobstructed by anything taller than a large tree - seemed to go on forever and the land was a lush green with a patchwork of fields, rolling hills and small mountains - and even a handful of large rivers.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Even if I had a camera with a lens 6-feet wide, I couldn't possibly capture the true essence of the rural Indian landscape.  The road was so narrow, that our large bus was unable to travel the roads very quickly, and in places it was a one-lane partially dirt road... it was legitimately rural.  Which here, means the presence of tribal people (like indigenous people at home).

We visited Saragur - where SVYM has a secondary care hospital (a general hospital with the essential specialties - such as pediatrician, OB-GYN, ear-nose-throat, etc.) for the tribal population.  It was a very clean, highly organized and seemingly efficient hospital.  They seem to make every effort to care for the patient as well as to provide services to ensure patient adherence to treatment methods - through emotional, psychological support and providing subsidized, affordable medications.  They also emphasize prevention, and look at each patient as a person - not just as an illness - and attempt to heal the cause of the illness, rather than treat the symptoms.  Interestingly, one of the orthopaedic surgeon's has a passion for sanitation - and has built an "environmental park" behind the hospital which demonstrates the different toilets that are available at all different price points for use in tribal communities.  Even today, not all tribals have access to toilets in their communities - let alone in their own homes.  The cutest though, were the children of the "Vivekananda School of Excellence" - a tribal elementary school behind the hospital.  They were so adorable, all dressed in their uniforms, and were very excited to show us their English - and we were excited to show them our Kannada!  Brave little boys and shy little girls were clambering to have us take their picture (most have never "seen themselves" on a digital camera before) and ask us our names.  Seriously, they were some of the most adorable children I've ever seen.

Our second stop was the main tribal school - located in Hosalli.  We were served an authentic Indian meal - even ate sitting on the floor - in the dining hall with the children.  I'm really beginning to get the hang of eating with my fingers!  It's monsoon season right now, so naturally we got caught in an absolute downpour on our way to see the school itself.  Out of nowhere, the rain just crashes down - and then it becomes sunny just as suddenly.  It was a nice campus with an innovative curriculum.  To encourage tribals to send their children to school, the school also teaches the basics of tribal living - mostly through agriculture and farming, where the students actually grow the vegetables that are eaten in the school cafeteria.  

Our final stop was Kenchenahalli - where I will be placed for six weeks.  Needless to say, I was really nervous.  SVYM has a primary care hospital (10-beds) serving the local tribal people in Kenchenahalli.  Here, they believe in a holistic approach to health care - using both modern western medicine and traditional Indian medicine, known as Ayurveda (which will be my primary focus).  Thankfully, the hospital is adorable, there are plenty of other people going to be living on campus and the doctors are passionate, enthusiastic and eager to help me to learn.  Dr. Dennis (one of the western medicine doctors) said that I will "be like a child at first - I will need to learn how to crawl before I can walk, and then how to walk before I can run - then I will be comfortable in Kenchenahalli."  I really am looking forward to the experience.  It just might change my life.

The main hospital... it even has an elephant "moat" around the building to keep the wild elephants out of the building!  It's apparently pretty rare, but the hospital is situated in a National Park, so they are seen around the campus frequently.

I'm So Saree!

I haven't written the past couple of days as we've been kept very busy with classes.  Every morning, our day starts with 6 am yoga and we're booked entirely until 4/5 pm.  For the most part though, classes have been very interesting.  We're taking yoga, Indian Culture and Civilizations (a history-architecture-religion-archaeology-type course), Gender in India (looking at gender inequality - mainly causes and manifestations), Indian Health Care (public health, sanitation, general medicine, disease...), Labour Economics and Kannada.  My favourite classes are Indian Health Care and Gender - the professors are so passionate and are able to build on what I've learned in class at school by explaining the situation in and perspective of India.

In terms of health care, things here are so different from at home.  However, India is a developing country, and "development" also comes with a price - India is now the "diabetes capital of the world"and many now suffer from obesity-related diseases, just as we do in North America.  Fortunately communicable diseases (i.e. cholera, malaria, TB) have declined substantially over the past 50 years.  However, this has been coupled with an increase in the spread non-communicable disease (i.e. cancer, hypertension, diabetes) due to altered lifestyle and increased Western influence.

The waiting room of a primary care clinic in Mysore.  Each of chart is for the reporting of the number of cases of specific diseases (i.e. malaria, leprosy, TB) at that specific clinic.  There's a tremendous amount of transparency about disease rates in hospitals and clinics here.

Outside of class, I continue to be exposed to the traditions of Indian culture - mainly clothing and food-wise, though.  Yesterday the girls and I went saree shopping!  The little shop we went to was literally filled with hundreds and hundreds of colourful (and not so colourful), patterned (or not) silk and cotton sarees.  The saree is an Indian woman's traditional attire - they're worn all across the country, but apparently each state have subtle differences in how they wear them.  Today we had our measurements taken for the custom tops that come with the saree... apparently we were the first "international students" the women have ever fitted, so it was a cool experience for both of us!