Guests are like God

The motto of “Incredible India” is  'Atiti Devo Bhava', a Sanskrit phrase meaning “Guests are like God”. Throughout my entire stay in Ahmedabad, this sentiment was been demonstrated time and time again. There’s a mentality that when a person is a guest, they are treated so incredibly well – even in circumstances when there is very little to go around. The hospitality, warmth, and generous welcomes we’ve been receiving as a group of students and visitors has been overwhelming.

A perfect example of this sentiment was embodied by the spirit of the individuals we were privileged to meet at Gujarati University. At the beginning of our ten days in Ahmedabad, we visited the university’s School of Communication and Journalism. Upon entering the campus, we were immediately greeted by an amazing and aesthetically overwhelming display of welcome.  As we entered, the students marked us each with a red dot on our foreheads (a symbolic gesture of welcome), provided us each with a beautiful flower, and then we were shuffled into an open foyer where we were presented with an incredible display of dance and music from the host students. Afterwards proved just as significant for swapping cultural stories back and forth about the two different worlds we each come from provided such an interesting way to obtain a little grounding in this new, traditional city we were in.

Just arrived at the university - couldn't be more pleased :)

Welcome dance with fantastic music!

Dancing together, both Royal Roads and Gujarati students - intercultural communication at its best 

Beautiful dance

Our lovely and gorgeous MC whose also a Master's student at Gujarati Uni.

Gujarat is quite the traditional state and is also the only “dry” state in India. Being in Ahmedabad was a completely different experience to the other places I have visited so far in India.  Even though I knew before arriving in this city that there would be no alcohol and that there is an overall expectation of being more conservative, at times this atmosphere could be quite disarming. Being modestly dressed and respectful was one of the simplest ways to respect the culture of the location we were in and even though I knew this there were times when being “appropriately” dressed was not so easily achieved, despite best efforts.

Dinner at House of MG on our last night in Ahmedabad - with Lindz, Meryl and Nuo in the fantastic lift!

Aside from the conservatism of the state, there seems to be this fundamental value that guests are treated with the utmost hospitality and as a guest, you are  presented with many different gestures of this hospitality. Whether it be a glass of water in an arid region where drinking water is scarce and you know that there is barely enough to go around for those who live there or a cup of chai that starts off relations in such positive ways – both common events when I was with the NGO Utthan and during various outings with the class.

Chai at Utthan Office

Little kitchenette in the office for making chai

A truly decadent and delicious mochachinno at a little coffee shop near our hotel in Ahmedabad

Goa, however, is a completely different atmosphere with quite different approaches to treating their guests well. So far, I have been in Goa for three days. While in many ways being here has sort of been like love at first sight, I can’t also help but notice it is completely different from my other exposures to India so far. Goa is beautiful and full of richness, vibrancy, and unmatched scenes of beauty. However, because of these qualities, Goa has become a very popular tourist vacation spot and as a result, a location exposed to the ramifications of globalization on a developing country like India.

Beautiful views of Goa

Despite this though, the emphasis on treating guests with the utmost hospitality remains. Whether I’m in the small town centres, beautiful outdoors, in taxis, the hotel or restaurants, it still feels like guests are treated like gods. Perhaps it’s because when someone comes to Goa it is known that they are here for pleasure, not business. Regardless though, no matter where I have been in India so far, I have always been treated with the highest of hospitality – it just seems to be shown in different ways.

Views from our table at the best restaurant I've been to in India so far - incredible.

In Delhi and Agra, my experiences showed it was about trying to demonstrate the culture and convey the history of this country through its many magnificent monuments and structures. In Ahmedabad, it was about trying to establish relations and convey a message of deeper meaning and impact to those whom we had the pleasure of becoming acquainted. In Goa so far, my experiences are proving to me that it is about service and ensuring that guests are enjoying themselves and the precious time being spent here.

**PS: Now that we’ve arrived in Goa I should have a lot more time for blogging, reflecting and connecting! Hopefully I’ll also be able to start uploading some more pictures with me actually in them too (as has been requested!). This next while should prove to be very enthralling – I’m particularly looking forward to getting some henna art done and getting in some wonderful and much needed beach time!  

Utthan Rising

Last week we had the most wonderful opportunity of being partnered with a non-government organization (NGO) of our choosing and spending a couple days “in the field” with them to learn about the development work they are undertaking. I choose to be placed with the organization “Utthan” which means rising. Utthan’s work ranges from development in areas of agriculture, water and sanitation, livelihood issues, gender equality and empowerment, community building, conflict transformation and peace and security – to name just a few.

Wonderful book on Utthan's history by Ashoke Chatterjee

With our experience “in the field”, I had the great fortune of being placed in the “tribal” group which meant that myself, Meryl and Rupinder (one of my professors J) travelled out of the city of Ahmedabad to spend time with the tribal communities and Utthan offices in the countryside within the state of Gujarat.  Leaving early Friday morning on what turned out to be a 4-hour drive to our destination of Limkheda, it was so nice to be able to break out of the big cities that I have been staying in and see a whole different side of India.

Glimpses from the tribal communities

 Once we arrived in Limkheda and found our way to the Utthan Tribal Office, we were oriented by Babuhai who works with the organization and were taken even further out of our little village into the countryside of India. Entering into this type of area, I was immediately floored by the change of scenery. For the first time since arriving in India, I was experiencing the great pleasure of breathing in fresh air free from pollutants, and was completely in love with our green and lush surroundings which is a pretty incredible sight considering we were in one of the driest regions in India.

Utthan's Limkheda office

Water source for one of the tribal communities we visited

The tribal village we visited this first day was a wonderful entry point into understanding some of the initiatives Utthan is undertaking. What makes this organization so incredible is their participatory approach to development – they are not an implementation body for the government or any other type of sector; rather, Utthan works to understand what individuals in these communities need based on what they reveal are their own priorities and then provides support to the individuals themselves to realize and develop the resources and capacities available to improve their own livelihoods and circumstances. In the particular case of the first tribal community we visited, initiatives focused on the diversification of crops, protection of land against soil erosion and deforestation, as well as assisting in the provision of a clean and consistent water source.  

A pump to get water for the homes

Having the opportunity to meet with some of the families in this small community was such an eye-opening and humbling experience. One family was gracious enough to give us a tour of their home which was quite the experience because the home we toured through was made of cement, not mud like the others, and this signified their wealth, given that it was a permanent structure, so they were very proud to be showing us and welcoming us in.

Family outside their cement home they're gracious enough to give us a tour of

Once we returned to the village of Limkheda, Meryl, Rupinder and I, went strolling around the streets looking for some wonderful fresh fruit to stock up on for dinner. As luck would have it, we happened across some lovely pomegranates, bananas and coconuts which added a delicious and healthy staple to our plethora of candies and snacks which we considered to be our “dinner” for that evening. Given the small size of the village we were staying in, there was no hotel for us so our accommodations for the evening turned out to be the floor of the Utthan office. Until now in my trip I have been undoubtedly spoiled by the luxuries my very top-notch hotels, I now think of this night (and the outing as a whole) as one of the most divergent from my “privileged” experiences in India thus far.

Rupinder and I drinking coconut water on the side of the street in Limkheda

Meryl thoroughly enjoying her coconut

Our washroom for the evening at our night spent at the Utthan office

Gujarati slumber party!

The next day was full of profound, insightful, empowering and disturbing events. While the focus of our first day in the tribal villages was on agriculture and livelihood issues, day two exposed us to a slice of the work Utthan is doing in the area of gender equality, empowerment, conflict transformation and peace and security issues within the Panchmahan district. In 2002, a devastating riot broke out in Gujarat which resulted in the massacre and destruction of Muslims and communities throughout the state. The Panchmahan district was an area particularly targeted during these riots which is the reason why Utthan is now here trying to help these torn and ripped apart communities to heal and rebuild.

At the Utthan office

Handsome cows (I come down with a bit of an obsession)

Inside one of the homes in the tribal communities

Since independence in India and the separation of Pakistan in the late 1940’s, there has been ongoing conflicts and struggles between Muslim and Hindu communities, in addition to the many other social divisions of caste, gender and race which further adds to hierarchical structures of power within this diverse and complex country.  The riots in 2002 were an extension of these deep-seated conflicts and have shaped the present-day reality in Gujarat. At our time with Utthan, we were able to learn about some of the aftermaths which have resulted from these riots, largely thanks to Rupinder for her translations to English for the benefit of Meryl and me.

Farmer with his ginger root

Amazing women involved with the Women's Unity Organization  which is making remarkable changes for women in this area

On Saturday, the last home we visited was that of a Muslim family who lives as a minority in a largely Hindu community. Meryl, Rupinder and I were welcomed into the home of this family, along with a woman, Sajida, who works at Utthan. Even though we have been learning about the riots of 2002 and the initiatives and work of multiple NGO’s in this area who are striving to rebuild from the destruction, it was the experience at this home that brought the realities and devastations of these events into context for me. Thanks again to Rupinder’s wonderful aid as a translator, we were able to sit with three remarkable Muslim women who shared their stories of being targets during the riots. Not only was their house burned to the ground along with all of their possessions, these women were forced to run with nothing but their baby’s and clothing on their back and hide themselves to save their lives. The truly incomprehensible atrocities that happened in this riot (particularly to women) shed some disturbing light onto what it must have been like for these women and their families during this time.

Absolutely incredible and inspiring Muslim women in her home, with her family, spending time with us while they chop their beetle-nut

Even though some of the accounts these women spoke of were incredibly difficult to hear and make any sense of given my own personal circumstances, the fact that after only such a remarkably short time together they opened up and shared their stories with us was remarkable. Not only would it be personally difficult to talk about and bring up what must be extremely difficult memories from their past, the political atmosphere being what it still is today makes it difficult (and dangerous) for women to talk about any such abuses. The voice of these strong women sharing stories of what happened to them and to their loved ones during this time was unlike anything I have ever been witness too.

The events and riots of 2002 stemmed from a long history of conflict within this nation and can be related back, in some ways, to the work Gandhi was trying to accomplish for his people and his country. Knowing that the work of Utthan is situated within Gandhi’s philosophies of gender equity and uplifting the underprivileged, considering what we learned out “in the field” with these remarkable women, communities and Utthan staff within such a context has helped my understanding of these circumstances in a much more profound, although more complex, way. 

Gandhi and Pampering

Beginning our residency in Ahmedabad this week, the influence of Gandhi in this area has been a re-occurring experience. Gujarat, the state in which Ahmedabad is situated in, is the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi and holds a special place in the events that took place during his lifetime. After Gandhi left South Africa where he worked as a young man, he returned to his home state and took residence in the city of Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad, which is known as being a leader in development, continues to try and realize a Gandhian vision of empowerment for its people.

Yesterday, we had the great opportunity to visit the ashram and university Gandhi established during his time here. Among the many profound insights this visionary was able to contribute to humanity, one has stood out as particularly relevant to my context right now. When we were at Vidyapith, the university he created, the idea of consumption was touched upon in relation to the levels of comfort we’ve become accustomed too. Back in 1909, Gandhi himself made the point that we were “pampering” our bodies. In this day and age, what does “pampering our bodies” mean though and what did it mean then?

At the ashram, Gandhi's bedroom as it actually was

When I first heard this, I immediately knew I was guilty of such indulgence as I do “pamper” myself in many different ways to achieve the state of comfort I've become accustomed to and quite thoroughly enjoy. Being in India just over a week now, it is hard not to notice how little there is for some and how much there is for a few. Coming here as a tourist, I realize how much “stuff” I've brought or gathered along the way (products, medications, electronics, clothing, etc.) as well as all that I have access to, to make sure that I feel comfortable. At the time, everything felt like a necessity, but now I wonder.

Further speculation to this wondering was sparked this evening when we visited the local non-government organization “Centre for Environment and Education” (CEE).  The idea of consumption and development was probed even deeper and placed in a global context that helped bring this idea of “pampering” and comfort into a larger perspective. Essentially there lies the inevitable problem, which we must eventually face, surrounding the fact that ideas of “development” which circulate around the world are not sustainable. This is a critical problem because those who are considered “developed” are living far beyond what is sustainable for our planet and those who aspire to be “developed” want this too.

Beautifully sensuous and artful displays of welcome for us at Gujarat University

Having this global context of sustainability now provided, I find myself coming back to what Gandhi said over a century ago – we are pampering our bodies. In North American lifestyles, there's a portrayal and expectation of indulgence. If we are to set ourselves out a sustainable path however, in what ways would it be possible to reduce our impact on the planet back and would this require less “pampering”? Given the current population being over 7 billion, we should individually be living with a “footprint” of less than 1.8 hectares – Asia currently falls within this but North American’s are utilizing over 8 hectares to allow for our lifestyles. Is it possible then for us to kick some habits and reduce to a sustainable level?

Gandhi's final resting place in Delhi

A few of his many daily visitors

Being a person who knows that I do pamper myself and have expectations of being “comfortable”, what parts would need to changed, altered or given up completely in order to start actualizing such sustainability as well as continue in the Gandhian vision of empowerment? Is this idea of indulgence and “pampering” ourselves to the extremes that we do even the culprit to our disproportionate lifestyles?  What do you think?