Kannada Film Star Action!

Kannada film superstar Vishnuvardhan died of a heart attack early Wednesday morning at the age of 59. Athough I had never heard of him, it seems that almost everybody in Karnataka loved his films (all 200 of them). So many people adored the actor, that more than 400,000 showed up on the streets of South Bangalore to watch his funeral procession (photo above). Unfortunately, some angry fans unable to get a glimpse of their star turned violent and started pelting buildings and buses with stones and setting cars on fire. As a result, many shops across the city closed for the day, and city buses were diverted or halted altogether. Thankfully, all of this happened miles away from our workplace and apartment in Domlur on the east side of the city, so our only experience was viewed through the TV or internet.

At first I was very confused why anybody would react this way over the death of an actor, especially one that was only well known in his own state. I mean it's not like the President died or anybody was assassinated. This guy had a heart attack. But then Vidya pointed out that movies are huge in India, and often the primary source of escape from reality for most of the people that live here. The top actors are highly revered, often more than the country's key politicians. Plus, it is hard to criticize people for acting irrationally when I experienced similar antics in Columbus after Ohio State's big win over Michigan in 2002 that eventually resulted in a national championship. Perhaps the moral of this story is that wherever we are in the world there's likely to be people that act like idiots!?!!

"Now, I'm getting verklempt! Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. The Prince of Tides was about neither a prince nor tides. Discuss."

Random Photo of the Week

Here's a photo of a typical construction site in Hubli. The wooden scaffolding is another good example of Indian ingenuity and resource utilization. - A

Our Hand at Being Social Entrepreneurs (small S, big E for those in the know)

Developing social entrepreneurs is one of the big buzz words in the development sector. At a recent party we all wondered together at what enterprise isn’t social to some degree. Probably one that takes grants and just puts it in a bank account was Adam’s apt reply! :)

This story has some history....flashback....Adam’s mom had a business selling beaded jewellery, which she then sold off. However, before she sold it I was imparted with some rad skills on how to make cool necklaces and earrings ;)

Back to the present..... These skills were used just as a hobby. I would make random gifts during moments of inspiration. I did bring my toolkit and some beads to India, thinking I’d be hit with inspiration on seeing all the beautiful beads that are available here.

Context....My mom volunteers for a non-profit called the Spastics Society of Karnataka and they were having a Christmas Bazaar, and my mom wondered if I would be interested in having a jewellery stall. I probably would have said no if I was on my own, but Adam was really excited because it would be our attempt at being entrepreneurs. As a teenager he was experienced in accounting and pricing for his mom’s business. So with my mom’s help we were able to source all the supplies were needed from an old market in Bangalore. Buying everything was an experience in itself as most of the names in the US don’t apply here. Needless to say the shopping was highly descriptive with lots of jewellery-making sign language. Plus we learnt a lot in hindsight, like how important it was to have properly drilled beads, ufff! All in all it was really fun, and I can’t wait to go back to the market. BTW, all this transpired just a week before the sale.

Meat of the story.... So Adam, my mom, and I committed ourselves for a couple of hours each evening, designing earrings, and we were able to make about 80 pairs by the end of the week! It was a really fun experience. I also made a few necklaces that sorta added some variety to the table. I priced them really high though, cause I really liked them, and didn’t think it would sell to this target segment. My dad just watched us in amusement probably wondering why I wasn’t working on an economic or development related problem.

The day of the sale was nerve-racking as we had no clue if this experiment would work. We did get a good spot for our stall under the shade of a tree and right at a busy intersection of the sale. To our surprise, our sales where phenomenal! We had to make some earrings on the spot to keep our table stocked, and my mom really sealed the deal by convincing one of her the friends that the most expensive necklace really matched her sari. The day ended with us more than doubling our investment, being able to donate money to the Society, and with lots of encouragement and some orders!!!

We are not sure if this was beginners luck, or if it’s an idea we should pursue further. Ideally, we feel that with the low overheads here (assuming Adam and I are not physically making it ourselves), and the ability to charge higher prices in the west, there might be an opportunity. We could be more ‘socially’ oriented by working with women groups in India. However, we feel the bigger challenge will be marketing the distributing the product in the U.S. or any other country.

For me the best parts were having a creative outlet, and earning money in a very personal way. We were involved in every step of the process, and so you felt this intimate pleasure in then spending the dough; it felt hard earned! 

Here is a link to some of my older as well as latest designs

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays everybody! Despite temperatures in the 80s and not a snowflake in sight, we have done our best to get in the Christmas spirit. Vidya had a great idea of getting a live tree and decorating it with some LED lights and photos of our close family and friends. We even got some gifts to put under the tree!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody! All the best in 2010!

Back to the Field!

Greetings from the way back seat of a SUV as we head back to Bisnal village on the final day of our week long field visit in north Karnataka (writing on iPhone... Gotta love modern technology). The purpose of these visits have been to conduct monitoring and evaluation of the Government of India funded community watershed development program. This involves traveling for hours on windy and bumpy roads to relatively remote areas and then doing some surveys and group discussions with local farmers and then walking all over the village and fields to verify that the government claimed projects were actually implemented. The trip has had some successes and we have witnessed several structures that are supposed to prevent soil and water runoff, but it is also apparent that more can be done.

The roads are too bumpy to write more now, so stay tuned for additional info and pictures. -A

National Conference for Forest Solutions

As mentioned in a pervious post, I was invited to attend and speak at the National Conference for Forest Solutions in the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP). The Conference was a 3 day event attended by a few ‘international academic experts’ like myself, as well as members of the Gov’t of India, India Forest Service, HP State Gov’t, and NGOs. Organized by the HP Forest Service, the level of service and accommodations provided to me beyond what I expected, and it is safe to say that the Oberoi Cecil that they put me up in was by far the best hotel that I have ever stayed at. The talk I gave on the potential for global forests to mitigate climate change went quite well, and I actually think that most in the audience understood what I was talking about. After my presentation, I was even interviewed by a journalist from the Tribune, and some of what I said was published in next day’s paper.

Because the event was well attended by a number of government officials and politicians ranging from the Additional Director General of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Honorable Minister of Forests for Himachal Pradesh, and I was somehow considered a ‘distinguished guest’, I got to witness a lot of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the daily routine of being someone important in India (driving around in big white Ambassadors, garlands, bouquets, huge feasts, etc.).

Arguably the most exciting part of being brought into the world of an important person was on the night of the conference banquet when the HP Government – who we must remember was sponsoring the event – requested that the event be dry. Instead of politely adhering to the rules though, those in the Federal Government did what I am sure they did every time something like this came up and discretely moved their party to a private room away from the main dining area. All of us ‘international experts’ were also pooled into that group and urged (i.e., forced) to come with them for some pre-dinner drinks until the Honorable Minister arrived. Of course, we all acted as any respectable guest would and went along with them to room ‘Private Secret 214’ where we were given a nice selection of whisky, wine, and beer along with several tasty appetizers. Within 30 minutes or so, the minister arrived and we had to go out to greet him. This did not mean that the bar at P.S. 214 was closed for the evening though. If we ever needed to go back and ‘get a recharge,’ we simply had to excuse ourselves from the dinner table and kindly announce that we ‘had to use the toilet.’ Thankfully, this was merely a voluntary option for the rest of the night and all of us from abroad made it through dinner without having to use the toilet again ;).

All in all, I had a good time at the conference and am pretty sure that I will not get to relive some of these experiences anytime soon.

Shainaj

When I think about what I love about India, the first thing that pops in my mind are people, especially the women here. I feel like I have learnt the most from them, whether it’s my mom or the lady who provides us with domestic help, dear Ranganayaki. I would like to give them a blog tribute for being such a source of inspiration to me. Here is one story…..

During our stay in Hubli, I met Shainaj, a very smiley security guard, who smiled so much that often she would cover her mouth as her smiles became peals of laughter. Any interaction with us would bring this reaction, especially when we took the time to talk to her. She also had many questions that were rather candid but cute, such as, why did I marry a white man? Don’t they typically leave their wives behind? She had a shyness combined with concern. I had to explain away many stereotypes but it was fun, because I also learnt so much from her thoughts; things that I would never be aware of otherwise.

One day on our walk to work, we were passed by a woman completely covered in a burqa who suddenly grabbed me. I was shocked for a second only to realize it was Shainaj. She was also on her way to work, which was surprising because she was always smartly dressed in her security guard uniform and cap. As we walked to work together, I noticed she had a salwar on underneath, so I asked her about it and if her husband did not mind her wearing a guard uniform. She said that her husband thought she worked at a health clinic, and did not even know that she donned pants and shirts everyday at her job! She didn’t seem too worried that he would find out!

I love her bravado; she broke so many barriers and social norms that can sometimes entrap women in India. She just did what worked best for her within the limits of the norms, and I very much value and cherish that about her. On the day we left Hubli, she came running over to say goodbye, and gave me a little ring she wore hoping that it would remind me for her! If she only knew…she didn’t need to worry at all! - V

Running....

Adam and I have taken to playing tennis and running in Bangalore. The idea of recreation through sports though seems to be quite foreign amongst most people here. It’s mainly because it is difficult to get access to sporting facilities, and at some level people might not be exposed to the very idea of it. This is all the more evident when we see kids in the school next door being forced to do the high jump....they run up to the bar, and pretty much karate kick their way across it...hilarious to watch...but you also realize that no one is taking the time to teach them any technique....and its most probably a yearly activity that they are forced to participate in!

The easiest way to run where we live is to run around the apartment complex that my parents live in. Each loop is about 300 meters. It might sound boring, but it can be fairly entertaining. There is always the odd “aunty” who gives you a thumbs up, and the usual randomness of what people do on their balconies every morning. I always imagine some of the construction workers, security guards, and maids are probably wondering why we take to running so much, especially constantly around the building….like we are doing parikramas around a temple! And then there are all these notions of staying fit, being slim, etc., that must be so foreign, I almost feel like saying it’s such a rich-person thing to think, cause you are constantly over consuming calories that you need to burn, whereas the average Indian who sees us is probably just happy to have 2 or 3 good meals a day, if that. Lots of food for thought as I finish loop 15… - V

Random Photo of the Week

A good example of sustainable development and resource conservation? -A

Beautiful Shimla

Thanks to some contacts that I made at the EPA, I was invited to attend and speak at the National Conference for Forest Solutions in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, located in the Western Himalayas. Shimla was the former summer capital of the British Raj, providing a much needed break from the summer heat of Calcutta, as it is located about 7,000 ft above sea level. It still has many buildings that follow the colonial architecture. Along with the sheer beauty of the mountains and forests that sprawl in every direction, Shimla is also great to visit because many of its streets are closed to cars, allowing pedestrians the freedom to roam the streets without having to keep their eyes constantly peeled for dangerous obstacles. Perhaps the only negative aspect of the region is the number of pestering monkeys that create quite a nuisance by stealing tourist’s eyeglasses and cameras, demanding a hearty amount of junk food before returning them back to their rightful owner. (Thankfully I did not fall victim to their tricks). Here are a few photos from my trip:

In case you were wondering, I will add another post with more insight on the conference.