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Lessons that Stick

By Shital Shah '05

I knew that a year in India would be full of memorable experiences. Hoping to capture as many moments as possible, I decided early on to always keep my camera in my bag, just in case an opportunity arose. Most of the time, though, the camera remains buried at the bottom of my bag while my eyes and thoughts join to memorialize what I see, hear, and experience. Those are truly the aspects of the year that I have learned from, lessons to carry for a lifetime. Here are the snapshots that are included in my box of memories from India, a mental photo album that will help shape and guide the rest of my life.

Snapshot 1: Pedals pumping, I push the bicycle to make it over the hill and the railroad tracks, fighting against the colorful traffic that is comprised by scooters, rickshaws, cycles, animals and trucks. On the other side of the tracks lies Kumbharwada, a vast area that is made up of different slum neighborhoods. The physical activity of riding my bicycle, snaking through all the people and vehicles, is completely unlike the transportation I use at home. At the same time, getting from place to place has never been so fulfilling.

The mere act of pedaling makes a slew of questions come to mind. Here, bicycling makes me consider what my destination is- is it worth going through the hot sun and up hills? Will this trip help me move closer to some greater goal? What do I hope to accomplish when I get there? My bicycle has taught me that whatever I decide to do, whichever goals I set, I should make it worth my efforts. If I’m really going to cycle to Kumbharwada under the unrelenting Indian sun and inches away from a clanging bus, I should make every step there worth the strain.

Snapshot 2: Sixteen pairs of eyes are staring back at me. I’ve asked a question, but they are not keen to answer. The room is unimpressive, with only a sheet spread on the floor to sit on and a couple of folding chairs, saved for special guests. Loud horns and the bustle of street sounds make talking and hearing difficult. A group of girls, only several years younger than me, have gathered as part of a life skills curriculum. We just wrapped up a team game, and I’m stumbling through my questions in Gujarati to try to get them thinking and discussing about what happened during the game. This lesson is not going how I expected, and while playing the game was fun for everyone, I wonder how much they understand the underlying concepts. Inside, I am getting frustrated that my point is not getting across.

As the girls get ready to leave, one girl remarked how she liked coming to the class because it is the only time of the day where she gets to enjoy herself. She made me realize that while my original expectations may not have been met today, whatever was the result of the game still was a small victory. While having no expectations for my actions would be ideal, teaching my classes have made me realize that I actually am a result oriented person. Coming to terms with that, maybe having no expectations isn’t realistic; but it is possible to learn how to manage the results in a balanced way. I left my class that day satisfied and looking forward to building upon the girls’ excitement the next day.

Snapshot 3: The preparations for the day’s self defense training for adolescent girls is all set up- posters hung up, trainer’s notes ready. The only thing missing: all of the trainees. Six girls had come yesterday and promised to be there by 8:30 the next morning, yet 9:30 rolls around and no sign of the girls. Since it is a Sunday and the girls are coming from far away, we realize that it will be difficult to get a hold of them. I sit there for a while, thinking about all the home visits that went on prior to the training, all the talks with the parents, how the girls even paid their 10 rupees fee yesterday. The training is a failure. The girls obviously did not see the value in coming back to learn about personal safety; in fact, they did not even let any of us know they would not be coming back.

I talked to the trainers, staff members from my NGO. They were completely unruffled, and simply said that this will be a good experience to learn from and that we now know how difficult it will be to get adolescent girls from Kumbharwada to come outside their neighborhood for more than a day. In the future, we will be able to use this experience and learn from it. These experienced women were absolutely right- failing is definitely a step toward success.

Snapshot 4: Sitting in the office at lunchtime, a group of the staff members sit together with their tiffins spread out. We pass around the steel containers, taking a little bit of everyone’s vegetables- a daily Gujarati buffet. I realize I am sitting with the most unlikely of friends- an ex-diamond washer, a girl who has masters in music, another who comes every day to work despite the fact that her parents don’t approve of her having a job. The worries of the day, frustrations from the field, concerns about where I will be next year at this time, are all washed away with every bite of my roti and snippet of conversation. Here, nothing matters but the present. The lunchtime chatter with my new makeshift Indian family slows everything else down. This is when I remember to take things day by day; otherwise I can easily become distorted by the past and the future.

Just as we look back on pictures for fond memories, I’ll forever keep these vivid scenes running in my subconscious. No matter where I am, who I am with, or what I am doing, these lessons from India will always stay with me.

Did You know?

Indicorps offers a variety of programs and opportunities that encourage leadership and civic engagement. While the fellowship focuses on empowering people willing to do whatever it takes to affect change, we also have local volunteer programs in India, an established internship program, an emerging domestic program, an effort to engage late-careers seniors in development, an online volunteer opportunity site, and more....

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If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

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