WEATHERING A STORM

The third episode in this series of first-hand accounts from the alumni of PRAVAH’s SMILE In-turn-ship[1] program showcases the times of Amrita Bose spent as being a part of the Narmada Bachao Andolan[2].

In the summer of 2000, Amrita, along with friend and college-mate, Nupur set out to bend the rules at home, kicking up a storm in the domestic space. It took a lot of convincing and persuading before the girls were allowed to leave home for an equally

stormy movement unfolding in the heart of the country, the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

A few ‘minor goof-ups’ in the initial phase of her journey failed to deter Amrita and Nupur, who managed to reach Dhargaon, their first destination in the Nimad region of Madhya Pradesh where they were welcomed with open arms by their host family.

From attending a Mahila Sammelan on the very day of their arrival to being off on a boat ride across the river Narmada to attend yet another Sammelan, albeit of a different nature than the earlier one, the volunteers were entrusted with the job of conducting an extensive survey across five villages, the figures from which would be used to build up a case to challenge the authorities whom the Andolan was up against. During the survey, Amrita admits,

“Although the sweltering heat would often bother us but at the end of the day after the work there was a great satisfaction.”

A particularly interesting episode that Amrita candidly reminiscises about in her memoirs from the in-turn-ship journey relates to a Krishi Sammelan where she was asked to give shape to her thoughts and feelings as a participant of the movement. For this SMILE-er,

“…even being a tiny part of the movement meant a lot to us, although we were still learning and everyday was a new experience. We not only did some field work but also did a lot of official work which helped familiarize us as to how an organization (or rather movement in this case) works the legalities involved.”

At the turn of the millennium, a young Amrita had set out to experience the joy of being part of a flow that touched the lives of thousands across our nation. As the Andolan still continues, even after almost a decade and a half of the occurrences of that summer, we wonder if Amrita has kept her promise to herself, that of cherishing those memories throughout her life and her intent to ”go on my own in my own way”.

Registrations for the Summer SMILE In-turn-ship are ongoing. Come, join us on this passage from ‘Me’ to ‘We’, come, SMILE with us!

For more on SMILE, visit www.pravah.org or, mail sooraj14593@gmail.com or, just check into our Facebook page.

Shreyanjana B

PRAVAH Intern

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[1] SMILE (Students Mobilization Initiative for Learning through Exposure), is a national program which was started by the Indo Global Social Service Society (IGCSS). Pravah facilitates SMILE journeys for youth across India as a way to engage young people to create their own 5^th Space and become learners from life.

[2] Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is a social movement consisting of tribal people, adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against the Sardar Sarovar Dam being built across the Narmada river, Gujarat, India. For more on the movement, visit, http://www.narmada.org/

Smile In-turn-ship

ABCD CHAIDA MAINU, VADI BIDDI CHAIDA MAINU

CTV CHAIDA MAINU, LCD VI CHAIDA MAINU

LAAL MERCEDES CHAIDI MAINU, LAAL KILA VI CHAIDA MAINU

AEY CHAIDA, O CHAIDA

MAINU CHAIDA CHAIDA, CHAIDA CHAIDA

These lines describe the truth about the materialistic world we live in today, where we always want something which we think, make or, will make us happy.

But when you volunteer, you do not WANT, you GIVE – then you get a feeling, “that’s something else”. We all want that feeling and we get only when we go for SMILE In-turn-ship.

Once I was helping a blind person to cross the road. So we walked together for a few paces. “It’s straight down from there. There’s in-coming traffic, so be careful” I said, as I let my hand say “I am about to let go”. She said “Thank you” and left. She walked away, perhaps, with my voice as the only momentary memory she could hold on to. It was a simple transaction of trust that caught in my throat. She had trusted a complete stranger, in her a world of darkness to reach where she was going. My steps were heavy with the thought of how little we trust in today’s world. I went home and she did too. My eyes were not fully opened yet but there’s a realisation that my world could be different and the blind girl had helped me see that. Burdened with grudges and taught not to trust, we are we losing out on life because we are blind to what trust can let us experience..

That’s what the whole experience of SMILE In-turn-ship is all about, where your paradigm will be shaken and you will realise that my world could be different and, was actually already so. It’s about your journey from self to society and from Me to We.

We all have our own reason for doing SMILE In-turn-ship – The lust for drifting amidst the unknown; the love towards experiencing a new culture; the need to meet new people; the desire to just leave all behind; the need to forego or, to find yourself (like me) – the ‘new’, the ‘exciting’, the ‘different’ and the ‘adventure’ – it’s all there when you go for SMILE!

Everyone should experience this In-turn-ship once in their lifetime. There is without doubt, a lot of happiness or even comfort in sharing the beauty you come across when you SMILE and, in the end, as you discover through this journey, it’s not about the smile, it’s about you.

Well you are (what you love)

And you do (what you love)

And you share (with your heart)

Yeah you give (with your heart)

What you share with this world

Is what it keeps of you.

Ravinder (SMILE Volunteer)

Registrations for the Summer SMILE In-turn-ship are ongoing. The next batch of SMILE-ers leaves on May 31^st 2013.

 

Come, join us on this passage from ‘Me’ to ‘We’. Come, SMILE with us!

 

EMPOWER WOMEN – Empower the Community

…this was the most important learning for Deboshree Roy, a third year Bachelor’s student of Lady Shri Ram College in the summer of 2000, when she went for fifteen day exposure visit through Pravah to Shri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA)[1], Garhwal Hills.

Continuing with our series on bringing to you, dear reader, inspiring stories of transformation, of young, ordinary adults, who gambled on walking the thin line from ‘ME’ to ‘WE’, not knowing what the outcome would be like. They walked away in the end, with an experience of a lifetime!

Volunteering for SMILE in-turn-ship brought about a sea change in Deboshree’s world-view too as the ensuing ‘change story’ will reveal. Deboshree was able to through this exposure form a profound understanding of the issues plaguing the people of the region viz. lack of education, an orthodox mentality and the challenges brought about by the mountainous terrain of the region. In her own words, “Empowerment is possible only through awareness and education.”

Learning about the hardships of the community-folk, especially the women, was had a humbling effect on Deboshree’s young, perceptive mind. Working on micro-planning under SBMA’s Watershed Management Program, she got a chance to interact closely with the people there and learn about the nature of the problems they face in everyday life. The concern in her words is hard to miss, “…in these rural villages no labor can be spared and there is no alternative for the women but to walk all day in search of fodder, fuel wood and water.” She concedes, in a despondent tone, how the women have to stick to an extremely arduous schedule. They have to take care of all the cooking, cleaning, feeding children, working in the fields and collection of fodder and fuel by themselves.

A survey among the womenfolk of the village revealed that the building a village hospital was the need of the hour, followed by the establishment of a sewing center for women by means of which they would have an alternative avenue for income generation. That SBMA has been like a harbinger of hope for the villagers was another immense understanding that this SMILE volunteer brought back from the visit.

A pleasant moment for Deboshree was at Didsari village where the ‘Swajal’ implementation phase was nearing completion, which would lead to important changes – availability of drinking water that would save a lot of time and effort for the village women. Construction of toilets was another amenity, she observed, that had greatly ameliorated the living conditions in the village.

The creation of Mahila Mangal Dals (MMD’s) in the region has been, according to the young volunteer, the most important ‘stepping stone’ towards achievement of a bigger purpose as, “The women of Garhwal have long been recognized as the backbone of the community and their empowerment would definitely bring about significant change in the region.”

Grateful for the helpful and accommodating people she met, and friends she made, at SBMA, Deboshree took away a lot of positives from her experience. One hopes these learnings have stayed with her, and that she has been spreading more ‘SMILE’s even as we read her story, more than a decade after her tryst with the womenfolk of the Himalayas.

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SMILE (Students Mobilization Initiative for Learning through Exposure), is a national program which was started by the Indo Global Social Service Society (IGCSS). Pravah facilitates SMILE journeys for youth across India as a way to engage young people to create their own 5^th Space and become learners from life. For more on SMILE, visit www.pravah.org or just check into our Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/cj9wmkt

Registrations for the Summer SMILE In-turn-ship are ongoing. Come, join us on this passage from ‘Me’ to ‘We’, come, SMILE with us!

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[1] SBMA is a registered non-profit organization working in the Garhwal Himalayas since 1977. It started with a focus on women who are the pivot of the region’s economy, a focus which has now primarily shifted to children, while keeping their original vision intact.

‘18 TILL I DIE’ Panel Discussion on “The Ocean in a Drop: Inside-out Youth Leadership”

The significance of youth leadership in India and the various ways in which it can benefit the society today was the topic for discussion among eminent persons such as Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan – Member of Parliament from the Congress Party; Ms. Belinda Bennet – Head of the South Asia Region at Christian Aid; Mr. Venkatesh Srinivasan – Assistant Representative, UNFPA; Ms. Ashraf Patel – Co-Founder, Pravah and CYC; and Manak Matiyani-Team Lead, Must Bol Campaign. They had all gathered on 26^th April, 2013, at the behest of Pravah & CYC (Commutiny-the Youth collective) for a discussion on the recently launched book “The Ocean in a drop” at the India Habitat Centre, in New Delhi. The discussion was ably anchored by Gouran Lal, co-founder and Board member, PRAVAH and Doordarshan presenter.

Setting the Agenda: Neha Buch, CEO, PRAVAH, introducing the audience to the book and 5th SPACE.

India is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the world and to realize their potential, there is a definite need to work with young people. This book has the potential to change the way we view and work with young people. While the government and corporate India are focusing on vocational skill development so that the nation can ride the wave of the demographic dividend, this book argues that along with vocational skills, there is an urgent need to build youth leadership, if we want to bring about sustainable change and create a generation of active, committed and empathetic individuals deeply connected to society and with the skills to intervene effectively.   It is in this connection that the 5^th space and this book assume such importance.

Ashraf Patel, Co-founder Pravah & CYC added, ”Young people take ownership and leadership when they are allowed to co-create and make decisions, not just follow the rules that adults have laid in homes, schools, colleges etc. The 5th space enables this learning by experience by taking a collective journey with other youth from Self to Society.”

“The youth should come forward to take part in politics as this is vital for the reformation of society. We need to expand the word ‘self’ to society if we really intend to go ahead with a mission to contribute selflessly to the society and the country instead of being too self-indulged in our day-to-day problems.” – Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan, Congress MP (in picture above)

One of the panelist, Ms. Belinda Bennet – Head of the South Asia Region at Christian Aid stated, “All social change seems to land up at mindset change, which is why the book’s advocacy of exploring self as they act in society becomes critical for real change to happen.”

A high point in the discussion was the discerning statement made by UNFPA representative, Mr. Venkatesh Srinivasan (in picture), who noted, “Unless you touch the heart of young people, change is not possible!”

This statement of his seemed to strike a chord in the hearts of the audience as members tweeted and re-tweeted it on their Twitter accounts!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Ocean in the Drop: Inside-out Youth Leadership - By Ashraf Patel, Meenu Venkateswaran, Kamini Prakash, and Arjun Shekhar.

The book that was launched in February has been co-authored by four authors including Ashraf Patel, Meenu Venkateswaran, Kamini Prakash & Arjun Shekhar, all of whom believe in the concept of the 5thSPACE[1] — a space that goes beyond the commonly used terms of volunteerism and Active Citizenship and focuses on three critical aspects of youth development: Understanding the Self, Building meaningful relationships, and Impacting Society. The book also explores how young people have contributed significantly to society in the past and suggests ways in which they can take center stage again.

SOLD OUT!!!

Want to know more about 5thSpace and how you can be the change you want to see? Grab your copy of “The Ocean in a Drop: Inside-out Youth Leadership” NOW!

Place your orders at http://tinyurl.com/bok4qbv

Visit us at: www.pravah.org

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[1] 5^th Space is a space where young people develop a psycho-social worldview, which answers the question “Who are we?”(We as in humans – a social species) as opposed to “Who am I?”This view allows young people to understand and define their connection to the world as it is.

The 5th space makes the relationships in the other four spaces (At home with family, hanging out with friends, in leisure or at college / workplace.) count by nourishing and enriching the capacities of young people to take effective and responsible action.

The 5th space believes that self transformation is the first step towards creating change in our relationships and in society.

Creating Aman: The Pravah Way

A batch of sixty-one students from Heritage School set out to make new friends and engage with children from backgrounds very different from their own. Pravah, through their Adolescent Intervention program organized this fascinating and fun packed experience of community service for the students. Meeting and working with the youth and women of an NGO called ‘Aman Biradri’[1](The name means a ‘secular, peaceful, just and humane world’) was an opportunity like no other experienced by them!

Exploring the ‘larger perspective’: Interactive session on identity

The Pravah facilitators took care to create a safe environment for the students as it was their first experience of development work. They helped the students gain a deeper understanding of communities they were reaching out to in the context of the city. Enthusiasm and creativity were keys in these initial steps that helped students transform themselves to interact with a section of society they had not been exposed to. Through this journey of understanding the diverse communities, the students were given spaces for interaction to help them understand the two different worlds.

The first half on day 1 of the workshop included classroom sessions, building concepts and plenty of energizers in the open spaces. The afternoon was allotted to a community visit to enhance the understanding in connection between ‘self’ and ‘society’. On day 2, the students performed Shramdaan under the guidance of the coordinator from Aman Biradri. They swept the playground and cleaned the kitchen garden that was lush green with wide varieties of green vegetables but filled with dry leaves and trash. The Heritage students also conducted some games with a group of children from the NGO who were between eight to fourteen years. On the final day of the workshop, the students stayed back in the Heritage school’s meditation centre to plan their action projects.

Let’s dirty our hands and ‘learn differently’: Extending support to the organization.

The students of Heritage school enjoyed sessions that involved practical learning like Shramdaan and interactions with the community children, rather than intense classroom based sessions. This preference reflected the experiential learning methods followed by the school for these adolescents.

Not only the students, but the teachers also seemed enthused enough to be actively involved in the workshop. Their ownership and eagerness to engage encouraged the students too. Five of the teachers actively participated in the kitchen and cooked with the women from the community.

This was a good space for the teachers to also engage with the outside world apart from their daily routine.

The facilitators from Pravah supported these adolescents to reflect and act (Refl-Action) after the workshop.  The students were encouraged to take up small action projects related to the development of society and work on them individually, in pairs or, together in groups.  They planned to work on issues like the environmental conditions around their school, substance abuse among minors, providing education to underprivileged children, providing resources and financial support to budding and smaller NGOs.

Learning their ways: ‘Shramdaan’ in AmanBiradri

Their planned initiatives highlighted the creation of the 5^th Space in their lives that was discussed during the workshop. The action plans ranged from projects on segregating waste, conducting street plays on harmful effects of smoking and drugs to helping educate other children in their neighborhood who did not enjoy similar privileges as them –all denoting encouraging new connections from ‘self to society.’

The overall workshop, along with the community visit helped the students broaden their horizon and analyze the importance of engaging with the world. By identifying various stakeholders within their community and understanding how the community influences them, the students were able to apply the process of refl-‘action’ in planning, designing and executing an action project.

By the end of the workshop, the students were enabled to build ownership for this 5th space created by them and took up action projects to take it forward. In today’s world, where there are few secular, non-commercial spaces to “hang out”, meet others, share opinions and views and take action, there is an urgent need to create such 5th spaces where young people can lead their own development and growth. Usually, young people spend time at home with family; hang out with friends, in leisure or at college / workplace. Traditionally these four spaces make up their universe.  Beyond this received wisdom they need another space which allows them to create their own understanding of the world to understand it better, to look at social issues from a systemic lens, see how they are connected to them, deal with conflicts within and around them in society and to take action that benefits all.

“This workshop has opened my eyes and encouraged me to make a difference” Aaryaman Sharma, class XI.

After a few months, Pravah facilitators visited the students for the workshop closure. It was heartening to see some of the action projects undertaken by the students. Some had created a blog, following the workshop to write about the impact of the exposure visit (read the blog here), others had been to an NGO, called ‘Apni Pathshala’ to volunteer by providing stationery to the underprivileged, school going children. Another group of students had taught the community children basic English, results of which were evident in the presentations made by them on the day of closure. The objective of the workshop had been fully met by the students –they had created an ocean by drops of their contributions towards the development of their society and successfully creating and sustaining the 5th space in their lives.

SulochanaThapa

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[1] Aman Biradri aspires to build local level institutions mainly of youth and women, of diverse faith, caste and gender, at village and district levels to strengthen mutual bonds of tolerance, fraternity, respect and peace between people of different religious groups, caste and language groups, to promote equal citizenship, justice, communal harmony, peace, and the celebration of our social and cultural diversity.

I Can’t Get This Out Of My Head!

A few days back I was attending an identity workshop[1] where we had to write five identities, which describe ‘Who am I?’ and I was the only boy in that workshop.  So, when we were reading our answers aloud, I was hit with the thought that every girl had “I am a girl” identity in their top five.  At the expense of conceding a generalized opinion, I realized that nowadays gender identity is playing a very big role and it has become a lemon in their heads[2] – a result of their being Delhi-ites! It is also, I feel due to the increasing injustices against women I’m reading about in the papers/news – the Guwahati molestation case, the girls who got arrested for their Facebook posts and the recent Delhi gang rape and many other day-to-day activities where girls face discrimination and exploitation. Most women I know do not depend on their husbands, boyfriends or any male relative to chaperone them wherever they go, nor do they go around in chauffeur driven cars. Most of them are young, independent and attractive – and somewhere I know the scary truth that this could have happened to a friend, to a relative or to someone close to me. Whatever the reason, I haven’t been able to get that out of my head.

Lemon in My Head

What do I do? What do any of us do? Apart from being outraged or just talk and write about it like I’m doing? What else can I do?  I’ve been wracking my brain about what to do, protesting on the streets, but who/what are we protesting against? Our government? The government we voted for? Our nation? The ‘democratic’ nation which each of us is a part of? Don’t get me wrong. We must complain. We must make loud protests; we must put immense pressure on the authorities to take immediate action. Safety is NOT a privilege only for those who have drivers, those who stay in gated communities, those who don’t venture out at night or don’t avail of public transport. SAFETY CONCERNS ALL OF US. It is a basic human right. It has to change now, this minute. The streets should be safer at night, from tonight. If we have enough police to make sure our seat belts are fastened and we don’t jump red lights during daytime, then we should have enough police patrolling the roads at night. We need the laws to be tightened now, we need police to act faster, and catch the culprits more often so that the law can be taken seriously right now.

But there is something else we can do, which can change the nation’s attitude towards women, provided each of us takes part in it. Each one of us individually needs to review how we treat each other and the level of respect we display to one another as human beings created equal by nature, no matter what our gender.

Have you ever heard of Euclid axioms and common notions? Euclid’s first common notion reads – things, which are equal to the same thing, are equal to each other. That’s the rule of mathematical reasoning. It’s true because it has worked, and always will do. In his book, Euclid says this is self-evident. It is even quoted in the 2000-year-old book of mechanical law. So, we begin with equality – that’s the origin, is it not?  That is the balance.  That is fairness. That is justice.

Make Way for the Indian Woman

We must, in every cultural, social and political way, prepare the way for the modern Indian woman because she is not the woman that most Indian men grew up with at home. Mothers pamper, mothers cook great food – Mothers Stay Inside! The woman of today may not know how to cook, may want to earn her own living and may choose whom she wants to marry (if she wants to marry at all!). Of course I’m generalizing, but you have only to look at how the youth behave in front of their parents and how they behave with their peers to realize that there is a huge generation gap that makes for people to hide their true selves and change frivolously to suit the company in which they find themselves. So until we stop hiding under our social guises, the reform starts at home, with parents treating children equally and accepting their differences, and their choices. It continues to apply to schools and education as well – boys and girls should be treated equally, should be encouraged to work together on school projects. Boys should not see the girl as a strange, mysterious ‘other’ species only to be stared at and not talked to, wondered about, shown in small spurts almost teasingly, locked away most of the time and eventually conquered by the patriarchal system of marriage or, simply by pure physical dominance.

So yes, we blame the government and the authorities, we put pressure so this girl gets some justice, so the arrests are made, so the attackers are severely punished. But, what next? How do we prevent this from happening again and again and again? We have a lot of work to do. Countrywide, we have rape cases that are going on, girls as young as our own daughters, women as old as our mothers, raped by somebody’s brothers, fathers and sons. And the patriarchal society on which India is thriving. It is an epidemic that has spread across the nation, and rising. It cannot be controlled by law and order alone, but also by its people, by each and every one of us.

Actions Speak Louder

Urging others to take action is only a beginning towards bringing about change. However, the first step should always come from within. I realize this and have tried to inculcate the practice of following up on my thoughts with some form of action that reflects those deep-rooted sentiments. With this thought in mind I decided to be part of ongoing movements/ workshops/ community visits, instead of remaining a silent spectator from a distance.

On February 14, 2013, a one-day event was held, ‘One Billion Rising’, a call for one billion women around the world to join together to dance in a show of collective strength. The word “billion” refers to the statistical information that one in three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime, or about one billion. I was overwhelmed to be part of such a powerful movement where women poured into the streets.

My search for answers did not end there and I found myself going back and getting involved in certain other projects time and again (from visiting children of sex workers on G.B. Road to attending workshops on implementation of safety measures in Delhi schools) in an effort to understand the deep-rooted sense of discrimination along ‘gender’ lines.

So I urge you friends:

‘Bosses’, be sensitive to women employees and their complaints – TAKE ACTION!

‘Colleagues’, stand up for the woman who’s being objectified at work, TAKE ACTION!

‘Teachers’, encourage your students to mingle and mature together, TAKE ACTION!

‘Mothers and fathers’, don’t give special treatment to your sons (or your daughters), TAKE ACTION!

‘Writers and directors’, make your stories relevant to today’s men and women, TAKE ACTION!

‘Actors’, be brave enough to portray characters that speak their own minds and are not necessarily conventional, TAKE ACTION!

‘Media’, don’t let us forget injustices quickly, TAKE ACTION!

‘Politicians’, be quiet and TAKE ACTION!

‘Men’, respect women who are not like your mothers, TAKE ACTION!

‘Women’, don’t let even the smallest act of eve-teasing slide, TAKE ACTION!

‘Neighbors’, don’t ignore a cry for help, TAKE ACTION!

‘Bystanders’, for God’s sake, TAKE ACTION!

‘People’, let’s not live in our bubbles until the injustice affects us directly. TAKE ACTION!

Come join us in this quest, engage with social issues that interest you and play your active role in building a peaceful and just society! Visit http://www.pravah.org or like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pravahdelhi

Ravinder Singh

SMILE Volunteer

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[1] This Identity workshop was part of a project OXFAM India to better understand the urban-middle class youth identity; what institutes or entities shape their beliefs & what helps them to break them.

[2] A case where our thoughts and actions are governed by pre-conceived notions resulting in deeply entrenched beliefs, and stories, which might not be true, universally speaking.

A SEARCH FOR SMILE ALUMNI…TO SPREAD MORE SMILES :)

Do questions like ‘Who am I?’, ‘what am I doing here?’ ever cross your mind and make you restless? Ever wondered why you have been placed here, in this life? Do you feel that, given a choice and the appropriate space for it, you could have done something different rather than doing something merely to ‘make a living’?

We, at PRAVAH, seek to provide not only answers to these questions but also an opportunity to change – the self and, eventually, the society we are part of, through the SMILE In-Turn-Ship[1]. Unlike any other internship, SMILE in-turn-ship focuses on the individual and the reflection-based journey they embark on during their 4-6 week experience in rural India.  This novel approach and focus also bring out very different results than what most internships aim at. SMILE is a space where one starts by thinking one is ‘giving’ to the other, only to end with the realization that the other has changed you. 

In this space, we bring you the first in a series of ‘change’ stories that have become synonymous to SMILE. Look out for more stories from ex-Smilers and help us reconnect with them.

Parul Satija was a final year English (H) student in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi when she decided to take the plunge into the ocean of self-discovery in the summer of 2000. During the journey at Anandwan[2] (Warora, Maharashtra), Parul made the magnificent discovery of how, “Unconditional love and faith can really inspire the human spirit to create new heavens, and also overcome all prejudices and discrimination.”

Dr. Vikas Amte, the chief at Anandwan confronted Parul and her co-SMILERs why they had come all the way from Delhi to visit a ‘jail’. That optimism and self-sufficiency can play wonderfully positive roles in acting as catalysts for change was one of the biggest takeaways for this budding youngster. She put both these qualities into practice in coping and overcoming, personal hurdles like understanding and communicating in the local language or dealing with rural-urban divide on how women dress or simply prevailing over as prosaic a thing as one’s laziness, during the course of her journey.

Living among, and working with leprosy patients in Anandwan, experiencing the living heritage of the place and the values it was founded upon, Parul was able to craft a beautiful picture of “…industrious leprosy patients who have risen above their despair and misery by conquering the stigma that society attaches to their disease. These patients smile confidently, with their self-esteem reflecting in the fecundity and beauty they have created in Anandwan.” Her continuous engagement with the communal activities there changed the way Parul viewed the world around her. She sums it up beautifully:

“…eventually it is the spirit and will to create beauty which inspires one to be a continuous source of strength for one [self] and others.”

It has been thirteen long years since Parul underwent this insightful voyage into the self. The rewards from those enriching moments at Anandwan, we hope, have stayed with her. And that is what SMILE strives to facilitate in its volunteers – the ability to imbibe the learning of the ‘NOW’ and translate them into actions for ‘TOMORROW’.

Registrations for the 2013 sSummer SMILE In-turn-ship are ongoing.

Come, join us on this voyage from ‘Me’ to ‘We’. SMILE with us!

Visit www.pravah.org or Like our Facebook page.

 

Shreyanjana B.

Pravah Intern

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[1] SMILE (Students Mobilization Initiative for Learning through Exposure), is a national program which was started by the Indo Global Social Service Society (IGCSS). Pravah facilitates SMILE journeys for youth across India as a way to engage young people to create their own 5^th Space and become learners from life.

[2] Anandwan (Forest of Joy) or the Maharogi Sewa Samiti is a non-profit organization in Central India helping socially challenged people enhance their livelihood capabilities through self-discovery and empowering them to contribute back to the society. It was founded in 1949 by internationally known human rights activist Baba Amte, to better the plight of the marginalized leprosy patients and people with disabilities through treatment, training and active inducement in self managed communes.

18 Till I Die: Dialogues on Youth Leadership

WHEN the WHAT was answered by HOW and discovered by the WHO…

5th Space Live!

Confused??? The people in the governance deciding on behalf of maximum percentage of the nation’s population that is today’s youth speak a similar language! Not surprising that very few youth are seen as actively participating in matters of governance and society they live in.

To debate on the participation of youth in democracy and governance, ComMutiny- The Youth Collective (CYC) and Pravah organized a panel discussion on a recently published book The Ocean in a Drop:  Inside-Out Youth Leadership (Sage Publications, 2013) on youth-centric development.  The event was scheduled on Friday, 26th April, 2013 at Casuarina Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, 6.30 – 8.30 PM.

The panel discussion aimed at answering and discussing the when, what, who and how of the youth’s participation.

Why some young people are fired with passion and others remain passive?

Why some young people take responsibility and ownership while others are disinterested and detached?

Why some young people are happy to stay in their comfort zone while others are willing to take risks?

How can we systemically instill passion, ownership and risk taking abilities in young people? Is there a way we can create such a space?

Is there a method in the madness? 

To ascertain the madness, to ask these and other such questions CYC & Pravah invited all the youth facilitators who work with young people to engage, explore and express their view to the event on April 26 2013.

The panel discussion was moderated by Media and Communciation Professional, Ms. Gouran Lal, followed by an open house Q & A. Panelists included:

• Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan - Member of Parliament, Congress Party  
• Ms. Belinda Bennet – Head of the South Asia Region, Christian Aid
• Mr. Venkatesh Srinivasan – Assistant Representative, UNFPA
• Mr. Manak Matiyani – Team Lead, Must Bol Campaign
• Ms. Ashraf Patel, co-founder, Pravah and ComMutiny-The Youth Collective (and one of the authors of the book).

The recently published book ‘Ocean in a Drop’ created a buzz among people and organizations working with youth. Dr. Anita Deshmukh, Executive Director, PUKAR, who also read the book says, ‘The concept of the 5th Space is remarkable one that shows a way in which the young people important stakeholders in the process of decision making- decisions that impact their own lives, their country and the world they have inherited. By bringing this concept of the 5th Space in sharp focus in this book you have started a small movement. When this movement spreads widely and gains a critical mass, it would have the potential to change the paradigm of development-social, economical and political- to strive for a more equitable world.’

Commutiny Youth Collective and Pravah together shares credit for 5th Space concept. CYC in collaboration with different youth organizations have conducted 12 advocacy 5th Space LIVE events held across seven states over the last six months.

The 5th Space LIVE finale event was held on 23^rd February 2013 in Vishwa Yuvak Kendra, New Delhi hosted by ComMutiny- The Youth Collective (CYC) and Pravah in partnership with Youth Alliance. It brought together about 200 people from 30 organizations, a mix of youngsters and youth facilitators who sat down (quite literally) to discuss and analyze what democracy meant for them and where exactly they would like to see changes.

Setting the context for the day, Arjun, co-founder CYC and Pravah, talked about how free are we to do/think anything and how we do not realize the kind of controlled environment we dwell in… that limits our freedom. Engaging the audience well he showed a short quirky animation, ’18 till I die’ which talked about the democracy and introduction of 5^th space.

A vision cloud – My Country

Participants penned down thought-provoking insights and their expectations from the future government in their respective vision clouds which were provided to them. The event witnessed many curious young minds talking and sharing about their participation in the governance and their visions.

This event also marked the launch of the book, ‘Ocean in a Drop’. The authors of the book Ashraf Patel, Meenu Venkateshwaran, Kamini Prakash, Arjun Shekhar, along with Mr. R Chandra Sekhar from Sage Publications and Mr. Avinash from Oxfam India released the book.

A dance performance interpreting and illuminating the core of the 5th space followed by a live band performance by Ekam Satyam with lyrics further added to the audience’s understanding of 5^th space. The participative dialogues on democracy, film screening and creation of the ’un-manifesto’ energized the whole space and making it a true 5^th space.

 

Aparna Ravi

Ripple Effect of the 5th Space

Grace and Jerome have been two true ambassadors for Pravah and 5th Space. These two young career counselors from the Bosco Institute in Jorhat, Assam in north east India joined the Ocean in a Drop learning journey in March 2012. They expected that they would get a chance to discover more about who they are, as well as equip themselves with skills to work with young people in a more effective manner. The OID journey was indeed one that touched their lives in different ways.

This OID journey has been wonderful for me. It has really helped to discover the person inside me. I always had the interest of knowing myself in a deeper way but I did not know what it can do and how it can let us feel in life. Being a part of this journey helped me to understand its real value and importance.

This journey has given me a piece of reality about my life which was very much needed at this point of time. It is such a huge relief keeping in touch with myself, appreciating for the good things in me and also putting more efforts in the areas in which I need to improve. ~ Grace

Had it not been for this retreat I would be satisfied with what I am. This workshop has taught me importance of self-reflection, self-realization and to share my feelings with others.  This has helped me to build better relationships with the people around me. The confidence level has increased since I am now able to know my strength and weakness which add more value to the work. ~ Jerome

Grace and Jerome felt that their journey of self discovery and connecting with the self was made special as the workshop created for them a Space that was safe, collaborative, joyful, as well as open to experiment and innovation. Apart from the traditional Spaces of family, leisure, career, and friends they experienced a new dimension of 5^th Space, an integral part of their life as young people.

Their role at Bosco Institute as career counselors involves working with students who engage with various communities to bring about change. At OID, they realized that to help the students function effectively, they should encourage the students to know themselves, their struggles and identity and then connect with the society around them. This led them to decide on conducting a three day workshop with these students to share the core learning from the OID journey.

In the process of creating and building an understanding of the 5^th Space concept of youth development for the students, Grace and Jerome were exploring their own 5^th Space too. Together with 35 students from 17 different communities, they looked within to see the depth that each of them has and how they want to take their own life forward. The session around the 5^th Space made the students reflect on their own potential as agents of change.

A participant, Rebek L. Khiangte at the workshop said, “These three days’ workshop helped me to know myself better and what I want to be in the future. The workshop has given me the chance to know about others and rebuild my relationship with my classmates. I was also able to let go of my bad habits and nature which was a hindrance to my becoming a better human being.”

The most interesting experience for Grace and Jerome as facilitators of this journey for other young people was that the 5^th Space was one that had organic renewal as a key principle. This meant that young people were by virtue of the diversity within them and their own uniqueness, constantly adding to the Space. The greatest challenge for them was a limited experience of the 5^th Space themselves and thus limited knowledge about it. However with time they realised that it was a collective Space of sharing, trusting and creating. Thus the facilitators’ openness and trust in the process enriched the 5^th Space. By the end of the workshop they were convinced that they would like to incorporate the concept of 5th Space’ in the career counseling programs with schools.

A special thanks to Grace and Jerome with support from Fr. Jerry, the Director of BI for having experienced the 5^th Space, believing in and now creating ripples of it in the North East region. Since February 2013, a large graffiti board installed at the Bosco Institute serves as a 5^th Space for students to express their ideas and experiences.

Pravah announces the new learning journeys in the coming months. Applicants can contact www.oceaninadrop.org for more details:
Ocean in a Drop: April 28-May 3 2013
Big Ticket: May 6-9 2013

~ Malavika Pavamani

Music for Harmony 2013: From the Anchor’s Seat

After three months of planning, dozens of meetings, endless cups of chai and late night aloo tikkis, Music for Harmony 2013* happened. It happened. The event I have been hearing about, researching and finally anchoring is complete.

Wheh.

It always amazes me that no matter how much you try to plan for the what ifs or how much time you put into organizing an event, two things are certain:

 

1) The unexpected will always pop up. Always.

AND

2) The day of the event will fly by no matter how long it is scheduled for.

From fear of rain (M4H was an outdoor event) to police run-ins (thank goodness we got the right police permission stamps!), there were several thoda thoda (small, small) things that popped up unexpectedly, but lucky enough they were all manageable.

And although M4H started in the morning and didn’t end til after 8 pm, the day still felt like it was over in the blink of an eye.

This whirlwind of a day proved to be a special space for many different people in many different ways.

For some it was the first time they were introduced to Pravah. 5th Space. Music as a means of communicating peace.

For others it was the first time they performed on a big stage. Emceed to a crowd of 250+ people. Coordinated more than 15 different performances ranging from solos to bands, hip hop dance to street theatre (see full list of activities and performers below).

For some M4H was a space to reconnect with old friends. For others it was a space to make new friends.

For many people M4H was a surprise. A day where they were surprised to learn something new. A day where they surprised themselves of how far they could go out of their comfort zone. A day where they had unexpected conversations. A day where they found peace in a new way.

If you ask me, “How did Music for Harmony go?”, I would say it was a memorable, chaotic, creative, sunny, peaceful day filled with lots of smiles and a few more grey hairs on my head.

It was also a source of great pride to see the transformation take form in each of the team members involved in the Core Group (all youth volunteers) who transformed into true leaders for an event they had toiled over for months, molding by hand.

In the days following Music for Harmony, I was still digesting the entire M4H journey thus far and reflecting on what I was taking away from it all. I had the pleasure of having two random conversations with two different audience members that widened my understanding of the kind of impact M4H holds. The first described M4H as one of the best days of her life and her ability to talk to people she didn’t know that day was surprising and refreshing. The other shared how much he enjoyed the energy at M4H and the meaningful conversations he shared with new acquaintances.

When one is planning an event it is easy to focus on all the “what ifs”- what if we had a different venue? what if we put up more posters? what if we had different weather? But these two conversations made me remember what M4H is really all about. It’s about creating the space for this kind of interaction, exploration and connection to exist and flourish.

Post M4H my heart is lighter and my sleep schedule is back to normal, but I still find myself reflecting back on the journey that was M4H 2013. It was a pagal (crazy) ride that left me with new friends, new experiences and new understanding of what all it takes to make an event in Delhi take form.

Now as the stage is packed away, the volunteers are continuing on their learning journeys with Pravah, I am now ready to work on extending the space that M4H creates into a full circle journey for those interested in peace and conflict transformation.

A lot of exciting work lies ahead, so as I continue on my AIF fellowship journey I’ll sign off with a phrase one of the volunteers came up with in our daily communication updates:

May the Peace be with you

__________________________________________________________

*Music for Harmony(M4H) is an annual event sponsored by Pravah that culminates with a daylong celebration of peace and harmony through different creative arts such as live music, dance performances and street theatre. What makes M4H “a fest different from the rest” is that it is completely youth-led. From drafting budgets to confirming performers, from deciding the theme to designing the day of activities and schedule, the fate of M4H lies in the capable hands of volunteers who devote their time and talents to bringing life into M4H. Pravah provides support and trust with the volunteers and in turn the volunteers rise to the occasion.

This is a unique opportunity, where youth around the age of 18-25 can come into a space, make decisions, come up with a vision and see it through with support from an organization who trusts in their abilities. M4H also becomes a leadership journey for the volunteers as they take on different roles and responsibilities as the Core Group is formed. After M4H is over, volunteers continue on their journey with Pravah through our various workshops and programs grounded in the concept of Self to Society.

In case you missed it, here’s what happened at this year’s Music for Harmony 2013:

Amazing musical performances by Kunj, singing groups from Hope Project, Turkush, Manzil Mystics, solo by thirteen year old Harsh, Zephyr Band, Suraj from Dil Se, The Aphids, a Bollywood retro piece by LSR group, Ekam Satyam and drum circle group D Club, as well as some surprise performances from our Open Stage. Also, a stellar street play performance by Manzil and impressive moves were shared by the 5th Space Dance group and a dance group from Hope Project.

Off-stage activities included Design-a-Card, Peace Graffiti Wall, Bead-it-Together game, Photo Exhibition, Face Painting and our annual tradition of lighting the peace candles.

On top of all this action, we also had interactive booths with our partners– Halabol, Hope Project, Must Bol, Mission Bharatiyam, Pravah, Commutiny- The Youth Collective.

‘Like’ Music for Harmony on Facebook so you don’t miss out on M4H 2014!!

~ Allison Horton