DEBRIEF FROM INDIA----by Suzanne
3/15/2015 Flying back to California
India is a country of stark contrasts; some would even say contradictions.
It is a nation filled with promise. Some of the most
accomplished businessmen and women, remarkably visionary individuals, and some
of the most intelligent students come from India. And yet, India hasn’t found a
way to promise everyone sufficient education or even basic health care. Forget
about low-income housing or even welfare payments.
It is a sub-continent full of incredible resources. Despite
the incredible people power and ample land, more than 50% of it’s population of
1.2 billion live in slums. The slums have no running water and not enough
public restrooms. Some of the public restrooms in the slums even require
payment from people who are struggling to get by. And so, many people relieve
themselves right there, in the open, because there is no other choice.
India is a country with so much wealth--- historically, from
the amazing feats of the Taj Mahal-- to the many billionaires who are included among
the world’s richest. Tata, the company, not withstanding. Yet, India’s orphanages
are packed. And, so many children
live on the streets. The children are HIV positive, kids of sex workers, or
simply just abandoned children. And, many families are just living hand to
mouth. Meanwhile, the slums are illegal, but they are the reality of life for
India.
And while the economic output from slums like Dharavi is
mind-boggling ($600 million a year) the truth is, there’s still no running
water. There aren’t enough basic facilities---like a bathroom or indoor plumbing. There’s endless
potential for disease. And, everywhere one turns, the cramped living and working conditions pose massive fire hazards.
Living areas are unfathomable--so small and cramped for one person, much less a
family of 4, in an area as small as 200 square feet.
What we’ve seen and experienced is going to take a little
time to process.
--An Indian pastor graciously invited us to visit his orphanage that serves
as many as 80 children. His ministry—through three separate programs-
touches the lives of as many as 500 children on a daily basis. Pastor Manoj teaches the word of Christ in a country that is primarily Hindu and Muslim.
Being able to enjoy a meal of chicken biryani with the pastor while sitting on
the bedroom floor in his home was truly special. He apologized for not having a table to be
seated at. This is a pastor who
makes about $3000 a year. Yet his
work is priceless, his heart is solid gold, and he his a true visionary. And it really is the generosity of local Indians and foreigners who have helped him carry out his work for the children.
There’s still a massive difference in earning potential
between Indian men and women. We saw very few women driving to and from work.
We learned from Husna Siddique that there are only about 50 female taxi drivers in Mumbai, a city with a population of nearly 20 million people.
Women still struggle with age-old issues—including gender
inequality and sexual assault. The rape and death of a young lady in Delhi, the
rape of several other
women-residents as well as tourists, the recent rape of a nun at a convent in Delhi, have raised lots of questions about the
safety of women in India, in general.
Our female student tour guides in Mumbai assured us this is
now the safest it has ever been for women living in Mumbai. And they said that more men are
stepping up to protect women. But, I’m still not so sure. If you’ve been groped
once, you will quickly realize how violated it makes you feel. Granted, it
happens in many countries, dealing with such instances and much more aggregious
violations is going to take a lot more than verbal reassurances.
Women across India are staging numerous protest rallies in
response to the rapes and in response to the Indian government’s decision to
ban showing the documentary called "India's Daughter." The film features an interview with one of the men convicted of rape and murder of a young Indian woman on a Delhi bus. That ban seems like a
contradiction in itself…the government claims justice is being served and yet it appears that the problem is
being swept under the rug.
India is profound. Despite its complexities and
contradictions, there’s a lot of promise and proven paths to truth. ----Suzanne
*****************
DEBRIEF from India 2015- By Ryan
India can be one of the hardest and toughest countries to
travel and navigate. It takes an open mind and an open heart to endure the
bombardment of people, culture, sound, smell and sights. That’s because
traveling to India is not a vacation. Traveling to India is work and is main
reason why I did not return for a second time.
Recently, I have tried to take my life down a path full of
less comfort. The philosophy: taking
the easy road can make a person stagnant, while a dose of struggle and
challenge can help person grow. I’ve tried to slowly apply this belief at work,
in my workouts, and after fighting the idea of traveling to India with Suzanne,
I had a change of heart and decided saying “no” to the trip was the easy way
out, but saying “yes” was a better path.
Overall, the trip was easier than expected. Why? Some
theories include: 1) My original expectation was so awful to begin with that of
course it was easier. 2) We
traveled to the wealthier Mumbai (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Varanassi last time),
where the city is a bit more civilized or does a better job of sweeping the
country’s hardships under the rug.
3) This time, we decided to spend a little bit more money and stay in
the nicer hotels versus the hostels. 4) Or maybe, the country has simply grown
in the past 6 or 7 years since the last time we were here. 5) It is probably a little bit of all
of the above.
Now to clarify, when I say “easier” I don’t mean five star
luxury resort baller lifestyle of the rich and famous easier. India is still
India. And my wife Suzanne is still my wife Suzanne.
Let’s begin with my ambitious and sometimes A.D.D. wife who
seems to believe the only way to enjoy a vacation is to work every single day
by shooting television stand up whips, writing a blog, posting on social media
and telling the whole world about our experiences. But to her credit, I did
walk away with material for an NBA 3.0 basketball coming to India/Vivek
Ranadive tie in. And I think we have incredible material to tell the story of
about and India orphanage, and possibly help make a difference for this
organization called Rays of Hope.
As for India being India. We did seem to have nice balance
of both experiencing the beauty and hardships. We toured through the dense
Dharavi Slum (population a million) and learned that 55 percent of the Mumbai
(20-million) population live in a slum, but those slums only takes up 5% of the
city land. We did get to see the
beautiful tea plantations of Munnar, the relaxing beach town of Varkala, and
ride on a rice boat in Alleppey (however, I thought that was just ok).
But maybe the most impactful visit on our trip was to
orphanage outside of Mumbai. Suzanne and I both grew up Buddhist, but neither
considers ourselves religious. However, the Pastor who takes care of 40
orphans, and runs a day care in the “red light district” for another 500
children touched us both. The Pastor is of Christian faith in a country that is
majority Hindu, and we both got the sense that he believed we were sent to him,
and I personally can’t help thinking maybe he is right. Hopefully we can do a
story to help his cause.
So, that was India for the second and likely the last time
in my life. However if I want to continue to test the philosophy of choosing
the less easy to path to help my spirit grow, India will still be there.
