Happy Birthday Dad!

As I have said before I really do think my father is a brilliant man. And since today is his Birthday, I have decided to dedicate this post to him and what I have learned from him over the years. So here it goes...some of the wonderful things I have learned from my amazing father:

...that people who may seem quiet at first usually have the most interesting things to say.

...that you are never to old to have a good time around a bon fire. He also taught me how to build that wonderful fire.

...that the beauty of the stars can bring peace to a person's soul.

...that the world we live in is a gift that should be respected, which means you should never litter and you should always stop to pick up trash when you can (especially if it is floating in the river or lake you usually ski on).

...that sunsets on the river fill the sky with shades of "pretty pastels" that you should always take the time to stop and enjoy.

...that anything that creates waves and breaks up your beautiful glass for skiing on, is considered part of the dark side.

...that boats are the best mode of transportation and far more precious than cars. Boats provide a sense of serenity and adventure that no other vehicle can bring.

...that waterskiing is one of the best sports on earth, and that you should take pride in any of the falls you have doing it because it means you were pushing yourself to get better. (Side note my father is still the best skier in the family)

...that you should always check the tide schedules before you go out drinking, because waking up in water is not only dangerous but really not fun.

...that everyone is created equal. Some people were just given better opportunities then others.

...that less is more.

...that we create our own luck through hard work.

...that even if you do not like a job you should always do your best at it, because taking pride in the work you do and working hard is just the respectable thing to do.

...when we learn to be grateful for what we have, what we have will become enough to satisfy our desires.

...that a conversation that is heart felt and real is far better and a lot more memorable than a million little superficial encounters.

I could probably continue listing things my father taught me for another week, but these are just some of the first things that came to my mind as I thought about my father.  The truth is I know my learning from him has really just begun, and I am excited to see what other lessons he has to teach me in the future. Thanks for imparting your wisdom on me, I promise I won't ever forget it.

Happy Birthday DAD!
Hope it was a good one and that you got at least one ski run in.
Love you around the world and back!

Anger acts as a Poison

Sometimes I can be a very emotional person, and as such I have always argued that emotions are good for us, that they remind us that we are alive, and that we can learn things from our emotions. 

And while I still think this is true, I have also come to learn that emotions can also hurt us.

 Life requires balance... And when we become overly emotional about the small things, when we take things to the extreme we are thrown off balance and we lose our sense of clarity. 

Emotions are positive when they connect us with the people around us, or when they help express our character and our light with the people we love. But some emotions like anger, jealously, grief, or guilt can be incredibly debilitating and make us those sight of that which is good within ourselves and the world around us. We can become so consumed by these emotions that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Anger one of the emotions that I find hurts us all the most. We become angry and frustrated over the smallest things....a miss communication, traffic, the weather, someone else's tone that we think is negative, a last minute assignment on our day off...the list could really go on forever. There are so many little things in life that make us frustrated and that spurn the ugly head of anger. 

Today I was suppose to get a ride to Navsarjan's office in the city. I had things I wanted to finish there, some people I was going to meet with, and the driver I hired to pick up my Mom and Aunt from the airport who are flying in tonight was going to grab me from the office so he wouldn't have to drive all the way out to DSK. Before I was scheduled to leave for the city Sushma and I went around to take some more footage of the pollution problem I am working on. When I got back I rushed to get everything ready to go. The driver ended up not having to leave as soon as we had thought, so I went back to my room to finish a few things. Well, the driver ended up leaving without me because the secretary who I had told to call me when it was time to go never called me. Needless to say I became incredibly frustrated. Sushma and I had reminded him four times to call me when it was time to go. When I asked him why he had not called me, he became defensive and fired back telling me it was not his responsibility and that he had to much work to do for the Director. This only made me more angry. I sat in the office venting to Sushma for a good twenty minutes. All the plans I had made that for the day had been ruined. I had rushed around all morning for no reason. And now the driver had to drive another hour and half just to come grab me. It was a huge inconvenience. 

But as I sat in my office getting more frustrated by the second I began to realize my anger was not helping anything. I was only hurting myself more by brooding over the inconvenience that had been caused me. In the long run I could reschedule the meetings I had, and finish the work later, and I still had a ride to meet my family. I was wasting my day getting mad over something that was incredibly trivial in the long run. My anger wasn't going to change what happened, and it certainly wasn't making me feel better. All my anger was doing was ruining my day. So I decided to let it go and think about the wonderful days I have scheduled ahead, and it worked. I salvaged my day and finished a wonderful book. 

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal  with the intent of throwing it at someone else: you are the one who gets burned."

-Buddha 

Conference on Atrocities Act

Today I attended a conference on the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act...I know its a mouthful. This act is suppose to help prevent atrocities against the Dalits and Tribals, but the Act is almost never implemented properly. In fact every year the amount of atrocities registered against Dalits and Tribals in increasing by three percent. 

Four acts of atrocities are occurring every fifteen minutes in India. 

These acts include crimes such as battery, rape, murder, sexual abuse, etc.

 After twenty years of existence the bill has not done much to help end violent crimes against these discriminated groups. At the conference activists and organizations who deal with these crimes shared there experiences and talked about the amendments that have been suggested for the bill. There were three panels on various aspects of the bill, the need for witness and victim protection, and the current climate of the local authorities in regards to this ongoing issue. Each panel was followed by discussion. The conference was almost entirely in Gujarati but thankfully I had Manjula next to me translating so I could follow along. 

Tomorrow the organizations will come together to create a plan of action for the next year, of how they are going to start addressing these atrocities...trying to come up with creative new ways to insure that the bill is properly implemented and that justice is serve. They want to create a mass movement so people will start demanding the government keeps good on its work and fulfills its role as enforcer of the rule of law. 

It was inspiring seeing all of these organizations come together, there was so much fire and passion in the activists. They have a lot of fight left in them despite being up against seemingly unbeatable odds. The experiences they shared and the case reports they retold were both shocking and heart wrenching, but their unwillingness to back down inspired me. 

Yesterday, I wrote about questioning the quality of man especially after being faced with the horrendous evils men can inflict on one another. But today I realized that those same acts can and often do create individuals with the best qualities of man. 

For in each of the cases discussed today there was definitely always a person who had committed some unsightly act, but then there was also always a person fight to right that wrong. 

Justice may not always have been served... but these people stood up with courage and empathy for the rights of their fellow man and raged hard with all the strength in their heart to make a difference. 

And I think just by their seer presence they have made a difference.,.they have shown this community of traditionally outcaste people that they are not alone, that they matter, and that there are people who care about them, and are willing to stand and fight with them for their rights.

It was a long day, but I feel inspired after it. 

I feel as though my faith in the potential of people is better then ever. 

The fire in an activist is bright enough to light even the darkest of corners and bold enough to set the world a flame.

Questioning the Quality of Man

Yesterday I went on another field visit. We went to go meet four boys who were wrongfully arrested by the police. The oldest boy was 12 and the youngest one was 8. They had been arrested by the police and then held for three days while the police tortured them. The police refused to let the boys eat, or go to the latrine while they held them in custody.

 I edited the report that was to be sent out about this case a month ago, but yesterday was the first time I actually got to met the boys. The police tried to cover their tracks by accusing the boys of stealing a memory card from a person's phone. The person who supposedly filed that complaint had never even been to the police station. He was incredibly scared about how they had gotten his name and what would happen to him if he got involved in the case. 

The four police officers and the police chief who were involved in the torture all have been transferred, but no charges have been filed against them at this time. The boys were only released from jail because immense amounts of public pressure and media coverage. Taking criminal action against the police officers is another case all together. After seeing the boys and talking to their fathers we decided to file an affidavit with the High Court. 

The boys were screamed at, starved, beaten, and tortured for three days. The police officers used nails on the boys puncturing their skin all over, and still a over month later you could see the scares. As we talked about the details of the case I could see the one of the boys reliving those painful three days in his head. He starred off into the distance with pain in his eyes, he had been the main one they said stole the memory card.

 It is hard to believe that something like this can happen. That men who are suppose to protect and serve their country can instill such fear and terror in its people. It makes you wonder "who are the good guys?", and "how can you tell?"I am glad we decided to take this case on... and that the fear of failing has not prevented the act of trying. We will try and seek justice for these boys and show that there are still some people within the justice system of moral substance. 

I know there is still quality men in this world, but when i come across cases like this one it is hard to believe sometimes. 

How can some people be so cruel? How can they inflict such pain?

Indian Food

One of the things I love most about India is the food. As a vegetarian it is wonderful being in a place where non-vegetarian options are the rarity and vegetarian options are the standard. India is one of the few places in the world where a statement like that is true. After being a vegetarian for almost two years now, I have come quite accustomed to finding delicious vegetarian alternatives in a predominantly meat eating world. But here I don't have to think twice about whether I can eat something. 

And despite being told to be careful with the food I eat, I have ate pretty much everything set in front of me...and luckily for me I haven't gotten sick. (I really I hope I didn't just jinx it though)

So today I have decided to start introducing you to some of the delicious street food I have been eating here. SAMOS (pictured above)...are definitely some of my all time favorite food, and while they can't that healthy for you, they are incredibly delicious. And this deliciously deep fried and often potato filled (though other vegetables and/or meat also are used as fillers depending on who is making them) treat will cost you all of 10 rupees. 

Another delicious treat Sushma introduced me to are these Pata Vatas (potato pies). Also probably not the healthiest thing you can find in India, but they are spiced to perfection with a crunchy exterior and potato filled interior. I got 5-6 of these little gems for 10 rupees. I know I am a big spender, but I couldn't resist those delicious potatoes....haha. 

If your haven't caught on I really seem to like what they do here with potatoes and a deep frier. But I have decided that the food here is just to good to keep to myself, so I am going to keep showing you ne delicious food as I come across it. This way you will know exactly what to try if you ever make it to India, or an Indian restaurant. 

You should really just try everything because its all delicious. But even if you are stuck in the States, I beg of you to go get yourself a good samosa. I promise you won't regret it. 

Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is one of the thousands of festivals India observes. It celebrates the relationship between brothers, cousins and sisters. The festival is mainly celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and some Muslins, but today Navsarjan staff was given the day off to partake in the festivities. So Sushma and I caught a rickshaw and then a bus into the city so we could celebrate with her cousin Ritesh and his two sons. 

The traditional ceremony practiced involves the sister tying a rakhi (sacred thread) on to her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayer's for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. 

To learn more about look it check out wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksha_Bandhan

It is really a wonderful festival, and normally after the sister blesses her brother and ties the braclet around his wrist the brother and sister will feed each other sweets. The brother will often give the sister gifts of money or clothes too.

After feasting at Ritesh's we went to the local carnival lake with the boys to walk around and enjoy the rest of our day off. It was wonderful to get out of the office, walk around, see more of the city, and completely stuff myself with delicious food. And luckily for me August is the auspicious month in Hinduism, which means there are tons of festivals and holidays scattered throughout the month to celebrate and enjoy delicious treats. The next big festival is Krishna's Birthday, which will happen the weekend of the 10th, can't wait to see what its festivities show me. 

Ok...Ready?...TALK!

Recently... I have had to give a number of impromptu speeches. Manjula and I will be out in the field and all of a sudden our hosts will ask me to say something. Normally I am all to happy to talk, but trying to communicate to a crowd of individuals who do not speak your language can be a little daunting. You want to say something that will interest them or inspire them, but you can't make it to complicated because someone will have to translate for you. 

And after being here a month I have picked up enough of the context clues to realize that most translators never take the time to say exactly what you said. They summarize, saying only what they think is important and add their own points to explain what you said. 

 The kids always ask the same questions: "Where are you from?" "What is your name?""What is your father's, mother's, brother's, sister's name?" and "What are your hobbies?" These questions make up the few english phrases that they have learned in school. 

 For some reason another favorite request of the people here is to hear me sing. I am not a singer. I will join a chorus happily, but singing solo is not something I am particularly keen on doing. And honestly every time I am asked to sing, every lyric and song that I have ever learned seems to temporarily leave my memory. Its almost as if my brain shuts down at the idea of singing in public, at that point I normally just turn the tables and get the kids to sing for me. Having 80 to 120 buddies to sing with seems to be a little easier, then just me alone in front of all of them. 

I figure by the time I am done here I will be used to presenting in front of crowds no matter the size or the language barrier, which can only help me with my work in the long run. Especially since I will be presenting the Environmental Issues Campaign I am spearheading for Navsarjan at their strategic planning conference in September to their 150 employees. 

Learning how to talk at a moments notice in front of crowds of various sizes, backgrounds, and with language barriers is just one more thing I am learning from this wonderful experience. And so far I have come to realize that the people who ask me to speak have an honest interest in me and the work I do. So as long I am passionate about what I am doing it will come across in what I say even if I may stumble at first to find the right words, eventually I know they will come.