World Vision | Day 3

Return to World Vision page....Click Here

Babulel comes from a small village in Rajasthan in the Indian desert. He's a handsome man, with a mop of thick, wavy dark hair, an enormous smile, and a dancer's grace. That last part comes naturally: Babulel is a member of a family of performers that goes back generations. He is also an artist, making the puppets he often performs with, and hand-sewing elaborate tribal and ceremonial garments that are worn at the weddings and parties and civic events where he appears. In 2002, Babulel was part of a delegation of Indian performers invited to demonstrate their art on the mall in Washington, DC. His face lit up as he described the moment, how it felt to dance on American soil with the Washington Monument looming behind him. We were having this conversation while sitting cross-legged on a woven mat on the floor. A photo album was open in front of us, filled with snapshots of Babulel's performances. The Governor of Delhi smiles from one photo; shots of prominent Bollywood movie stars are scattered throughout the album. I'm thinking, Babulel is clearly some sort of big deal in the arts here. Strange then, that the floor we're sitting on is in a room with only one wall, in one of the three worst places on earth. Babulel, the dancer and artist and cultural ambassador, the man who performs for leaders and stars, lives in Sadipur, a government slum in Delhi.

Sadipur is a legal slum, meaning the people there aren't squatters and won't typically be threatened or rousted by the police. But their situation is precarious nonetheless, as the government can sell the land beneath them to a developer at any time. When that happens, it's common for the developer to evict the slum dwellers by fire. Hired thugs come in during the night, douse some of the structures with petrol or kerosene, and throw a match. It takes so little to create an inferno out of what is essentially garbage and kindling to begin with. Some of the people do manage to escape; some are severely burned; and many, many die. It's just the way it goes and everyone knows it. Of course, nothing can ever be proven -- these things happen sometimes, don't they? One day there's a slum, and then there's a terrible fire, and then there's a high rise. That's progress, and no sense getting all worked up and making trouble because the dead were poor and nameless and easily stripped of their humanity.

Babulel left his home in Rajasthan because performing may be his passion, but it was impossible to feed his children on what little he could earn as a dancer. And there were no jobs at home in his village, no industry, no prospects. What farming there is depends entirely on the rains, and Rajasthan, already desert, is crippled by drought. Babulel brought his family to Delhi. Like the other residents of Sadipur, he's unemployed, at least in the sense of having a regular job with a predictable income. He does what he can, which for a male in Sadipur usually means shining shoes on the streets of the tourist and business districts. He's not a "sifter" -- one who picks through mounds of garbage in the hopes of finding something that might be useful for trading or sale. Sifting is the work of women and children. But Babulel the artist is also an entrepreneur, and together with his sons, has found a way to bring some of the crafts he learned at home to a most improbable classroom.

When World Vision entered Sadipur perhaps a year ago, one of Babulel's sons, Ravi, became a World Vision community volunteer. Although there is as yet no child sponsorship program in Sadipur, World Vision has opened what is called a non-formal coaching center. Ravi, has completed 10^th grade -- a very high level of education given his circumstances -- and serves as a tutor at the center. He has 35 children in his care, in different "batches" to use his words. He helps prepare those children, ages 5-10, for formal school, on the outside chance they might actually be able to attend. The odds of making it to school are poor, though, as most of these children are unregistered, meaning without birth certificates, and therefore ineligible for public school. Some private schools accept unregistered children, but the cheapest of those costs 130 rupees per month (less than $1.50 at current exchange rates). Which sounds like a bargain till you realize that the most a parent might earn shining shoes or sifting garbage is 15-20 rupees per day. That's less than 50 cents. Subtract the cost of food and cooking fuel and it's barely possible to feed a family one meal per day, much less send the children to school.

In addition to the academic coaching, Ravi and Babulel are also teaching the children at the center how to make traditional Rajasthani dolls and puppets, along with toy elephants and camels. The day we visited, there was a pile of elephant forms, each about 8 inches tall, made of layers and layers of wrapped and woven twine. Those forms are then covered with scraps of bright fabric and bits of cord, here and there a sequin or two sewn on for decoration. The end result is a wonderful handmade keepsake or toy, which can then be sold on the street. In Rajasthan, one of those little fabric dolls might sell for a few pennies. In Delhi, with a bit of luck, that same doll might fetch 50 cents or more.

Tony and I asked Babulel's if we could purchase some of his dolls. I can't wait to give them to my daughters, and tell them the story behind their creation. That they're not just little trinkets; that they represent something lasting and true. They speak to the importance of place, heritage and tradition, to the power of creativity, and to the nearly unbelievable flowering of hope in a hopeless place.

Return to World Vision page....Click Here

Comments

[WLDM]

Sheri...wow! Your posts are eye opening and incredible. I work at a university that I can't name. Most of my students are from India. I doubt that any of them come from one of these government slums, but I am learning to tell which students are excited and grateful for a chance at being educated and which just think it's their right to get it. That sounds harsh, but in a world of entitlement, it does reach to the richer areas of India too.

The more humble students are the ones who do the best in their classes. We never see them for advising because they have their heads stuck in books because they know this is the only way they can really succeed when they go home.

I'm always excited when I meet the young women who come to our university. Not just women from India but Pakistan and Iran. I keep thinking that in some weird small way we're actually helping them out, giving them a hand up into a brighter future. They are very excited young women, asking a lot of questions to make sure that they get everything right. You can see it in their eyes how much they want to do well.

*hugs* Thank you for bringing another part of India to me. I think it might even help me deal with my students better. Who knows how many of them have families or know someone who live in squalor like Sadipur. Who knows if any them have escaped that horror.

PS Pick up the book "White Tiger". My book club read it for our last meeting. It's a pretty interesting take on the Indian culture/government and people.

[Sally Parks]

Everyday I think of the visions, impressions, and sounds of a week I spent in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra last Sept. It just took my breath away. Flying over Mumbai airport I was surprised at all the swimming pools there were on either side of the flight line, only to get closer to see they were blue tarped roofs over the 1000s of shacks of the slums. Did you get into the countryside? Cars, motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians careening around camels, cattle and dogs to name a few! The people are the most beautiful part of India in my view.I thank you for the opportunity to relive some of my trip thru your blog and will sponsor a child thru WV. I hope to go back some day!

[Katrinna]

Sheri,

Wow. Thank you for sharing these stories with us. I am a World Vision sponsor, and I am inspired even more to write my precious sponsored child, Faith.

[Latrice]

Sheri,
What a vivid, disturbing yet weirdly beautiful vision you paint with your words. Thank you for the amazing work that you are doing. I am not currently a world vision sponsor, but your stories have inspired me to become one.
Thank You

[b zimmerman]

I tried to leave a message yesterday and my computer shut down...so I will try again! I am so excited about you being in India. I called the show a couple of years ago regarding my experiences there...I had been an AFS student in the 70's and then 30 years later was able to take my teenage daughter back to Mumbai to see my aging host patents. When you return I would love to talk with you about the Ashram my Indian mother runs in Mumbai that takes children off the streets, schools them, teahces them trades etc. They also have the first special program in the coutnry for children diagnosed with autism.

The work you are doing by bringing attention to the issue of how poverty affects the children and in turn affects the entire culture and the future of the country is wonderful... In your goals of showing the poverty PLEASE do not forget to also highlight the beauty and culture and technoogical advances that are also a part of India. Indian people are very proud of what IS good about their people...and although poverty is a huge issue,it is important that the modern world understand the vastness and contrasts that exist.

When I was there in the '70s there wer headline "the rich get richer while the poor get poorer" In many ways that still rings true today. It is odd, but it seems there is almost no middle class. Families either fare well, or not.

Take time at least a day or so to "see the sights" . The art and music and architecture are breathtaking. I look forward to reading addition blogs....oh and watch the Inida Times for articles by Anish Trivedi...he is my host brother and quitw well known the media areana there.

take care...ah-cha.....brenda in Salisbury, NC

[Cris]

I'd like to remind all federal employees that World Vision is a participating member of the Combined Federal Campaign. If you want to give to this worthy cause and for whatever reason it is difficult for you to give directly to World Vision, you can still give this fall through payroll deduction. Ask your key worker for details.

[オテモヤン]

http://oppao.net/n-ona/
http://oppao.net/navi/
http://oppao.net/new-d2/
http://oppao.net/fd3/
http://oppao.net/soap2/
http://oppao.net/bg2/
http://oppao.net/host2/
http://oppao.net/lesson2/
http://oppao.net/op2/
http://oppao.net/fl3/
http://oppao.net/bb2/
http://oppao.net/s-este/
http://oppao.net/rd2/
http://oppao.net/kawa/
http://oppao.net/n-club2/
http://s-auc.net/