Pune

FRIDAY
Pune is cold!! (if, by cold, I mean 75° and drizzling)... but with no warm jackets and busses that blow freezing cold air, we're actually cold!

Today we visited two NGOs. Our first talk was with Dr. Sachin Atre, a medical anthropologist who specializes in tuberculosis. He gave us an overview of the disease in India, noting the difficulty with identifying and treating TB when there is still a stigma attached. In addition, the Indian health care system is divided into public and private sectors, and private doctors - while recently mandated to report TB cases - don't always do so. Many doctors are not properly trained to identify or prescribe proper treatments, and patients often don't finish their courses. Because of this, Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR-TB) cases are on the rise. In fact, India is responsible for 1/4 of the world's TB cases, with at least 1.2 million patients.

The second NGO was Ekansh Trust, which focuses on awareness, acceptance, informing, and sensitizing the public to people with disabilities. Indian society is sympathetic to people with disabilities, although there is still a stigma attached and often help is not sought. As founder Anita Iyer described it, people will help carry someone in a wheelchair up a flight of stairs (sympathy), but won't do anything to fix the broken elevator (empathy). Her organization is working hard to educate people, in order to change the system.

The Nandi Mandapa

Because it was just down the road, we walked down to the Pataleshwar cave temple. Built in the 7th-8th century, it was a Shiva temple that also includes a structure featuring a Nandi (bull).

Pillars inside the cave

Our last stop was to Shaniwar Wada, a mansion/fort built in 1732 by the Peshwa rulers of the Maratha Empire. The fort burned down in 1828, so much of the remains are just the footprint of buildings.








For dinner, I met up with Nidhi, who I'd met at Space Camp earlier this summer. She came to pick me up on her scooter, and I jumped on the back for a ride through the crazy streets of India. Pune is much calmer than many of the other cities we've been to, but is was still an exciting ride! And it was great seeing Nidhi again, who will take me around to see the sights on Sunday.





SATURDAY

Went out to the countryside today, to visit an agricultural NGO. The Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF) helps rural farmers with livestock development, sustainable agriculture, education, and capacity building. They work to increase their production of milk per cow, allowing each family to raise fewer animals and therefore need less fodder and grazing land.

We visited their main facility outside of Pune, where they have research labs as well as a bull semen cryo-lab, vermiculture, and silk production facility.

We had the afternoon free, so Mario and I decided to see the Bollywood smash hit Sultan. It was an experience to remember, and gets a blog post all to itself!




SUNDAY
The day was spent with my friend Nidhi, who I met at Space Camp earlier this summer. One of the greatest things about going on these professional development opportunities are the connections we make with teachers from around the globe. I never thought I'd meet a teacher from India, then actually spend the day touring around her city with her as a personal guide!!

Whispering my wish...

We started the day by asking for a blessing at the Dagdusheth Ganpati Temple, a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Lord Ganesha. We filed in to pay our respects, then followed the line outside and whispered our wish to Ganesh's helper, a mouse that sits outside the main prayer room.

Next was the lovely Dadawadi Jain temple, built in all white marble with an elaborately decorated ceiling. 

The view from Saras Baug

Nidhi confirmed what we'd been told about the Jains - that they are generally wealthy and donate generously to the temple. We then stopped in a large park, where we saw the Saras Baug Ganpati temple.

Saving Nidhi from the attack cobra...

We were interested in seeing snakes, so we stopped at the zoo to see cobras... and while we were at it, we tried to see the white tiger. It was nowhere to be found, but we did spot the regular tiger from afar. So at least I can say I've seen both a cobra and a tiger here in India!




Our next stop was the Katraj Jain temple at the top of a hill. Around the walls of the temple are the stories and mythology of the Jains, engraved onto gold plates.

View of Jal Mandir and Pune

Just outside the main temple is another temple, a copy of the famed Jal Mandir Jain temple in Pawapuri.

Detail of the Jal Mandir temple ceiling

We ate at the temple, where for a fixed price you join in the cafeteria's all-you-can-eat lunch. Mario and I both were having stomach issues so we were nervous to try everything, but I tasted the various offerings (and had no idea what most of it was). Mario stuck to the roti and rice, which was probably a good idea.

Servers walk down the tables, offering as much food as
you want... which in our case, wasn't much...

After lunch, we went for a bit of a drive, to Prati Shirdi Sai Baba temple. This was an interesting study in faith - the temple isn't really a religious site, but instead a place where people go to worship Shri Sai Baba - a 'saint' who supposedly had mysterious and unprecedented powers who could perform miracles. He gave 'blessings' to everyone regardless of faith, supposedly healing the sick, saving lives, averting accidents, and other miracles. Those who are his devotees consider him to be a god.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes in a long line to get our offerings blessed, which is supposedly MUCH shorter than the 5 hour wait at the main Sai temple. Mario and I were both amazed by the amount of faith people had in this man. Sadly, no pictures were allowed, but you can see the website pictures here.

Nidhi took us shopping, and she and I got mehndi done on our hands. We met her husband and had dinner at a lovely restaurant, but Mario and I both still felt funny and all we wanted was soup. Still, it was a wonderful visit and I hope Nidhi and her family visits California so I can return the hospitality!

MONDAY
A great day visiting very different schools. We started at a high achieving private school, Dr. Kalmadi Shamarao High School (which actually serves grades 5-10). Students commonly have after-school tutoring sessions, and the expectation is to get high grades and go to top ranked universities. Our hosts were well-spoken and intelligent - clearly leaders of the school.

Q&A session with student leaders

They took us to see several classrooms and the newly renovated library, and we split up to sit in on different classrooms. I went to a 5th grade math lab, where students were using manipulatives to learn fractions. Afterwards, we stopped by the yoga class and joined in on a few moves, much to the delight of both students and teachers.

In the Doorstep School bus classroom

Next, we visited two classrooms of the Doorstep School. This NGO provides educational services to migrant slum or children of blue collar working parents such as construction workers. They bring the classroom to the kids, rather than having kids try to make their way to the school. They do this by driving a school bus classroom to different slum communities, or they set up classrooms at job sites such as construction areas.
 Not only does the Doorstep School serve school-age students, but they found the need for a creche (nursery) since many children were staying at home to care for their younger siblings. In the construction site classroom that we visited, four babies were hanging in cloth hammocks while their older siblings were attending school.  

Construction-working parents, coming to pick up
their kids for lunch

The final school we visited was a government-run (ie public) school that was supported by the Doorstep reading program. We sat in on a reading class, and heard one of the student leaders speak about issues that students face.

Overall, a great visit that gave us all hope for India's kids!