Cultural Yathra

Its Saturday - and the Indian work week is indeed six days, but I am happy to say I am the verge of successfully completing my first week. All is well in Tamil Nadu and I have a lot to look forward to with my work and experience here.

I have just sent off a 4 page publicity piece for the Cultural Yathra. Yathra is a Tamil word for Journey - the event is more like a rally/march that represented the Campaign Against Torture 20 day journey through the state whereby a team of trained artists/activists use creative means such as performance to educate local people of their human rights, especially to be free from torture and police violence. They are traveling to 30 districts and will reach over 400,000 people. Its an amazing form of community activism that makes me proud to be working with such a wonderful grassroots organization. There is a cultural night that culminates the 20 day journey which is 12 hours long filled with series of cultural performances from dusk til dawn and is attended by over 1000 people. I can't wait to go myself (though I will have to find myself a nice translator). It is part of June= Torture Awareness Month, and June 26th is the UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture (the 19th anniversary of CAT for you HR buffs).

The bulk of my work here is preparing training manuals for lawyers representing 10 states in India for legal intervention on behalf of victims of torture. At the moment, me and Indian lawyer are compiling all the relevant precedent nationally and internationally. It is quite a task, and I am grateful to say that it is making me appreciate my legal education, something I never thought I would be able to claim! There was a reason I went to law school!

I get to do a lot of traveling with work, one week in Coonoor, in Ootay (these people like their vowels) which is supposed to be a gorgeous hill station - this is for human rights monitoring training. 1/2 Week in Bangalore, Hip City for the young & Indian Silicon Valley at National Law School of India, and then 1 week in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh(near where I worked with child slaves in April 03) where I will get to utilize my rusty Hindi skills for training for North Indian activists.

I fill so much more at peace with myself in India, I think that's why I love this place so much, in New York I always feel like my insides are wound up in knots and twists and here I feel like much calmer, much more in tune with myself which sometimes is surprising cause I don't really have "friends" here yet or a support system. Its a whole different way of life, from rolling into the office around 10-10:30 and stayin past 7 or 8, not being able to buy street food before 8 because dinner isn't til at least 9pm, cooking without anything pre-packaged - meaning having to buy fresh vegetables the market in the morning whose grand total doesn't' reach $1 and test out my rusty Indian cooking skills, washing clothes by hand, buying milk everyday in a little packet that runs out.
I adjust quickly, as I always do, and I wonder if I could make this my permanent lifestyle... I mean I wonder that always wherever I am... Its easy to be independent here, something that always concerns me about living in India - and you know I love this calmness, and I love meeting people who inspire me, like yesterday we met a group of students who had just graduated were victims of torture of children of victims of torture who the organization has sponsored to finish school. But would I miss western ways - I mean definitely not for 3 months what if gone for longer? (the bars, the the busy-ness, the self-importance?)
But I get so sick of New York too, I get antsy, that's why I run away to Ecuador, to England, to India whenever I can. The only place I ever feel unconcerned about my prospective happiness is on the run. One year of experimenting with pseudo-stability turned out to be a farce because first year of law school is not a stable environment. It is up and down and sideways. And even though I found myself happier second semester, I cannot point out anything routine that made me happy -perhaps gym class, or the dance, or some cultural/social functions....

Oh well. as long as I can live out this nomadic ways, as long as I can sustain myself, I will keep going -and what's nice is being away from the world that makes me feel like that's impossible. When I am out and working and with friends like Prabha who is much older than me but has worse habits of movin around - I feel like "settling down" is not this inevitable reality for me if it never feels right.

India is not so hot right now, and I hope that my decreased in take of alcohol and primarily veg diet (without fried chicken) will skim off the tire around my waistline. Despite language difficulties I am finding ways to communicate with the people in my office through my tasks and they are very easy to get along with. Okay I better get back to my assignments. (lots of reading of national human rights commission for India)
Much love for all those who have been reading and trekked through my old entries to learn about formative experiences abroad. Some of those times were immensely challenging for me but still I cherish them very highly and am glad that I have the opportunity to share them.

Lots of love,
Reena