Group Visit to Roldih

As I had mentioned earlier, I am trying to introduce the project to people in Kolkata. My plan is to involve members of various photography groups (where I too am a member) to the project. A sort of DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION PROGRAMME that we used to have. Only this time, we are hoping to attract Indians to the project. 

But why photography groups? Well, to begin with, they are the only groups I know. And I want people to experience the place -- the beauty of the project and its surrounding. I also somehow believe that the passion for photography takes people to places where most people would not be willing to go. 

Perhaps I am not so wrong considering that I was able to convince a small group to visit the project with me when I went there on the 14th of this month. With me were Utpal Dutt, Srikumar Bhattacharya and his wife Dwipanita, Deepak Mitra and his wife Sorbani and Runa.

The road to Roldih is now very good and so it wasn't a tiring trip and we reached there just as school was ending. Repair work was underway too. We had picked up Bhola from Dewdandr and so he helped to organize a simple lunch for us with the help of Pushpa, Shankar and Mangal. The former two are back and have restarted school and Mangal seems to be a permanent fixture on the project these days. He also gives tuitions to some of our ex-students who are now enrolled in government schools elsewhere. 

Parvati, who is now married and living near Masanjore, happened to be home and came over to visit me and was complaining to all that I had abandoned her when she was still a little girl! Hemanti and her cousin from Rai tola, came for tuition and were happy to find me there. They have all grown so big in the five years that I have been away!

While food was being prepared, the group went to visit Roldih village, while Bhola got busy supervising the repair work. Runa started collecting saplings and mangoes and cashew nuts and I just sat around soaking in the ambiance! It felt good to be back home. I can hardly wait for my room to be ready so that I can come back and stay here for longer periods. It breaks my heart every time that I have to leave.

The verandah of the "volunteer room" was completely destroyed. They have managed to retrieve some of the corrugated tin sheets that were blown away and Bhola says that most of them can be reused. 

Bhola says my room should be ready within a week. Work is ongoing at the moment and Bhola has sent me some pictures which I am inserting here.

  My room and verandah without the roof

We are increasing the height of the wall at the back so that the slope is steeper and there will be no water stagnating on the roof after the rains. Bhola was talking about extending the verandah. I don't know what it will finally look like, but it may be useful to have a bigger verandah, especially during the rains. 

The back of my room as seen from the road

Once my room is ready, we will start work on repairing Baba's temple. One of the pillars is in critical condition and if we don't fix it soon, the entire roof may come down. Here's a picture of the temple:

I don't know what happened to me while I was on the project. I had my camera with me and I had gone there with the intention of taking pictures of the project. But once there, I forgot all about my camera. So this morning I called Bhola and asked him to send me a few pictures and these were sent by him. I must mention how much I appreciate Bhola's help. He is no longer a staff member. Yet he does so much for the project. I do appreciate his contribution.

We didn't stay long on the project. I had to get back before dark as I can't see very well after sunset because of the cataract I have in my right eye. But it was a great trip for all concerned. My friends got to see an authentic santhal village that hasn't changed much (though there's electricity now). I was happy to be back home even if it was for a short while. Also, I managed to bring back some mangoes -- and I just had one. They are very sweet!

I should also mention that I got a call from Rahul a few days ago. He said he was sending any money right away but would be willing to send whatever we need whenever we need it. That's a great assurance!

By the way, is anyone reading the blog? I am not getting any comments. So I have no way of knowing. Please leave a comment if you read this. Thank you.

Pushpa Weds Shankar Tomorrow

Yesterday I got a call from Pushpa. She and Shankar are leaving the project to get married. They had mentioned this when we were on the project and had also invited us to the wedding, which is to take place in Danga.

A little about Danga. It's a village close to Roldih which, till recently, used to be known as Danga-Roldih as it used to be a TOLA of Danga. To explain, a TOLA is an "offshoot settlement" set up by one or more families that have moved out of the main village because they either face a shortage of house building space or wish to be close to their fields. Roldih is now a "big" village with a hundred families and it has its own TOLAS.

According to Santhal tradition, Pushpa and Shankar, who are the only permanent staff on the project these days, have been living together. Now they are getting married. This is socially acceptable. 

Repair work has started. The damaged roofs have been dismantled and sheets were taken off. A portion of the parapet walls had to be broken down and will be rebuilt before the new sheets are put in place. Just spoke to Bhola. He has ordered bricks, sand and cement, but work will only start in earnest when Pushpa and Shankar return. Bhola is too busy with his shop to spare time supervising the work. 

Meanwhile, I am counting the days to the next visit on the 14th. Pushpa and Shankar are going to be back. And school will have started and hopefully, repair work will be underway. I am also looking forward to "showing off" the project to my photographer friends.

Perhaps, I should have mentioned this earlier, some support has already come in from friends. Jayati Goswami, Manas and Preeti, have already given me some money for repair work. This, along with the small amount that I have been able to spare, should be adequate for the moment. I am sure more help is on the way. 

Well, that's all for the moment. There will be more news coming your way so keep in touch with the blog even if you can't find to keep in touch with me!

I'm Back in the Saddle

On 16th May, when I visited the project with Mitali, Raj and Runa, I was informed by the villagers that I had been away for 5 years. What was most touching was that most of them turned out to meet me. And also they had assumed that I had come back to stay!

To tell the truth, it was a brief visit to see the project and figure out whether we should continue running it or simply hand it over to the people (villagers or others) who are interested. In fact, I got the impression that many, many people (who had never been involved with the project) were interested in taking over the project. And the visit helped me to understand why.

All the trees we had planted over the years have now grown big. The timber trees -- gamhar and segun -- would a worth a fortune in a few years time. The fruit bearing trees are just as valuable as timer -- mango, kalajam -- are much in demand these days. No wonder people wish to take over the project. But they are not willing to SUPPORT the project!

To cut a long story short, after the brief visit, I decided to return to Roldih. The warmth of the reception I got, the hope in the eyes that I saw and my own realization that I have left things unfinished, all convinced me that I need to go back and spent a few more years on the project to ensure that I create/motivate people to use the resources we have gathered over the years is used for the community and not serve to provide money for people who wish to exploit the situation.

I am very grateful to Mitali and Rajiv, who have been over the past few years, taking care of the project with whatever resources they could gather. Some of you have been most generous and supportive. I hope I will continue to receive the same support while I continue with the same work.

This time round, however, I will not be staying on the project on a permanent basis. I now have a house in Shantiniketan (Prantik) and I hope to divide my time between the project and my home here. The road to the project is now fantastically smooth and so driving there on my motorcyle or getting there by car will not be such a harrowing experience. Hence, I will be spending a week on the project and a week off it. At least, that is my plan at the moment. Who knows, the situation may once more demand that I stay there permanently.

While away from the project, I have acquired a new hobby -- photography. Some of you can see my photos at Sid's Photography on Facebook. I also post to many photography groups on FB. I have realized that I could invite fellow photographers to visit the project to take pictures and and also provide support to run it. The few people that I met on a recent visit to Kolkata were very excited by the idea and they will be visiting the project with me on the 14th of this month and we will take it from there. Their visits may provide some funding for the project just like the volunteers visiting the project did. As you can see, we no longer get volunteers. Also, we can no longer have volunteers on the project except for short visits. Things have changed and we need to adapt to present conditions.

One thing that hasn't chaged is my own attitude towards funding. I'd rather beg to raise money for the project rather than approach the government or donor agencies for funding. Fortunately for me, Dakshinayan has a lot of well-wishers who are still willing to chip in and help out and I am sure once the photographers start visiting Rolding and the surrounding areas, we may find more supporters amongst them.

I don't know how many of you still visit this blog or if you really care any more. But if you do, drop me a line, leave a comment or email me at sanyalsid@gmail.com.

There are many things that are buzzing around in my head and I would like to share with you but we have time. There will be other blogs and we will get many opportunities to interact. If you are reading this, then I am happy I have been able to reach out to you.