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.