Three nights in the desert

This is an intense learning experience without a doubt. As well as learning about these very impressive projects, there is also the steep personal learning curve as we move through very different experiences. For the desert nights we stayed in the Field Centre at Kalron. Much whinging – I am sorry to report- occurred after it was discovered that married couples were to sleep on beds (well perhaps that is an over optimistic expression) while eight women travellers were to sleep on the floor on four mattresses. Much whinging and little humour. However we sorted it and I don’t know if we all got wired to the sun or what but it is amazing how easily we adapted to pretty frugal conditions. It seemed a great treat that I had two whole bedrolls to soften the concrete floor; I was positively chirpy when I trotted out across the compound in the morning with my bucket to get a whole jugful of hot washing water from the cauldron and best of all, when I poured it through my hair the combination of desert and water gave me the most fetching hairstyle which would normally only be achieved after the application of gallons of product. As well as that the food was sublime – beautiful, simple, fresh. The real thing. I have so far jumped over the food fence that I drooled at the pakora we got for breakfast yesterday. Only a week ago pakora seemd a weird sort of thing to eat in the morning.

The days in the desert were very rewarding. Although we had seen people living on the edge of poverty in the Aravali hills, these people lived notably harsher lives. The desert is unforgiving. A good monsoon year produces five days of rain; only three or four years in every ten has a ‘good’ monsoon. Who knows what wil happen to these figures as the world becomes warmer. Special tanks are built (and many of these are funded by Wells for India) which in three days of rain will hold enough water to keep a family for a year. Several families showed us these with great pride; the materials are supplied by the project but the family themselves, helped by other members of the community are the ones who build them; I have been very impressed by the commitment of the project leaders to working in a holistic way which will support the people in the villages to become self reliant.

We met a woman who is the guardian of pasture land on behalf of 250 families. I talked about pastureland before but had only a hazy idea what this was about. The families have to agree to fence off this land for three to five years, to keep their animals away from it and to help with watering the trees as they grow. Local grass for animal fodder and bushes for fuel are also planted there. Given three to five years it will be well established, will stop erosion and will support the families well. To develop this degree of co-operation requires patience and skill from the project workers.

We met some women who still have to walk 16k round trip to get water; they do not yet have tanks because tanks were first given to those who had to walk even further. I cannot comprehend what that would be like day after day.

We attended the opening of a couple of schools, one of our party put a garland on a bull at its inauguration, awards were presented to village helath workers – it has been hectic and such a privilege to gain some insights into people’s lives.

I am now lazing around in luxury in Jaipur – last post coming at the weekend!

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~ by imacnaughtan on February 10, 2009.