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Nagpur

Date:
12 December 2002

After two days of travel we arrive in Nagpur, it is extremely hot. I am delighted to see my friend Tejadhamma who no doubt has been waiting for the much-delayed train. "How is he? How is Anu? and his son?" I feel emotional. Tejadhamma is a man I deeply admire, for what he has made of himself and what he gives to those in the poorest sections of society

Date:
13 December 2002

After breakfast we discuss which projects to visit. Has Tejadhamma found some kids to interview who practise karate? No, but he has arranged for us to meet Savita Goutam, a female karate instructor. Savita is moving, funny and inspiring. She tells us she was an angry young girl. Her heroine had been Phoolam Devi (the infamous Bandit Queen). Energetic and boisterous, Savita often fought with her brothers and other boys, and couldn't conform to the model of an Indian girl, preferring to dress in trousers. Her emotion is tangible as she talks about the injustice of the restrictions on women and girls.

Currently she is taking a Master's degree, and although she had to fight for admission to the college (which initially would not recognise her degree) she is now the second best student. When she graduates she wants to work with women and girls in rural villages.

Savita was thirteen when she saw a Karate demonstration. She was immediately hooked and persuaded the karate teacher to start a class. A number of local children came to the class, including several girls.

Although she was teased and­warned that she would fail in her studies, she was determined this would not happen and gradually her discipline and academic performance improved.

Her teacher was kind but firm and, in addition to karate, taught meditation and ethics; he insisted his students stayed out of trouble and learnt patience and self-discipline. He encouraged them to think not only of transforming their bodies but also their character.

Now, as a karate teacher, she is helping young people to channel their energies positively and girls, in particular, to develop confidence and determination.

Date:
14 December 2002

I have visited the Nagpur girl's hostel before and am looking forward to speaking with Pratibha one of the wardens. On previous visits I have left feeling joyful, the girls are so friendly and happy.

Pratibha was attending meditation classes when she was asked to help at the girl's hostel. She loved helping the girls with their school work,eventually deciding to put aside her
own studies - a Masters degree in political science - to work full-time at the hostel and move into the community.

She grew up in a notoriously rough slum near the railway station. Her mother, who grew up illiterate, attended school with Pratibha. When Pratibha was nine her father died, and her mother had no choice but to take his job to support the family.

Does Pratibha regret not finishing her degree? "No! this is what I want to do with my life." Has she thought of having a family? "Not really, I love living in the hostel community, it gives me much more freedom. I can contribute to society in a way that would be difficult if I was married. I think of the girls as my daughters." I felt moved I just managed to hold back my tears and, not for the first time, we roar with laughter.

Is her mother still alive? "Oh yes." What did she think of her chosen life? "She's very proud. Were my answers OK?" she asks as we finish. I begin to understand how she can bring such love to her work.

Date:
16 December 2002

In India, afternoon swiftly turns to dusk, mosquitoes appear, and suddenly it is dark. It is the last interview of the day. We are visiting a Buddhism and Social Work course, partly funded by the Karuna Trust. The students are a diverse group from all over India and we are interested in the stories of how they came to be on the course. Sharda has waited patiently to be interviewed and I feel it is only polite to hear her story, even though the sun is setting and soon the mosquitoes will be biting. The interview, however, lasts far longer than anticipated.

Sharda, the fourth daughter of an illiterate worker, had been rejected by her father and this fuelled a persistent cruelty by an elder sister. Sharda was bright and often praised at school but this only made the situation worse. Sharda worked hard to contribute to the family, collecting fuel, selling things, helping around the house, but when she was 12 her father told her he would no longer support her to stay at school. At home she would be beaten so she often stayed away, stealing coal from the railway yard to pay for schoolbooks. Although she was welcome at some of her neighbours she generally kept away, fearing that her father would make trouble for them. Sometimes she stayed with friends or slept under a bench at the train station.

"I was determined that whatever level of education my sister reached, I would go higher." But when she gained her leaving certificate her sister took it from her bag and burnt it. As usual her father took her sister's side, at which point her "heart burst". She left home and never returned.

She moved to Nagpur, found work in a road gang as a labourer and gained a place at college. Sometimes she had no money for food. In her only sari she would work on the roads before college and also at the end of the day. One day she was ridiculed in class by another girl for her dirty appearance. It was too much and she dropped out.

Sharda thought that only those with money had any chance. She moved in with a friend and together they set up two small businesses - a marriage bureau and a sales operation. She also took a job in a factory.

Contact with an old friend persuaded her to go on a Buddhist retreat. It proved to be a turning point in her life and she realised she wanted to work for people.

Humbled by her determination and courage, I leave saying I look forward to hearing, in a few years time, what work she has undertaken.

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