Roaming in Rameswaram (April 20-25)

Driving away from Rameswaram on the 25th I felt a horrible sinking feeling in my heart. We had just spent four days exploring the struggles faced by the fisherfolk in the Ramanathapuram district near to the southern tip of India and the outlook for many of these people looked grim.

Ever since the introduction of motorised boats and fishing trawlers to the region in the 1960s the daily catch of fish has been diminishing, ultimately deepening the poverty of many of the marginalised fisherfolk and placing their livelihoods at severe risk. Their situation has been exploited by middlemen, boat owners, and loan sharks whose selfish interests have stripped many fishworkers of the pay which they deserve and critically need in order to sufficiently provide for their families and to lead lives which they deem meaningful. Moreover, these fisherfolk also face the threat of being apprehended by the Sri Lankan Army when they drift over the international border. The consequences of being caught by the army are terrible! In some recent instances bacteria have been injected into the fish-worker's legs.

The government's response to their plight has not only been unsatisfactory, failing to uplift them, but it has also been unacceptable, selfish and careless. Through talking to a number of villagers and union workers it became clear to us that the government has made many grossly misguided policy decisions and in a number of instances have been lead astray by greed and corrupt selfish interest all of which have had severe adverse effects on these marginalised peoples. The consequences of all of this are many. For instance, the conditions in which the fisherfolk work has created a culture of alcoholism among the male fish-workers, having disastrous effects on their communities and their families. Furthermore, a number of people explained to us how this has lead to a horrible cycle of poverty and a lack of social mobility in their communities. Covering over all of this are issues of caste which are holding the most marginalised in society under the grip of extreme poverty with little hope of escape. The critical nature of their situation became palpable to me when a couple of people with whom we spoke said that if nothing changed in their situation then within ten years many fish-workers and their families would be displaced from their communities and from the sea, tearing them apart from their traditional home and from where their traditional livelihood is found. Ultimately corruption in the government and greed throughout society needs to be swept away in order to liberate these people from their bonds of poverty. 

Despite the apparent hopelessness of their present situation, every now and then during our visits to the various villages in Ramanathapuram I would get small sparks of hope. For instance, in one village one particular woman exclaimed to us that she and many others in her community would die for the survival of their community. That is, out of her deep love for her people she would sacrifice her life so that justice might be realised and that they might have life. Moreover, we heard many stories of unexpected unity and peace. It is here where I believe hope can be found.

Random Note on Cricket:

Cricket is life here. I've heard more than one sermon when cricket is mentioned and almost everywhere you look there is a group of boys playing cricket with a raggedy cricket bat and ball. During the week that Jesse Ryder was horrifically beaten up, whenever I told people that I was from New Zealand the first thing that anyone mentioned was Jesse Ryder. It was literally front page news here (not even the state where he was to play in) which shows just how big cricket is in this part of the world. So far i have succesfuuly managed to fudge my way through many conversations about cricket, trying to make it sound like I know a lot about cricket in New Zealand. The best tactic that I've found is to name drop Ross Taylor, Brendan Mccullum and Daniel Vetorri and then talk about the good days of NZ cricket of Chris Cairns. Little do people know that I know almost nothing about the game and that my ability to play the game is in an even worse state.

Chilling in Challenging Chennai (April 12-15)

Chennai Trip (April 12 - 15):

I have been finding it absolutely fascinating to learn about Christianity in India. That is, its history, how it is organised, how people live out their faith, how it fits into a multi-faith society, what are they doing in terms of social justice, and how things are different or similar to New Zealand (TIM is almost a 'geographies of Christianity'). Did you know that Thomas the apostle (doubting Thomas) is hailed by many Indian Christians as the person who brought Christianity to India? One tradition says that he arrived by boat to Kerala in southern India and planted churches throughout Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are even people called 'Saint Thomas Christians' who trace their ancestory back to when St Thomas apparently came to India. However, these theories and traditions are heavily debated as the evidence is very sketch so no one can tell for certain that he came. During our time in Chennai we visited St. Thomas Mount where it is said that St. Thomas suffered martyrdom, getting speared to death. After this we visited St. Thomas Basilica under which they say that St. Thomas' body lies. Getting to see his tomb was a very bizarre experience.

Ever since Christianity has been present in India, Christians have experienced a lot of conflict - both inflicting and receiving. The Roman Catholic Church, for instance, is guilty of being the instigators of terrible violence during the 18th century, committing mass killings of Hindus. A more recent conflict erupted into violent riots in 2008 in Kandhamal, Orissa between Christians and Hindu extremists - you might remember it from the news. During this period many churches in the region were burnt to the ground by Hindu extremists who want to make India a Hindu nation, meaning no Christians, no Muslims, etc. would be allowed within the country's borders. Scarily, one of the guys on our team was seriously and mercilessly attacked during this violent period and was in hospital for a month because of the severity of his wounds. From what I understand there is still a significant amount of conflict in this region with tensions between the two peoples remaining high.

One of my highlights of our stay in Chennai was our evening trip to the beach. After spending almost two months away from the beach it was great to finally feel the sand of the beach between my toes and have my feet feel the seawater, even though I accidentally saturated my pants in the process. Observing the life on the beach was also terrific, seeing people from all different walks of life enjoying the sand, the sea, and each others company.

Broadly speaking, our dominant focus in Chennai were the labour issues of the marginalised. We interacted with and visited pavement dwellers and street vendors, fish worker communities, exploited construction labourers and their families - both local and migrant, and members of the Unorganised Workers Federation who are working with these marginalised people. Due to a complex mix forces and powerful vested interests, many of these people are being robbed of adequate pay, education, shelter and ultimately their dignity. Some if these struggles have been going on for decades with very little positive change to their situations. It was deeply shocking to see how many of these people are forced to live. Before I came to India the image that I had of the country was that it was a rapidly developing as this is the image that the media appears to present. This image of a rapidly developing India is partially true - but it is only the wealthy elite who are benefitting from this so called development and the poor are seemingly left to the wayside. 

Visiting these communities and meeting with those involved in uplifting and empowering them had a powerful impact in me. The anger and determination expressed through their faces and their physical gestures was so clearly visible, getting a real feel of their frustration and pain. Moreover, I found it greatly inspiring and heartening to hear stories of their dedication, struggle and commitment for their people in the face of such powerful opposition and to also hear stories of their hard won victories. 

However, it still brought me tremendous anger that in many cases the rich were being favoured by the government and other influential and powerful organisations/institutions while the marginalised where being pushed to the side or knowingly exploited and oppressed. Moreover, in the case of the construction workers, decisions by the government and construction companies have resulted in a completely unnecessary conflict between the migrant construction labourers and the local Tamil construction workers both of which are marginalised peoples. am of the understanding that those in positions of authority and power in society, so the government and influential organisations, are the most responsible for the pursuit of justice but in these instances they are clearly failing t the task and these people are suffering because of it. They could learn a lesson or two from the Unorganised Workers Federation who are tirelessly and selflessly fighting alongside the marginalised so that justice can be realised.

What is Happening Hyderabad? (April 7-11)

As I mentioned last entry - India is incredibly complicated. One of the complicating factors about India is that it is a country of multi faiths. Yes, you could say that most countries are countries of multi faiths, but I think that India really deserves this title. This artificially constructed country comprises of Hindus (India's largest religion), Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, people who follow Jainism, the Baha'i faith and indigenous religions. How these interact with one another and with society in general has a huge impact, contributing to the complex nature of India.

On the 6th of April we left Visthar and ventured a little north, taking the overnight train from Bangalore to Hyderabad in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh (we traveled in the non-AC sleeper compartment... It was so insanely hot! We stuck to the beds - gross). The only thing that I knew about the city before coming on TIM was that it suffered a bomb blast earlier this year where 17 people lost their lives. This terrible act was allegedly committed by an Islamic extremist group whose primary aim is to create tension between Hindus and Muslims. 

For over a hundred years Hindus and Muslims throughout India have had a strained relationship, with many places experiencing violent communal riots. This conflict, like many other interreligious conflicts, is largely due to a struggle for power rather that religious difference. Hyderabad, consisting of 40% Muslims, is no exception. That being said, however, people generally live in peace.

During our five day stay in Hyderabad we were hosted by the Henry Martyn Institute (HMI), a NGO whose aim is to actively promote reconciliation between people of different religions and cultures. This institute is located in Old City where there is an even larger proportion of Muslims to Hindus than the rest of the city. A lot of the architecture around this area is what i would imagine it would be like in an Islamic country in the Middle East - the temperature was almost comparable - on one day the temperature came to 42 DEGREES! Without a doubt, during my stay 5 day stay here, I would have seen and spoken to more people of the Muslim faith than I would have seen in my entire life. So this was indeed a completely new experience for me. On one of our days off we visited a massive and impressive mosque - the Masjid mosque - where people have worshipped for well over 500 years. Coming from a city where people from other faiths are almost invisible, I found walking around the mosque absolutely fascinating, observing people going about their normal day.

(Being surrounded by so many different religion has really forced me to rethink my understandings of how Christianity should stand alongside these identities. I haven't drawn any conclusions yet and I probably won't but it is certainly sparking some ideas. Thank you Sophie Mccaulay for the Brian Mclaren book, it has been very helpful to me!)

On another day we visited one of HMI's Aman Shanti Community Centres (Aman is an Urdu word, which means peace, and Shanti means peace in Hindi) and talked with a number of the people involved with the running of it. This community centre was established in order to bring peace and reconciliation to the Hindu and Muslim populations of Hyderabad and to also address the social, economic and political needs of these two communities - one cannot be attained without the other. One of the ways in which the centre aim to achieve their goal is through their interfaith skills program. This program seeks to teach Hindu and Muslim men and women skills which will give them more opportunities in life and at the same time remove misconceptions about the other and form life giving relationships with the ultimate goal of sustainable peace - peace which is not born out of fear. I asked one of the program's coordinators how successful the program was at achieving their goals and he adamantly replied that it was extremely successful, with a long waiting list of men and women who want to join and a number of strong friendships formed between the two faiths. After having watched a couple of harrowing documentaries about communal riots in India (one on Gujarat and one on Hyderabad), visiting this centre and hearing their stories provided me with a spark of hope for the reconciliation of peoples of faiths throughout the world.

A Tale of Two Cities

Apologies for the lateness of this post and as always sorry for my terrible grammar

To bring you up to date: As many of you DON'T know, TIM this year is based in two cities for the first leg of the program - in Madurai, at TTS and at the Visthar academy of Justice and Peace studies in Bangalore. When I posted my last blog about two weeks I was just about to finish my first two weeks of TIM in Madurai and about to hop on a bus to Bangalore. Now I've spent almost 3 weeks in Bangalore with a brief visit to Koppal which is 10 hours away by train.

Bangalore: It astounds me the number of people who tell us about the radical changes to the city of Bangalore over the past 20 years and how these changes have had visible negative impacts. In many ways Bangalore appears to be worlds away from madurai with flash high rise buildings and luxury malls scattered around parts of the city, new Suzuki swifts absolutely everywhere, women in Western clothing (in Madurai I did not see even just one woman wearing Western clothing, they either wore saris or churidars), and a large variety american fast foodoutlets (Madurai, a city of 2 million people, has just one KFC to its name... Not that I'm complaining!). Since the 1990s Bangalore has experienced significant economic growth, which probably explains the major differences between the two cities. One of the major costs of this "development" has been a dramatic increase in air pollution which EVERYONE talks about. You can actually see this pollution every morning. It looks like parts of the city are covered in a large blanket of gross. Another consequence which everyone talks about (though the causes are obviously complicated) are the development of slums. Bangalore doesn't have one or two slums... it has almost 900 slums! I'll say that again ALMOST 900 SLUMS! I can't even comprehend that. I don't think I want to. 

Visthar: These past few weeks at Visthar have been packed with a number of stimulating classes and field exposures. These have challenged my previous understandings of mission and have provoked in me a lot of thoughts and questions. I have also come to the conclusion that India is far too complex to ever understand and it seems that everday the country becomes more and more complicated. Ahhh India!

Classes so far have been very engaging. We have focused a lot on gender issues and unjust patriarchal systems and structures. The focus is predominately been on India but it is near impossible not to think about what this means in New Zealand. It has been great to learn about these issues from other people's perspectives and it has been great to be able build on what I learnt at university. In another class we focussed on identity which I actually found really interesting and helpful. I was sceptical at first but we took a critical approach, looking at how people's understandings of identity can lead to unequal power relations, otherness, and conflict. Right now I'm having to write a report on injustices in New Zealand and on people and movements who are working for justice. Everyone has to write one on their country and we'll come together to discuss them. I'm really enjoying the challenge of writing the report and I'm looking forward to reading other people's reports.

Similarity to our stay at TTS we have been having exposure visits. One of the most challenging exposures has been my regular visits to two projects of the New Ark Mission - Home of Hope for women and the Baby Hatch home. The primary aim of this local mission organisation is to empower the destitute of Bangalore to lead meaningful lives and to enable the terminally ill to die with dignity, which they bring about in a variety of ways. 

Our first visit was to the women's home where we were thrown straight into interacting with some of the women. Normally, I am a person who likes to ask a lot of questions to get to know people, our visit to the women's home forced me to step out of my comfort zone. This was because could not speak to the women in their own language. So to be forced to just sit with someone was quite difficult for me. 

Thirty metres down the road from the women's home is a home filled with thirty overly energetic children. These children have either been orphaned or for a number of complex reasons their parents have decided that they can no longer care for them. Our time there is spent playing with them on the outdoor playground, practicing  our Kannada in inventive ways, or in my case - getting chased far too many times around the grounds of the home. While this is a lot of fun and it came quite naturally to me, it has also been undeniably challenging and has raised a number of questions which I am still wrestling with. 

Koppal visit (I hope this makes sense...): I have just returned from a three day stay in Koppal (one of the poorest districts in the state of Karnataka), staying at the Bhandivi girl's home which was set up about 8 years ago by Visthar. The reasons for its development deeply shocked me. The majority of the 100 girls who live here are children of devadasis - another complex reality of India. From what I understand, the devadasi system is a system where girls from particular families are dedicated to the gods. Hundreds years ago, devadasi girls had honourable social status but over the years it has become a dehumanising and oppressive tradition where these girls become sex slaves. Today the majority of these girls are from poor Dalit families - so these girls experience oppression to the extreme.

The Bandhavi home is no ordinary home. According to the home's director, it is a home where they seek to empower the girls to be agents of change in their communities. Through talking to some of the older girls it quickly became apparent that this home is working. Once they finish their schooling they all want to return to their communities to make a difference. Some want to be teachers so they can teach the next generation about their rights and about the injustices around them while others want to be social workers. It was really inspiring! None of the girls seemed defeated on the contrary they were hopeful and they are ready to fight against the systems that have oppressed them. (If you want more information on this school and the devadasi system keep your eye out on the Wall Street Journal. We travelled to Koppal with a journalist who is writing an article about it all. So I am sure that you'd have a better understanding after reading her article!)

Random: It is taking me an age to get used to the confusing Indian head wobble/bobble (thanks Matt Potts for the heads (haha) up)- you know the one, right? The one where the head tilts seamlessly from side to side. First of all, it has so many different meanings and uses. It can be a basic yes, a questioning yes, and it can also be gesture of agreement (there are probably more meanings but I haven't picked up on them yet). Secondly, when i shake my head in disagreement with something or in order to refuse something then that confuses the other person and as many of you know I use an excessive amount of body language so this happens frequently. So hopefully I'm not confusing too many people.

Another thing that I am learning is the skill of eating with your right hand and having fingers as cutlery. It is a lot more difficult than you think. Though at most places we are provided with cutlery I have made the decision that while i am in bangalore i will only eat with my right hand - so four weeks with no knife and fork. When eating you can't do anything with your left hand. This makes eating chapattis and dosa incredibly  hard and often awkward, especially if your sitting next to someone who will give you a horrified look if you in anyway use your left hand. One of the downsides that i have discovered is that if you don't wash your hands adequately enough you become very susceptible to illness. Horoi o ringaringa - wash your hands! 

Again, please keep the team in your prayers, especially our stomachs (apparently Delhi Belly isn't limited to Delhi... Who knew?)

A Passage to India

A Passage to India

You know how I said that there were to be twelve of us on the team?
Well as of today there are 9 (a girl from Jamaica arrived one hour
ago!). It has been incredibly difficult for a lot people to obtain
visas for India and many people have been sadly denied entry. At the
moment the guys are comprised of a Mizo guy from Burma and three
Indians from three completely different parts of India (North East,
Orissa, and Hyderabad). Then there is a girl from the USA (she is
actually a part of an American Samoan church which has a branch in the
states), a girl from the Netherlands, and a girl from Taiwan. So far
we are getting along swimmingly and no one has ostracized me (yet) for
my love for Justin Bieber.

For the past two weeks we have been based at the Tamilnadu Theological
Seminary (TTS) - an ecumenical bible college in the south of India. I
am more than impressed by the college - I am in complete awe. Walking
through the library and book store you see a plethora of books
covering challenging topics such as feminist theology, theology from
Dalit and subaltern perspectives, eco theology and even eco-feminist
theology! The coordinator for this leg of the trip explained to us
that while ministry to the elite of society is important, TTS is
dedicated to the society's marginalised - and from what I have seen,
heard and experienced so far he is right. For instance, students in
second year are expected to live in a neighbouring slum for a year
(the school actually owns buildings for this purpose) and third year
students have to spend 3 months in an NGO and 3 months in a poor rural
community. Furthermore, one Wednesday every month they celebrate the
one-pot-festival. This festival starts with dancing and singing around
the campus and concludes with a meal of rice porridge. It serves two
purposes: One, providing a meal for some of the margnialised in their
community and two being in solidarity with the poor. And just
yesterday TTS didn't hold any classes as the entire school celebrated
Women's Day. So I am pretty excited to be here! Though there is a lot
to take in and process.

Our first two weeks have been mainly orientation but we have done some
pretty exciting things and I have been challenged beyond measure and
there are many questions going through my head at the moment. One of
my highlights has been our visit to the neighbouring slum where we
visited a number of the TTS students. One of the homes belonged to
three girls who we have made close friends with. They said that they
feel 100% safe and the community spirit is very strong - though it was
pretty evident how difficult life is in the slum. We have also visited
a circus, the MASSIVE Meenekash temple, a palace, YMCA's schools for
mentally challenged and hearing impaired kids, and I have even had a
personal visit to the hospital (don't worry mum! I am fine now). We
have participated in a worship service in an Anglo Indian church
service (this was super duper interesting), and we have attempted to
dance in saris at the church's Sunday evening worship service. The
list of activities, places and people that we have visited could go on
and on.

The more that I see of life in India and the more people with whom I
speak to about their experiences here in India, the more that my
emotions take a beating. I have only been here for two weeks but there
is certainly no denying that life in India can be extremely hard for
many people. There are massive issues and injustices that people have
to face each and every day, and the reality of it is really beginning to
sink in - these are real problems affecting real people. Every
encounter feel like a punch right in the gut. This is real. Witnessing
a woman being treated for injuries inflicted by her husband - WHACK.
Meeting with a group of agricultural workers whose land will be taken
by the government for almost nothing for the sake of economic
development - SMACK. Seeing a women having to carry her daily water
and people lining up for their rations of food - THUMP. Realising that
one of the reasons for the extremely low ratio of girls to boys at the
school for mentally challenged kids is probably due to female
infanticide - WHACK!

At the same time, though, we have met a number of incredible and
selfless people doing incredible work in their communities. These
people, in partnership with God, are successfully stamping out the
massive injustices around them and in their communities. Nevertheless,
life here can be hard.

This evening we head to Bangalor for a month... I don't quite know
what we'll be doing but I think that it will be very practical.

That is all from me for now.

Please keep us in your prayers!

Petra
P.S. I FREAKEN LOVE INDIA

Nothing Venture, Nothing Win

Someone recently advised me that if you are not scared then you are not having an adventure. If his assertion holds true, then I am certainly about to embark on one heck of an adventure.

Who, What, Where and How: As some of you may know, at the end of November, I was accepted into a 9 month program run by the Council for World Mission (CWM) called Training in Mission (TIM). Basically, CWM is an international mission organization made up of 31 partner churches (The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is one of these) that support one another in their work. TIM is one of the many ways that they aim to do this.

This fully funded program involves a team of 12 young people (though this depends on how many people get their visas!) from CWM’s partner churches coming together from all four corners of the globe to learn about the contemporary and contextual understandings of mission. It will be a very hands on and practical programme.

For the first 5 months of the program I will be in South India and based at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary in Madurai (Right at the very very bottom of the country where they have hot food, hot weather and hot…). From the information that I have received it looks like that while in India we will be exploring issues of gender discrimination, Human Rights, rural poverty, issues related to economic development, religious conflict, caste and class conflict, migration and displacement, and interfaith dialogue. This will be super practical, visiting specific people in their specific situations in Madurai and throughout the south of India. After our time in India we will be in New Zealand, based at Laidlaw College (previously known as Bible College of New Zealand), and in Kiribati – an island nation in the middle of the Pacific, which is really feeling the effects of climate change. Details about what we’ll be up to are still to come.

Why: This is a question that I keep asking myself but I think that my most apt answer is that I want to learn and be challenged. At the end of November last year, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Development Studies. During these studies, I explored matters of social, economic and political development, looked into issues of gender, racial, ethnic and sexual equality and what these issues mean today, researched environmental issues and the implications that they have on people and will continue to, such as climate change, and I looked at the effects of colonialism and the continued effects that it is having. I found this to be completely absorbing. So part of the reason I signed up for this programme was because I really want to go deeper with these issues and whether how much of the theory matches up with the reality. But I think most of all I am excited about seeing and learning about these issues from about this from a Christian perspective and to wrestle with what it might mean for me and for the church in this right now.

A couple of years ago my understandings of my faith, of God and of mission were radically changed and I am at the point where I really want and I think need to have them challenged yet again. Over the past few months I feel that I have become far too comfortable and settled with my faith and understandings of God, not daring to ask the hard questions and being too afraid to have my beliefs and myself challenged. I think that TIM will provide a fantastic opportunity to do this - I mean, I can’t imagine leaving the programme without being tremendously challenged. Bring it on!

If there was one thing that I learnt from my geography studies it is that place matters, it influences how you understand and interpret information and how you see things, so I am pretty excited to be doing this program with 11 other people from all around the world, from completely different backgrounds to me. I reckon that this will totally enrich the programme, learning from one another (It is also reassuring to know that they’ll be going through most of the same things as me!).

As well as all of this, I have a ton of questions that I really want to explore and to grapple with.

However, I know that all of this is going to be downright difficult.

So: Over the coming months as I attempt to blog about my experiences please feel free to comment, send me emails, give me some advice, ask me questions, and ignore my poor grammar, lousy writing skills and my abysmal use of semicolons. And as I venture into the unknown and embark on my adventure with great apprehension, uncertainty, trepidation, and excitement please keep me and the other participants (just think, they have to put up with me for 9 months!) in your prayers.

I expect that this is going to be one challenging year! But in the wise words of Justin Bieber – Everything is going to be alright.