. . . .Una Aventura Real. . . .: June 2010

First off: Congratulations to my younger brother Jimmy who graduated from Ohio State University last weekend with a BA! First one in the family to finish a Bachelor's degree! Wish I could have been there.

It has already been over two weeks since I landed in Mumbai. It has also already been two weeks since I was introduced to Tata, the company I am working for this summer. Our second day in India was occupied by our orientation to Tata and the Tata ISES internship program. It was a long day, from 9:30 to 5:30. We were finally introduced to the women who had been coordinating our entire stay for the past semester, Lorraine and Shernavaz. My project manager in Jamshedpur Dr. Mohapatra was also there to greet me, along with a few other Tata CSR team members. It was all beginning to feel more real and my purpose in India was becoming more solidified. I was getting so stoked as I learned more about my site and about Tata. The beginning was marked with them giving us our summer stipend in a lump some. They handed us each an envelope of Rs. 12,000/- . I have never seen so many bills together! It was a lot for here, enough to last the summer for sure. In dollars, it is about $266, but things are also cheaper here than in the U.S. so it should go far. After that shocker, the day was long, from a presentation on the history of the Indian economy, a history of Tata and all they do, to an explanation of the TISES program and past participants, to all of the different companies we would be working within, and finally more information on what kinds of projects we would be doing. A few parts stood out to me. The fact that Tata was established before India was as a democracy was interesting. This kind of explained why Jamshedpur was left alone to be maintained by Tata after India gained its independence since they had already been maintaining it. The presentation on the Indian economy also interested me, especially as an anthropology student. It was so loaded with ideas of growth models that reminded me of Laura Nader’s discussion in our Energy, Culture and Society class of capitalist growth models being an unsustainable and unstable ideology to follow. After all, how can a system based on increasing consumption patterns and growth in economic activity last forever? She highlighted that such systems perpetuate high consumption patterns and depend upon an unlimited amount of resources. Also, another big problem is including everyone in economic growth, especially in India which boasts some of the greatest class disparities compared to the rest of the world and where the poor are neglected and marginalized from accessing decent financial security.

The rest of the day consisted of learning that Tata makes everything here, from Tea, to water, to cars and trucks, to steel production, to cell phones. . . I mentioned my apprehension coming from an American point of view and the model of monopoly that Tata follows that can not exist (outwardly anyway) back home in the U.S. We also heard from past interns in a documentary from last summer and each of out site coordinators. I learned a bit more on what I would be doing and was getting more excited. I would be working close with Dr. P. C. Mohapatra in the Tata Steel Family Initiatives Foundation to evaluate the reach of various health services that Tata Steel offers to communities. I would travel with him to various field sites and get a feel for the people receiving the services and whether or not their needs were being met.

The next day I flew King Fisher Airlines (an airline company and a beer company…random) to Ranchi, the capital of the state of Jharkhand with Dr. Mohapatra. This is about 140 km from Jamshedpur by car. I was pretty exhausted and felt a flu coming on, but maintained my poise as we arrived and drove to the Ministry of Health for Jharkhand Office in Ranchi. We had a meeting with the Director of Health for the state in her office. This was an interesting preview to the rest of the summer. We waited for over two hours, despite having an appointment. In the middle of talking to anyone, without hesitation they would answer their loud ringing cell phones and start talking. Answering a call would be so taboo and rude for a lot of people, but people keep doing it without shame here. I am not sure if there is an explanation why, but it is definitely not considered rude! We eventually left and stopped for some awesome street food at a little “dabba” (roadside eatery) and made it the Jharkhand two hours later in the dark. It was my first long distance car ride on Indian terrain and the sites were incredible.

As we drove into Jamshedpur, I started getting really excited. I had been anticipating this city for months, studying and reading up on it, asking people about it, wondering what it was like. We drove through a busy part of the city that could have been anywhere in India for all I knew. Then we started to drive to the area more that is more maintained by Tata Steel. It was plush with tons of green. There were well-paved streets and nice houses. Eventually we arrived at my very fancy guesthouse that resembled more of a hotel than I imagined. I found my room, a single to myself in a white tiled building. The room is nicer than my own in the U.S. I don’t think people here realize how low my standards are for an American and how nice this place is for me. I get fed three meals a day in a very nice dining hall, with daily cleaning services and everything is air-conditioned (my room has an air conditioner, but I just usually use the very strong fan that blows all possible heat away). Jharkhand is an extremely hot state though. The first week or so that I was here the average temperature was 105 F degrees during the day and about 90 at night.

Bistupur Market

Outside the local drug store. . .

Work:

The first few days at work were slow. I was so excited to get started and see what they had planned for me. That would eventually fizzle once I realized that wasn’t the case. . . My first day I met with everyone in the CSS division of Tata Steel (CSS= Corporate Sustainability Services, Tata’s CSR department and the first of MANY acronyms I would learn). There were about 20 people that shuffled in and sat around me at a table and introduced themselves. I was happy to see so many women. My presumptions about India were already beginning to come into conflict with reality. They were all very interested in me, and kept asking, “what kind of research are you doing? What is your profession? What skills do you have?” This made me begin to think about why I was here and what I had to offer, hard questions to answer when you are still in school and haven’t worked so much on projects like these at a professional level. “I am an anthropologist. I mentor and teach adolescents from marginalized backgrounds in the U.S. and also focus most of my studies on public health related issues around development and poverty.” Whoa, I could feel myself becoming more narrowed into my own place in society, a weird feeling between self proclaimed empowerment and a coerced shove into a box too small for everything I have in mind for this lifetime.

The rest of the first few days involved me reading up on Tata and all of the projects under CSS. I went to every department and met every person to further understand the composition of the CSS Division. There are basically four that offer services to different communities: Urban Services (for residents of Urban slums in and around Jamshedpur—even here in this nice city there are around 40), Tribal Cultural Services (for indigenous tribal populations, known as the “Adivasi”), TSRDS (The main one, Tata Steel Rural Development Society for rural populations), and TSFIF (Tata Steel Family Initiatives Foundations, a health focused program for all three populations and my home for the next two months). The people were all interesting and like-minded passionate people for assisting poorer populations.

Saturday was my third day in Jamshedpur and at work (it’s a 6 day work week here). It was also World Environment Day, equivalent to Earth Day in the U.S. It was a huge day of celebration for Tata and my first day experiencing contact with the actual people. I went to a few basti areas (slums) and met with residents in free clinics and at local events celebrating the holiday. I met a bunch of teenage boys that pulled me over by them to hang out. It was funny actually; they were so interested in me. They didn’t really speak English, so communication was mostly done visually. One of them did tell me they loved me though. Another pulled at my blonde arm hair and white skin in fascination, and then laughed at me. All of them took photos with my and fought over who would get me as their “life partner” (best friend). Afterwards, a few took me for a ride on their motorcycles and we stopped and had drinks and ice cream at little street food stands (I broke my rule of ‘no street food’ on the second day). The rest of the day was filled with me giving unexpected speeches to people about the environment and planting trees in commemoration of World Environment Day. I got to work in a few of the clinics and observe how they run. It was amazing actually; all free for the poorest people, prescriptions and all. Women kept approaching me asking me if I was married. One of them told me I had beautiful eyes and asked for my phone number. Once again, presumptions proved wrong- some women here have been pretty forward!

Can you find me? This is a group of children either living with HIV/AIDS or has a parent that does. This was a summer day camp we had for them one day during my first week.

Project Kavach ("safety" in Hindi) for migrant truckers. Here is their "body map"

Some young cadets doing yoga with me

The following week was not as productive. I met with various people in the TSFIF office to learn about different health projects and interventions, ranging from child and maternal health, to HIV/AIDS programs, to adolescent sexual health projects, to health interventions for long distant migrant truckers. Some of the days were frustrating. It was such a long introduction period with unnecessary meetings about projects I already read up on, and some people being late or not showing up for meetings. I am coming to see the CSS division here as a product of lot of passion, but seriously lacking in organization. I am becoming skeptical on what exactly I will do, and I am starting to realize that I will have to be pretty proactive to get what I want out of this internship. I also got a pretty cool tour of the factory itself, and a view of the Center For Excellence, a museum in ode to the Tata’s and to their CSR work. It is crazy to learn about the Tata Corporation’s close connections to modern Indian history and its development. I am coming to see how proud people here are about development. They see big cities and more expensive lifestyles as a representation of progress. They even celebrate liberal policy and welcome American Corporations coming here, like Dominos Pizza and Baskin Robbins (there are 3 in Jamshedpur. . . creepy). Thursday, Friday and Saturday were the best days last week. On Thursday I got to see a peer support group of young women speak openly about sex and STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and learn about sexual health. You could see discomfort for some of them, but genuine interest and concern for most of them. It was a shocker when the peer supported whipped out a pamphlet with penises and vaginas infected with STIs. On Friday I visited Kovach (Hindi for “safety”), a health project for migrant truckers. In Jamshedpur, so many trucks come in and out that they have to filter how many drive through the city. So many of them wait at a trucker parking lot where Kovach sets up. They offer free health services and the project focuses mostly on sexual health as well. They distribute condoms and free counseling on sex, as well as counseling to discuss issues some of the truckers may have, such as if they have sexual identity issues (truckers spend a lot of time with other men, and not women). Men who have sex with men (MSM) tend to be at higher risk in general here for sexual illnesses. Since homosexuality is so scrutinized and not accepted here, they tend to take more risks sexually and lack education on safe sex. Kovach also provides peer support groups, where I got to see their funny “body maps” to explain sexual topics to the men. Saturday I went to a clinic and talked with families on the services provided. I went with another intern, Mini, and we met some fun kids that are social worker cadets. They were the most disciplined kids I have ever met! I exchanged their lessons of cadet drills and exercises with my kick boxing knowledge. It was rewarding to talk to some people via interpreter (Mini), but frustrating to not speak the language and have a more concrete and practical role. Yesterday, Monday, was even worse for that. I visited multiple maternal and child health clinics and met with various women going through antenatal check-ups. I could feel that many of the women felt uncomfortable having a man there. There was so much wonder and confusion on both sides- mine and theirs. I feel like I am learning a lot, but more frequently I feel like I know nothing. Today I felt more empowered as Mini and I visited other clinics and conducted one on one interviews to get a more qualitative perspective on their needs and how well the services were treating them. I am working on a more ethnographic approach and want to eventually follow some of the same people through the summer to get a better idea of their stories. Some patients surprise me. It was pretty shocking that so many elderly people walk so far in the heat for basic services. Other families needed more help than the clinic offered, but appreciated the free basic services they received. It definitely makes me grateful for the health standards we have in the USA, but again ashamed by how much resources I use for my health compared to what they use. All in all, it has been a learning experience, and I am finding more and more that it is truly hard to make such cross-cultural comparisons.

Me interviewing muslim clients at a clinic in Bagbera

Youth Resource Center in small village outside Kadma where adolescents teach and talk about sex

Peer educators for RISHTA

A community meeting in Adityapur on environmental and health issues. I had to give a speech to these people!

Fun:

The first few days I was worried that I would not meet many people. I was also kind of looking forward to summer of work experience with the clinics and self-reflection on my projects, so I wasn’t too worried when people told me there was nothing to do in Jamshedpur. Yet, as I ate alone in the dining hall the first few days, I still wondered if I would meet friends. I kept seeing younger people living there, but felt like such an outsider since I always heard Hindi and watched people as they stared at me. I knew I just had to be patient though. Within a few days, I broke the distance and began to meet people by eating with them. They are a group of younger people, 22-27, here in my guest house that are right out of college and into their careers with Tata Steel. Ankur was the first friend I made. He invited me to his table for lunch one day, than took me on his motorbike for a tour of Jamshedpur. We smoked bidi’s (tabacco wrapped in tomato leaves) and drank a bottle of whiskey one night. I can’t say no in India- I feel like my health is already declining everyday with strong pollution and encounters with strange bacteria, so I gave in to the funky cigarettes. I found out it was Ankur’s birthday the night I met him, and learned the Indian tradition on birthdays. I came to his room at midnight to celebrate, when everyone came in and picked him up and began kicking him in the ass! It was crazy, they kicked him until her screamed stop! He seemed to think it was funny though, and everyone laughed. Then, they took his toothpaste and shaving cream and covered him with it. It was painful to watch, but I couldn’t fight custom! They asked me to kick him, and I decided to stay out of that one. . .

Amazing food everyday. . .

I have also made a pretty good new friend in the office. Her name is Mini. She is originally from Jamshedpur, but her family and her moved to (of all places) Ohio when she was 16! She is older now, and has been living in New York for the past 9 years. She came back to Jamshedpur to intern with Tata and get in touch with her roots. She is the most contact I have with the Western world, as everyone here is Indian. Yet she is still very Indian; she knows her way around and speaks the language. I am always the only white guy. It’s interesting to experience that feeling that so many people of color feel in the U.S. at times in white dominated situations. It is also interesting to feel such strong and unforgiving racism as people say rude things to me about my race, and have crazy presumptions about me based on their general ideas of my culture. It is hard being the ambassador for such an imperialist country like the United States. I remember this feeling in South America. Back to Mini though, she’s great. Here in Jamshedpur, there is not much to do besides shop, go out to eat and go to these fancy “clubs”, which are member-only country clubs. She takes me to her club where we swim and drink beer, and meet funny locals. Everyone knows each other here; it’s that small! She lives with her 81 year old grandmother in an oooold huge house that looks like a museum. They are really sweet to me and have invited me over for dinner a few times. And just when I thought there was not much partying here, she introduced me to the richest people in Jamshedpur for their weekly party last Saturday. It was actually uncomfortable for me how rich they were! The hosts own one of the nicest hotels here and we had a good time in their nice house attached. It is interesting to see the extreme sides of Indian society: the poorest of the poor, whom I feel more comfortable talking to, and the ridiculously rich. Mini has also been my translator on site in some of the bastis. Without her, I would be lost right now! I am stoked to have met a good friend here.

Street food

Statue if the Hindu god Hanuman at a local temple

Eating panipuri! Enjoying the amazing local street food here

It is hard to write more updates since I don’t have my own internet connection. I am trying to shorten my blog entries, so hopefully I can achieve that next time. My feelings about everything are always mixed; everyday they change. Overall though, I am still working out the kinks in my internship and still have high hopes for my experiences here. I definitely will not leave here unchanged. The constant contact with so many poor communities and immersion in Indian culture really make it impossible to not enjoy my position here. I am learning so much more about India that I didn’t see last summer. This place is really hard to summarize and make generalizations on. There are people from every walk of life. What I hope for most is to pick up more Hindi and get a better grasp on my role here and undertake a project that I can learn from. I feel confident in my knowledge of this place so far. I am loving everything, even the dripping sweaty days in the blistering heat, the Indian food for every meal, breaking assumptions, and having contact with so many kinds of people. I am working on an visual photo story of my experiences and the people I meet. We’ll see how it all works out.

Some of the people I have interviewed: