2013 – 46: Sanshil Dancers

This week’s story covers a journey for Greg which started this summer when we visited the Sanshil School, an NGO (Non-Government Origination).  This non-profit is focused on education for under-privileged children who fall outside the public schools.

School takes place in two shifts, across three different rented basements.

Dirt roads run through the neighborhood…

… which fill with water (and mosquitoes) during monsoon season.

The children live in the slum next door.  Their parents typically are laborers; perhaps a rickshaw puller or a domestic maid.  They work 6-days a week, and if lucky, make a wage of 8,000 INR per month ($129 USD).

For the most part, the children are left unattended during the day, with older siblings helping the younger.

This girl showed us her home.  This one room, about the size of an average bedroom, is the entire living quarters for her family.

This is the public laundry area for all.

Bathroom faculties are also centralized; toilets in the middle, bathing on the left.

Against this backdrop, satellite dishes abound.  Virtually everyone has a mobile phone and TV.

Once the reality of living conditions sink in, what we noticed are the smiles.  The children all appear to be happy.

With boundless energy, they scamper around the complex with playfulness.

Many families have come from far-reaching villages where the mother tongue is something other than Hindi.  The children have little education to date and many are starting from scratch.

We saw 12 years olds doing 1^st grade work and mistook 7 year olds for 3 year olds due to malnutrition.

The school serves lunch to its 150 students, 6-days a week.

Mainstreaming is the goal.  For the past six years, the Sanshil program has elevated students into the public school system. However, the children face many social and economic pressures with parents anxious to see wage earners.

Looking for an opportunity to volunteer, Greg brought his dancing skills to the forefront.

Greg is a born dancer and has been entertaining since age 2.  He assembled a group of 14 students and began rehearsals (school desks were pushed to the corner to create space).

With the help of his sister, Greg choreographed a jazz routine to a 4-song medley, including the finale, “Gangnam Style.”

After weeks of rehearsal, the big performance took place Saturday, in honor of International Children’s day.

Without an ounce of stage fright, the children put on a wonderful performance in front of the entire school and special guests.

Greg awarded trophies to all participants along with two school volunteers who were pivotal to the success.

It was an excellent experience for all involved with lifetime memories created.

After the show, all the children received lunch.

Every bit of food was scraped from the plates.

Special thanks to Sanshil School’s founder, Shilpa, for her guidance, support and patience. She and her wonderful team are living saints. Please click on the video link below to watch the performance (3 minutes).  Enjoy your week.  ts

2013 – 45: Sachin 200 + Elephant Polo

India came to a standstill at 11:47 am Saturday morning as Sachin Tendulkar’s glorious cricket career came to a close.

Sachin batted his final ball on his home turf, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.  At age 40, he’s been playing professionally for 24 years (he debuted in 1989 at age 16).

He’s achieved countless milestones, including this, his 200th test match (a game which lasts five days).  

The “Master Blaster” holds more cricket records than anyone.  He has scored a total of 34,357 runs in international cricket and 15,921 runs in test matches — numbers, in all likelihood that will never be replaced.

When tickets went on sale Monday, 19.7 million hits in the first hour crashed the site (web sites certainly are making headlines lately — American’s can’t get health care and tickets for Sachin’s final test match were out of reach).

Thursday’s NY Times carried a feature story and an editorial. He’s has been elevated to deity status in India, and yet he’s humble to his core.  He was quoted last year saying: “I’m not God, I’m Sachin.”

I had the pleasure of meeting the world’s greatest cricketer in July 2012 at the 3 Series launch event in Mumbai.  I told him I’m an American and don’t know anything about cricket.  Note:  I’ve since learned the difference between a 6 and a 4.

Sachin is inextricably interwoven into India’s psyche.  He’s a source of pride and aspiration for its 1.2 billion citizens, a role he will now play off the field.

Moving on to the second “big” event of the week, BMW Financial Services sponsored a Dealer Principal meeting in Jaipur.  As an emerging market, India is building foundations for the future.  Everyone actively participated in building long term strategies.

This group likes to “work hard – play hard.”  In this case, the “play” element involved elephant polo.  Here we are providing treats at the onset.

Elephants are very friendly, docile and almost human-like.

The elephants instinctively lined up, ready to play.

How do you get on / off an elephant?  It’s simple –  with a ladder.

Riding the elephant was easier than I thought.

The referee tossed out the ball…

… and we charged!

We scored the first two goals, but the opposing team came back with three unanswered points to win the championship.

After a quick clean up (be glad you don’t have this job)…

…there was entertainment with “fire” as the theme…

…including fire dancers…

…which was followed by audience participation.

This photo features an American, an Australian and a Delhite with perhaps a bit of Rajasthani blood.  It was an excellent conference.

Finally, here’s a bonus element.  Please click below to watch Kayla’s highlight video Dancing for Female Empowerment in India, 2013: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Enjoy.  ts

2013 – 44: Jaisalmer

Lynda and Kayla decorated the house for Diwali.  This rangoli design is made from colored rice.  It brings good luck and is also a sacred welcoming for Hindu deities.

We received four visitors from Munich this week who are venturing deep into an Indian village to support an NGO school (Non-Government Organization).  Their commitment is commendable.

Last weekend, Greg and I branched out of Delhi during the Diwali holiday to explore a remote part of India.  After arriving at the Jodhpur airport, it was a 4-hour / 300 kilometer journey deep into the Rajasthan desert.

Our goal was Jaisalmer, near the Pakistani border.

Our driver was experienced at dodging obstacles along the way, including cows…

…sheep…

…and camels.

They didn’t seem to mind.

Quite a few others were headed the same direction.

We stopped for gas along the way.

Here’s a wide shot of our gas station showing its minimalistic design.

In Jaisalmer, the proximity to the Pakistan border is evident.

The centerpiece of town is Jaisalmer Fort.

Built in 1156, it is one of the largest forts in the world.

We marveled at the intricate stone carvings, a trait that is carried throughout prominent structures in town.

Jaisalmer is a place where narrow streets bustle with activity…

…where vegetables are sold on the street (literally)…

…and where cows seemingly outnumber people.

Here’s the nice thing about being a cow.  It doesn’t’ matter where or when… if you have to go, you just go.

The phrase “watch your step” has significance here.

Jaisalmer is also a place where old and new worlds co-exist.

Our hotel featured traditional Rajasthan folk dancing…

…and lots of German tourists (this sign instructs guests to not pack pockets full of fruit – it must be eaten in the restaurant).  Note:  We met a BMW engineer from the Dingolfing plant at our hotel.

On the outskirts of town, we visited an ancient village.

The highlight of our trip was our journey deep into the Thar desert to see the sand dunes.

This was a common scene along the route.

Riding a camel is not as easy as it looks.  It’s quite bouncy.

After several kilometers, we reached our goal.

As any 12 year old boy would, Greg raced up the sand dunes…

… and rolled down the other side.

We spotted “tracks” throughout the sand and wondered how they were created.

We later found our answer.

It was an enjoyable adventure in this sea of sand.

Back at our hotel, we prepared for Diwali, the festival of lights.

Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama after a 14 year exile.

Lights signify the victory of good over evil, and celebrate, we did. Enjoy your week.  ts

2013 – 43: Diwali + Girl Power

Diwali was celebrated at our office on Friday.  That’s the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, along with Ganesha in the foreground.

Here are the winners of “Best Dressed.”

Dancing followed.

Lots of dancing.  This solo drummer provided the rhythm.

Everyone was dressed for the occasion, including expats.

Only one of us is from Punjab.  Can you guess?

Happy Diwali from the team of BMW Group Financial Services, India.

Earlier in the week on Wednesday, Kayla was inducted into the National Honor Society.

This was just one piece of a very big week for Kayla.

For the past year, Kayla has been developing a program to promote female empowerment through dance.  She’s been working with a group of 35 girls from the slum, Camp Vivekenand, next to her school.

They call Kayla Didi (big sister).  They also use her first name, which is easy for the girls to pronounce (Kayla means “banana” in Hindi).

This is where the girls live, packed within tightly confined, make-shift housing.  Children are not permitted to use the toilets (Kayla described a “river of urine”).

The school’s garbage is picked-through for morsels.

India’s educated, metropolitan residents are pushing the country forward.  However, the vast majority of India’s 1.2 billion people live in a rural, uneducated, male-dominated society. Kayla’s vision: build confidence and empowerment through dance.

She rehearsed the girls for nearly three months (they have boundless energy).

And then it was show time.  “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” was the event’s theme and opening performance.

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” was a bit hit.  Raju, a camp tailor, made most of the costumes.

Kayla secured Capezio as a sponsor who provided leotards and dance shoes for the girls.  Here they’re performing “Under the Sea.”

The audience included parents of the girls…

…and siblings.

The program also featured a guest speaker from the U.N. who delivered a powerful message in both English and Hindi.  Preference for male children causes a high rate of female child infanticide. For every 1000 boys, there are only 919 girls.  She stressed to the parents, “Don’t marry your daughters before the age of 18.”  Also, girls should not be the last fed, and they need educated as well, not just the boys.

The “Bengali Poem” featured a live vocalist…

…and the entire audience was singing along for the finale, “Jai Ho.”

Kayla and her team of friends put together an outstanding program.  Donations collected from the school community will fund scholarships.

It was the perfect mix of entertainment and message, all while boosting confidence and building a sense of empowerment for the girls.

Lifetime memories were created for all involved.

We couldn’t be more proud of Kayla.  Her vision, passion, and unwavering commitment materialized into an inspirational evening.  ts