First Week in India.

My first week in India has been quite eventful and memorable. Arriving in Mumbai and seeing my first glimpses of the city was intense and hilarious. It's amazing how many people are in this country. When I was taken by car to Rajgurunagar, I thought that there would be less people because the location is further out and in the valley. That was not the case at all! Every where I looked there were people bustling and moving about. I couldn't believe it. I suppose with a country population of 1.2 billion it would be difficult to escape people. I thought that Rajgurunagar would be a small village of 20,000 poeple, but from what I was told there is anywhere from 40-60,000. This range is mostly due to the fact that no one gives an exact census to the government because otherwise taxes would increase, and the government would most likely use the funds to further corrupt practices. Very interesting.

On Tuesday I met my supervisor, Kalpana, and we discussed my goals and expectations for my internship at Chaitanya. We agreed that it would be best to take the week to get acquainted with the organization and the programs that are carried out. I mentioned that I would be interested in the Jankar program, which is focused around domestic violence and counseling for women and families. I think that this area would be helpful in understanding the dynamics of conflict within Indian culture and how counselors go about the process of resolving issues in the home.

Street in Rajgurunagar. Everyone drives a motorcycle. EVERYONE.

Kalpana invited me to a monthly Federation meeting that was being held in Junnar, about an hour from Rajgurunagar. First day and off to field work? Why not?! We took a truck out there and I was excited to see the local area. The drive was hilarious. Lots of speeding, sharp turns, driving in the opposite lane, oh, and honking. Lots of honking. Kalpana explained that the first rule of the road is: If you're bigger, you go first! Use the horn! So funny. I have both enjoyed and have been annoyed by the traffic here. All part of the experience!

We arrived in Junnar and I was introduced to a large group of mainly women, all who have membership and play important roles within Chaitanya. I did not sit in on the entire meeting, but was able to have a small discussion/interview with some of the Legal Jankars. There are three types of Jankars: Legal, Government, and Self Help Group (SHG) Jankar. Their goal is to train women in the areas of gender sensitive laws and women's rights. Legal Jankars will use counseling skills to help resolve family issues and problems, as well as inform women of their legal rights in India.

View of Rajgurunagar from atop a hill.

Chaitanya is the leading organization in promoting micro-finance programs in Maharashtra and is the first federation of SHG's in the state. The organization has been successful at forming 14 federations in 7 districts. The goal of the federation is to provide equitable and and affordable financial services to women.

As I said before, I didn't sit in on most of the meeting, mainly because it was all conducted in Marathi. I was able to talk with a few of the Jankars and was thankful to have a "translator", who is also my new friend, Tushar. This was quite an event. Turns out that Tushar has been lacking in his English skills, and since I have very little Hindi or Marathi knowledge there became a whole mess of translation errors and confusion. Most of which was laughed at. From what I could gather, the Legals were discussing with me different cases that they encounter that happen within their towns. Anything from domestic violence, issues with in-laws, and farming and land disputes. Many of the women have been working with Chaitanya for 10 or more years. They enjoy and work hard to promote the sustainability of women rights and empowerment.

Students of the Micro-Financing Management Program at Chaitanya

The rest of the week I took time to figure out what I wanted to do as far as my learning outcome and project. I read a few different reports about rural health for women in the Pune district and got more and more interested in that aspect. I had the opportunity to witness a negotiation of health services to be given to a local tribal village by a doctor in Junnar. It seemed that the process went really well as the doctor was from the tribal village. He agreed that he would conduct services for free once a week. After this meeting, Kalpana and I drove out to the tribal village to inform the leader that the people would begin receiving services that week. Tushar, Kalpana, and I went out to celebrate by grabbing a quick bite of fried vegetables.

On Friday, I went back to Junnar with my fellow intern and friend, Katarina who has been here for four weeks now and doing a report about the selection process of Jankars and the formation of SHG's. We were going to a Legal Jankar Training that was conducted by Ganga thai. She is a young women who has been involved in this area for a few years. There were 5 women who showed for the training. To become a Jankar you must be involved in trainings that happen once a month for one year. The topic for that afternoon was about domestic violence, what it is, where it occurs, and how to confront it. The students were informed about the Domestic Violence Act of 2005 that was passed in India.

The DV Act was passed to protect women from the hands of their abuser, whether it is a husband, live-in partner or the relatives of the partner. The law also extends to women who are sisters, widows, or mothers. The act defines domestic violence as being physical, emotional, economic. sexual, and verbal, as well as harassment of an unlawful dowry. One of the most important features of this act is the women's right to property and secure housing. The woman has the right to stay in the home that she has been married into regardless if her name is on the title or if she has rights to the house. This residence order has been passed by the court which is secured and cannot be passed against any woman. The law also enforces that the abuser cannot be engaged in communication or visit the abused at their place of work, or isolate any assets that are shared in the household. Women are also provided medical care, legal aid, and shelter.

Ganga-thai teaching about DV to Legal Jankar trainees

Coming to this meeting was very helpful in figuring out what it is that I want to focus on. Given that I am a student of Conflict Resolution I thought that it would be best to understand the dynamics of power and conflict within a family dispute or violence situation. How does cultural expectations and traditions fuel conflict within the home? What are the ways in which families handle conflict? What do Legal Jankars do to help the process of engaging in dialogue with spouses to overcome conflict or areas of DV? How are extended family members involved and what do they contribute to the overall process of conflict resolution? Or do the fuel the fire? I spoke with Kalpana about this idea and she gave me input on how this information could be useful for new staff members who come to work as counselors. By looking at different cases and examples from the past, as well as present ones, I should be able to gather information about dynamics and processes that counselors participate in. This would also help in making suggestions about what could be done to improve the conditions and functions of counselors.

It's been a long week, but a productive first week. It seems like it has been longer than a week given that I have not only been working, but also becoming acquainted with my living arrangements, with the people, and of course, eating so much good food! I have seriously been enjoying this time and I am hopeful and excited for the next 7 weeks I have here in Rajgurunagar!