Monday started off with a visit to the Jankar counsel sessions, which takes place at the guesthouse lounge where I am staying. This is not your typical marriage counseling session, at least not by Western standards. There are no confidentiality agreements, no appointments made, and by no means any privacy. Yep, that’s right. All your problems are exposed to the next client, as well as your family and everyone else’s. Oh, and me, but that’s no big deal because I can’t understand anything that is being said.
Regardless of the logistical arrangement, the session was quite the spectacle. Did I mention there can be more than one counselor at any point during these meetings? That is what I found to be both interesting and confusing. Interesting because with this process you have various minds coming together to support the outcome of the parties’ issues. Confusing because how do counselors work to gain the trust of both parties if they are constantly switching around? Many other questions come to mind around this process. What does it entail for the husband and wife? Does their argument increase or decrease with the switching of Jankar? What about the audience, how does this affect their ability to be truthful with the counselor(s)?
Jankar counsel session
Well, actually, that last question might be an easy one to answer: Not at all! I may not be able to understand Marathi, but I can sure comprehend body language, tone, expressions, and I think I am a pretty good judge of vibes that are sent out. Nothing is held back it seems, and you can especially tell when things get heated and all sides begin to raise their voices. Be that as it may, intercultural communication, translating non-verbal messages, and listening to people shouting in another language can be very tiring. After sometime, I went up to my flat to take a quick snooze.
On Wednesday I went with my co-workers to a village outside of Rajgurunagar to celebrate Chaitanya’s first year completion of their health insurance program. This program was developed to provide health benefits and medical care to the rural women and their families at a reasonable cost. I believe the figures are 150-200 rupees…which is like $3-4 dollars. This is for ONE year of health insurance. Now granted, we live in very different societies, and costs are extremely different for each. But in a society that is quite corrupt in maintaining its credibility as caring for the people of its country (wait, corruption? insurance? I forget if I’m talking about America or India), this service provides basic care for a community that is underprivileged and marginalized, as well as faces extreme health issues. Thanks to Chaitanya, which is an NGO, for developing this program and the staff for carrying out the mission.
Chaitanya's Health Event & 1 Year Celebration
Speaking of health concerns…
This is probably going to be really gross for some of you readers, but I think it is appropriate and necessary for me to post. So the other day after work I walked out of the office building and began walking down the dirt road. I looked down the road and notice that there was a little girl going to the bathroom right out in the open. I see this girl quite often as her father owns a little shop just outside the office. I thought, “How funny, she’s peeing on the side of the road”. Actually this was not the case at all. I managed not to look for one second as I thought she may want some privacy, but as I waited to cross the street I saw it all. Yup, she was pooping. I crossed the street and chuckled to myself while trying to get the image off my mind. Now seriously though, what struck me was that she did not have a solid stool, it was basically diarrhea. As I continued to walk further down the road I thought about how this health issues is of great concern for many children in India. Diarrhea is a big problem, and is the second major cause of death here.
"Children weakened by frequent diarrhea episodes are more vulnerable to malnutrition and opportunistic infections such as pneumonia. About 48% of children in India are suffering from some degree of malnutrition. Diarrhea and worm infection are two major health conditions that affect school age children impacting their learning abilities" (UNICEF INDIA).
I realized that this could possibly be a daily routine for her, and that she is one of 240 million children under the age of 5 in India not getting the proper nutrition and diet that a young girl needs.
Mother & Child at Chaitanya's health celebration.
