Sikh Temple

On this brisk Friday morning, we were dropped off a block away from the temple. We walked down a crowded street lined with vendors and a couple monkeys until we came along the path that led to the temple. At the beginning of the path was a small building. A man was behind the counter constantly filling cups with water. People came up to the counter drank a cup of water and put the cup back for it to be cleaned and filled again for someone else. Our knowledgeable guide for the day explained that this stand was free and open for everyone. People were able to come and get a drink of clean drinking water, to hydrate after their journey there. This was the first glimpse into the giving and welcoming nature of the Sikh religion.

We walked down the path towards the white and gold temple in front of us. Before we entered we removed our shoes and socks and covered our heads with scarves as it is respectful in the religion. We walked up steps and through a small foot cleaning pool. Since the day was brisk, the cold white marble and the thin layer of water made our feet a little chilly, but we were soon distracted and overwhelmed by the beauty of the temple. As we entered the temple, our guide instructed us to touch the steps with our hands as the practitioners of the religion did. This forces everyone to bow their head before entering the temple and thus show respect. We sat with our legs crossed, facing the centerpiece of the temple and listened to the chanting of the holy book, which lay under a gold arch. There were three men sitting near the arch playing musical instruments to the chanting of the sacred text. In front of the arch, people lined up to donate money and pray. We sat on the carpet of the temple next to those there worshipping, among them were young families, groups of older men or young girls huddled together. In this space all seemed equal, there were no divisions or seperate levels, all came and bowed and sat together on the floor of the temple. We exited the temple and in front of us lay a large pool.

Our guide used this time to explain more about what Sikhism is. Sikh means “disciple.” Sikhs believe in One God and the teachings of the Ten Gurus. This religion was founded by Guru Nanak, who was dedicated to living spiritually, while also taking an active and secular part in the world. Though Sikhs make up only about 1.8% of India’s population their spirit and dedication is known nationwide. Sikhism states that life is not sinful since it originates from a pure source, the One God. Sikhs do not recognize the caste system nor do they believe in idol-worship, rituals, or superstitions. This religion is focused on “practical living, rendering service to humanity and engendering tolerance and brotherly love towards all.” They preach that salvation is obtained by earning an honest living and leading a normal life. Sikhism advocates for optimism, hope, and equality.

Our guide taught us the five K’s of Sikhism, which is Kesha (long, unshaven hair), Kangha (a comb), Kara (a steel bracelet), Kachha (a pair of shorts), and Kirpan (a sword). The sword is to defend those who are persecuted. Our guide explained that the temple remains open 24/7.  The vast pool was a place for people to come and bathe after a journey. The temple and dining hall are open to people of all faiths, genders, identities.

These values were apartent through our time at the temple. Everyone was treated equally and welcomed to the temple. After a walk around the pool, we stood in line and received a handful of halwa, a yummy, brown, doughy dessert that we all ate as we made our way to the kitchen.

     Sikhism focuses on community, service, and egalitarianism. All Sikh temples provide nutritious food and clean drinking water to all people. Everyone is invited not only to eat the food but to join together in making it as well. All twenty three of us crowded into the efficient kitchen. There were several elderly women sitting on very short benches, intently hunched over balling and rolling out the dough. We hesitantly gathered around, painfully aware of our own inexperience among the well trained women that seemed to be molded into the worn benches. Our presence broke up the well oiled machine that cranked out roti for the thousands of people patiently waiting merely 100 feet away. While we disrupted the pace we seemed to liven up the room. The women were more than willing to share in their knowledge or redo a roti or two that was not up to their standards. As hesitant as we started out, we soon found our groove and began turning out roti rather quickly. Soon a rush of new, hungry people gathered in, inspiring our bread baking even more.  After only half an hour  all of our twenty something backs began to hurt being bent over. I looked over at the woman who had been there long before me and would be there long after and marveled at her level of dedication to feeding the masses. The women welcomed us in, taught us their tricks, and giggled at our lopsided roti.

            After we had worked up a large appetite from rolling lots of roti, we waited as we watched the last meal wave clear out of the large room filled only with long thin carpets creating isles for us to eat in. Soon the doors opened releasing the next wave of people in a mad dash to claim a space on the mats. In almost no time, the large room was filled. We sat in lines of over 30 people sitting across from and next to people we didn’t know. Volunteer servers walked by handing each of us a metal tray to put on the white marble ground in front of us. Efficiently more volunteers came by and placed/scooped roti, dal makhani, and a potato dish on our tray. The food was incredibly delicious and flavorful. The volunteers continued to walk by offering additional servings. We all were careful to take just as much as we could eat since we were told we couldn’t waste any food because food is sacred and made to feed all who need it. After we scraped our plates clean with our last bites of the roti, we stood up and dropped off our trays to be cleaned and used for the next wave of people. The experience of sitting and eating with all the people at the temple overwhelmed us with a feeling of community and inclusiveness.

       In India we have been treated anywhere between celebrities or royalty: we are waited on hand and foot, given gifts and extravagant welcomes everywhere we go.  But the Sikh temple was different. In a way it was the most welcomed I felt because we were not treated as others but brought in with mutual respect.  Because of the Sikhs intense egalitarian belief system, no one is treated differently or given special treatment. The rich wait in line and eat next to the poor and we were no different. Indians have an amazing sense of hospitality. It is one of the things that we all truly love about the country. But in the Sikh temple we were guests serving the hosts. We felt useful, a part of something bigger, and an equal part of the community. At our class meeting that night we were debriefing on our wondrous day at Agra and our enlightening day at the Sikh temple. Both days were extraordinarily humbling in their own ways. One day we were at one of the wonders of the world and marveled at the intricacies of the Taj Mahal. The next, we were cooking in a kitchen that will provide completely free food for over 100,000 people that day. We felt our afternoon at the Sikh temple was humbling, inspiring, and welcoming. We were in absolute awe at the generosity and inclusiveness of the Sikhs. We all hope to bring back that sense of full service community to Olaf and our own home towns.

-Hannah and Tara

Daulat Ram College and Republic Day Celebrations

          On Thursday, January 24th we had the opportunity of visiting Daulat Ram, an all women’s college in Delhi. Immediately after departing the bus, we were greeted with a warm welcome complete with flower garlands made of yellow and orange marigolds and received a yellow tilaka (a Hindu blessing) on our foreheads. They had an entire welcoming ceremony planned for us which included a sung prayer invoking a blessing of Lord Ganesha, a Hindu god known for removing obstacles from one’s path. The next part of the ceremony included a woman performing a fusion of a classical Indian dance, which she then told us was a form of prayer. Once the president of the college arrived, there was a lighting of the lamp and an exchange of gifts from both colleges. Professor Gross then gave a talk on the importance of liberal arts education and higher education in the 21st century. After the talk, there was a brief Q & A which allowed us to see some similarities and differences between St. Olaf and Daulat Ram. Many of the philosophies of high impact practices (internships, independent research projects, study abroad, etc.) were held in high regard by both sides.

          Since we visited the day before Republic Day, the day India formed its own constitution, we were able to attend a Republic Day ceremony put on by the students of the college. The ceremony began with a sitar performance, followed by the principal’s address. She spoke much about what it means to be an Indian citizen, and the importance of partaking in Indian values and ethics, which focused on love, nonviolence, and being responsible citizens of the world. Then, the school’s theater company presented a short play on the pride they felt in being Indian citizens. Although much of the play was in Hindi, we were able to extract meaning from some of the English words. They spoke about the importance of rights in daily life, rights to freedom of religion and culture, rights to education, etc. At the end of the play, they all individually said that they are proud of their country. We also got to view an Indian Classical Dance which included three dancers. In the last dance they performed, they created the Indian flag using their scarves. At the very end of the ceremony, everyone rose their right hand and took the voters pledge before standing and singing the national anthem. The crowd erupted with cheers, and we could all feel the patriotism among the students and staff.

          After dispersing, we followed some students to the psychology department and received samosas and soup. They were all very generous, asking us if we needed anything, showing their immense hospitality which has been a common thread throughout our entire stay in India. Following the break, we were split up into two different groups and participated in two different art projects. Half of us created Warli paintings, a traditional Northern art form which includes stick drawings. The others colored geometric drawings of fish, following the Madhubani art form. This art form involves drawing symmetry and nature.

          We then took a break from our artwork to have a delicious lunch provided by the college. This was our first time eating Northern Indian food. We noticed it was less spicy than food in the South, but no less delicious. We were then taken to the college’s gardens where we saw they grew their own food and practiced self-sustainability in their meal preparations. We also saw beautiful flowers being grown on the college campus, which was amazing since most of us are not used to seeing flowers bloom in January!

          Our group then returned to our art projects for a little bit before going to a classroom and participating in a dialogue with some of the psychology students. The dialogue began with Professor Khosla, a psychology professor and dear friend of Professor Gross, facilitating the discussion. It was interesting to get their perspective, especially as students of an all female college. Topics ranged from diversity in class curriculum, personal fears and beliefs, body image, and female empowerment. This reminded us of a 2013 article we read for class, The Ecology of Adolescence in India. This article brought up the inequality between education for males vs females, and how location (rural vs urban) also plays a role in education levels. Our talk with the students focused on female empowerment and the importance of education for all. The students told us how being at an all women’s college created strong feelings of girl power and a bond of trust with their fellow students. We ended the discussion with a light-hearted improv game lead by our very own Tara and Max. The game allowed students from both colleges to perform an improvised skit together which left us all laughing and in high spirits.
          This was an amazing day and we loved meeting and getting to know many of the psychology students! In talking to them, it was apparent that we shared more similarities in our beliefs and values than differences. Their kindness and hospitality was overwhelming, as was their level of enthusiasm to interact with us. Many of us friended each other on Facebook, which we hope will allow us to keep in touch even after our travels in India are over.

Grace and Teiana

Agra Fort and Taj Mahal

Day 20, January 24th - Agra Fort, Taj Mahal and the Agra Marble Emporium

There is definitely a temperature difference from the very moment we landed in Delhi. It is much cooler here. After a four hour bus ride to Agra and a night's rest, our first destination was the Agra Fort. It was a foggy morning, you can just barely make out the silhouette of the structures. This added a mystic feel to the fort which pairs well with the history behind it. Not knowing what to expect of the fort, it came to my surprise how large it was. Each turn revealed a different courtyard, another room, or a secret staircase. It felt like a never ending maze, full of surprises at every corner.
It was so fun to explore.





Now a little about the history of the Agra Fort; Agra was the initial capital during the Mughal Dynasty before it was moved to Delhi in 1638. There is definitely a lot of interesting and rich history behind the Agra Fort that you should further look into if you are interested. It involves fighting for power between different groups, between brothers, and a love story between Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. A love so grand that Mumtaz Mahal would accompany Shah Jahan to the battlegrounds even when she was pregnant. The Taj Mahal was later built for her when she passed away. (Which we also visited and will be discussed below.)







Throughout this whole trip, from articles about women and their status (Newransky 2014), to the gender lecture in Chennai, and the village visits, we have discussed about gender roles. Where women do not have a lot of power and men are very much above them. Which is visibly present here at the fort, because it used to house hundreds of the Shah Jahan’s concubines. However, this point seems to be overlooked because of his love for Mumtaz Mahal. This could be because of how things worked at that time, during those times having concubines were normal, but I think it is still important to be aware of this, critique it, and reflect on it. Such events are not unique to only India, but occur and exist worldwide.


We also saw one of the wonders of the world today! Upon arrival to the main gated entrance to the Taj Mahal, we excitedly waited in line, shrouded by the early morning fog. Our tour guide comforted us that the dense clouds would clear in the hour or so we would be there, but many of us were feeling a little disappointed that we literally couldn't see more than 100 meters in front of us. We learned a bit about the rich history of the Taj Mahal from our guide, while he showed us a google image of it in clear, broad daylight on his phone so that we had some point of reference besides the white, damp wall that veiled the building itself.



He recounted to us that the Taj Mahal, or the “Crown Palace” after translation from Arabic, was a marble marvel built by the Mughal Emporer Shah Jahan in commemoration of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After dying giving birth to the couple’s 14th child, Mumtaz’s memory became enshrined in the grandeur of this magnificent structure. Commissioned in 1632, the Taj Mahal stands on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, across from the other stunning building he designed, the Agra Fort, which we saw earlier this morning!

This mausoleum took over 20 years to build, and combines Mughal, Indian, Persian, and Islamic architecture influence. More than 20,000 workers from India, Persia, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire, as well as 1,000 or so elephants, were brought in to build the mausoleum complex. The white marble is inlaid with semi-precious stones like jade, crystal, amethyst and turquoise, and formed the most beautifully intricate designs along the walls.
Many of us were blown away by the detail of the building - it's so easy to be drawn in by the size and majesty of it, but so much of the beauty is on the smaller scale. The bright floral patterns depicted wilting flowers that we learned “were sad” because of the queen’s death.


The four towers, or minarets stand at the four corners of the complex and have a slight tilt outwards, a precaution taken in case of earthquakes, preventing them to collapse into the building. At the entrance of the mausoleum, verses from the Quran are scrawled in calligraphy across the arch, gradually increasing in size as the height of the building towers toward the sky. This forms a fascinating optical illusion that the letters maintain a steady size throughout the entire design. The false tomb of Mumtaz Mahal lies in the center chamber of the dome, while the real sarcophagus is below, at garden level (no pictures were allowed inside).



After touring the inside of the building, we went back outside, and much to our relief, the fog had lifted! We were so happy we could finally see the Taj in all of its glory, and naturally, a superfluous number of pictures were to follow. I’m sure we will all remember the beauty of this place for the rest of our lives! Thanks to Tracy for the group selfie (sadly missing a few)!




Whew! That was a lot of historical information. I'll give you a quick debrief of the rest of our day. We loaded back on the bus and headed to
the Agra Marble Emporium where the male descendants of the original workers still tirelessly work with precious stones and marble inlay work. We were told by our tour guide earlier that there was a topic that we shouldn't mention to any of them, and that was the fact that their ancestors thumbs had been cut off by the Shah after completion of the Taj in order to prevent it from ever being replicated or built again. Pretty intense, huh? At this emporium, price depends on design, not size. We definitely understood why! The tedious nature of the delicate work was evident in the demonstration we saw, and the designs on the beautiful goods we splurged on were breathtaking. What an awesome, memorable experience!

-Tracy and Britta

Celebrations and Ceremony

        Monday, January 22^nd was our final day in Bangalore. We began the day with a yoga class from Dr. Sreenath, a faculty member with the Department of Psychology at Christ. The yoga class was an introductory session for about 1½ hours, and it consisted of breathing exercises, stretching, sun salutations, and corpse pose, which is known as shavasana in Sanskrit. Before the class began, however, Dr. Sreenath shared with us a bit about the history of yoga in India. He explained that yoga originated in ancient India and that the word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to join or to unite. Dr. Sreenath said that this joining or uniting is between the mind and body, and in that sense yoga in India is described as a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices. We began the practice with several breathing exercises, known as pranayama in Sanskrit. We first learned diaphragmatic breathing, followed by alternating nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) and quick, isolated diaphragm breathing. We then did several yoga stretches such as forward fold, head circles, side bends, and single leg stretches. After the breathing and stretching exercises, we practiced sun salutations (surya namaskar). Each sun salutation consists of 12 yoga poses, and this is done on both sides of the body. The final pose that we learned is known as corpse pose. This pose is done at the end of yoga practice by laying flat on your back and slowly relaxing your entire body. Dr. Sreenath explained that this pose has many benefits, including turning one’s awareness inwards and reducing stress and anxiety.

            In addition to learning about the history and practice of yoga, the yoga class offered insight into the practice of psychology in India. After talking with Dr. Sreenath afterward, I learned that his doctoral research was on the role of a mindfulness intervention program on enhancing resilience among adults diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He has also done research on spiritual well-being and parenting stress in caring for children with neuro-developmental disorders. Dr. Sreenath’s research highlights the relationship between India’s history of yoga and the role that it plays in the practice of psychology. This relationship is also discussed in one of our readings titled Positive Psychology Progress in India: Accomplishments and Pathways Ahead. The reading discusses the development of positive psychology in India, and the authors mention the practice of yoga as having positive benefits to psychological and spiritual health. In the context of positive psychology, the yoga class helped us to understand how the work being done by psychologists and therapists in India is influenced by the nation’s unique history and culture of yoga.

        After a morning of relaxing yoga and our stomachs full of our last breakfast at Christ, we were ready for an excitement-filled day. When we walked into our conference room, we were immediately taken by one of the three mehndi artists awaiting us. Mehndi, as we learned, is an ancient practice that utilized the natural cooling properties of the henna plant. The dried leaves of the henna plant are crushed into a powdered paste. This paste can be used as the more common form of henna, temporary tattoos, or it can be used to dye one’s hair. Both of these forms are believed to withdraw heat from ones body, which is where the natural cooling properties come into play. Typically henna is only used for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, holidays. But we were lucky enough that Christ University was allowing us this opportunity to have bodies—hands, forearms, upper arms, ankles, and toes—decorated by such talented artists. One of the artists had been doing this art form for 20 years, and you could tell because the process for the design quality and intricateness took half the time it took us to actually pick out the type of pattern we wanted! It was difficult for us to move after, because we wanted our henna to dry completely without having any of it smudge. An hour after the henna was applied, it was set and hardened. There was a mix of picking the top layer away and using water to aid in the removal. All in all, they looked amazing, and will last approximately 2 weeks, so hopefully they’ll remain long enough for us to show all of you reading this blog upon our arrival home!!

        Lastly, to really commemorate our amazing time in Bangalore, we attended a Valedictory Presentation in Christ University’s main auditorium, which holds 2,000 people. We were told to dress in traditional India garb, and so the men wore traditional kurtas while those of us who bought sarees were able to be wrapped properly by a group of women who worked at Christ. We almost ran out of safety pins, but we didn’t! Together we walked to the auditorium not knowing what to expect. And what we discovered was truly an experience to remember. Students from Christ performed various Bollywood fusion dances, a hip hop dance, well as musical pieces, such as an a cappella group. We sat amidst raw talent, and then had the opportunity to have a 10 minute dance party on stage with all of the dancers. To conclude the ceremony, we gave group presentation summaries of the days we were in Bangalore. The presentation consisted of a trivia portion, video compositions, skits, and Powerpoints. We had many photos taken following the program to capture the day in a snapshot. Then a quick dinner before heading to bed to get some shuteye before our 3:30 am airport departure. Thank you, Bangalore, for showing us your hospitality, kindness, and adventures. To Agra and Delhi we go!

Thank you,

Hannah and Tommy

Day at Hoskote Village

Our main event on Saturday was the visit to the Hoskote Village. Hoskote Village was one of the many villages that struggled with providing an education to its people as well as the wellbeing of all the villagers. Thus, the Center for Social Action (CSA) from Christ University,  decided to take  the first steps to help form a more well rounded and equal environment in the village. CSA is a program that has a mission to encourage students to volunteer and help those all around the country that need it most. The formation of  self-help groups began in 2003 when CSA traveled to Hoskote Village with a vision and goal to educate the villagers on early childhood care, nutrition, strengthening child education, community health and hygiene, community based organization and empowerment of women and livelihood development. The villagers, at first, rejected the members of CSA because they had thought they were there to convert them to Christianity, but after further discussion and explanation the people of Hoskote started to see the vision of a brighter future of their community as well.

Before CSA stepped in to help the village, the women and children had little freedom compared to the men. Women were not allowed to leave their homes because of strong patriarchal traditions. The women would stay home and watch their children as well as complete daily chores around the house. The physical labor done outside of the home was the men's job, such as gardening, providing food for the family, a city job, etc. The men in this division of labor were the sole income generators.With the women not allowed to even leave their homes the villagers did not see a reason for why the women should be educated. They believed it to be a waste of time to educate the women, but what they did not realize at that time was that education would be the key to having a more successful future for their family. So, with CSA's support Hoskote Village now has many self-help groups with over 600 members that are led by women who live in the community. The women from the self-help groups have been empowered and now make the choices for the village's problems to improve quality of life for all.

After 7 years of positive progress from the villagers, CSA pulled out of the village and left the women of the village in charge of the continuation of the self-help groups. CSA still keeps in contact with the villagers just in case they may need support again, but as of now the self-help groups demonstrate their self-sufficiency. Now, the children are going to school and receiving an education up to at least 10th grade. The older women of the villages were trained and educated in the little things, such as communicating in other languages to learning how to start a business. Also, with the idea of health there would be one specialist within the village, who doesn't technically have a medical degree but knows the procedures and steps in helping and curing a person. With this specialist's ability the villagers are then able to receive medical attention without having to pay with money they did not have.

One way that the women were able to obtain money for the community was having each person, every day, donate 1 rupee to the community fund. After awhile the rupees eventually added up which then gave the community a vast amount of choices of what they could do to make their living circumstances easier for themselves and their families. CSA also lent 24 lakhs, equivalent to 2,400,000 rupees, to the village to give them a head start on the mission. With that money the community started a business working with a man from the Netherlands. They make small wood pellet stoves in masses and receives orders of who wants to buy and how many. They keep track of the money coming in and out so they know where their money is going. With only 24 lakhs to start up such a big project they, to this day, now have around 94 lakhs which allows them to pay CSA back slowly the amount they lent to them. Another way they made money was through their beautiful textile work. With their work the villages make it possible for the textile industry to grow in general in India. With the rate of success so high for these villages, CSA also created scholarships for the children in the villages so they could go to Christ University with no extra cost. To this day, 15 people that go to Christ University are from these villages and they plan to go back to the villages after graduating to help give back by using the education they received to make the villages a better place to live in.

After hearing from the women they guided us to their villages to show us what they did on a daily basis as well as other ways of how they make money. We first saw their rose gardens. Our tour guide explained to us that the roses, once they bloomed, were picked then sent to be sold at the Bangalore markets. The roses were not fully bloomed when we saw them but it was still just as beautiful to see. Next, they showed us how they organized the silks they made. It was a repetitive job where you would wound the silk up onto a spool, so every time a silk string would end they would have to twist it together with another silk string so it would just be one long silk string on the spool. Afterwards, we went into the homes of some villagers and were able to ask a few questions about their daily lives as well as their thoughts on the self help groups. Lastly, we had a traditional meal at the village before heading back to Christ University.

We also read an article by Newransky, Kayser, and Limbs that talked about how with self-help groups widows and abandoned women are developing self-efficacy. Through these groups the women are educated and supported from an NGO group that are able to provide the materials and cost expenses in order for them to become successful in providing for themselves.

These types of groups are happening all around the country and are actually of extreme help to these oppressed women. Everyone deserves an equal chance of becoming successful in life.

Parikrma Center for Learning

On January 19th, our group travelled to the Parikrma Center for Learning, a non- governmental organization (NGO) that acts as a school in Bangalore. Parikrma is a Sanskrit word meaning “completing the circle" and caring for a child “end to end" from age 5 to 25. With four locations in the four corners of Bangalore, the schools serve students living in the slums of the city and provides them with well-rounded care. India’s school system favors the rich by granting more opportunities to attend quality schools than the poor, which widens the gap between socioeconomic classes. India has an estimated 1.2 million initiated NGO programs, and each program has a different focus and serves a different population (Saraswathi and Dutta, 2010). Bangalore has over 2.5 million people living in its slums and Parikrma believes that the way to ending this often multigenerational poverty cycle is through education.

Our first task was the distribution of chocolate bars to eager kindergartners on their way to a field trip to the zoo. We were greeted with big smiles and each child graciously thanked us after accepting the chocolate. After a ceremonial candle lighting, we assembled in a small room on the ground floor for a brief orientation. Parikrma has a foundation consisting of four pillars: education, nutrition, healthcare, and family care. The curriculum is more complex at Parikrma than at state-funded schools, and is tailored to the needs of each individual.  Students are served three meals a day, and that nutritional intake is enough where a student can get by without eating again that day at home. Basic healthcare is met within the Parikrma schools, such as dental cleanings and physical checkups. The schools also heavily involve the families of the students. Inclusive programs teach parents English and basic skills, ensuring that students go home to a healthy environment.

We had the opportunity to enter different classrooms and meet the students. There we introduced ourselves, sung songs, and played various games with them. In a kindergarten classroom, we sang and danced to the “Hokey Pokey” with the students, and they loved it! The students performed a song about the solar system, reciting the different planets and reenacting their orbit around the sun. Not only was this song sang loud and proud it was full of science facts and accompanied by choreography. In a fifth grade classroom, the students were fascinated about what life is like in the US. We sat on the ground with them around their small, pull-out desks and answered all sorts of questions and asked some of our own. Some children were disappointed to learn that unfortunately, no one in our class personally knows John Cena. We played games like “thumb war” and “Oboshinotentoten” as well as showed pictures of what Minnesota looks like.

At the sound of a bell, students grabbed our hands and led us out of the classroom to a spacious dirt area for recess. The most popular game was tag, which involved a majority of our group and students of all ages. The younger kids also loved being given piggyback rides.  When it was time for us to head back to Christ University, the students gave us hugs and thanked us for coming to their school. It was an environment no will forget! In addition to the school children’s warm goodbye, the founder of Parikrma as well as heads of school urged us to come back whenever we are near Bangalore. The morning was full of special interactions one on one with students that we won't forget. Some left feeling inspired about how lucky these kids were to be in a school like this, and how lucky we all were to catch a glimpse of what it's like. We encourage all of you reading this to learn some more about this great experience!

Well Being in India

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to visit the NIMHANS Center for Well Being, a branch of the NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) government hospital that focuses on physical and mental wellbeing through a variety of clinics and supportive services for families, individuals, and children of all ages. The clinics range in focus, including women’s mental health, healthy use of technology, parent child interactions, and positive psychology in youth. Mental health professionals spoke about each of these specifics clinics, sharing with us about some of the approaches, and most common challenges that clients experience.  The organization considers the biological, psychological, and social realities of clients, in order to address challenges holistically.

Thus far in our travels through Chennai, Pondicherry, and Bangalore, we had not visited many locations that focused on mental health, and it was encouraging to hear the work that this organization does, in order to best meet the needs of the community. The mental health professionals reported that hundreds of clients use each clinic on a weekly basis, therefore allowing many people the ability to work towards healthier relationships and better mental health.

We heard about the Youth Pro Initiative - a program that develops and promotes positive concepts of mental health for all young people, and works to remove stigmas around discussing mental health. Adolescents who participate engage in activities around social support, breaking barriers to help seeking, positive psychology, rectifying negative bias, and harnessing creativity. The clinician who shared about the program was enthusiastic about the strengths of the youth she has worked with, and seemed to be passionate about inspiring young people to change the social connotations around mental health.

This abounding hope in the power of the younger generation has remained a theme throughout the trip. One of the articles that we read for class regarding ethnotheories among Indian parents spoke of this as well, remarking that children are considered to be divine and nearly perfect, based on the Hindu belief in the innate tendency of the unconscious mind (gunas) toward light (sattva). As a result, it is often seen that children should be nurtured and preserved (Saraswathi & Ganapathy, 2003).
This belief was also apparent when we heard women in the Pulicat Fishing villages share about their hope that the children of the village can improve gender equality in years to come. It is clear that children as viewed as a source of optimism and hope for a brighter future. The visit to NIHMANS was invigorating, as a group of students studying psychology, some of whom may go on to be mental health professionals ourselves!

-Emma