Manami Miyamoto - Japan

I felt like I was time traveling when I got to Roldih, the village where the Dakshinayan project is located. I was there for about 5 months in 2008. I loved the experience there so much that I knew I had to come back again. When I said I would go to India again this time, my family and friends were very worried because of some bad things they hear from the news. I knew, however, that Roldih is a peaceful, lovely place, and if I didn’t go this time, I might not be able to have a chance to go back again and would regret it for the rest of my life. This time, I stayed there only for 2 weeks, but I had such a wonderful time, and I don’t even know where to start...

First of all, there have been some changes at the project; many trees have grown, a new building has been built, a western-style toilet is there (!!). When the students came to school in the morning, however, I knew that those changes did not matter much to me and that children were what I had come for.

All the classes were taught in English the last time I came, but now all them except English are taught in Hindi. Those who pursue further study after completing Dakshinayan classes go to Hindi-medium schools. Some students use their local or tribal language at home and do not know any Hindi before coming to Dakshinayan, so it is essential to improve their Hindi. While I was there, I taught English in Class I, II and III. Students’ enthusiasm and positive classroom atmosphere were the main thing which brought me back to the project again. Teaching can be challenging because of the language barrier and limited materials available at the project, but that made me become more creative. Students are always willing to learn and throw out their own answers even when they do not understand the questions. Their attempts without fear of making mistakes are inspiring and encourage me to try whatever I want to do.

In terms of teaching, there is a textbook for each class, but it is basically up to a teacher how to conduct a lesson. As a half-yearly exam was coming up in September, I was asked to focus on reviewing what students have learned so far. There are no CDs or audio supplements for a textbook, so pronunciation and intonations seemed to be difficult for some students, but introducing some phonics and rhyming words seemed to help them understand a little and students seemed to enjoy it. Introducing some English songs could be another thing I could have done. Anyway, the priority was put on the preparation for the exam, but I also wanted them to talk about themselves in their own words. It worked well for the students in Class III. While I was writing questions on a blackboard, I heard students reading the question word by word and translating to Hindi, helping each other to make sense of the questions. Their answers were not necessarily accurate in terms of grammar or syntax, but what I appreciated more was their own attempt. After a few days of introducing questions to talk about themselves, some students started to bring a dictionary and started to use what they wanted to say. 

Another thing I loved was staff and teachers at Dakshinayan. Siddharth, the founder of the organisation, was not at the project this time, but I was able to talk to him on the phone and his words encouraged me, just like it did last time. Mitali, who lives in Kolkata and currently manages the project, went to the project with me and let me sit with her in class for the first day to see how she taught. The three teachers, Haldha, Parmanant and Mungal, who were staying at the project all the time, were all fun to be with and loved teaching. Mungal is a former student from Dakshinayan, Parmanant is from the village where many students come from and Haldha is from a village 8 km away from Roldih. It was great to see teachers from local areas, being enthusiastic about teaching. We talked about teaching and school, which stimulated my motivation.

The life at Dakshinayan is simple. Solar panels are there to generate some electricity, and it is used for the lights at night, which was very exciting for me as they weren’t there 5 years ago.

A day starts when the sun rises. We wake up around 5 or 5:30, have breakfast, get ready, and the assembly starts at 7:15. Classes start at 7:30 and finish at 11. After that, we get ready for lunch, which could take 2 to 3 hours as we start from making fires.

Being without electricity and away from the convenient modern life can be challenging for some people, but this lifestyle suits me well. After lunch, there is so much time for volunteers to enjoy life there. I remember the first time I went there, I thought it could be boring if the school finished in the morning, but I figured out there were so many ways to keep yourself busy in the afternoon, such as preparing for classes next day, reading books, learning Hindi and Santali, a tribal language in Roldih, and learning some religious values and cultures and playing football outside on barefoot. A day is gone before you know it.

Students come to Dakshinayan to study not because there is no schools in the area but because schools are mostly just buildings without teachers. Dakshinayan provides an opportunity for the children to learn. Seeing a graduate teaching or hearing some graduates pursuing or trying to pursue further education in higher school made me assure the importance of the project. It is a small-scale organisation. It works very closely with the people and the community without any interference from outsiders, which I loved from the beginning. This, however, leads to a financial difficulty of running school. Getting some funds from outside organisations will affect what and how to teach as the outcomes of the project, which often needs to be shown as numerical data, are usually required. Providing a place to study and giving opportunities for people to learn may not necessarily show numerical outcomes but will give a way to further enrich their life.

It is a beautiful place with wonderful people. I thank all the people involved in the project to let me have a chance to teach there again, even for a short period of time. Adjusting to different things can be always challenging no matter where you are. I assume the lifestyle in Roldih is quite different from what many people in the world are used to, but experience is so rewarding that always stays in my heart and keeps me going.

Philip Auinger - Austria

After almost two months, I finally found the time to write about my experience at Dakshinayan in April 2011. Since I returned, I have been asked many times if I enjoyed the project and could recommend it. During the first few days, I kept answering that I would have preferred more school work with the kids and less free time. But now I realize that both components are very important for the experience.

Working with the children at Dakshinayan is very rewarding because they are so eager to learn. I can’t imagine kids in Austria asking for spelling tests! I taught English and sometimes geography and in case the students behaved well and had good results, we played games which we all enjoyed. Mitali was so kind to travel to the project with me so I could watch her teach and also get some advice from her (I had no previous experience). Since I taught classes 3 and 4 at the same time, it was always a bit of a challenge to find assignments for the kids while I was in the other classroom. I found it very effective to be a kind and friendly teacher if they worked well during my absence. If I found them chatting or playing while I was gone, I would be strict and less friendly for the rest of the day. You should make this very clear from the beginning to ensure a good cooperation.

As I mentioned before, not only teaching makes the Dakshinayan project so unique. After 11 a.m. you’re basically free to do whatever you want until you go to bed at around 8 or 9 p.m. – this may at first sound like a very, very long time. Especially if you’re used to watching TV all the time, constantly checking your e-mails and spending more time on Facebook than in the real world. This is exactly what makes Dakshinayan so great, because you can be free from all of these influences. It’s hard at first, but you get used to having a lot of time with little to do. Set a few activity milestones (e.g. tea at 4 p.m.). In the meantime, your mind wanders and you find yourself thinking of the same things over and over again. This lets you realize what is important to you, what you miss from home, what you are grateful for in your life etc.

Also you have the time to do things you would probably never do at home like building mosquito net hangers with a bunch of sticks, watching ant colonies, listening to birds in trees, doing yoga at sunrise or worshipping the statue of a Hindu saint. It’s the feeling of slowing down in an accelerating world. It lets you realize how simple life can actually be, even if it’s only for a few weeks.

Now enough of all this philosophical stuff, here are some of my tips from the practical side of every day life:

• Get up extra early at least once to watch the sunrise and how nature awakes.
• Especially if you’re the only volunteer, write a diary to process your thoughts and of course as a great souvenir to read again a few decades later.
• If you come during the hot season, reduce your physical activities to a minimum. Whatever you do at 40°C is exhausting! Indians’ advice: Sleep at noon, so you don’t feel the heat.
• You should better come to terms with eating rice and potatoes for several weeks. This was one of my major problems – I’m not a big fan of either and felt the lack of vitamines after a few days, also I lost about 10kgs there. But I started taking vitamine pills, that made me feel better.
• Drink a LOT. I often drank 4 liters in one day, your body needs it! Also think about using water purification tablets, just to be sure. I also sometimes drank the unfiltered water without any problems, but if you have a sensitive stomach, maybe you shouldn’t risk it.
• There is a computer with Internet available at the project. You should resist using it, just keep your family and friends updated every once in a while, but don’t spend precious time doing things you do at home.
• Think about games you enjoyed playing when you were young and play them with the kids as a motivation/reward for good work. They will love it and so will you.
• Go and visit the villages with the teachers. You will probably not understand much of what is discussed, but it’s fascinating to see how the people live and how hospitable they are.
• A great icebreaker and pass-time is to take pictures and show them on your camera display. But once you start, it's hard to stop. "Guruji, one photo!"
• You can recharge your phone, camera etc. – no need to bring extra batteries. Don’t forget a flashlight and a swiss army knife.

I’m sure I forgot a lot of things and also I don’t want to write a huge article filled with details and things you might want to know. Actually, it’s a big part of the experience to not know everything beforehand. But of course, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me on Facebook, I would be more than happy to help you.

To finish up, I would like to thank Siddharth and all the others involved for creating this great project and giving me the possibility to participate. I can say that Dakshinayan will probably never leave me. I think of it every day. It changed how I see many things. It helped me understand what is really important to me. I’m sure in many years I will look back and smile.

Now it’s your turn.

Lucy Nacson-Jones

I was lucky enough to spend a month volunteering at Dakshaniyan in January 2011 with my friend Renne. Trying to put into words my experience at the project is actually more challenging than I thought; I don't think I will really be able to capture the effect that the place had on me.

I don't think I have ever achieved the level of contentment that I was able to get on the project anywhere else before. The environment is so calm and peaceful and what's more, very beautiful. My favourite time of the day was sunrise and sunset which allowed me to let my gaze wander upon this very special backdrop. To be in the heart of rural India was on a personal level very liberating and not at all intimidating, as I thought I might be when you are so cut off from everything. It was also a great way to see another and very contrasting aspect of Indian life to the big cities. 

The children are also of course what makes Dakshaniyan so special. We were teaching Maths and English for 3 hours (1 hour of English and 1/2 hour of Maths for each class) a day which was divided between Class 2 and 3. I was actually very glad to teach Maths as well as it allowed a bit of variety for both myself and the students. I really enjoyed the teaching and although I had difficulties trying to translate to them what I wanted them to do, particularly to Class 2 whose English isn't so good, this was all part of the challenge. It was also quite different to any teaching I have done before and meant that I really had to learn how to adapt lessons and make them the most beneficial for them. But we had some good fun along the way singing songs and playing games - educational of course! Their enthusiasm to learn is what motivates you every day and I miss their smiles and laughter that radiated around the school when they were there

Life at Dakshaniyan is very simple and a way of life that I adapted to very quickly. Waking up art 5.30 and being bed by 9.30 seemed very natural and I really had some of the best nights sleep I have ever had! Not only were we well rested, but also well fed - the food was yummy and even better knowing that you had help make it or picked the vegetables for it. I am so happy that now I can make chapati the proper way!

Living like this certainly made me question how I live in England and the extent to which we rely on 'necessities' that really are not necessities but indulgences that have become so much part of our everyday routines that we can't imagine our lives without them. I was really very grateful to have the time to contemplate these kind of things and trying to understand the differences in cultures etc.

I initially somewhat apprehensive that I may get bored when we weren't teaching but actually after planning our lessons and helping with the chores around the school, it was very easy to fill our time and the days flew by. I was very grateful for having some time to be able to do things that in England, it can be such an effort to do such as reading and writing. We also learnt some Hindi on the way and it was good fun having 'conversation exchanges' with Bansi and Shanku.

The month at the project was a very interesting insight into a grassroots organasation and the difficulties that come maintaining it - things that you don't realise until you're there. My only regret is that we were not able to have stayed there for longer than a month. I feel very lucky to have found a project like this and I have seen the true benefits that it is having on the local communities. I can only recommend volunteering here, you will no doubt have a truly amazing experience. I really hope that I too will be back there soon....If you have any questions, please email me at l.nacsonjones@gmail.com.

Couldn't stay away

I loved my Dakshinayan experience so much the first time, that I knew when I got home from India that I had to go again. I wanted to go for three months because the first time I stayed only for one which just hadn't been long enough. After one month, you feel like you've only just got into the swing of things, particularly with teaching as it takes a while to get to know the children and their abilities and its nice once you know them to continue.

Teaching in Class One

My time at the school was absolutely amazing but definitely challenging. The main reason being that I was the only volunteer for two out of the three months, whereas on my first trip, there had been four of us which completely changed the atmosphere. However, I am now so proud of myself for doing it and it meant that I was actually really encouraged and motivated to learn Hindi in order to be able to communicate more. This has also helped me further on in my travels and I can honestly say that I learnt as much from the children as they did from me.

I completely love the children. Teaching is very fun, although difficult as there is a language barrier, in particular with the younger children. You find yourself really having to use your imagination in the exercises you create and the way you present things. This can be hard but the children's enthusiasm and energy is brilliant. I will miss hearing the kids voices in my head greeting me 'Good Morning Miss' - I love it!

Class One at the temple

Dakshinayan also suited me as I loved living the simple life. Being so remote and without electricity is definitely not for everyone and I know so many people that it would drive mad. However I am so happy with the basics - delicious homemade Indian food, watching sunrise and sunset, being outdoors, having time to read and learn, going to bed early, not spending money. I think it's great and the place is just so calm. It was also fun to be there for several festivals including Republic day, Saraswati Puja and Diwali as the children get very excited.

I'd recommend going with someone, or when there are other volunteers , as it is very nice to be able to talk about your experiences with someone else. However at the same time, if you relish a challenge I would say go alone, its a terrifying experience and when I first got there I was wondering what the hell I had done. But I now feel so much more happy in myself as I have learnt that I can be content and at ease alone, other people are a bonus. I can honestly say that I will never be bored again when I am alone because Dakshinayan taught me to be creative and resourceful and to spend long amounts of time with myself!

Celebrations on Republic Day

I could literally talk about the school for hours and am happy for anyone to contact me reneeberkhout@gmail.com with questions. I have lots of good things to say and some not so good (for example I wish there were more teachers there) however, even the 'bad' things are worth experiencing for yourself as I really learnt a great deal about the troubles faced by small NGO's and also the problems in the region of Jharkhand. I was able to witness them for myself which was extremely interesting and I wish the school and any future volunteers the best of luck. It's a beautiful place.

Jon Walker - UK

I travelled to the Dakshinayan project in October 2009, which means it’s taken me a year to pen my thoughts for this blog (thanks for your patience Siddharth!). The reason for the delay, aside from my laziness, is the difficulty I’ve found putting the whole Dakshinayan experience into words. Needless to say I had a phenomenal time from start to finish, and I look back on it as one of the most rewarding months of my life.

After getting made redundant in May 2009 I began to plan a stint of travelling in order to ride out the recession and my own disillusionment with working in an office in London. I wanted to combine my time away with some voluntary work so I could do something a bit different, take myself out of my comfort zone and ultimately feel like I was making a small, positive difference to people lives, something the various jobs I’d had in the past had never provided. I chanced upon Dakshinayan online and after emailing Siddharth and reading the various blogs about the project I decided it ticked all the boxes. It more than lived up to expectations. This was and is a proper voluntary experience, where everyone works hard together, eats together and has fun together. There are no boundaries between volunteers and the people who work there full time, and you are made to feel like an integral part of the place from day one. It’s a no frills existence but all the more rewarding for it.

I’d read about the much maligned state of Jharkhand before setting off for India but I didn’t have any concerns about security until I touched down in Mumbai, where the media and the people I met kept warning me of ‘the horrors’ of what was in store. A quick email to Siddharth put my mind at ease, and I can only reiterate what the other volunteers have already said on this blog: the village of Roldih, where the project is based, and the surrounding area is very peaceful, isolated and friendly. The people are fairly used to western volunteers so you will be met with a smile and idle curiosity wherever you go, and will never feel threatened. After a day on the project I wondered why I had ever questioned the safety of the place. The bustling towns of Godda and Jasidih, a few hours drive from Roldih and the transport hubs for the project, were also safe.

There’s no doubt Jharkhand has some serious problems but from what I gathered the Marxist groups who stir up the trouble operate in other parts of the state. Anyway, the opportunity to find out more about this oft-forgotten area of India was fascinating. Siddharth was a wealth of information on the subject, as he was on a number of topics, and I came away suitably educated about the tribes and the land they occupy. If you want to see a slice of India that is far removed from the tourist trail then you can’t go wrong with Dakshinayan. My travels later took me to South East Asia where I undertook treks in Thailand and Vietnam, both of which advertised visits to tribal villages as the main selling point. Needless to say both villages were entirely geared for tourists with big guest houses dotted about, shops selling beer and chocolate and the locals wandering around flogging souvenirs. Dakshinayan is a world away from this and offers ‘the real deal’, an ideal opportunity to witness a way of life so far removed from your own.

I can’t believe I’ve got this far without mentioning the children. They were an absolute joy to be around and so eager to learn. Their enthusiasm was both exhausting and infectious, and you couldn’t help but contrast their attitude to education to that seen in the west. It’s a real privilege for these kids to go to school as there is very little culture of education in the area, and as such they lap up every minute of it. They turn up early, throw their weight into lessons, beg for homework, and occasionally come back after hours to study and play in the grounds. Teaching is daunting, especially when you’re a novice like I was, but these kids make it as easy it can possibly be.

Teaching 6 days a week was easily the most challenging aspect of my stay. Being quite a reserved kind of guy I found it difficult on some days to get up in front of all the expectant faces and put on a performance, which is what teaching is a lot of the time. But as I said at the start one of the reasons for volunteering in the first place was to do something different and test myself so I wasn’t disheartened to have a few obstacles to overcome along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching maths and English to the various classes but found science and social science much tougher. Part of the problem was the language barrier as these subjects were quite wordy and I found it hard to engage the children. The school has ample text books which act as a useful teaching guide but if I had my time again I would be less reliant on them and focus more on practical activities. Since returning to the UK I have undertaken a TEFL course so have gained a bit more insight into teaching methods. This has enabled me to see my lessons were too theory driven- I think I could have made them more fun for the children. Anyway, teaching with Dakshinayan made me realise I had what it takes to teach and gave me the confidence to undertake the TEFL, which I passed in July. I’m off to China to teach English at a university shortly, and I doubt I would be going off on this adventure if it wasn’t for the experience gained in that tiny village in India. Dakshinayan- a life changing place!
I suppose my time at Dakshinayan didn’t live up to my expectations, in that I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy myself. I thought it would be a proper slog and the time would drag, but I ended up having brilliant fun. I had spent three months on the road in polluted, frenzied India before getting to the project so I relished the sense of calm that surrounds the place, and loved the clean air. Maybe if I’d come straight from England it would have been different but as it was the opportunity to put my rucksack down and see the same people day after day was welcome. I did wonder how I would cope with the lack of electricity and running water but I didn’t really miss either. The facilities on the project were far better than I was expecting which helped me settle in quickly. I had a comfortable bed, a good mosquito net and a lamp in my room, and elsewhere there was a flushable western style toilet (filled manually by pump water), solar power to light the kitchen and charge phone batteries, and a water filter. The shortage of toilet roll was the main issue for me but I soon got used to it. I learnt that I’m quite adaptable, but I guess we all are if we have to be.

Some random highlights of my stay:
The glorious sunrises and sunsets. Learning to appreciate the simple pleasures.
Hearing the children sing the national anthem in assembly.
Celebrating Diwali (the Hindu festival of light) with sweets, fireworks and sparklers, and the joy it brought the children.
Watching the cows come home, herded past the school on a nightly basis.
Seeing a sea of hands go up in the classroom after asking a question.
The stars at night, and the brightest moon I’ll ever see. I could almost read a book by it.
Trying (and failing) to teach Suman English, and him trying (and failing) to teach me Hindi.
Getting a child up to the board to solve a maths puzzle, and watching them figure it out and get the answer correct.
Playing cricket everyday with anyone and everyone.
Bhola, one of the project’s helpers (and now one of the big wig’s), a true character and a good source of fun.
Having loads of time to read and think.
Witnessing the last hurrah of the monsoon season in the shape of a spectacular thunderstorm on my third night. I enjoyed it until I had to make a dash to the toilet at 3am through fork lightening and a biblical rain shower!
Eating like a King.
Weird and wonderful wildlife- snakes, spiders, colourful crickets. A local village even had a herd of wild elephants pay a visit one night, which led to mass bonfires and banging of drums to scare them off.
Some intellectual debates with Siddharth, which gradually descended into laddish banter. Fortunately another volunteer, Jemma, arrived to add a bit of refinement to proceedings.
Village visits with Bhola and seeing where the children live and how their families make a living.
Bruni the dog and her mad antics, including disappearing for hours on end and coming back covered in engine oil.
Helping make the dinner and seeing the inside of an Indian kitchen.

There’s tons more, I could carry on for hours about the place I really could. Everyday brought another highlight. There’s lots of downtime on the project but I always found something to do to keep myself occupied, and I can’t really remember being bored once whilst there.

When I left the project in November last year, riding out the gates in Bhola’s van as the music blared, I looked back at the school buildings and thought I’d never see them again. But now, reminiscing a year on, I think I’d like to go back. Having read Siddharth’s recent blogs about how he’s thinking of closing the project by next year I guess I had better make it soon, and so should anyone reading this who is thinking of paying Dakshinayan a visit. Do it!

Email me at jonwalker81@hotmail.com if you have any questions about the project, I’ll be happy to answer them.

Katherine Mary Kelly (Tak) - Australia

I've been to the INCREDIBLE, AMAZING 'Dak' twice - January 2009 and January 2010. Here is a day in the life of Dak, with a few added tangents along the way....

At Dak you live by nature. You rise with the sun, and your day ends not long after its does (sunset). In the morning you can hear the farm animals throughout the valley awakening; roosters crowing, goats bleating, cow bells tinkering. The sun makes its dramatic entrance over the hills to the east, a spectacular sight that in my modern Western city life I rarely do see. I love that Indians structure their day around chai breaks, and Dak is no exception. Chai is the best way to start the day, as both the you and the sun try to beak through the morning haze. Breakfast is a quick affair and before you know it you can hear children, happy excited voices...boisterous babbling... giggles... singing. The kids love school so much that they come early to play - a small indication of their larger than life enthusiasm.

Assembly starts off the day and the national anthem is sang with gusto. The school day is challenging..... but always rewarding. The children are exceptionally respectful, bright little sparks with a colossal desire to learn - a stark contrast to kids in Australia - and as a result they are an absolute pleasure to teach. Some days run smoothly and fly by, other days you find yourself stuck on how to explain something, on how make things clearer, on how to answer the children's questions properly. But that's teaching - it's a mutual learning process shared between the teacher and their students. And if you haven't taught before, like I hadn't, you will without a doubt walk away from your time at Dak with a tangible new found appreciation for teachers and the work they do. It's not that their job is extraordinarily difficult, it's that their job is so important.....
This is the only meaningful education that most of the kids at Dak will ever receive. Due to the corruption in the local government school system the government teachers rarely show up, so the kids are left without an education. Basic education gives people a voice in this world that isn't made for the illiterate......

And that's the crux of it: Dakshinayan gives these children and education so that they may engage with the world around them and with the worlds beyond them. It gives them a voice.

Being a small-scale project, Dak has limited teaching resources - but - with some imagination, the creative potential for classes is endless. You are given a text book, the themes of which should be the basis for class... but the rest is up to YOU. My advice? Embrace it. Being given reign over a class as their teacher may seem daunting initially, but somehow the teaching just happens... it's almost like a natural instinct that you were unaware you had! And it feels fantastic to discover it!

Like to sing (or more aptly make a fool of yourself)? We taught songs like 'Old Mac Donald Had A Farm' and 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. Art and craft? We took creative inspiration from Franca (an ex volunteer) and made murals with the children from the back of an old blackboard, coloured paper from food wrappings/old books, crayons and leaves. Bhola, one of the project members, was able to get us some glue from a local market, which made this activity possible. Creative writing? We organised for some of the children to write pen pal letters to a friend's primary school class in Australia. The children wrote about themselves and their life, and are now eagerly awaiting a reply from their new friends from the other side of the world.

It's certainly not all fun and games, but it I believe it is very important to be creative - not only does it keep the kids engaged, but it truly underscores what they have learnt.

School days consist of only three hours of classes as the children need to also work for their families on their farms and tend to their animals. Once the school day ends, lunch is eaten and the dishes are washed. In the afternoon there is time to essentially do as you please.... being so removed from the rest of the world there's plenty of time to relax or contemplate life, but there's also plenty to keep you occupied. There's a diverse collection of books that have been left by volunteers that are waiting to be read, there's dinner that you can help prepare - a wonderful opportunity to learn about regional food and cooking, there are fascinating conversations to be had with Siddharth, there's Hindi to be learnt from all of the project members, there are lesson plans that could be made, there's Bruni (the dog) and her brood to play with, there's a field to be walked or ran around, there's yoga and meditation to be practiced at Baba's temple and there are a myriad thoughts and feelings waiting to be written down and explored.

Not to mention there are countless self-designated projects waiting to be undertaken. In 2009 we painted the class benches and desks in bold colours to brighten up the white-washed classrooms, and in 2010 we painted new wooden boards with black paint (to be used as blackboards), and sorted through and organised the materials in each of the classrooms. Everything and anything you can do is a help...

Some of the things which I was lucky to do during my time at Dak include; going on a walk through the farm land, jungle and hills to the school in Cheo which is another project under the Dakshinayan Trust, enjoying weekly bonfires on cool starry evenings (I went during winter both times), being taken on a guided walk by Bhola around the village (Roldih) which enabled us to gain a fascinating insight into the lives of our students, going to the local markets which were always intensely colourful and wonderfully chaotic. I also was lucky to be at Dak on the festival of Saraswati Pooja and on Republic Day in 2009 and 2010. Both days involved celebration through relative speeches, poojas (prayer) and prasad (sweets offered to the Gods), and of course playing, dancing and singing with the kids afterwards.

Coming from Australia where aside from Easter and Christmas, only football is celebrated, I was intrigued by these festivals - in India there are just so many! Moreover, I felt particularly fortunate to be in an area where culture has yet to be transformed or exaggerated for tourism. In Roldih and its surrounds there is a strong tribal culture and tribal festivals are also celebrated. During the week long tribal festival of Shakrat I loved listening to the drumming, singing and dancing echoed throughout the valley day and night. The area is so culturally rich and I couldn't help but be envious of the many meaningful traditions and reasons to celebrate that they have.

Something that really attracted me to Dak was
that cultural sensitivity was emphasized as the prerequisite which was paramount to being a volunteer. It is vital to understand that you are not going to Dak to use your own culture to change or influence these children, you are going to participate in their education in their own cultural setting. And indeed while you do share your culture with them, it is done in a context where they are sharing their own culture with you synonymously.

Development is a big money making industry and in framing the developing world and people as backward, underprivleged and thus in need of help, development/volunteer programs are often designed to tug at the heart strings of those 'privledged' enough to come from developed countries. Accordingly, opportunities to volunteer often cost a fortune and are based upon this culturally imperial notion of a 'Westerner' coming to 'save the downtrodden'. Dak refutes these norms and makes no attempt to exoticise locals or their culture nor glorify or indulge the volunteer - you join as a member of a pre-existing team that quietly and resolutely works to give children a basic education.

Your experience at Dak depends on you coming with an open mind and open heart. Despite having class six days a week, I guarantee that you will learn and gain so much more than you could ever teach or give. What I learnt about is easy (and long) to list; teaching, development, grass roots activism/development, Indian culture and identity, local culture, Hindi, the caste system, Indian festivals, corruption, food, traditional cooking, Indian politics, Indian history, Hindu mythology, cross cultural communication, the physics of water retrieval in a well, yoga, meditation, myself.... the list goes on. What I gained, aside from this new knowledge, is harder to explain. It's more elusive, yet undeinably profound at the same time.

And that is not say that you don't make a difference - you do. One month is not enough, but it is something. I know that things I taught the kids stuck with them, because I've been back and they still remembered a year later. I've seen the difference that a year's worth of contributions from differnt volunteers makes to their education - it's real.

Just before dusk you hear men chatting while riding home from work in groups on their bicycles and shepherds returning to their villages with their herds of noisy animals that they had taken out to graze. I loved listening to one particular shepherd as he walked past Dak every evening - a whistling magician who could whistle with such volume and with such spellbinding Indian melody, talent unlike anything I've ever heard before. Accustomed to the sound of the TV and traffic in my own home in Australia, I was incessantly mesmerized by and appreciative of the little things.

It's dark before dinner and in the evenings the project and the surrounding valley falls blissfully quiet. The moon is so incredibly bright that it casts a moon-shadow behind you as you walk back to your room after dinner. With the new solar panels reading or writing comfortably until you fall asleep is now entirely possible. But I think it's best to go to sleep early so that you can fully appreciate the stunning sunrise in the mornings - the memory of which I treasure.

I CANNOT recommend it enough - Dakshinayan is a very special place, Siddharth is a very special man, the project members Bhola, Suman and Shanku are wonderful, and the children............... well...... you'll just have meet them to understand.

They are why I went, why I returned, and why I will return again.

PLEASE contact me with ANY questions about Dak, I will be happy to answer each and every one of them: k-m-kelly@hotmail.com

Be the change you wish to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi