Home in Udaipur
Yes – we are here. And “here” is the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. I think Ajay and I both had the grand intention of keeping a regular journal to reflect on our daily life here, but we are going to have to be far more intentional about such goals (and many others) if we are to realize them.
We have a new home, and it is both grand and spare. Our friends at Shikshantar helped us find a most ideal urban house for our rural interests. We live in the second story of the main building of an almost defunct Gandhian community, complete with two cows, a large protected garden (protected from the cows and other roaming grazers), a half-dozen children under six, several charkhas (the spinning wheels associated with the Indian independence movement), a swing on a Chandan (Sandalwood) tree, Mehndi (the berries of which make the paste that women use to make henna designs on their hands and feet) several fruiting trees and vines I have yet to identify and even some frogs and tadpoles that mysteriously disappeared from the cow’s watering trough after Satya and Violet excitedly discovered them.
After the stultifying humidity of Delhi, it was a pleasure to arrive in overcast and drizzly Udaipur. Intermittent sun allowed clothes to dry out within a couple days, but two weeks into our time here, it rained solidly for four or five days. For us, the worst of it was that all our rooms were webs of laundry lines and in the aftermath, mildewed walls and clothes are only just trying to dry out. But for the city and the region – those rains were disastrous – the city experienced the worst floods in 35 years, and at least 25 people died, mostly from the crumbling of older buildings.
Our time as yet has been dominated by domestic issues related to moving in (more on that in a moment) but we have also been trying to work out our thoughts on “educating” our children this year. I feel so fortunate to have landed here at this time in our children’s development. Shikshantar is about many things, but at the center of their thought is learning, and how real learning happens outside of school – outside of institutions and even outside the space of “home schooling”.
On the wall above the computer I’m working on is this statement: “LIVING ORGANICALLY IS FREEING OURSELVES FROM THE CLUTCHES OF CONSUMERISM AND REGENERATING LINKAGES WITH NATURE, HUMANITY AND OUR INNATE ABILITIES TO CREATE, RELATE AND LEARN.” This is from a calendar produced by Abhivyakti Media for Development, an organization in Nasik, Maharastra run in part by Nitin (see Ladakh trip entry). Freeing myself from the “clutches of consumerism” was definitely a main motivating factor in my decision to move to India. And every day here I am presented with obvious alternatives to consumerism.
One part of Shikshanter’s work is a zero-waste initiative, whereby they are attempting to create zero-waste in their office as well as to creatively keep usable waste materials out of landfills and cows’ stomachs, etc. And one thing the creative folks here do is to make furniture (small stools, tables and desks at the moment) out of discarded cardboard, paper, etc. Now here is where I need to learn patience and to praise slowness, instead of instant gratification.
I will take a break from writing, to go find a plumber to help re-install an unused water heater of shikshanter’s in my bathroom at home so that I can stop asking Ramreet (our cook) to boil water for bathing….
by Sara
We have a new home, and it is both grand and spare. Our friends at Shikshantar helped us find a most ideal urban house for our rural interests. We live in the second story of the main building of an almost defunct Gandhian community, complete with two cows, a large protected garden (protected from the cows and other roaming grazers), a half-dozen children under six, several charkhas (the spinning wheels associated with the Indian independence movement), a swing on a Chandan (Sandalwood) tree, Mehndi (the berries of which make the paste that women use to make henna designs on their hands and feet) several fruiting trees and vines I have yet to identify and even some frogs and tadpoles that mysteriously disappeared from the cow’s watering trough after Satya and Violet excitedly discovered them.
After the stultifying humidity of Delhi, it was a pleasure to arrive in overcast and drizzly Udaipur. Intermittent sun allowed clothes to dry out within a couple days, but two weeks into our time here, it rained solidly for four or five days. For us, the worst of it was that all our rooms were webs of laundry lines and in the aftermath, mildewed walls and clothes are only just trying to dry out. But for the city and the region – those rains were disastrous – the city experienced the worst floods in 35 years, and at least 25 people died, mostly from the crumbling of older buildings.
Our time as yet has been dominated by domestic issues related to moving in (more on that in a moment) but we have also been trying to work out our thoughts on “educating” our children this year. I feel so fortunate to have landed here at this time in our children’s development. Shikshantar is about many things, but at the center of their thought is learning, and how real learning happens outside of school – outside of institutions and even outside the space of “home schooling”.
On the wall above the computer I’m working on is this statement: “LIVING ORGANICALLY IS FREEING OURSELVES FROM THE CLUTCHES OF CONSUMERISM AND REGENERATING LINKAGES WITH NATURE, HUMANITY AND OUR INNATE ABILITIES TO CREATE, RELATE AND LEARN.” This is from a calendar produced by Abhivyakti Media for Development, an organization in Nasik, Maharastra run in part by Nitin (see Ladakh trip entry). Freeing myself from the “clutches of consumerism” was definitely a main motivating factor in my decision to move to India. And every day here I am presented with obvious alternatives to consumerism.
One part of Shikshanter’s work is a zero-waste initiative, whereby they are attempting to create zero-waste in their office as well as to creatively keep usable waste materials out of landfills and cows’ stomachs, etc. And one thing the creative folks here do is to make furniture (small stools, tables and desks at the moment) out of discarded cardboard, paper, etc. Now here is where I need to learn patience and to praise slowness, instead of instant gratification.
I will take a break from writing, to go find a plumber to help re-install an unused water heater of shikshanter’s in my bathroom at home so that I can stop asking Ramreet (our cook) to boil water for bathing….
by Sara
posted by Sara and Ajay at 9:46 PM
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