A journey to the Far East
on Jana Gana Mana (India), 25/Mar/2011 07:23, 34 days ago
I’ve been away from the office for most of this week – attending a workshop in Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand. Having seen how far away Ranchi is from Delhi and that the train journey takes anywhere from 20 to 35 hours depending on which ‘express’ train one chooses, I decided to go all theway west and head to Calcutta.Low cost airlines have really taken off in India and the fares are very competitive. So rather than a couple of days on the train to Calcutta, I flew the 1,500 kilometres for about£30. I found Calcutta quite different to Delhi and Chennai. Although the noise and heat are similar to those cities, Calcutta has a long tradition as the cultural capital and notwithstanding the pavements that you can actually walk on (we’ve taken to the road in Delhi), the architecture is stunning and you can feel the history as the place is pretty much left untouched from the early 1900s after the British switched the Capital to Delhi.My personal highlights were the Writer’s Building in Dalhousie Square which was the headquarters of the East India Company, visiting the home of Mother Teresa…..and having a few beers in the Fairlawn Guest House (with other VSO volunteers who had converged in Calcutta) to keep cool in the 36c heat.Home and shrine of Mother TThe Writer's BuildingAfter a weekend there, I took the overnight train to Ranchi. I love travelling by train and this journey was no exception – once we had found our platform (Howrah Station must be one of the largest in the world) and my berth on the train. Okay, I didn’t get a great night’s sleep but I did wake up early to see a beautiful sunrise deep in the Indian countryside – and (mum, don’t read this….) the added pleasure of hanging out the side of the train with the door open to get the fresh air. Subsistence farming is very much in evidence and even at that early hour, families were working in the fields taking advantage of the cooler time of day.Our 2 day Ranchi workshop pulled together VSO volunteers and partner NGOs across India to look at the new reporting requirements for Dept. for International Development (DfID) and what VSO should be focussing on over the next few years. (And had the added advantage of being held in a decent hotel, so I was able to indulge in my first shower for 7 weeks and the luxury of a soft(ish) mattress….oh for simple comforts!). It was agreed that the focus of VSO’s activities and its partners are to be:1)     Strengthening of organisations working with person’s with disabilities2)     Advocacy work and the new law (for person’s with disabilities that is currently being drafted)3)     Working to improve the inclusion of women with disabilitiesAnd then, flying back home to Delhi for a day of work before heading off to the Corbett Nature Reserve for the weekend. But more on that next week…..and other news!