India on $8 a Day or a Lot Less
on Margaret Campbell's Rambles (India), 01/Sep/2009 17:54, 34 days ago
 $8 a day is your total cost of ownership for a (paid) volunteer life in rural India. I get an allowance of 9,000 INR a month (or $6 a day) and my paid lodgings run 2,000 to 3,000 INR a month (mine still aren't ready but assuming the worst that's another $2 a day for a 2 bedroom house.) Here are some typical prices of things I have bought recently (1 INR = about 2 US cents but I've done the conversion for you because I've gotten used to doing it): Loaf of bread = 12 cents for a small loafChickpeas = 50 cents per Kg (that's a LOTTA chickpeas, especially when dry)Fresh vegetables = $1 for more than two people could eat for dinnerTea = up to $4 per Kg (even 1/2 Kg is a LOTTA tea, but strangely, it's not very good although they grow it here, duh)1 package Top Ramen = 7 cents (almost the same as the US but well worth it for the only convenience food I've found here. They don't even have canned food here much less a can opener.)Vegetarian main course in a decent restaurant, such as paneer tikka masala, my fave = 75 cents - $2.50 depending upon what town/city you're inLaundry detergent for one load (2 buckets hand wash, one dark, one light) = 2 cents but you have to play the roles of agitator and mangle and you have to wait weeks or months for the monsoon to end to dry the clothesLight bulb = $2.50 (no matter what size - go figure)Handkerchief = 12 cents and upTube of cortizone cream = 80 cents (you'll need it for the heat rash)Coca Cola = 16 cents (little ones in glass like you used to get in the US but you don't get the bottle, have to drink on the spot)Handmade bamboo matt, 3 x 5 feet = $1Handmade bamboo baskets, 15" = 30 centsChicken or goat = don't ask; I won't buy, cook or eat theseBeer = you can't afford this on my allowanceToilet paper = not available at any price outside a cityAnything western = forget about it - costs about the same as in the US and you can only get in a big city like Delhi or Mumbai (CROC sandals $15, Body Shop shampoo $10 a bottle, ground coffee $10 per lb - even though they grow coffee beans on the hillsides surrounding my town, unbelievably you can only buy instant coffee here ) So… what does $8 a day buy you? Dozens of blessings a day from the world's poorest people. Stay tuned. I'll explain how poor later.The privilege of shaking at least 2 dozen school children's hands each day and saying"Hello, how are you? Nice to meet you/see you!" even though you shook their hands yesterday and had the same conversationMore attention than you have ever imagined, being the object of prolonged, unabashed, fascinated and 100% friendly stares from almost everyone you encounter all day, every day, no matter how old, how young, what social class or how many times they see you passingThe ability to clear a crowed store, jump to the head of any line or be offered any seat just by arrivingHaving a cow for your alarm clockThe chance to ASTOUND people by struggling through one halting phrase of local language, even though many local people have mastered at least a little English and most speak both Hindi and their mother tongueThe opportunity to do some small thing for the human rights of the kindest people on earth  And what about your finances if you're a low caste or tribal person? Last weekend I went on a shopping foray to the next (larger) town over and having filled my totes, I found an aging"rickshaw wallah" had appeared at my side. This man looked as though he weighed less than 80 pounds, less than half my weight without my bags and the weight of the rickshaw; I could have almost circled his arm with the fingers of one hand. When we arrived at the bus stop I took out my change purse and indicated for him to tell me what I owed. He made a long explanation in a not-local language, pointing at himself, his rickshaw and the sky. Moved by his obvious need, I offered him about 3 times what I thought was a fair market price for the ride - 100 INR. He accepted politely but gave me yet another long explanation, repeating what I eventually realized was"Assam, Assam, Assam" and pointing to himself, his rickshaw and the sky. I believe what he was telling me was that he was a migratory worker who had actually ridden his bicycle rickshaw from the state of Assam, some 750+ miles to the east, in pursuit of work. This is a very common practice in India. The only asset that many tribal and low caste people have is their labor. They may only be able to find work for 100 days a year near their villages, often at far less than Orissa's minimum wage of 70 INR/day. The rest of the year they and their families would starve if they could not find work at any price and often travel thousands of miles to find it. Pulling a rickshaw in a faraway town or city is common for the relatively fortunate who have ownership or the rented use of a such a vehicle. Others have it far worse. By the way, as you may have heard, , caste is illegal in India and has been so for many years. Tell that to the rickshaw wallah. I just hope I can make a little bit of a difference to the good for these kind people.