Trips to the Villages

Time for another work, ish, blog entry.

Once a week Pavan, the social worker and one of the paramedical workers at TLM Naini, takes a doctor into one of the surrounding villages to spread awareness about leprosy.

Villages are very different to cities in India. During my first week here I'd been shocked by a newspaper article (Times of India, of course) that stated that those living in slums were in a better position than those living in the villages. In the media we regularly see films and images of Indian slums and I think we can all agree that they look very dire. The article explained that at least in these slums there is a nearby hub of activity and many entrepreneurs can arise due to the massive possibilities of trade and business that can be found in cities. 

In the fields. Photo thanks to Pavan/Manjula

Villages, however, are far from the beaten track. On the first trip I joined Pavan and we had to walk for about a mile because there was no road for our vehicle. Village inhabitants earn a poor living by working on farms. A few of the men will make a weekly trip to the nearest market for food, but there's little in the way of hope for the children here. The government has in recent years given free education for all children so they do go to school, but even the most ambitious would find it difficult to escape their surroundings.

Spreading awareness. Photo thanks to James/Manjula

I was amazed by the generosity and hospitality of the people who lived in this first village (I imagine that they do have names but most people refer to them as 'the villages' no matter which village you mean...). On arrival we were given chairs and offered water, tea and biscuits. It's unwise to drink water from unknown locations but the custard cream style biscuits are harmless so I helped myself to a few! We were made to feel very welcome and comfortable. Soon we had an audience, mainly women as the men were working in the fields. Manjula and Pavan explained to them the signs and symptoms of leprosy and I observed, picking up a few of the Hindi words and contemplating how people managed in 40 degree heat without ceiling fans.

Our audience. Photo thanks to James/Manjula

Secondly, when the students from CMC Vellore visited we paid another trip to a larger village. Their task was to ask about ration cards and to measure the BMIs of the members of twenty families. Most of the students had never been to so remote a location and it is a wonder how these villages were started so far from the beaten track. 

Me and the CMC Vellore med students. Photo thanks to Pavan/Praneet

The government supposedly issue ration cards to each family though the survery found that 50% did not own one. In theory, they can use this to buy supplies of rice, sugar, oil and wheat. BUT, there currently is no ration shop in the area as the owner has been suspended because he sold products on the black market. It is right that he should be punished, but now each family has to suffer too as there is no food source. 

It was a long day out and we were all relieved to return to the friendly campus.

Home sweet home.
View from the mess, past the training unit on the right, to the wards.
 Photo courtesy of Praneet.