The Greatest Generation...

Unfortunately when our team left Dharamsala for Amritsar, I got notice that my Grandfather had fallen gravely ill. Before leaving for India, I had promised him that I would do Ardas (pray) in Amritsar, the Sikh holy city.

We were in Amritsar until the October 27th, and left for Delhi via train. I knew I needed to go home urgently. I arrived in California late October 28th, and went directly to the hospital where my Grandfather was. I spent that evening and the next day with him until he took his last breath on October 29th.

A.S. Sandhu, 1913-2006

He is the survivor of India's independence from the British, the bloody Partition of Punjab after the British relinquished control of India, and the tragic loss of all his children except his one living daughter. Bloodshed and disease were rampant during that time and medical care was poor, if not absent. He was a true survivor, eternally in chardi kala (high spirits). His dignity, wisdom, talent, and total dedication and integrity inspired awe and respect for him from all who came in contact with him. He lived his belief of purity of mind (ishnan), compassion for all human beings (daan), and unshakable love for God and his creation (naam). He exemplified dignity of labor by being a doer, a creator who was actively involved all his life.

Tom Brokaw wrote a book about the generation of American heroes who were in their prime during the Great Depression and World War II. This generation was linked not only by a common purpose, but also by common values--duty, honor, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself. In this book, Brokaw introduces people whose everyday lives reveal how a generation persevered through war, and were trained by it. It is said that generation was "the greatest generation any society has ever produced."

Along similar lines, I feel the same way about the Indian men and women who lived during World War II, the fight against British imperialism, the fight for India's independence, and the deadly Partition of Punjab­. My grandparents are of this era. Despite losing everything including their home, land, priceless family tree and heirlooms, and the many family members along the way, they remained steadfast in their integrity, dignity, courage, love of family and country, and their responsibility as human beings. People of my grandparent's generation should be celebrated and honored for their legacy. Unfortunately I do not sense the same kind of life force (truth, integrity, courage and values) in the generations that have come after them...at least not to such an extent.

It seems like the end of an era...a time and place that will never be the same again. My Grandfather has been the most influential and dearest person in my life. Coming to terms with his passing is so sad and make me wish for a time long past. My Grandfather's qualities were truly exceptional and rare, and I am confident he is someplace very lovely...We celebrated his incredible life and his beautiful legacy.

Sri Harimandar Sahib, where I prayed for my Grandfather

Pingalwara

Pingalwara Center: A Place for Hope, Health and Happiness

This was a remarkable place, and the story behind it is even more compelling. Pingalwara's formation was sparked in 1934 by Bhagat Puran Singh Ji in Amritsar, Punjab.

For over 14 years, Bhagat Puran Singh tirelessly carried an abandoned, spastic child, usually on his back. The Partition of Punjab in 1947 (to form Pakistan) resulted in massive bloodshed. Millions of people were forced to leave their belongings in Pakistan to cross into India. My own grandparents survived the Partition but lost many of their children on the difficult journey. It was a traumatic and dark period in India's history.

Bhagat Puran Singh went through rough periods, and in 1948 when Pingalwara was taking shape, he stood along the streets requesting money. With the money he managed to collect, he bought food, clothes and medicines for the sick. He fed and bathed them, and took them to the hospital for treatment. He never allowed war, plague, or extreme weather to get in his way, and he continued to pick up stranded people (whether they were infected, sick, dying, etc).

Pingalwara means a house or asylum for the disabled, handicapped or crippled. We learned the Center also houses and takes care of the elderly, abused, people suffering terminal diseases, etc. The Center houses a humble museum dedicated to Bhagat Puran Singh depicting photographs of his early years and his simple belongings. He leaves a powerful legacy, one full of wonder and hope.

It is said that, "...Pingalwara is full of legends that would never make newspaper stories- for they are success stories about people picked up in their infancy from garbage bins, girls abused and abandoned by their families, and those mentally retarded grown-ups normally sent to harsh asylums for their lives" (All India Pingalwara Charitable Society).

Bhagat Puran Singh was well beyond his time. While no one gave attention to threatening environmental issues, he tirelessly advocated against deforestation and soil erosion. He stressed the need for planting trees, preserving natural resources, limiting the use of diesel and gasoline, and leading a good, simple life.

We spent a day in Pingalwara where Dr. Inderjit Kaur (who runs Pingalwara now) graciously provided us with a tour. We saw the main branch where they had living quarters and daily classes for neglected children and mentally impaired women. We also visited the branch just on the outskirts of Amritsar, where they house the school for the underprivileged and the prosthetic and physical therapy center. The employees and volunteers of Pingalwara were hard at work teaching, repairing, building, and providing services to people. We were very moved and impressed with their dedication to Bhagat Puran Singh's legacy. We donated to their cause, and felt that this help would go far. Pingalwara needs these funds and creates a wonderful environment to those who need it most.

Photos

Conjoined twins on all vital organs who can never be separated. Pingalwara Center, Amritsar, Punjab. October 26, 2006.


Young girls at the school for the underprivileged; Child of a mentally impaired woman


Rebecca and cognitively impaired children dancing to Bhangra music


Lovely children in class at the school for the underprivileged


Sweet girl in class at the school for the cognitively impaired


Children having a nice chuckle and drinking their milk


At the Pingalwara old school print shop where people are provided with small employment opportunities to publish Bhagat Puran Singh's manuscripts for free public distribution.


Team with Pingalwara President Dr. Inderjit Kaur (pictured in the blue). Dr. Inderjit Kaur has been wonderfully leading Pingalwara since the passing away of Bhagat Puran Singh in 1992.

Dharamsala to Amritsar

A Surprisingly Arduous Journey

Our journey from Dharamsala to Amritsar was absolute madness. The traffic congestion, road closures, detours, and holiday celebrations in honor of Baba Buddha (1506-1631) made traveling quite arduous.


When we were finally within the Amritsar district, traffic was stop and go. At every interval we had to stop, a group of Sikh boys would practically jump on our jeep to clean it and aggressively offer us beverages. It seemed almost normal to me, but since most of the team members have never traveled in this manner, their reaction was funny. Many of them thought we were being accosted or attacked. I explained that because there is a holiday, everyone is celebrating, and local people offer beverages to passersby traveling along the main road.

We left Dharamsala in the early afternoon but did not reach Amritsar until about 8pm. Our new drivers were terrible and we truly missed our Punjabi-speaking Tibetan drivers. Once we arrived in Amritsar, Tom and his guide Hekani arranged for us to stay at a guest house which was rather creepy. Some team members refused to stay there. So we stayed at a so-called 5 star hotel, the Ritz Plaza which I did not care too much for...but it was the best we were going to get by that point.

Punjab's government needs to consider improving the conditions of their roads and highways, along with more practical design and infrastructure. Perhaps entertaining proposals from wide ranging experts in fields such as engineering and architecture, could serve as the beginning to much needed reform and restructuring.

The highlight of Amritsar is Harimandar Sahib (aka Sikh Golden Temple). It is truly beautiful and unique in architecture. Most impressive is the undeniable feeling of peace one feels sitting at the water's edge near the Temple. I only hope that the administrators of the Temple upkeep its' beauty and prevent tarnish.

Lisa and I went to the Golden Temple the night we arrived in Amritsar, October 26, 2006.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

A Rare Meeting

Quite a rare opportunity to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama! So many people told me how lucky I was to have this chance. After the meeting, I reflected and thought to myself, "Am I any different now that I have met him? Have I changed in any respect?" I have not changed, but I am motivated to gain more discipline in my meditation (more on that in a later post!). I am also grateful for this opportunity because the Dalai Lama represents many things to me. He is a true spiritual and even political leader. He has done much for his Tibetan people, particularly in motivating them to succeed in the modern world through education while holding on to their identity as Tibetan Buddhists.

The Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation of each of the previous thirteen Dalai Lamas of Tibet (the first having been born in 1351 AD), who are in turn considered to be manifestations of Chenrezig, Bodhisattva of Compassion. Since the Dalai Lama is also considered a manifestation of Chenrezig, he would be the seventy-fourth in a lineage that can be traced back to a Brahmin boy who lived in the time of Buddha Shakyamuni.


Grateful to meet you, Your Holiness!

When asked about his current goals, he replied that he had 2 main areas of focus:
1. The promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.

2. The promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religions. He stressed that all major world religions have a similar message on the importance of being good human beings despite any philosophical difference.

What beautiful commitments to strive for and live by! If all religious leaders or religious groups thought in that respect and lived by such practical values, the world would not be in such a crisis.


The Dalai Lama has a strong presence. I recognized his strength of mind, character, and intelligence. He speaks several languages, has been all over the world successfully promoting the Tibetan cause, and is the spiritual leader of the Tibetans! Some of his many successes include:

* Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for the
liberation of Tibet.

* First Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental
problems.

* Has travelled to more than 62 countries!

* Has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates and prizes in recognition of his
message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal
responsibility and compassion.

* Has also authored more than 72 books.

He has held special meetings with presidents, prime ministers and royal families, and has also held dialogues with the heads of various religions.


Here is Tom, who arranged for us to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tom has been a champion for the Tibetan cause, and has donated much of his time, research and funding to aid projects in Dharamsala. Every year he sends law students to Dharamsala to teach Tibetan students human rights courses.

Dharamsala, Part II

Education in Dharamsala

We were fortunate enough to interview directors of various Tibetan schools, nunneries and the Transit School. When Tibetan refugees arrive in India, they are transported to the refugee center. They await their rare meeting and personal blessing from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

After the blessing, younger refugees are placed in the Sherub Gatsel Lobling School (Tibetan Transit School) where they have the option to remain for up to five years. The school has approximately 700 students. There they are taught a trade, language skills, technical training and education along with food and board. These young refugees have the option to stay the five years or leave earlier. After their time at the Transit School, either they go to a regular school, begin working, or are placed in one of the many Tibetan centers all over India. Some go back to Tibet so that the Tibetan culture is preserved and the aim of independence is never forgotten. I was impressed with their organization and outreach to the International community.

We interviewed the Director of a Tibetan and Indian school in Dharamsala who is a very excited about the work he does with the schools. Because the school is a mix of Tibetan and Indian students, he stressed ongoing cultural exchanges during childhood. This ensures a mutual understanding between ethnic Indians and the Tibetans. He told us the Indian government has been good to the Tibetans and allowed them to freely live in Dharamsala, while allowing them to preserve their culture...in many ways better than in Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has aided his people well, and people all over have been generous to the Tibetans out of care and concern.

School children taking a break at the Tibetan cultural festival. Tibetan school girls out for a walk.

Dining hall for primary school children

Overall, my findings led me to conclude that Dharamsala schools are in fairly good condition, and are constantly being improved and modernized. We learned that Tibetan schools and the new villages that are propping up in the region are funded heavily through international philanthropy. Funding also comes from the Dalai Lama Foundation, Tibet Administration and other standard governmental aid.

There are clear differences between the needs of Indian schools and the Tibetan schools. The pressing needs of many Tibetan schools included: improving the building structure of some schools, better benches, softer mattresses, and more nutritional food. However the many poor Indian schools had very critical needs such as an actual structure, walls, non-dirt floors, stationary, books, and other basic essentials. The manner in which the Tibetan government in exile has created, maintained and modernized their school system should serve as an example to many Indian states that have been unable to do the same for their own schools.

Kids in their music class excited to see us!
Tibetan girl dressed for her art and music class.

My November Posts

My India Posts & the India Team

Our team consisted of 1 American man, 5 American women of different ethnic backgrounds and 1 Indian woman living in Delhi (not pictured below). It was an interesting mix, we all had different experiences and various strengths to add to the pot! I am thankful to my team members who were very genuine in their personal endeavors.


Pictured above: Angela, Cherlyn, Tom, Lisa, Rebecca, and me

We cultivated wonderful ideas and plan to tackle some of the problems we saw in the schools.

Before heading out on our expedition to India, I decided to blog my observations, reflections, and adventures. My recent posts are intended to share these adventures and expose regions generally not on the radar of global philanthropists.


Technorati Profile

Tibetans in Dharamsala, India

Dharamsala, city of exile for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan people, has become a very diversified place over the last fifty years. It is like a second home to many Western people, including celebrities, who cheer and support the Tibetan cause.

It is rather easy to get around in Dharamsala since there is much Western influence, but getting there is the hard part! We were fortunate enough to have a reliable driver from Delhi. "Jack," our Tibetan driver had a broad range of influences. He was born and raised in India, speaks English, Tibetan, Punjabi, Hindi, and many other languages, and is learning Spanish and French! He went to Punjab University in Chandigardh, is a practicing Buddhist, and listens to many genres of music. On our drive, he played a wild range of music videos including Snoop Dogg, Maroon 5, Eagles, Cat Stevens, Bhangra, Tibetan, Chinese, and many others. He is the proud father of a baby girl with his wife, whom we had a brief chance to meet in Dharamsala.

The Tibetans, in general, had very genuine qualities of kindness, peacefulness, and an abundant openness to people of all walks of life. Jack, a modern Tibetan in my view, had a fusion of cultural influences from his proud Tibetan heritage, his upbringing in India, interactions with Western travelers, and the effects of globalization.

Many Tibetans in Dharamsala were very open about the growing concern of the survival of their Tibetan culture and identity. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to see that many Tibetans including Jack were adjusting well to modernization, yet thoroughly practicing their religion and honoring their heritage.

Tibetans are doing many things to preserve their culture and promote their cause by having cultural shows, presentations, and concerts. This attracts Western attention, and Dharamsala definitely had many foreigners compared to surrounding areas like Punjab and other states. In the five days we were in Dharamsala, the Tibetans had a protest against the Chinese government's atrocities, Tibetan cultural shows, a candlelight vigil, and a concert against drugs and to promote AIDS awareness.

The Tibetan Unemployment Co-operative Society was happy to announce that weekly a group of new arrival artists from Tibet will entertain visitors, educate the public on Tibetan identity, and encourage support of Tibetan youths.

We noticed pictures of the missing Panchen Lama posted all over Dharamsala. I guess that keeps the search ongoing and keeps fresh the memories of a lost Tibet. Panchen Lama is a title like Vice-President or Prime Minister. According to the Tibetans, the Panchen Lama was 6 years old when he and his parents were "kidnapped" from their home in Tibet by the Chinese government. He has been missing for over 6 years. Panchen means "Great Scholar" and Lama is a word Tibetans use for a religious teacher. Tibetans believe that the Panchen Lama is the protector of all the world's living beings.

Dharamsala

Village Conditions in Jalundhar District, Punjab

Village Mindset

One of the few homes with a door, home of Late Jagat Singh and his family

As we roamed around a few villages in the Jalundhar District, there seemed to be a disconnect between the city proper and the villages. The cities in Punjab are polluted because of the smog, lack of proper city planning, landscaping, or a practical plan. Fortunately the cities still have access to resources, technology and modern amenities. We stayed at the Radisson in Jalundhar (I did not realize there was a Radisson there until I made our booking).
Radisson in Jalundhar city

The villages, on the other hand, are the centers and homes of the farmworkers of Punjab, which is the agricultural capital of India. The farms of Punjab are beautiful with long pastures of green; it is a nice getaway from the harsh conditions of the cities. The villages are usually located in the midst of the farms. Unfortunately, the homes in villages we examined are poorly constructed and falling apart.

For instance, the central part of Khaira Majja village had about 1-2 larger homes with surrounding homes that were completely dilapidated. It was such a contrast seeing one fairly nice home with the attached surrounding homes falling apart (walls broken in, no roofs or doors). The immense amount of poverty was mind blowing to us.

The women who lived in these homes were very kind and let us in to examine the conditions. Most of the homes were 1 bedroom with about 3-5 people sleeping there, and the kitchen being directly in the bedroom.

Some of the team members gave the women money although I took a step back at that moment. I think the better way to help is through sustainable options rather than handouts. Many of the women were weeping out of pride and sadness. One woman openly greeted us and said, "Welcome to the homes of the poor. What can we do for you?"

I began looking around, examining their homes, the little alleys leading to their homes, and the general well being of the small community. The largest problem (aside from the governments lack of public assistance) lay in the mindset of the people. They are living in poverty and have allowed it to take over their lives.

They seem a depressed people who do not know how to empower themselves to get their community out of the extreme conditions. But alas, despite the depressive state, the Punjabis are an optimistic people. The potential our team saw in the community was inspiring. There were little steps being taken (ie, the addition of a small generator, the partial construction a model school for the primary children, attempts at creating s system for proper sewage disposal, etc). Many seemed to be investing in their kids in any way they could. Most of the village people shared the belief that "we've lived our life and it isn't going to change much, but maybe we could make it a little better for our children."

Pictured above is a "Narlka," which is where several families get their water source for cooking, bathing, and washing.

The state government definitely needs to help their people through more funding of the schools, better electricity and water for the residents, and access to proper health care. The villagers need to invest in their communities, lift themselves out of the "we are poor and helpless" mindset, and start making solid improvements. I believe that how you live inside is indicative of what you will produce outside. For instance, if a person is living in an extremely depressed state of mind and their home surroundings are filthy and unkempt, then the likelihood of their community being pleasant and organized is highly unlikely.

About 99% of the homes we saw in this village were breaking down, extremely tarnished and abandoned-looking although there were whole families living in them! The spiritual and practical side of me realizes that constructive change has to start from the inside, and then it can permeate outwards! Unfortunately the villagers cannot make the changes themselves; they need resources, practical tools, and assistance from external sources.

Pictured are young girls trying to keep a home clean by sweeping the floors.

Mrs. Singh, who is the Sarpanch of the village (leader of the Panchayat), stands before her husband to greet us.