No, that’s not me trying to be poetic. I literally work in the clouds.
18th September
3:30 AM, Ghitorni, Delhi
I hurriedly wake, apologizing profusely to Sarala (my roommate) for wrecking her sleep. I am part of the second group of fellows to leave for placements across India as part of the AIF Clinton Fellowship. We have early trains to catch (try 6 AM, New Delhi Station, Ajmer entrance. Yep)
As part of the fellowship, fellows attended a 2 week orientation session at Zorba the Buddha, a resort in Delhi. We were also taken to Kishangargh, Rajasthan for immersion visits. The Clinton Fellowship Program team (CFP) had created (with much foresight, if I may add) a strong fellowship cohort bond in the short time we had together between 3rd and 18th September. After orientation, fellows were scheduled to travel to host organisations, spanning the subcontinent, to begin 10 months of service.
The morning was rather stressful. Emotions wafted through the Delhi air, reeking of apprehension, confusion and hope. The train arrived at 5:30 AM and I shuffled my way through, accompanied by a piece of luggage that was roughly the size of a fully grown St. Bernard.
——————–
11:40 AM, Kathgodam, Uttarakhand
I wait for Atiq, the gentleman assigned to drive me up for 2 and half hours through the Mukteswar- Kumaon mountain range. He does it with considerable ease, while I sit in the back and concentrate on not having a meltdown over what I was witnessing:
After spending many arid weeks in the nation’s capital, the mountains had a curious effect on me. There was a momentary suspension of disbelief (Coleridge would approve), the singularly astounding beauty of the Himalayan foothills knocked me square in the face, and I’m not ashamed to admit, I cried a little bit.
The mountains are never ending, they stretch into the horizon. The tops are veiled with diaphanous clouds that only hint at something more; successfully teasing the average onlooker.
The roads don’t end. But you’ll never get bored of the drive. To the left are the hills and to the right is civilization- speckled by rivulets and lakes, shopkeepers selling pan-beeda and the occasional Italian bistros which seem to have entered the mountain market too.
As one goes higher, the balmy leaves turn to spruce; the fronds are lighter and willowy. The trees tower on as ferns do. I find myself at a loss for words. I’m trying to paint you a picture and failing rather miserably. But hey, here’s another photograph:
I arrive at my field station and home at around 3:00 PM and am warmly welcomed by my mentor. Waiting for me is a hot meal which I am immediately grateful for (The Shatabdi may very well be one of the best Indian rails, as tempting as a cutlet and two fries are, Kumaoni chicken curry trumps all).
The first evening was disorienting at the very least. Everyone there made me feel very welcome but the bond that two weeks of orientation instilled in the cohort (with the backdrop of verdant Zorba the Buddha and all it had to offer) seemed particularly harsh when everyone had suddenly flown off to different parts of the country.
Phone calls were made, journals were updated, Harry Potter was watched and Jo Baez was on loop. I would also later make a prodigal return to Facebook just to be in touch with the world.
——————–
My Project:
My placement is with Gene Campaign, Nainital; an organization that works on promoting sustainable agriculture in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
I got ready for work way too early in my beginner’s enthusiasm. My office is a single room to which I have to trek down. It’s by a small hillock that opens to a shallow valley; beneath me is Gene Campaign’s garden/ nursery where millets are grown. Sometimes, the clouds get rowdy and enter the office premises, as they should.
Millets form the central focus of my work with Gene Campaign and the fellowship. Millets are “a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food” (Yes, that’s from Wikipedia).
They have a short growth cycle and are so full of nutrients that they have long been used in many superfoods and health foods. Furthermore, they are easy to grow, inexpensive and are malleable enough to be used in many sweet and savoury snacks – both Indian and non- Indian.
Gene Campaign has been working to popularize millet consumption and millet based food products in the Kumaon region, largely working with local farmers. My work with them will involve partaking in this effort by helping to create new millet based recipes and their consequent manufacturing and production. The goal is to then release it into the Delhi market so that millets may offer a good source of income for the farmers here, particularly women.
It’s definitely a challenging endeavour, but the Gene Campaign team is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to grassroots sustainable agriculture and the learning opportunity this presents is immense. The work combines most of my interests – working in grassroot agricultural development, coming up with recipes and consequently consuming said food products for research purposes.
Most of all, what it offers is an opportunity to do something that I haven’t done before in a place that is geographically and culturally brand new to me (I’m a South Indian girl through and through, imagine life without Dosa and filter coffee). I hope that I can contribute as much to the growth and success of this project (and place) as it has already done to me in the mere two weeks that I’ve been here.
I will keep you posted! Meanwhile, here’s me breaking into song amidst the beauty:
