“Why Harda?”
Dennis asked me, in his thick French accent. He was on the first leg of a long tour of India, visiting various organizations he was involved with throughout the country.
“India is such a big place,” he said, pausing to drink up the view of the forest. “So, why are you here?”
In the back of our fully packed SUV, we jostled over holes in the ground on the way to the next village on our route. Dennis was the first foreigner I had talked with since arriving in Harda, not a week ago. He was well into his 60s but held onto his spark for life. He is a tenured and frequent visitor to the Indian subcontinent, frequently visiting the non-governemental organizations he donates to. From my understanding, he’s seen many corners of this country that even some Indians may never get the chance to.
So, Why Harda?
I would spend the rest of the day thinking about just that. He wasn’t the first to ask me this, either. I would be spending the next nine months here.
So how did I end up in a small town, hours from the nearest city, isolated by farmland and forest? And why does this little urban blip in the state of Madhya Pradesh seem to hold such value for Synergy Sansthan?
Synergy Sansthan is a rapidly growing organization that is centered around tribal and scheduled caste youth empowerment through a series of partnerships, fellowships, and accessible resource opportunities. Here’s a few:
- Have you started your own local NGO, but are in need of guidance, structure, and professional advice?
- Apply to be HumRahi Partner and receive two-years of hands-on mentorship and strategic planning, leading to scalable growth for your organization and the community you serve.
- Are you a tribal, rural, or semi-urban youth, with an idea to bring social change to your community?
- Become an Udaan fellow, and for the next two-years receive leadership coaching and access to creative workshops to bring your vision to life.
- Or maybe you are looking for a safe and inclusive space to explore education opportunities and gain access to resource materials?
- Visit one of Synergy’s Yuvalayas, or Youth Resource Centres.
The variety of tools comes with good reason. As of 2015, 75% of the state of Madhya Pradesh’s population was still living in rural areas. And of this population (a near 55 million) are Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women and children, all of whom face significant disadvantages. Less than 29% of the population within these rural areas goes on to complete primary schooling. For Women, this number drops to 20%, and for Scheduled Tribes, it dips again to 19%. Additionally, it is worth noting that Madhya Pradesh is home to 15% of all of India’s Schedule Tribes population.
At the last village of our field visit, I sat next to my supervisor and co-founder of Synergy Sansthan, Vishnu Jaiswal. We were courtside spectators to an all-tribal-girls Kabaddi tournament. Kabaddi is best described as a full-contact team version of a game Americans would loosely recognize as “tag”. But this rendition of tag is not for the faint of heart. For hours we watched tribal girls launch themselves at opponents, offering swinging kicks in the air in an attempt to touch the opposing team. Each of these attempts typically resulted in an adolescent gang tackle, ensuring someone’s victory – or defeat.
This event, hosted by Synergy Sansthan, was to destigmatize a typical “boys-only” sport for girls to play. Nearby Tribes were all invited to participate, and a large gathering surrounded the mat – mostly young men and village elders, all cheering in support.
Vishnu has been working with tribal and rural groups for over two decades, and has aptly adjusted to the needs of these communities as the Indian society grows. In only a short few weeks here, I have come to respect him deeply.
“There are two ways to develop,” he told me, as we sunk further into two plastic chairs, the sun setting over a lively Kabaddi match. “You can quickly fix a problem. Send some money to build a house. Or a school. Or fix a road. These are good. But these are not long term solutions.” That gave me pause. To me, solutions such as the ones he’d just listed were commonplace and effective. He went on, “What we do at Synergy is invest in human capacity. Give each person a chance for change. A chance for success. It’s harder, and takes a much longer time. But after many years, you can start to see a lasting change happen.”
My first lesson at Synergy Sansthan is to go where you’re needed most. Go to the communities and you meet their people. You listen to their youth, and set your sights on lasting change. Take the long, uphill battle, and invest in human capacity.
So, Why Harda?
If I am to make the most from my time in India – why not?
Sources:
Social Management Framework: Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project . Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh , 15 Apr. 2015, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://ewsdata.rightsindevelopment.org/files/documents/94/WB-P150394_9CBiesW.pdf
