So i have had what i believe, are life changing moments a couple of times, and i have had a couple of encounters with people that have really changed my life, but i have never EVER EVER had anybody touch me so deep in my heart as today .. just now sitting in my room writing this thinking back on this moment - i am almost having tears in my eyes.. - this was truly a moment that made me realize so many things - and it only took 60 min ...
now i need to tell you one thing, and that is that i never wanted to come to Chennai to live the "larger" part of life, i want to see the real India - and oh my God did i see that, so we got into a rickshaw (Kumar was taking Virgil to a presentation so we didnt have his company..) we take a ride along side the habour area, and see what has happened there, litterally the government decided to make a highway going to the habour, and with this decision they tore down the housing of the people living there, to have them move, move into smaller flats, have them give up everything they had, however the government made one mistake, they though the people would actually leave, but they didnt - so the rebuild their houses into something that looks like small sheds, no electricity, no water, pretty much no nothing, we have now officially enter the Slum area of Chennai, the ghetto .. - i mentioned once about the contrast in Chennai - but this beats all i have ever seen, the polution, the trash everywhere, the poverty there, it is indescribable... - it is horrible at first, then overwhelming, then something happens to you - you notice the emotions, the energy and the life there, and it really gets to you.. so now where we are going is even more powerful in terms of feelings and emotions, we walk for around 10 - 15 in the side alleys of the slum, people are smiling at us, looking with big eyes at us, you feel the interest in you from them, so many of the kids are approach you to say a simple "hi" only to run away shy .. - it is soo nice, sweet and refreshing, i dont remember ever feeling this welcomed into any community. After some 15 min walk we reach our destination, it is a small little house, outside the house we are greeted by Anandhi, Anandhi welcomes us to her house, i guess she is in her mid or late 30s, its difficult to judge (after all it doesnt really matter) she places some red paint on our foreheads as it is custom to do, when you welcome someone into your house. The house is small and we walk directly into her living room, where we are sat down and offer some CAJ - we get introduced to Anandhi, and here is her story ..
Anandhi has been married for 19 years, she has got 2 children, a boy and a girl, she has never studied and is not ashamed of saying so, out of 19 years of marriage, she tells us that she has had many years of fighting with her husband, it has taking a torn on her family. However what you might do not know is that Anandhi is a very talented stitcher, she is making very beautiful Sari (the tradional dress for women in India), actually Anandhi is so good in this that some 6 years ago, she decided to change her life, she got a loan and support from the NGO we work for - to set up a small business, doing stitching and making sari, now 6 years later, guess what she is doing, she is stitching for big companies that are exporting her work to other countries including Europe, her cloth can be found in shops in India, but it doesnt stop there, she could easily take all she makes, move to another house and leave her community behind her, however she decided against that, she stayed and not only did she stay, but she is now teaching other women how to stitch so they can make a living for themselves as well, she is helping them set up business for themselves, she is improving and changing the mind-set of her community - a community that just happened to be located dead-central of the slum. Anandhi is a fantastic woman, she talks to us about her hopes for her children, her daughter comes to greet us as well - her daughter wants to study software engineering, her son already studies mechinical engineering, they are having a bright future in front of them.. her marriage is working much better now, and she is financially much better off now, but what is one of the things she is the most proud of is, that her husband now finally respects her... - respects her, i dont only respect Anandhi, i admire her, i once again start to feel humble in her presence, i feel like i have taken so many things for granted in my life, i have so many things in my life that i dont need, and in general i have been so lucky i guess in many aspects, and i havent truly appreciated this - i feel a bit ashamed of this in front of Anandhi, knowing what she has lived through, i guess i can only change my future - and accept where i am coming from, so that is one "demon" i have to fight i guess. So i am curious about one thing, and i ask Anandhi, what motivates her to do such a thing, and what her dreams are .. her answer is simple, direct, she does what she does because she doesnt want woman to be standing outside their houses feeling they are not worth anything, she wants women to feel self-confident, respected in their communities, respect from their husbands, and moreover she wants them to help other people, again i hear this "pay it forward" approach.. and that is what community building is all about .. and for her dreams, well simple - her daughter to go to university and graduate .... Anandhi is a rolemodel, a source of inspiration for many women, a community leader, a change agent, and i sincerely hope that i will get to meet her once again - she touched something inside of me, deep inside of me, she showed me how much good there is in this world, how much good that can come out of something that poor, something that pure i havent see in a long time.. - if ever! We leave her house - and for as long as we can see her, she is standing outside, with her daughter and other people coming over to hear the "gossip" of the two foreigners coming to visit her, she is smiling and waving to us, i smile back at her and then i can no longer see her, but i feel her inspiration inside of me, i feel her passion burning in me, i feel her warmth, her kidness, and her happiness inside of me - and i know, if i ever will be in a situation that seems hopeless to me, i will think of Anandhi, i will think of her story.. i will never forget her... - oh and by the way Anandhi is Tamil for "happiness", and that is the right name for her, happiness ... Anandhi thank you..
"we are visitors on this planet, we are here for ninety or a hundre years at the very most, during that period we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives, if you contribute to other peoples happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life" ..... Dalai Lama
now i need to tell you one thing, and that is that i never wanted to come to Chennai to live the "larger" part of life, i want to see the real India - and oh my God did i see that, so we got into a rickshaw (Kumar was taking Virgil to a presentation so we didnt have his company..) we take a ride along side the habour area, and see what has happened there, litterally the government decided to make a highway going to the habour, and with this decision they tore down the housing of the people living there, to have them move, move into smaller flats, have them give up everything they had, however the government made one mistake, they though the people would actually leave, but they didnt - so the rebuild their houses into something that looks like small sheds, no electricity, no water, pretty much no nothing, we have now officially enter the Slum area of Chennai, the ghetto .. - i mentioned once about the contrast in Chennai - but this beats all i have ever seen, the polution, the trash everywhere, the poverty there, it is indescribable... - it is horrible at first, then overwhelming, then something happens to you - you notice the emotions, the energy and the life there, and it really gets to you.. so now where we are going is even more powerful in terms of feelings and emotions, we walk for around 10 - 15 in the side alleys of the slum, people are smiling at us, looking with big eyes at us, you feel the interest in you from them, so many of the kids are approach you to say a simple "hi" only to run away shy .. - it is soo nice, sweet and refreshing, i dont remember ever feeling this welcomed into any community. After some 15 min walk we reach our destination, it is a small little house, outside the house we are greeted by Anandhi, Anandhi welcomes us to her house, i guess she is in her mid or late 30s, its difficult to judge (after all it doesnt really matter) she places some red paint on our foreheads as it is custom to do, when you welcome someone into your house. The house is small and we walk directly into her living room, where we are sat down and offer some CAJ - we get introduced to Anandhi, and here is her story ..
Anandhi has been married for 19 years, she has got 2 children, a boy and a girl, she has never studied and is not ashamed of saying so, out of 19 years of marriage, she tells us that she has had many years of fighting with her husband, it has taking a torn on her family. However what you might do not know is that Anandhi is a very talented stitcher, she is making very beautiful Sari (the tradional dress for women in India), actually Anandhi is so good in this that some 6 years ago, she decided to change her life, she got a loan and support from the NGO we work for - to set up a small business, doing stitching and making sari, now 6 years later, guess what she is doing, she is stitching for big companies that are exporting her work to other countries including Europe, her cloth can be found in shops in India, but it doesnt stop there, she could easily take all she makes, move to another house and leave her community behind her, however she decided against that, she stayed and not only did she stay, but she is now teaching other women how to stitch so they can make a living for themselves as well, she is helping them set up business for themselves, she is improving and changing the mind-set of her community - a community that just happened to be located dead-central of the slum. Anandhi is a fantastic woman, she talks to us about her hopes for her children, her daughter comes to greet us as well - her daughter wants to study software engineering, her son already studies mechinical engineering, they are having a bright future in front of them.. her marriage is working much better now, and she is financially much better off now, but what is one of the things she is the most proud of is, that her husband now finally respects her... - respects her, i dont only respect Anandhi, i admire her, i once again start to feel humble in her presence, i feel like i have taken so many things for granted in my life, i have so many things in my life that i dont need, and in general i have been so lucky i guess in many aspects, and i havent truly appreciated this - i feel a bit ashamed of this in front of Anandhi, knowing what she has lived through, i guess i can only change my future - and accept where i am coming from, so that is one "demon" i have to fight i guess. So i am curious about one thing, and i ask Anandhi, what motivates her to do such a thing, and what her dreams are .. her answer is simple, direct, she does what she does because she doesnt want woman to be standing outside their houses feeling they are not worth anything, she wants women to feel self-confident, respected in their communities, respect from their husbands, and moreover she wants them to help other people, again i hear this "pay it forward" approach.. and that is what community building is all about .. and for her dreams, well simple - her daughter to go to university and graduate .... Anandhi is a rolemodel, a source of inspiration for many women, a community leader, a change agent, and i sincerely hope that i will get to meet her once again - she touched something inside of me, deep inside of me, she showed me how much good there is in this world, how much good that can come out of something that poor, something that pure i havent see in a long time.. - if ever! We leave her house - and for as long as we can see her, she is standing outside, with her daughter and other people coming over to hear the "gossip" of the two foreigners coming to visit her, she is smiling and waving to us, i smile back at her and then i can no longer see her, but i feel her inspiration inside of me, i feel her passion burning in me, i feel her warmth, her kidness, and her happiness inside of me - and i know, if i ever will be in a situation that seems hopeless to me, i will think of Anandhi, i will think of her story.. i will never forget her... - oh and by the way Anandhi is Tamil for "happiness", and that is the right name for her, happiness ... Anandhi thank you..
"we are visitors on this planet, we are here for ninety or a hundre years at the very most, during that period we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives, if you contribute to other peoples happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life" ..... Dalai Lama
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