Transform World, India '06 Hyderabad, Oct 24-28 (cont.)

OK! Here are some images...

The Asrani International Hotel - this is where 1/2 the internationals stayed. The other half were across the street, which made for interesting times when we had to meet up. The Hotel was in Secunderbad, but the consultation was in Hyderabad, so each day 2 shuttle buses were provided for the internationals staying in these 2 hotels.


This construction site was right next to our hotel. Notice the layers of prior buildings. Note also how deep the pit is for the foundations that are being laid for a new building. In a couple other views of this site you can actually see a family living amidst the construction site - not an unusual arrangement, typically workers may come in from the villages for a job, but have no place to stay. So this is where they stay!


This is the Arts Focus Group - representatives were there from Egypt, Bali, China, the US, and India. A diverse group but they seemed to have a common mind about the place of art in the Kingdom of God and its use in expanding the Kingdom.


We're not sure if this little girl peering toward us is actually a child widow, but her dress, her hair cut, and the group she was with would fit that conclusion. The gathering is a final prayer rally for Transform World. Many of those attending were from nearby facilities for orphans and widows. There was also a large contingent of Dalit/Bahujan peoples.


Hyderbad has a high concentration of Muslims. As we were flying in, two families finally warmed up to us, principally because this young girl in a hijab saw Janis drawing and asked if she was an artist. Turns out she had a strong interest in art herself and asked Janis to draw a portrait - Janis chose her as the subject. Her family lives in Hyderabad, her cousin's family is from Detroit.

That's a very brief recap of our two trips to India. We're heading to the Seattle area for the next 10 days, we're not sure how accessible internet will be so there may be a pause in the postings for a while.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Chuck (for both of us)

Transform World, India '06 Hyderabad, Oct 24-28

The invitation to attend the Transform World Consultation in Hyderabad came unexpectedly and close on the heels of our summer trip to India.

There were at least three major results of this trip to Hyderabad:
1, We are more confident of traveling internationally on our own.
2. We gained much experience handling unexpected developments.
3. Many contacts were made with Indian nationals and internationals, the fruits of which are still developing.

Some of the first of the unexpected developments were changes in itinerary from Air India. These began midway between confirmation of our being able to attend (which came right after we got back from the first trip to India) and our departure. They picked up steam the closer we came to departure time. We actually even experienced Air India changes clear up to the first leg of our return trip from Hyderabad to Delhi.

Sorry! - Due to technical difficulties, we're not able to upload images at this time -

We're using a "beta" form of this blogger site, and they "improved" it yesterday! I'll try again later.

Chuck

Sights of India - Summer '06

In our experience, India's people and country are colorful and incredibly diverse. Consider these few, brief, visual impressions of Delhi...


Notice the exterior of the Delhi Stock Exchange - a familiar type of financial institution, but foreign surroundings and appearances.






Because of Hindu beliefs, cows are liable to be found just about anywhere. This one was placidly chewing a cud in a quiet, off the main street, empty lot. They would often, however, be found in the very middle of traffic.



You can only get a hint from this photo of the throbbing vibrancy and chaos in the Delhi streets!





This view of rooftops gives a glimpse of life for many of Delhi's millions. If you've heard recent news reports of riots in Delhi, this sort of arrangement is what is at the core - unregulated commercial enterprises and squatters' dwellings all intermingled. The Delhi government is trying to reign this in, partly because Delhi is due to host the Commonwealth Games soon.

So, in stark contrast to the throbbing vibrancy and chaos of much of Delhi's streets, a new phenomenon is springing up all over the city - Malls! Pristine, clean, shiny, new - just as colorful, but, let me emphasize, very clean and orderly. So orderly that in the food courts attendants are constantly sweeping floors, wiping tables and immediately clearing tables of cups & wrappers, and out in the corridors the marble floors are constantly being swept and mopped. Often these malls are right next to the scenes of Delhi's other ways of life!

Next post: scenes from Transform World, India '06, in Hyderabad, October 24-28

Rajeev Afternoon Art Camp

This posting continues a brief review of portions of our summer trip to Delhi, India. The following photos are of the Afternoon Art Camp for older students at Rajeev Camp, held two days after the AM Art Camp (yesterday's posting).


This is a view just outside the entry to Rajeev Camp School. This is the area where all the students in the School and Rajeev Art Camps live.












Students register for short sessions, usually about 6 weeks. Very few girls are registered - a general cultural value is that schooling is more important for boys than it is for girls - but as you can see, after the afternoon session was over, these girls were very interested in seeing what happened.

The older students organized themselves in these neat rows for the Art Camp. It made it much easier to conduct the sessions. Generally, we found the Indian people to be very resourceful and innovative, but creativity seems to come a little more difficultly.

As an object lesson, Janis used a Cambodian folk tale about a young boy who hoarded the stories told to him by his servant. As the boy grew to marriageable age, the stories confined in a bag plotted his harm. The servant intervened and saved his master from being harmed by the stories after the wedding ceremony. The man repented and began to share the stories. The students were then asked to paint a story of their life. The teacher, Sweetie, is helping this student share his story, along with Bobby, one of the ex-pat workers who helped start the school.

Romi, one of three teachers in Rajeev Camp School, is standing before a display of the student's artwork.


Next posting: some sites from this summer's trip.

AM Art Camp - Rajeev Camp

Here are some more photos from this summer's trip to Delhi - these are from Rajeev Camp with the younger group of students:

Here are the pallettes, prepared for the part of the Camp when the students got to paint - many of them for their very first time. These are the same pallettes that moments later a mouse ran across leaving a a little trail of scattered paint!

One of our favorites - this 5-year old was probably the youngest in all the Art Camps we conducted (3 for students).






Here the students are hard at work. You can see the rough, cramped conditions of their site where they meet daily for lessons in English, math, and Bible stories before many of them go off to the government school.

This young artist, not part of our Art Camp, was so inspired that he took his paints and supplies onto the rooftop overlooking our activities!

The students are gather neatly in rows displaying the bags of art supplies we left with them. They were so delighted that apparently they went home and told their brothers, sisters and friends, since when we came back two days later to conduct the Camp for the older students, for which we'd been told to expect at most 12, though we prepared for 15, over 25 showed up!

Next posting will include a few pictures from the afternoon Rajeev Camp.

Some Favorites from India this summer

Janis and I have been exploring blogging as a way of communicating with friends and family for quite a while. This is our first attempt to make it actually happen.

We're really interested in making it happen because we're feeling guilty for waiting so long in reporting since our first India trip, now there's a second shorter trip to include. Of particular interest are the photos. Here are some favorites.

chuck for both of us.