Niamh Moran
February 2006

It is difficult to attempt to write a ‘final report’ on my experiences with Dakshinayan, as I know that they are not at an end! In many ways, I feel as if my involvement wit the project is just beginning. When I arrived on the project, I was told that many of the past volunteers have kept in touch and are still involved with Dakshinayan. After two months here, I can understand why.

One of the reasons I chose this particular organization (apart from personal recommendations from several people) was that I hoped that its relative smallness would allow a greater degree of personal involvement for the volunteers and an opportunity to take a very hands-on approach to the experience. In this sense, my time here definitely matched my expectations. Being one of a very small number of volunteers allows you to become very personally involved with the running of the project from day to day and also with the community in which you are living. I am sure that this is what causes volunteers to remain committed to the project, even long after they have left India.

Living so closely with the Paharia people has been a privilege – a unique opportunity to experience the lives and ways of the tribal community. Life in Cheo is relaxed and quiet, but there is plenty to do. Living on the project is a nice balance of activity and peace; chores and freedom; community and privacy. Your day is structured, like those of the tribal people, by chores that need to be performed – fetching water, collecting firewood, preparing food, but the pace of life is very relaxed. During school hours (9am-12pm), the centre is a buzz of activity, but in the afternoons you have peace and quiet and the freedom to spend your time as you wish. The people in the villages are always glad of visitors and there are always gangs of children wanting you to play….

What you do and the level of involvement you have, both with the project and with the local community, is your decision. As a teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of teaching the tribal children. Of course, there are particular challenges involved in teaching in this setting, but they are part of the issues faced by the community as a whole and a part of what Dakshinayan is trying to achieve.

Spending time among the people in Cheo, you gradually realize that extent of the influence that the project has had on the community. Almost everyone that I met, many of them the present leaders of the community, had been educated by Dakshinayan, or been involved with the project in some way. Over the months I began to realize the respect with which the project is regarded by the tribal people and the essential role it plays in the area.

It has been very exciting to see the progress of the building in Roldih and to see the project extending into a new community. I am extremely impressed by the level of personal commitment and dedication of the people involved with Dakshinayan and I am grateful for how welcome they have made me feel and how well they looked after me. I am looking forward to coming back very soon.
niamhmoran@hotmail.com

Sudha Suryadevara
March 2006

After having spent the last two months in Cheo, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to experience village life here. I feel that in our world today, it’s so rare that you see people live life as simply as the people here do. It’s been refreshing to have had an experience such as this; one that has allowed me to gain a greater perspective on my life outside of here.

Spending time here at the school in Cheo you not only learn a great deal about the Paharias but are also immersed in ‘village life’. Volunteers do the same chores as villagers; getting water from the pump, washing clothes at the spring, scrubbing pots and sweeping in addition to anything else that may come your way.

Teaching is an integral part of the experience, that doesn’t stop in the classroom. The environment here is such that there is no boundary between school and home. Village children as well as students often come by the school to visit, play, talk, etc. I have found that this interaction with the children is essential and enriching. Not only have I learned a lot; the kids also get a chance to practice their English, learn about volunteers, where they come from, their culture, etc.

Life here is simple and slow by most standards. I feel that I’ve gotten the most out of my experience by hanging out with the kids, going on walks into the various villages and by asking lots of questions.

Overall, I feel that this has been a life-changing experience. It’s one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I intend to come back to Cheo at some point in the future and am curious to what has become of my former students and the village itself. I imagine that the kids as well as the village will have transformed in any number of ways.
sudha@temple.edu

Josh Neff
March 2006

All in all my experience with Dakshinayan at the Cheo school has been lovely. The best part is the people I’ve had the privilege to spend time with here – namely the students, my fellow volunteers and Ramnath and Chandrama. The kids are really fun (and cute!). The other volunteer (Sudha) was a wonderful person to get to know, and Ramnath and Chandrama were gracious, patient, kind and professional. All this said, I enjoyed the setting tremendously – both in terms of the natural environment in which Cheo is set as well as the culture that exists up here among the Paharia people. It was great to get a better sense of a way of life other than that in which I’ve been raised (and which seems to be less and less common in the world….)

My chief complaint is that our (Ashley’s and mine) stay was far too short. Though we chose to shorten it beyond the already brief visit we had planed, this not so much because we are anxious to leave as that we felt that three weeks would have been scarcely more adequate than two. I’ll just mention here that I do hope at some point to make time to return for a longer stay. In any case in the realm of feedback I suppose I’d mostly like to comment on pre-arrival correspondences. First, a bit more specific information for the Babu Ghat bus stand would be helpful, as we ended up with a private bus company with which we were less than thrilled, in part due to a lack of information. It also would have been nice to know more about the living situation. Also worth considering is whether to tell future volunteers that they will attend a training session in Delhi, when to the best of my knowledge this no longer takes place (though I may well be mistaken on this account…)

Anyhow, none of these are major concerns. Again, pretty much everything has been great. So thanks for a wonderful stay.
joshuaneff@gmail.com

Kathrina Gutmensch
April 2006

This is my second time to stay with Dakshinayan.

I’ve spent two months in Cheo and Paharpur four years ago and loved it so very, very much.

I wasn’t sure if I should come back as good memories can easily lead to disappointment, but I am glad I did come here again.

A lot has changed. The Paharpur and Barai centres are not even existing any more and all the people who had worked there left, so Roldih was a completely new experience for me.

The place is absolutely gorgeous, school is very disciplined and the children really learn a lot.

Thank you very much Santosh, Chandan and Siddharth for the warm atmosphere and extremely interesting talks, the very good food, the cooking lessons and everything else that can only be experienced and not described.

Cheo didn’t change as much but it did change as well. Ramnath and Chandrama are still heart and soul of the project. The children are still wild and enthusiastic but a lot more disciplined than four years ago. I was very happy to meet many of my “old friends” again though most of the children I taught left school already are now married, attending government school, working or whatever..

All in all, I’m most happy about my decision to come back here again. The great memories will only multiply!
kathi_gutmensch@gmx.at

Jayshree Vora
October 2005

I have been at Dakshinayan for a little less than one month and have had an excellent experience.

I was lucky enough to experience life at both, Paharpur as well as Cheo. Both are very different and unique in their own way.

Cheo, for a volunteer, focuses a lot on life in a remote Indian village. The first 2-3 weeks are definitely about adapting to the village lifestyle, including fetching water everyday, washing, cooking, cleaning and the weekly trip to the market. However, throughout this time attending school everyday and teaching classes ensures you get to know the children. In terms of teaching, my short experience has found that the best way the children learn is by getting involved in activities, playing games and conversing whilst doing the daily gardening! Learning is a slow by steady process in Cheo, but the children are always excited and full of energy. Ramnath and Chandrama are a lot of fun!

School at Paharpur seems more structured and just as in Cheo, the children are very keen to learn and interact with the volunteers. Joining the games and classes slowly helps build a relationship with the children who are always keen to know where you come from and what it is like in your home.

Overall, life as a volunteer has been insightful and full of laughter and fun. Dakshinayan is definitely a place I would hope to visit again.
Jay_vora@hotmail.com

Yumiko Takamura
Volunteering for a second time in October & November 2005.

I first stayed in Paharpur for a week. When I saw the children I was surprised, because the last time they were learning the alphabet and how to count one to hundred in English and Hindi, but now they can say those easily and not only that but also can calculate and know some spellings.

On the other hand, when I was teaching in Cheo, I was so confused on the first day, because they couldn’t say A to Z and count 1 to 100, even if in Hindi. There are many differences about teaching between Paharpur and Cheo. If it was the first visit for me, I may have accepted it more easily. But I stayed in Paharpur and I could compare the two schools. We had to talk about teaching again and again. After talking I thought that I should not compare the two schools. They told me that the purpose is different … Cheo is like a kindergarten. After this talk with them, my frustration was less. But I don’t think it is best now. They should find a better way for the students, and I know that they can do it, because they are always thinking about teaching and at once, they start talking about it. We can’t stop until we find the answers. But I’m sorry that I don’t have the answers. I hope more volunteers will visit here to stimulate this school and change it for the better, little by little.

Except about the teaching, I didn’t have any confusion. I could have a very good time. Sometimes students visited us after school to talk, and we also visited some villages where students live. And whenever I washed my clothes at the well, children would come to me and helped me pump the water. One day I went to the forest with the children to find monkeys. Of course we couldn’t, but I didn’t care. Looking back on the two months I spent with the children, reminds me of my childhood, because I used to go to the forest looking for something. I could spend my childhood again here.

Also I was always looking forward to the coming Thursday, because we could visit Paharpur or Chandana on Thursdays. I didn’t have any purpose in particular but I enjoyed talking with them and I could ask them how to teach in Paharpur. Also, when I didn’t have any idea about drawing class, and I could steal Vinod’s ideas! It was very useful to me. I also didn’t have any purpose to go to the market at Chandana, but I enjoyed to see the market and talk with Kailash. And if I was lucky, I would meet Chandan in the market.

If I have a complaint about these two months, it is that I didn’t have enough time to spend with Siddharth. But that is okay, I will come again. I was often asked the purpose of why I visit here, but I haven’t found the answer as yet. But from my brother’s death, I always think that I want to meet him in this whole big world more than anyone else and I know also that he is not in this world. But now I have a place where I want to visit and people whom I want to meet again. So it’s enough. I will come back again.
yumi1978k@yahoo.co.jp

Lea Schulte
October to December 2005

Teaching and living in Cheo has been a really wonderful experience for me. It feels strange to write about that place in a broader perspective, because I feel like I’ve become a part of it. It seemed easy to adopt the routine of everyday life. From ‘chai’ in the morning, teaching, free time in the afternoon spent visiting villages, reading, washing clothes at the spring, to cutting vegetables before dinner and going to bed early. I have to say this has probably been one of the most relaxing times of my life, with a lot of time to talk about the world with other volunteers. As well as with the people on the project.

It is interesting that life without electricity is really not a problem, even though those who have it, think it is nearly impossible to live without.

Personally, being in Cheo has made me realize that I can live in an environment very different from the one I’m used to, and I think that is a useful experience in that it gives you strength to try out new things.

I was studying anthropology that made me want to volunteer and be at this project in the first place. Because I didn’t only want to read about tribal societies, but live among them and learn about them like that. I have realized during my stay here that getting close to the people of the villages is not as easy as I had imagined it. Interactions can’t go very deep, obviously when you don’t speak the same language. And it probably also makes a difference if you live in the village or a little outside, which is the case for the school.

Conversations and living together with Ramnath and Chandrama have given me a good insight into the life and thinking of the Paharias, though.

From what I have seen, I totally agree with Dakshinayan on its focus on education. I think I have learnt here that development work consisting only of giving, is not for these people, and not beneficial to helping them find their place in a changing world and learning to deal with the changes. It seems to me that only if we offer them knowledge of our world, will they in the future, be able to maintain their identity within it.

Being in the role of a teacher has been a learning experience for me. It took me a while to figure out a way of teaching which showed results. It is really wonderful to see how some of the children are so interested and eager to learn. And how quickly they sometimes figure things out, even though we don’t have a language in common.

One day during school, the kids saw an airplane in the sky and were really fascinated. I thought, how strange, how many times I have probably flown over areas of the world, where people live similarly to the Paharias. And even though I knew that, I had never actually seen it for myself, and I had no concept of what their life was like.

I am very thankful to Dakshinayan and all the people who work for it, that it has given me the opportunity to experience a part of India, that most visitors probably never get to see! I will surely recommend the project to other people interested in volunteering and I will try to come back myself.

Thank you Siddharth, for all the interesting conversations and your care!
Lea.USA@web.de

Brent Wilson
Brent Wilson writes in to us in September 2004. Seven years after his participation.

I went to volunteer at Paharpur in 1997. I have to admit I was suffering from expectations/culture shock when I was there. It's such an adjustment to live among people who are more or less living as people lived at the time of Christ. After reading your website again recently I understand more of what you are trying to accomplish, and it makes a great deal of sense. It was difficult for me to judge my time at the project until some time later. From your website, it looks as if you've made more steady, slow progress. Deena would always say "slowly, slowly".

There are so many "volunteer organizations" that charge a lot of money to go for 2 or 3 weeks to a project, it's become kind of an industry. Dakshinayan was hard for me to get my head around, but it's the real deal.

At least in the states, we hear a lot about "development" in poorer countries - and I've been around a number of such organizations myself. A lot of private NGO's in the states are constantly raising money, we're always bombarded by advertising to donate to this or that, with pictures of "suffering" children, who we are led to believe will no longer suffer if we only give money now, the more the better.

After some observation of the NGOs that I had personal experience with, it appeared that most of the donated monies they received went toward big salaries, advertising, and general overhead.

When we hear of "development" here, it makes me think of these groups here that don't really know what is happening in some of the places that they profess to be helping. And, it costs at least 10 or 20 times as much to hire a staff person in the states as it would cost in a poor country - and the staff person here has little real connection to what is going on in other countries.

As a person from a richer country, I quickly discovered on the project that I didn't have that much to teach the local people, apart from English and so on. The villagers there can work twice as hard as me on half the food, and are very proficient at what they are doing. It also seemed to me that they aren't really "poor" at all - maybe in a material sense, but they do have their fields, their animals, their villages, their fruit trees, their freedom from having to be a part of the consumer culture and all that entails. It's a way of life that doesn't exist anywhere in the states, so it's difficult to know what to think about it until you've given it more time.

It’s something I've thought about a great deal in the years since I was there. You see one person here consuming more than an entire village there, it gives you some food for thought.

I regret now that I didn't allow more time to stay at the project, it was probably the most peaceful place I've ever been, and a great eye-opener. You can travel all over India and not learn the things you would learn from time in a small village.
okienoregon2003@yahoo.com

Nana Matsubara
August 2004.

I was expecting to see something very foreign; however, it turned out to be the exact opposite! I found the life in CHEO very similar to that of Japan in country side. The scene of rice fields and corn fields reminded me of my childhood that I spent at my grandmother’s place, except not much palm trees are seen in Japan. Although the way that they cook is different, we eat very similar stuff to what people in CHEO eat. One of the few things that was new to me was the fear of getting malaria!! I had such a lot of fun with kids in CHEO school, including the time I spent with kids outside of school. They all behaved in the way that children do everywhere else. They are very open and curious.

I want to come back here and for a longer time period …
it_is_a_small_world_7@yahoo.co.jp

Annika Hartmann
I'm Annika from Germany and I've been living as a volunteer with Dakshinayan for three month (summer 2000). I can say it was a great experience and I don't ever want to miss it. I joined the paharpur-projekt and it wasn't just "working" there, you are sharing the hole life, you can learn and teach at the same time and I learned a lot for my life and for my future. You get another relation to things, which seems to be normal in your usual life. It's amazing to see, how people can just be happy and satisfied without having all these materialistic things. Sure, it can be hard but at the end it's also hard to leave. After all I can just say, that everybody should make this experience.
hartmann.annika@web.de

Regula Flückiger
Participating at Dakshinayan's Volunteer Program has not only broadened my understanding of India's multiple culture but also helped me setting new priorities in my life. Ever since I spent a month in Cheo I'm much more aware of my surroundings. My values are now focused on basic things such as feeling well balanced and at ease in within my every day life rather than aiming for a higher salary, a new car or a fancy dress. I learned to appreciate things that are considered normal by westerners: a hot bath, a comfortable bed with cozy cushions, running and clean water. Brief: I learned much more myself than any of the kids at Cheo - and the learning process did not stop after leaving Dakshinayan project.
regi.flue@bluemail.ch

Heikki Kuparinen
As I look back now, there is no doubt in my mind, that the best decision I have ever made in my life was when I decided to join Dakshinayan’s program in Jharkhand, India on late 2001. And I have no holdbacks in admitting that, when having these world-embracing conversations with friends of mine. And still, two years after I left the project behind, those warm and kind people of those villages – with such good attitude for life – come back to my mind every once in a while. Although this is an ancient cliché, I really can say that Cheo still feels like a second home to me. I found it so much easier to settle down in that peaceful environment than I have done in settling down to busy big city life. I don’t think I have felt as relaxed anywhere than I felt in Cheo.

That trip to India was the first trip, that I made to foreign country all by myself. And to be honest, India really isn’t the easiest country to begin with. The first impressions can be quite shocking and it may take some time to learn, how to deal with every-day life in huge metropolises like New Delhi. But India pays it all back later.

I guess my India will always be Cheo and Paharpur and surroundings. Colourful, mysterious market places, the importance of chai, “hello bye-bye ninki naami” bouncing like an echo on narrow paths of villages. Adorable but hyper-fast children excited of learning and living full life, over-whelming love in families, beauty of nature. Hot baths under running water from bamboo-tube, enjoyment of new veggies for dinner, slow bicycle riding contest on Sports day. Jungle, mountains, cows, stars, full moon and chilly breeze in the evening forcing us to gather around the fire telling stories. I call that all love and happiness and in that place I started to become aware, how does the world work and how the world is full of fantastic people. Maybe it’s another cliché, but still I can assure that despite of their constant lack of medicine, so called poverty, malnutrition, lack of electricity, pure water and knowledge of modern things such as function of airplanes or laundry-machine, people in those villages are so much happier than they ever seem to be in industrialized, western countries. In “civilized countries”.

In all those two months in Cheo were truly an eye-opening experience and even though staying in touch with all so lovable people back there is quite impossible, they always have a place in my heart. There are many interesting development projects around the world and many fascinating countries to see, but I am trying hard not to forget the reasons, why I have promised myself to return to Cheo and with Dakshinayan again some day. Well, not hard. Actually that is quite easy to do.
heikkikuparinen@yahoo.co.uk

Oliver Middlemiss
I participated in the Cheo project with Dakshinayan in the summer of 2003. I was placed in Barai (a small village 3 hours walk from the project centre in Parharpur), and spent 4 incredible weeks immersed in the village, and teaching English to the local children. This proved to be a major challenge, as the number of children in a class could vary from 2 to 30, and the age range from 2-13. I found this challenge highly rewarding, and really getting involved with the children (both in the classroom and around the village) was a superb experience. Futhermore, the education went both ways. While the children were learning English, I was learning that kids are kids wherever you are in the world, and through Dakshinayan I learnt first-hand what rural India, and rural development are really about.
olivermiddlemiss@hotmail.com

Leo Lahti
I participated in the programme in autumn 2000 by recommendation from a Finnish organization that offers contacts to voluntary organizations abroad. Three years have passed by now. In short, I will never regret my decision to participate this programme. It offered me a unique opportunity to get an impression of the way of living in rural India, participate ngo work at the grass-root level and make good friends. I knew little about the programme as I was heading towards the project in a trembling jeep. During the two months that I spent in the village of Barai, I found out the importance of Dakshinayan's work and that of of western volunteers for the continuity of the programme. I sincerely hope that there will be new volunteers facing this challenge.
lmlahti@cc.hut.fi

Eva Policarpo
It's been more than a year since I'm back from Paharpur, and from the project. It's good to think about it after so long, think about what stayed, what were the strongest impressions, what did I learn from it and what did others learn from me.

It was beautiful to be there and to learn how to part of that place. To see that every little bit of that amazing simple life - and I say simple, not simplistic, not boring, not lacking interests and things to do - has a meaning, a balance, it makes sense.

And to see that little by little, the beauty of that place seeps through our shells, our fears, our insecurities (because it's not easy... and in that place it's also not possible to keep these masks), and we become part of that place. And for me that was the biggest thing, to feel part of the community, to see that what we did made sense, had a meaning, a dream and a purpose. And most of all a continuity.

And everything that was part of it was great! To teach the kids in the mornings and evenings and to see how they were so willing to learn and so curious (and WOW, do they learn fast!!). To do drama with them and wonder at their capacity to improvise!

To discover that beautiful, luxurious Nature around, to go for walks and to meet the people, to stay in the project and talk, cook, sing, laugh, learn, sleep at night under the mosquito net and feeling the warm breeze of the night coming in and helping me to sleep, reminding me that that the next day is going to be as full of things as this one.
evita_np@hotmail.com

YUKO SHIRAISHI
What is happy? Seeing me & their friends, and studying!!! I asked each child "How are you?" everyday in my classes. They answered "I'm fine! I'm very happy!!!" (with their big smile). When I herd it first time, I was thinking about the reason; What is happy? Because we can get everything which we want (pens,notes), but they may not be able to get them enough. But every child has big smile and shiny eyes!!! I determined to live strong like them. I want to get shiny eyes like them. I want to say "I'm happy!!" with my big smile, when I'm asked.
yuko_shiraishi@hotmail.com

Eri Kato
The life at Dakshinayan changed my outlook on life. At the organization, I became friends with so many wonderful people, not to mention the beautiful children at Dakshinayan, but also the stuffs and the volunteers from all over the world. I was surprised to find out that there were so many people from different parts of the world who shared same dream for the future. Despite language barriers and cultural differences, we were working together to create a better world. And this experience gave me the great hope for the world future, and also for my own life.
manekineko@mue.biglobe.ne.jp

Vanessa Redford
For me, Dakshinayan has provided an unforgettable experience. An experience which goes beyond the pollution,filth, greed and corruption of Indias city life. The village of Paharpur is particularly suited to those who enjoy a simple life, close to nature. My days have been filled with teaching english, participating in domestic chores and most importantly of all in the company of the children, during times when I may otherwise have been lonely.

As a student of anthropology, I have come to understand more of the inner workings of tribal society. It has been a time of observation and reflection on things as they really are. Many outsiders who believe the Santhals are an underdeveloped people living in poverty have wrongly interpreted the situation. One can only understand why by living closely to the people with an objective understanding of them and their culture. There seems to be a two way flow of knowledge here with an opportunity for tribals and non tribals to meet on peaceful, equal terms.
sidsolas@yahoo.co.uk

Dan Rogger
Never knowing what to expect from the future, I can at least look back and see what I am happiest with in the past. Dakshinayan was an experience for which I am extremely thankful. One which has given me memories I could have had from no where else, and experiences that have taught me important lessons.

I arrived on the project in early March of 2001. I was sent to Cheo, a tribal village in rural Jharkhand, to teach at the projects school there, and start another in a nearby village. It was amazing. The scenes were unlike those that you could see as a tourist or backpacker, as you were, or at least could be, involved intimately in the lives of the village. Myself, and the others two volunteers experienced what it is like to fetch water from a nearby well, pull honey from a bees nest in a tree or eat unripe mangos with children you have just finished teaching or playing with. I found that staying for more than a few months gives you the best chance to really help, and allows you to live many experiences.

The benefit to the children varies with the volunteer, and I now see ways in which I could have helped much more, but with thought and effort, this is a place where you can make your small difference. The best thing to do before hand is get in contact with some of us ex-volunteers, and we can tell you more.

It certainly wasn’t an easy ride at times and it can take some adjustment to living both closely with people you have just met, and in a village context. However, I found it a very maturing and enriching experience, and one I would highly recommend.
danrogger@hotmail.com

Sabina Baker
My two months of volunteering with Dakshinayan in Cheo and Paharpur in the summer of 2003 profoundly changed my view of the world. On a personal level, I learned that I could face up to challenges I would have never imagined: teaching math and English to children without any previous experience, helping to cook local foods, retrieving water by hand from a well ten times a day, and generally living life in such a remote area of India that it takes 6 hours by bus to reach the closest town with a phone. Because the transition to this new lifestyle is so quick (an overnight trip by train from Delhi), I had little time to prepare and therefore had to be open-minded and motivated from the first moment I arrived.

On a more general level, by working on the project, I learned to have a more nuanced understanding of wealth and happiness and the connection between the two. The tribal peoples you are exposed to on these projects are the untouchables of Indian culture. They have very little in the way of material wealth. Yet, they have abundant lands, enough rice to eat (providing the monsoon is good), clean water to drink, solid houses to live in, ox to help plow the fields, bicycles to travel by and are happy. I was not expecting that and so it changed my view of poverty and ways of dealing with it. In my opinion, education, in all its forms, is the tool these peoples can use to preserve their resources as well as deal with the inevitable encroachment of the "modern" world. Dakshinayan's current set-up is well organised to facilitate this and as a volunteer you share in the making of this success.

It is by no means an easy experience: you have no running water, no electricity, little privacy, children can be frustrating (although rarely), it can be incredibly hot (or cold), there is a strict schedule to follow (particularly in Paharpur), the markets to buy food are anywhere between 1 and 3 hours' walk away. And it is easy to forget in a "difficult" moment that these projects take many years to come together and therefore your individual impact may feel limited. Despite these challenges, I cannot recommend it enough. The project founders, managers and teachers are all extremely dedicated and willing to share all parts of their lives and ideas with you. The children who attend the schools are motivated beyond comprehension (some walk over two hours to get to school each day) and great fun. If you go, be patient, ask questions, and try to understand the Paharia and Santal worlds and help them to understand yours.
bakermcbride@yahoo.co.uk

Laura Davies
The question of development crops up frequently in the news and has led to many meetings and summits by the important people in the world. Participating in Dakshinayan should become compulsory for all development policy makers and funders so that they may gain such valuable first hand experience of grassroots development and get to know those whom such projects directly benefit.

We often see news reports and images of people who live so-called primitive lives, however rarely are their voices actually heard. Living and participating in the project at the Paharpur centre gave me a completely new view of life, communities and education. It is so heartwarming to see kids cheerfully turning up for school with big smiling faces, some shy and quiet, others bounding around as if their legs were of springs. They taught me that development is not about coming and deciding what is best for these economically poor people and how to improve their lives so that it strives to mirror the life we have. There is no quick-fix. Slowly, slowly. That is Dakshinayan’s way I think.

Getting to know the children, and through them some of the other villagers, I realised that they are the most beautiful and clever folk I have ever come across, and their fantastic sense of humour never ceased to make my four months in Paharpur among the happiest. After you have made such experiences, everything takes on a whole different meaning. Contemplating the purchase of fair trade products, for example, you may realise that you have more connection to small-scale coffee growers than you may have at first realised. You may dwell on the development of internet in the third world and the digital gap and think about how curious and interested the ashram boys were in new and exciting things, such as the moon landing. How much more would they like to learn if they had the opportunity? Dakshinayan does uncountable good work in these villages, but you must go there and experience it before realising how much and how great.
lcrdavies@yahoo.co.uk

Anina Hundsdorfer
The project was truly life changing. I enjoyed the invitation to redefine my entire way of being in this world.
anina.hundsdorfer@students.plymouth.ac.uk