Assignee - Case Studies
Namaste from Bharat Mata
James Holroyd - HBOS
Many people have asked me how I felt before I ventured out to India on the Outzone experience and whilst I would have never admitted it at the time, the answer was that I was pretty damn nervous. Not because I was jetting off to a place I'd never been before, nor the fact I would be away for over 4 weeks or that I nearly missed my flight because I'd forgotten my mobile phone. I was nervous for one simple reason; to my knowledge no-one had messed up one of these assignment things before and I didn’t want to be the first… and certainly not when I was supposed to be helping an organisation to make an important social contribution.
"Ah…" they'd counter "everyone say's that…but don't let it worry you… all our assignments have been a real success!" Er… thanks…
I arrived in Bangalore, Southern India at sunrise on Sunday 21st October. Clutching my trusty ‘Rough Guide to India' in one hand and factor 30 sun cream in the other, I was ready for the ‘Garden City’ and a blistering Indian Summer. It was raining and the map in my Rough Guide was about as much use as the sun cream.
Any disappointment was immediately replaced by the fantastic journey from the airport to my hotel; my first real taste of India. Dodging cows casually grazing in the road and peering through a sea of fumes, I got my first look at Bangalore.
Whilst the littered streets and heavy pollution don’t quite support the city’s namesake, dotted in and amongst the box-like buildings are a surprising amount of public gardens and palm trees. It’s nothing like I imagined and difficult to describe because Bangalore is such a contradiction. On one hand there are communities living in abject poverty and on the other, the affluent IT & Communications generation are enjoying a host of Bars, Restaurants and American-style Shopping Malls selling the latest western fashion and gadgets.
My assignment was with Dream a Dream (www.dreamadream.com), a small organisation making a huge impact on the lives of over 700 marginalised children in and around Bangalore. My task – to help them develop their strategic plan for future growth.
Running programmes including Sports, Adventure, Creative Art, Computer Education, Civic Awarenessand Mentoring, Dream a Dream’s vision is to “Empower children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life-skills and at the sametime sensitizing the community through active volunteering leading to a non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated.”
Upon arrival, I spent my time gathering as much information as possible; interviewing the staff and wading through a mass of documentation. Although, it wasn’t until I attended a couple of the programmes run by Dream a Dream that I really began to understand what this was all about.
The Udaan Life Skills programme, was teaching children aged 14-16 to understand and develop self-confidence. I sat in awe as these children talked about their experiences and was speechless when one young girl said that she was confident enough to not eat for a day.
Working with the Dream a Dream team was fantastic, the office was full of characters and I learned a lot about the challenges faced by non-profit organisations. One of the most interesting things I learned was how creative people can be when funds aren’t available to solve problems. I don’t mind admitting that I felt some pressure (self-imposed) to ensure I did a good job but the work Dream a Dream does is so important that, to be able to help even a little was an amazing feeling.
My experience of living and working in Bangalore ranged from the strange to the strangely familiar:
The Dream a Dream office is located in Adugodi, a good 30 minutes from my hotel in the city centre. The daily rickshaw ride can best be described as a giant game of dodgems with horns. Not quite as much intentional ramming but just as much fun!
Bangalore, although light on Tourist attractions, is a non-stop hive of activity. There were three festivals whilst I was there. First there was Pooja, the celebration of goodness overcoming evil, then came Rajyoltsav, the celebration of the formation of Karnataka state and lastly Diwali, the festival of light.
I can understand why Bangalore is often cited a transport hub for tourists, merely providing good access to the more interesting attractions throughout Karnataka state. My ‘Rough Guide’ bluntly stated that “Most foreigners turn up in Bangalore without really knowing why they’ve come; only staying a few days to experience the novelty of a westernised Indian City”. However, having met some wonderful people and explored more of the city it’s easy to look beyond the shopping malls, traffic chaos and flash floods, to see a truly fascinating and unique place.
On one occasion, I was given a lift into work by Vishal, the Dream a Dream Director away from the crowded main roads through the back streets of the surrounding suburbs. Perched on the back of his moped as we played chicken with oncoming traffic and weaved in between cows and pedestrians, I saw yet another side to Bangalore.
The back streets are loaded with rows upon rows of small, colourful shops selling everything from Motor Oil to Masala Tea. Makeshift Rickshaw service stations spilling out onto the road, wooden food carts swamped by hungry workers, and buildings surrounded by bamboo scaffolding made up just a few of the curious sights.
Before I came out to Bangalore I bought a book called ‘Culture Shock – working and living in India’, I spoke to people who’d already worked here and even managed to meet Vishal in London. Combined with my own personal pharmacy and way too many socks, I thought I was fully prepared for anything India had to throw at me. But the truth is India doesn’t really throw anything at you. It simply continues as normal, welcoming you with a smile if you choose to get involved.
Of course it’s unlike anywhere I’ve been before and even now, as I flick through my mini-library, I can’t see anything that truly presents an accurate view of life in India. Whilst I’ve only learned a little, I now understand and appreciate Indian culture ten-fold and the fact that it’s so difficult to describe is for me, what makes India, India!
Working with Dream a Dream has been amazing. They’re making an enormous impact on the 500 children they work with. I know this because I’ve seen it on their faces. Taking part in the programmes has been one of the most insightful and rewarding aspects of my assignment. After just 4 weeks, I learnt a huge amount about the challenges faced by non-profit organisations and what I found most interesting was that, whilst they may be more emphasised at Dream a Dream, most of these challenges also exist in our own business.
I was really pleased with the outcome of my objectives and whilst it was very challenging, I’m feeling very fortunate to have played just a little part in Dream a Dream’s future.
My time in India was magnificent... I miss the city, I miss the food, and I certainly miss the prices (my average lunch costs 20p). I even miss the fact that I still get stared at by every man and his dog (or cow). But I miss the Dream a Dream Team and the children most of all.
Since returning to the UK, I've had a different perspective on both my work and career. I see things in a different light… and what is important to me has changed… for a future article perhaps?