Chronic Hunger

UN says 40 million more pushed into chronic hunger this year
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Tuesday (December 9) that higher food prices have increased the number of people across the globe affected by chronic hunger by 40 million this year, bringing the estimated total to 963 million people. About two-thirds of the world's undernourished live in Asia, with the worst affected countries in that region being India, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, according to the FAO's State of Food Insecurity report. In addition, one in three people in sub-Saharan Africa remain chronically hungry, the Associated Press (AP) attributed the report as saying. The increase in the number of hungry is mostly attributable to the sharp rise in food prices earlier this year, the FAO said. Although the global prices of major cereals have fallen by more than 50 percent from their peaks earlier this year, they are still high compared to previous years, the AP attributed the agency as saying. Farmers have been unable to increase production to take advantage of the higher prices because they lack access to seeds, fertilizer, water and markets, according to the AP. "This sad reality should not be acceptable at the dawn of the 21st century," the AP quoted FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf as saying. "Not enough has been done to reduce hunger and not enough is being done to prevent more people (from) becoming hungry." The FAO reported that the growing number of chronically hungry casts further doubt on the world's ability to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving global hunger by the year 2015, particularly as the global financial crisis is further reducing demand in industrialized countries, which threatens to affect exporters in developing countries. According to the report, export volumes are expected to grow by 4.9 percent in 2009, compared to a growth of 6.3 percent in 2007. The report noted that some countries, like Thailand and Vietnam, have made substantial progress toward the 2015 goal. But South and Central Asia are among the regions that have suffered significant setbacks in hunger reduction.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6423774
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCOT-7M6GUA?OpenDocument
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/081209/afp/081209151825top.html

New Energy

I have been spending more time in Kalahandi than at the GV Head Office, despite the Head Office being more comfortable. This has been partly due to the level of work in the micro hydro projects and partly due to the tension that fills my heart/mind while at the office. Though, during my last visit to Head Office recently, I discovered that there is a certain new energy that is seemingly planting itself on campus. Some new staff have come this month with a brightness that I pray will only multiply.

GV does amazing work, but it has taken a toll on those that are involved. As we try to help more communities have access to water and sanitation and other sustainable infrastructure, our human resources are increasingly challenged with communication issues, salary woes, and lack of time to meet targets. I had begun to loose hope, seeing/hearing how at levels of human resources, people were more and more unhappy and stressed.

However, this wave of new energy via a few individuals is intriguing and is helping me to be introspective. These newbies are in a good position to be themselves and appreciate the organization. Over the years, I have become only a strong critic and far from myself. I keep seeking perfection in its operations...only much later to realize that I need to take care of my imperfection first. Still, I find it very difficult to focus on myself without being selfish. Since the post Palm and Apple days, my moments have been designed around being involved with efforts that I really believe in, first LEDeG, then Green Empowerment, now Gram Vikas and Practical Action. In this process, I have nearly always prioritized my family and my research secondary to the so-called causes. ...This has caused imbalance that of course I keep ignoring.

I know that my mis-prioritizing will catch up with me sooner or later. Though now instead of being totally hard on myself, I am just watching. Watching myself make decision after decision, without judging. Watching the naunces in my moods; what makes me smile, what makes my cry, how I relate to others. I am only hoping that the non-action intentions create some positive flow that can undo the angst I've built during the last few years; and take advantage of the priceless and simple gifts I've acquired during the same chaotic time, e.g. witnessing the simplest of human needs, Nature's transient care, and such sweet and tangible moments of the Divine's intervention.

Media for Social Change

Since realizing the potential of the youth involved in the micro hydro projects, I have been dreaming about them making their own videos on issues they hold important (and entertaining) and organizing their own showings using the electricity from the micro hydro systems. ....In fact each of the project sites has a fair number of concrete stairs near the powerhouse and open space for a large screen, transforming the space amidst the forest into an outdoor theatre. ....Yes, only dreams at this point.

However, the dream is one step closer having realized the existence of MAM (http://www.mammovies.com/):

MAM: ‘I AM’ is what it means in Sanskrit. To be able to go within through the medium of stories and use our talent for the needs of the world is why we have been created.In practical terms, our effort is to:
-Support and nurture independent filmmakers who use media, the arts and technology to inform, inspire and empower others to create positive action in the world.
-Create innovative events, which will inspire youth to use Media for social change.
-Create a platform for local charities and NGOs to make professional videos for very economical price.

GRID Alternatives

Cool group in CA doing work with renewable energy and communities: http://www.gridalternatives.org/

GRID Alternatives' mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training. Since 2001, GRID Alternatives has been working to bring the power of solar electricity and energy efficiency to low-income homeowners, and to provide community members with training and hands-on experience with renewable energy technologies. We believe making energy choices that are good for the environment can go hand-in-hand with improving the lives of those living in low-income communities.

GRID Alternatives works collaboratively with communities and local organizations to identify specific needs and to develop renewable energy solutions that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Our vision of sustainable development centers on community involvement, and our focus and expertise lies in using renewable energy and energy efficiency to provide solutions to the challenges facing low-income individuals and families in the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Los Angeles and beyond.

Dear Michelle

Dear Michelle,

I am an Indian-American, raised in Mississippi, having gone to university in California, and now working in rural India the last few years.

My experiences in India implementing community-based projects in rural areas have been difficult. With all the environmental injustice so blatantly practiced, along with all the other chaotic things happening in the world, I have found myself having little hope for the world and its inhabitants.

However, during the last few weeks, I have been gaining high spirits thanks to Senator Obama's book, Audacity of Hope. Being in a remote area isolated from media and Internet, I had not been following the race. However, having come across the book, a few weeks ago, has had a profound effect on my outlook for the world.

Great inspiration comes from Senator Obama's approach to opposition. Senator Obama has an amazing ability to look beyond his own beliefs and listen to what others are saying, in the interests of serving the marginalized. He is not afraid to engage with full respect and integrity. He seems far from the typical politician.

I can only imagine what the race has been for you and your family. I hope that your family continues to face the campaign with great heart and the best of human qualities.

For me the race gives much needed hope and inspiration. I am feeling more and more that the next best thing to world peace would be President Obama. Of course, the Presidency also has limitations...

At the same time, I am feeling helpless not being to help his campaign from so far away. ...And also very disappointed that the McCain campaign is making the worst of American thought manifest in negative, ill-conceived ads.

I hope my generation takes advantage of the opportunity to transform the ugly course the world is taking. Even if there are Americans who do not have the courage to vote for transformation, I thank the Universe for giving us Barack Obama.

Blessings to you and your family.

Guess Who?

What do you think of the following excerpt? Can you guess who?
___________________________________________________________________________________
There’s a FINAL dimension to U.S. foreign policy that must be discussed—the portion that has less to do with avoiding war than promoting peace. The year I was born President Kenney stated in his inaugural address: “To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Forty-five years later that mass misery still exists. If we are to fulfill Kennedy’s promise—and serve our long-term security interests—then we will have to go beyond a more prudent use of military force. We will have to align our policies to help reduce the sphere of insecurity, poverty, and violence around the world, and give more people a stake in the global order that has served us so well.”

Of course, there are those who would argue with my starting premise—that any global system built in America’s image can alleviate misery in poorer countries. For these critics, America’s notion of what the international system should be—free trade, open markets, the unfettered flow of information, the rule of law, democratic elections, and the like—is simply an expression of American imperialism, designed to exploit the cheap labor and natural resources of other countries and infect non-Western cultures with decadent beliefs. Rather than conform to America’s rules, the argument goes, other countries should resist America’s efforts to expand its hegemony; instead, they should follow their own path to development, taking their lead from left-leaning populists like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, or turning to more traditional principles of social organization, like Islamic law.

I don’t dismiss these critics out of hand. America and its Western partners did design the current international system, after all; it is our way of doing things—our accounting standards, our language, our dollar, our copyright laws, our technology, and our popular culture—to which the world has had to adapt over the past fifty years. If overall the international system ahs produced great prosperity in the world’s developed countries, it has also left many people behind—a fact that Western policy makers have often ignored and occasionally made worse.

Ultimately, though, I believe critics are wrong to think that the world’s poor will benefit by rejecting the ideals of free markets and liberal democracy. When human rights activists from various countries come to by office and talk about being jailed or tortured for their beliefs, they are not acting as agents of American power. When my cousin in Kenya complains that it’s impossible to find work unless he’s paid a bribe to some official in the ruling party, he hasn’t been brainwashed by Western ideas. Who doubts that , if given the choice, most of the people in North Korea would prefer livening South Korea, or that many in Cuba wouldn’t mind giving Miami a try?

No person, in any culture, likes to be bullied. No person likes living in fear because his or her ideas are different. Nobody likes being poor or hungry, and nobody likes to live under an economic system in which the fruits of his or her labor go perpetually unrewarded. The system of free markets and liberal democracy that now characterizes most of the developed world may be flawed; it may all too often reflect the interests of the powerful over the powerless. But that system is constantly subject to change and improvement—and it is precisely in this openness to change that market-based liberal democracies offer people around the world their best chance at a better life.

Our challenge, then, is to make sure that U.S. policies move the international system in the direction of great equity, justice, and prosperity—that the rules we promote serve both our interests and the interests of a struggling world. In doing so, we might keep a few basic principles in mind. First, we should be skeptical of those who believe we can single-handedly liberate other people from tyranny. I agree with George W. Bush when in his second inaugural address he proclaimed a universal desire to be free. But there a few examples in history in which the freedom men and women crave is delivered through outside intervention. In almost every successful social movement of the last century, from Gandhi’s campaign against British rule to the Solidarity movement in Poland to the antiapartheid movement in South Africa, democracy was the result of a local awakening.

We can inspire and invite other people to assert their freedoms; we can use international forums and agreements to set standards for others to follow; we can provide funding to fledgling democracies to help institutionalize fair election systems, train independent journalists, and seed the habits of civic participation; we can speak out on behalf of local leaders whose rights are violated; and we can apply economic and diplomatic pressure to those who repeatedly violate the rights of their own people.

But when we seek to impose democracy with the barrel of a gun, funnel money to parties whose economic policies are deemed friendlier to Washington, or fall under the sway of exiles like Chalabi whose ambitions aren’t matched by any discernible local support, we aren’t just setting ourselves for failure. We are helping oppressive regimes paint democratic activists as tools of foreign powers and retarding the possibility that genuine, homegrown democracy will ever emerge.

Rural Youth

With every field visit, I realize that the greatest opportunities for improving life in poor rural communities are in the hands and hearts of the rural youth. If the strengths of rural youth are tapped, harnessed, and enhanced, wonders in rural infrastructure, social tensions, and plain happiness can manifest into present and future generations. Here are some images and contemplations:


A young boy from Lineguda gets creative with left over house wiring materials.

Padme Dewa, from REDCO, teaching the Purna Guma youth how to install insulators.

This is Hira on the right looking at Padme Dewa's sketches. Hira has extraordinary strengths in making things happen, IF he really wants them to happen. He was the one that led the brick-making efforts, while everyone else (mostly the oldsters) wanted GV to buy from the outside. Thanks to Hira's leadership, Purna Guma's youth self-help group fund has gone up by Rs. 7000. GV bought the bricks for the powerhouse from the youth.

Here is Hira again, one of the 3 three that had been on the poles, installing cables on a day that turned out to pour.

Despite the rain, Hira and the others did not want to stop until the line was finished.

My last time in Purna Guma, a couple of days ago, has me in waves about Hira. The last time we visited was Padme Dewa's last day in the village for a while and Pobitro Dada's (the guy building the turbine assembly in town) first day. P. Dada has been wanting to go to PG for the longest time. He has become passionate about the project. Finally we took him. ....However, the visit was a bit sour. When we drove into PG that day, Hira and the rest had been installing more
poles.

The same day was the closing ceremony of the famous Rath Yatra festival. Someone joked that they had never attended but this year Gram Vikas would take us to Karlapat to attend the festival. Hira said we'll be ready. You take us. I took it as a joke. As we were leaving the village, I saw that Hira was waiting for us, all bathed and dressed to go to the festival. GV has a policy of not using its vehicles for anything other than work. I also did not want to start any prohibited habit...although I am guilty of taking women and children in our vehicle if they need to visit the hospital and if our vehicle is going to B.Patna regardless. In the case of taking village boys to attend the Karlapat Rath Yatra, Hira put me on the spot. He went to the point of saying, "If you don't take us, don't expect anymore work from us." While this was supposed to be a special visit for Padme Dewa and Pobitro Dada, Hira's ultimatum chased away the warm and fuzy feelings. In the end, I tried to explain that I did not have the authority to use the vehicle for pleasure and that our guests had not had lunch when it was already 4p. (Not having meals on time is a recipe for malaria.) We did not take them...and I left Hira quite disappointed. It is Hira's stuborness that I have admired in the project, as well as the element that put me on the spot. I want to approach it with love and openess. ...Unfortunately, I cannot return to Purna Guma for another few days....I am wondering whether I should go hang out with him first, feel out his mood and attitude about continuing with micro hydro. Or should i simply ignore the his disappointment. I feel that my taking villagers every now and then in the vehicle set the scene for the Hira incident. Likewise, my reaction to Hira's changed mood will set the scene for the next "situation".


Rashmi-- in the orange, Hira's friend, and a respected school teacher--has been the lead youth in helping to organize and mobilize the community to implement Purna Guma without GV staff. As I left the village last time, I mentioned the Hira incident. He said, "Don't worry so much."

Lessons Galore

What great lessons I've learned in the past few weeks!

1. In India, never give a small order to a large company--it may not come thru.
4 months ago we ordered 2 motors for Purna Guma from Kirloskar, an extremely huge industry name. They could not deliver even though we had given an advance. It was a combination of low quality operations, communications, and maybe even not having the motor we needed. I couldn't clearly conclude. Thanks to a friend's reference, we were able to find another supplier.

2. In India, plan 5 times the ideal time required.
Having ordered the motors with a small-scale and referred supplier, they were shipped within 2 weeks of sending an advance payment. BUT thanks to the nation-wide truck strike, the motors were delayed for a week, sitting in the middle of rural Andra Pradesh. Finally, today I got word they have reached their destination. Of course, it will take another few days to get GV's act together in: deciding on the best vehicle to transport the motors (one that than can outsmart the state tax collectors), finding someone besides me to accompany the motors, and finding another vehicle to bring it 12hrs out to Kalahandi district. The logistics story never seems to end....

3. Avoid villagers that like to talk a lot and ride with you in vehicles.
I have been astonished at how some in the village work non-stop. They are usually the quiet and straight forward personalities, often the poorest. However, there are always the 1 or 2 that love giving themselves pats on the back, travelling with you to project some image to their counterparts, etc. Still, I am seeing everyone in the Purna Guma community transforming. Even those that talk more than work have enhanced their skills and understanding one another. The toughest social situations always turn out to be great opportunities.

4. Child labor, village accidents, and plug points.
The hardest lesson this week was realizing after it was too late that while us oldsters (about 15 of us over 15 years of age) sat around at the end of the work day, the only one of us working was Ramesh, seven years old. He kept going on with shoveling the chips for concreting. Until this awakening, I perceived child labor in the Purna Guma project to be voluntary. I finally realized that just because kids were having fun with the work did not mean they were volunteering their efforts. ...Actually, it could be either way. There are kids that skip school in order to see what's going on with the project and then there are others that come only after school. The non-tribal community members blamed the tribal (who are the poorest) families for sending their kids to contribute labor. Labor contribution, as well as a monetary contribution to the corpus micro hydro fund, allows a family in Purna Guma to benefit from the micro hydro project.

I asked why they would send their kids instead of coming themselves. The answer was simple: the adults were busy with fieldwork. Fieldwork allows them to feed their kids. However, the non-tribals hire the tribals to do their fieldwork. Yet, they said, "The tribals are only good for drinking." At this point, I understood that child labor in this project was intertwined with caste culture. ...But I still couldn't sit around with my malaria and let Ramesh do the work, while the rest of watched. Yet, I did not want to impose my values on the community. I have learned in previous projects that it is no good to preach without action. ...Still, I couldn't hold my words. They came out, "Isn't Ramesh your son too?" "How can we let such young kids do the work of adults, as we sit and watch?" Several nods came...and along with a sense of regret.

A few minutes later walking back to the jeep, I stopped by the first house, a tribal house. Went in to say hi and found out that the lady of the house had been in a brutal accident. In Kalahandi, like many rural parts of India, villagers give their labor to generate income. The laborers are often transported in open trucks and tractors. This lady had fallen out of a tractor, broken her shoulder and bruised her skull. A woman that was healthy and perfect the last time I saw her, now was half bald with a deep cut on her head, along with a drooping shoulder. Just then our all-star Jaysingh Babu (non-tribal) walks up to the house to check in on her. He has been the light of the project, always positive and supportive no matter who is working with him. He said no one wanted to touch the lady when the accident happened. "There was blood everywhere. She is tribal. But she is still of our sister. We took her to the hospital. It's a miracle that she is living now. We are lucky." The reason she was sending her young kid to work was because her older son was too busy taking care of her health.

Plug points. Everyone in Purna Guma wants plug points, in addition to lights. However, to limit the number of plugpoints and to fairly charge for the extra consumption of electricity, the plug point requires a one-time Rs. 500 fee, in addtion to the Rs. 1000 contribution to the corpus fund and double tariff. Yogesh, the young and nimble all-star worker from the Lineguda hamlet mistakenly got a plug point wired at his house...of course he likes it and of course no one will be rude and take it away from him now that it is installed. ....Yogesh' youngest kid, 6 months old, has a blown up belly. His mom says, "He has had constant diarrea for several months." I ask Yogesh when he would take him to the doctor in Bhanvanipatna. He says when he has money. ....Earlier, Jaysingh had explained that he spent Rs. 500 on his son's broken arm bills. .....I guess it's getting to me that GV wants to charge extra for plugpoints when we have such a huge project budget and we've been good about streamlining the design and minimizing the expense. Of course, nothing should be given for free...but why are we creating the burden of luxury?

Sorry for the incoherency. Will try again on this topic and others with a clearer mind.

Purna Guma's New Look

See the poles for the transmission line?



Dedicated community!

Environmental Injustice in the Name of Energy Security

The Burmese government is building a gas pipeline from Burma, thru Bangladesh, to India. Does anyone know of websites that have current information on this project?

Here is an outdated link with pertinent background:
http://www.earthrights.org/burmareports/another_yadana_the_shwe_natural_gas_pipeline_project_burma-bangladesh-india.html

The larger picture:
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main39.asp?filename=Ws070608Generals.asp

Art of Life

"One can live in a number of ways, and no one can be a judge of how life is to be lived. But there are times when we may find that life itself has become an art; the entire process of living is transformed from something mechanical and separate to ourselves to something which is deeply personal and conducted with the finesse of an artist. Our attitude which may have been complacent at one time, may at another become ever-changing and persevering, similar to the persistence of the painter stroke until he arrives at the perfection that he seeks. Along the way, much happens & much is learnt. In the end we have the masterpiece of the realization. "

"In the Art of Life, we will introduce such instances where a perception, an attitude, an insight, an experience, can bring out some beautiful aspects of human nature. Each tale may not be true in the strictest sense of the word or that which is apparent to the eye and understood by the mind, but underneath the surface, in subtle terms it explores and expresses itself, and lets out the fragrance of its inner truth for all to take in."

-Anonymous

http://nextfuture.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/may08/nf_home.htm

Facilitating Locals to Develop Micro Hydro

One key aspect of the Purna Guma micro hydro is the creation of local developers. There are two main lessons that has led Gram Vikas to facilitating the creation of local micro hydro developers:

1. The previous projects were done using developers from Delhi and Bangalore. Once the developers receive their payments, they do not stick around, especially in malaria infested Kalahandi, Orissa. They are always willing to have assistance by phone/email...but in the end it is really discouraging for villagers to keep trying to troubleshoot when they haven't been given any training. For instance, we've had to fix the Karlapat gate valve on our own multiple times since its commissioning 1.5 yrs ago. A few months ago the shaft of one of the turbines had sheared, with no clear explanation. It took 2 months to repair. Such events affect the people's faith in the technology.

2. In the past GV micro hydro staff have been part of a special project syndrome. Since the micro hydro projects are pilot projects, they are seen as very special. Indeed 24hrs of clean electricity is special, but in the case of our staff, he feels he has to prove what he knows. In reacting to their insecurities, GV micro hydro staff failed to facilitate villagers to hold their own meetings, to do simple trouble shooting, and simply to emotionally own the system. In the end the staff leaves because he has come down with malaria too many times, and villagers have no choice but to take on the staff's technical and social duties. The villagers that have taken on the responsibilty of keeping the system alive are a handful of individuals which were voted to be the micro hydro committee. In the end, when the entire village hasn't gone thru the process of taking managment and technical responsibilities gradually, they end up chastising the committee and viewing Gram Vikas as an electric company that maintains the micro hydro. We have worked hard in the previous project to break this cycle of shunning responsibility...still, often the old mindset creeps in.

Having learned from the above two lessons, Gram Vikas is taking on a new approach to community-based micro hydro in the case of the Purna Guma project:

1. Design and manufacture the turbine and controller locally

With the help of Practical Action, we are transferring the know-how of building micro hydro turbine and controller to Bhavanipatna, a town 1hr away from the micro hydro villages. No more need to eternally wait for Bangalore/Delhi based developers for repair work. The villagers can take a bus to Bhavanipatna and meet the manufacturer in person. We've come across a very sincere and excited machine shop owner in Bhavanipatna, Pobitro Dada, who I am already seeing blossom into a local turbine developer.

He has an electrical engineer friend who we are hoping will learn how to build controllers. The only remaining task to localize is the civil works. Vaishnav Singh from the Karlapat system can transform into a civil works expert, already being involved with Purna Guma construction and local government buildings.

2. Faciliate mentoring between experienced villages and new villages

Vaishnav Singh and Anand Singh from the Karlapat system have been mentoring Purna Guma from the early stages. Essentially the social mobilizing that was done by GV staff is now being done by local leaders. It has worked wonderfully, especially since Vaishnav and Anand have gone thru difficult times and know in hindsight how certain processes, e.g. group meetings, corpus collection, recording trouble shooting in log books, etc. can chance the course of a micro hydro project.

The vision is to have the social and technical leaders of each micro hydro project form a cooperative. This would allow locals, who have no choice but to live in these remote areas, to drive the development process and also can make an income by implementing micro hydro for their region's villages. There is a new site in sight--Pui Guda. Beautiful dark rock and falling water. I am hoping Vaishnav Babu will form a team and will implement the project on his own.

3. Faciliate the community to manage and drive the construction process

Despite Vaishnav Babu serving as the consultant of the civil works at Purna Guma, the community is blessed with 3 hamlets that each have very pro-active leaders who always thinks 2 steps ahead. There have been so many pleasing instances in the last 2 months (the construction period) where Purna Guma has shown that they will lead their own construction. While I continue to try and convince Karlapat to bury it's penstock (it's been 2 years!), Purna Guma leaders were lecturing to us about making the sure pipe is buried to prevent damage from UV rays and falling rock. In addition to Purna Guma having innate qualities of leading the project, not having any GV engineer on-site has made a huge difference. Although I have an engineering degree, Purna Guma is the first time I've managed any hands-on construction. The villagers see how little I know...and they know there is no one else. So they pester Vaishnav Babu and the masons for answers. They also learn from their own experience. The best part has been to watch them thru their mistakes. They never get discouraged; they simply try again and again until they get it right. For instance, we were measuring and cutting rods for the channel. They knew how long the rods needed to be, but they kept mis-reading the measuring tape which did not consecutively mark inches (e.g. the 13th inch was labled as 1", since the foot was already noted). Jay Singh Babu, the best of the leaders, kept making the same mistake...but not once did he get upset or give up. ...I guess surviving in the forest gives such people great energy to be persistent.

Penstock woes...or opportunities?

Based on my experience with Gram Vikas' micro hydro, I would say that the penstock laying of a micro hydro system is the most challenging task of implementing a micro hydro system. Severe leaks in the Karlapat system delayed the commissioning by nearly a year! The second system also has leaks. Yesterday, we started the laying of the penstock of the 3rd system, Purna Guma. Bad planning on my part. I was hoping that the remaining tasks--turbine, transmission, etc.--could be done in parallel in the next week...but there are delays in getting the engineers at the site. And due to communication issues, I did not know of the delays until after the penstock supplier reached Kalahandi. ...Therefore, we have a half-done penstock that will cook in the sun until the rest of the tasks can be finished. ...The woes of working with multiple organizations and suppliers...not to mention my reactive emotions....are making my life far from boring.




Un finished installation of gate valve...


The supplier we are using did wonders in fixing the Karlapat leaks, and therefore we chose to use him for Purna Guma. He had come a week earlier to finalize Purna Guma plans with the Practical Action engineer. Plans were finalized but as he started the work, it was not according to plan. We had marked a penstock pathway with the engineer and the villagers. Some goat went away with the string marking, so the villagers guessed and made the 3'x1' path required by the supplier. Luckily their guess was correct, but the supplier wanted to add additional bends when they were not required, simply so that he could finish faster. Also, the villagers worked very hard to make the path, but in hindsight, I don't think the path was needed! As you can see in the photos, it would have helped to have 1' of land to lay the penstock on...


I am bit concerned about the gradual bends...I guess PVC allows this. We'll see when we test for leakage. The earlier marked path by the Practical Action engineer had no bends...


Since I'm complaining, I might as well explain how the supplier keeps going back and forth on whether we should put anchor blocks now or later. Since I questioned his decisions, he decided most of the remaining work on the line should not be finished until the Practical Action engineer arrives.


This supplier is really trustful...but the way he managed the villagers on this project was disappointing. He expected villagers to be out at 5am, as Jaysingh Babu is in this photo, but he himself wanted to leave the site early when villagers were still ready to work. (Every outsider who visits ends up wanting to leave as soon as they come...Maybe it's the remoteness; usually it is that they are a little sick and develop some phobia to stay. I need to find a solution for future visitors.) Villagers have their regular routines so that they can fit into the day all the various tasks they need to do just to survive. They have to take their animals out, do seasonal house repairs, prepare the fields, go to town, maintain their tools. Although these tasks sound simple, they all consume great time. When you require a village to break that routine, it's awful. Usually they end up over working their bodies. Low immune systems in malaria infested Kalahandi is bad news. ...And of course the supplier will be long gone when the villager has to deal with the dilemma of spending the money to visit a doctor 2 hrs away...or just let the malaria take care of itself...Lame. ...I have yet to meet any supplier in India that doesn't make my temperature go up. ....yes, I am breathing and calm...now :)


Because the supplier couldn't get the rated pipes we wanted (10kg) in time (although now we have an extra month thanks to the Practical Action engineers not being able to come and my needing to be in the US for a few weeks), we were forced to get more expensive pipes (12-14kg).


The rising Sun makes all woes disappear...


The guy with the head gear is one of the best mobilizers in the community. He's loud and happy :). I have much to learn from him.


...Not sure why we have to use fiberglass coating for the pipes....If these systems are meant to help the climate change struggle, we need to be examining what parts of the system also contribute to environmental woes, e.g. fiberglass coating, cutting trees for pipe supports, etc.


Fiberglass roll...This saved us in the last project where there were severe leaks due to the penstock being out of spec. ..but I wasn't expecting this to be used in the project. ...It's hard to change the dynamics once work starts...unless I really get my temper out in the open.

For now, I can only take these lessons as opportunities to do better in the next project. ...I shouldn't be so hard on the supplier. He's has been passionate about helping us with the previous leaks (now another older project has leaks), but it is difficult to work with his logic.

I am finding myself in extreme emotions these days. I can't seem to deal with lack of perfection in others...even though I completely lack perfection! I can't deal with the communication gaps, e.g. when people say one thing and do another. I let the negative emotions get the best of me. It is only when a villager at the site sees me that I change a little. ...Usually the older ones know when I am down. I become their daughter for a few moments....tremendous Love is transferred in those few seconds and I feel rejuvenated. Thank you, Universe. I am grateful.

Finishing of Forebay tank

...All site efforts organized by the village construction team...no Gram Vikas field engineer require :)




Silting wall

Plastered and pretty!

Purna Guma micro hydro construction

Lots of work has happened at the site during the last 2 weeks. The finishing of the civil works is not great; we should have had better concreting supports. We will do better on the powerhouse.

Weir

Channel from weir to forebay tank (thru a very cool cave)

Forebay tank

Forebay tank

Channel to forebay tank

Powerhouse progress (plinth level)

Living Dream

Community driven micro hydro construction in Purna Guma village, Kalahandi, Orissa.



Within the Karlapat Sanctuary, Gram Vikas is starting its 3rd micro hydro project. Many valuable lessons were learned from its first 2 projects, in Amthagouda and Karlapat villages. Solutions to previous issues are being implemented in the 3rd project, in the village of Purna Guma.



I have spent most of my time at Gram Vikas (the last 2.5 years) trouble shooting existing projects. Therefore, a new project on a blank canvas is no doubt refreshing for me. But here's what makes Purna Guma unique:

1. Purna Guma is being implemented by the community alone with help from the villagers of the previous micro hydro system (7km away). Gram Vikas has learned that in the previous projects there was too much handholding, which now makes community driven management of system very difficult to facilitate. Letting the community drive the project is creating such an amazing dynamic. ...It's wonderful to see them think thru the various issues...without our help! Infact, they keep me on my toes.

2. Purna Guma is being support by several funding agencies, one of which is a student group at Columbia Unversity, Engineers Without Borders. The group gives me priceless energy to keep dealing with the field circumstances.

3. Despite the several castes in Purna Guma's 3 hamlets, the community has really come together for this project. Of course I know that their drive is simply the electricity (mainly lights); however thanks to Gram Vikas' mandate of 100% inclusion in every project, the circumstances don't give the community any other choice. ...Though I continue to sense that PG is more cohesive community than of the previous micro hydro projects.

4. There many other aspects...that i'll ramble off and on :).

Here are some photos...






Once PG decides to do a task, they really do it. Always, over 30 people show up or none at all. This is why the bulk of the civil structure were completed in the first 4 days!!





Leaders from Karlapat led the meeting the night before the construction started.


]
Much earthwork was required to get the site ready.



I was worried that we would not have masons...one of the many examples of my worries being pointless. The community had arranged 2 masons without my knowing.





Vaishnav Babu from Karlapat is our man. I am hoping he can lead future ydro implementation in Kalahandi without the field help of Gram Vikas.




After the earthworks, rods, cement, chips, and sand had to be head loaded up the 200m slope...NO JOKE.



But at every opportunity, the guys never fail to produce a laugh.



One second day we started the rod binding of the channel.



Purna Guma is blessed with a cool cave, making it easy to route the channel to the forebay tank location.




....having the time of my life :-)





Start of forebay tank drama....the concreting was difficult without proper supports.

Myles Horton

Although I've spent most of my life in Mississippi, I never knew of Myles Horton and his role in the Labor and Civil Rights movements. Only now, while living in Orissa, did a new friend introduce me to Horton and the Highlander Institute. With the community-based micro hydro work that is consuming me now, Horton couldn't have come at a better time. The Universe is always right on time :-).

....The more I read about and by Horton, I am in awe. Check him out:

http://www.highlandercenter.org/a-timeline.asp

What do you think?

My grandma left her body a few days ago, on March 22. We think she was over 105 years old.

Since my first long visit to India in 2003, I have been drawn to documenting my paternal grandparents journey, focusing on the seeds they've planted. I think it is only due to their karmic deeds that our family came out poverty within 1 generation. My motivation to work with rural communities was triggered by understanding the situations my grandparents experienced in moving from a village to Ahmedabad and building enough capacity for the family to later migrate to the US. The next generation, their 6 children, are just as inspiring. (The youngest is my dad.)

My grandma's recent death re-triggers my urge to document a part of our family's journey...however I contemplate the purpose and medium for such a documentation. The main purpose would be to capture the journey in order for future generations of our family to know their roots. ...but then I think I cannot force anything down the minds of the future generations? Another purpose to document would be to exemplify many other families who had similar journeies after India's independence. ...but are there already such memoirs?

...When i look closer, the main motivation to document is actually only about me. I feel blessed to be born in this family...somehow i want capture the essence of it forever. ...the reason to do that is because at times i do not live up to that essence...and i guess highlighting it helps engrain it in my being. At times i question whether i put too much or not enough importance my family identity.

How have you dealt with your roots?

Like Father, Like Son

Chores are more than chores in these communities. They are part of a process of children coming to age, acknowledging nature, and mere survival.

Karlapat Alternator Woes

Two weeks ago the Karlapat system generator stopped producing voltage. I was hoping to resolve the issue at the village, not needing to transport the alternator to town.

We did various trouble shooting at the powerhouse, confirming the coils and AVR are OK. However, we couldn't open the compartment where the diode assembly sits.

We had to bring it Berhampur 300km away. Sure enough a part of the diode bridge had been burned.

Silly folks in Berhampur are not motivated to find the root cause, even the village technicians have come up with ideas. If you have ideas, i'd love to hear them.

fyi--the voltage has never gone beyond 420 volts and the max load has been 7 kW. The alternator has been running for 1 year, even though it was purchased 2 years ago. We've had to replace the AVR once since only 350 volts were being produced.

A new diode bridge is around Rs. 6000, just as a new AVR. ...System has not been running for 2weeks :-(



Burned lead.


See the 7pm location of the burned diode?