16. mit Chris - Krischna

Whats your Name?

Krishna Dorairaj but most People call me Chris

How old are you?

26

Where do you come from?

I come from Madurai.

What is your family like?

I have a elder sister and a elder brother and my father and mother.

What is your profession?:

I studied Administration in Lancaster, England.

After that I start to work for Bank of New York. Before I worked in Manchester´s branch for 15 months. Recently I join the branch in Pune, India.

How has been your time in abroad and how you feel about India after coming back?

I had a great time in the UK. There I felt somehow different. I felt to belong to somewhere else. For 3 years I ended up in a small Indian community. Than I moved to Manchester to work and had a big cultural shock. I adapted a new lifestyle, found many new friends and had a very good time.

So how is India now?

Well, I feel respect to present life. It is good system for a person to life although a person has no space for him self in India. For my self I like to life more European and organized but as I am here I don´t mix my lives. So I follow all the Indian traditions in this place. I won´t westernize nor easternize again.

Definitely I want to go back to live in Europe.

Where did Lukas meet Rajen?

Some friends from Germany came to visit the Madurai Festival. That time Krishna hosted all of us via couchsurfing.org . So we all slept in house for 2 days.

15. mit Rajen

Whats your Name?

Nallathambi Rajendraprasad short Rajen

How old are you?

55

Where do you come from?

I come from a small village: South Thamaraekulam (it means, we had a lots ponds full of lotus in my village), in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. Now I live in Vembar.

What is your family like?

I have 7 siblings. I am fifth in family. My father is no more, but my mother is 85 years, living in my native place. Our families part of village is called kumbulankundu.

I met Lucy (my wife) in a place in northern Karnataka. We feel in love and got married. Than we got a daughter in 1987, who is a dentist in Bangalore now. Every year on 26 to 28 of December all family has a get together. (After a long time of calculating...) When all are gathered we are 37.

What is your profession?:

I am a social worker.

I studied Bachlor and Master of Social Work and Master of Administration.

I had founded with some more people. I had been director for 5 years 2002-2007, than executive director: 2007-2011. So now I am a only Volunteer in PAD, now I am honorary secretary of board.

PAD I support by bringing funds and networking with donors and bigger forums. For example I was evolved in a green manifesto for over all Tamil Nadu, which is to copy European green parties and developed a green movement on state level.

Furthermore I do consultancy work in different countries and and teach PRA-Tools. (PAR=Participatory Rural Appraisal = Community centred research tools)

What made found PAD and how is your vision in reality?

Well 3 people made me come into the buisness:

• My father
• Jesus Christ not as a religious leader but by his deeds
• And my elder brother Thambi (see interview nr. 7)

My father worked as a herbal doctor and for the poorest he worked for free.

After my MA I got employed by world vision (big international NGO). But I was not content, because I only implemented what the organization commended. People should own development projects. They must decide what happens. Than I learned PRA and found as as the correct tool for participation.

So that´s why I went for a new NGO

Regarding the progress we made I think a NGO has 5 phases:

Preparative stage, organizing stage, experimental, extension, fading out

PAD is in between extension and fading out phase. Within maximal 5 years ISLAND Trust will take over everything. (ISLAND is child NGO of PAD, fully working by locals, which is founded in order to overtake PAD´s work)

PAD is totally from bottom (in technical term grassroots-orientated).

All work took a lot longer than expected, because we do nothing without Community Participation and as PAD-members are mainly not from the place we face sometimes non cooperation. But anyhow what we do is more sustainable.

The local groups will go on: LG, VDC...

Some dynamics make that not everybody is keen on social ideas, some follow their own agendas. But I believe, peoples organization will and can take over.

That´s so different to my previous organization.

Where did Lukas meet Rajen?

Rajen is the boss of the organization I work with for 9 months.

14. mit einem VDC-President

Whats your Name?

Mariamanikam

How old are you?

50

Where do you come from?

Perisamipuram, Tamil Nadu, India

What is your family like?

Married, 4 women (25,23,21,19) two are married, one is conformed

What is your profession?:

I am Land-salesman. People of all casts come to me to buy properties in the village. And I am (was) VDC President. (The VDC- Village Development committee is a medium of PAD to organize a village. It consists of PAD group members and traditional officials of a village. Monthly it meets.) I work with VDC for 10 years.

Working for 10 years with PAD – what changes did you observe in Perisamitpuram?

In the beginnig PAD gave 45 houses to the village and a shorter time ago a water tank. All that is in use.

Than PAD supports 127 children in our village. The villagers are palm-trappers, fisher and salt kulis (Tagelöhner auf den Salzfarmen). That means our people are very poor.

The good change is, that now the study expenses for one child are not given to the family but sold by PAD. That includes our new boarding school.

In earlier times children could only attend school in off season. When the parents migrated for work they had to join, because there were no affordable way to keep the children study. Due to the help of PAD nowadays 450 children study in Perisamipuram. PAD is good!

Where did Lukas meet Mariamanikam?

I met him in Perisamipuram where I attended a annual school celebration to apreciate results of good pupils.

13. mit Sri

Whats your Name?

Sritharan or Sri

How old are you?

26

Where do you come from?

From Sri Lanka, now staying in Erode. Lastly I worked in Vembar.

What is your family like?

My family have 4 members. My junger brother, me and my parents. 2 others are married and life in Chennai. We migrated 6 years ago from Sri Lanka, because the Tamilien struggle with the Sri Lankan government. (More information)

So now we life in a Sri Lankan refuges camp in Tamil Nadu.

What is your profession?:

I successfully did my Master of Social Work in Madurai. For the last year I had worked in PAD. I was working for Kids in the surrounding of Vembar.

Now I search for a development-orientated Job in Chennai.

Why you want to do development work?

India is a developing country, thus it has big need of development activities and education for the poor. Not everybody is reached by our development yet.

I like the appreciation you get by working directly with people. Only in the social jobs you have it, as otherwise you work for salary. For you. I like the personal touch with people. They get happy, I am happy.

The date I decided to study social work was: 21^st May 2006 in Sri Lanka.

That day government forces broke an no fire agreement of 2002 with LTTE (Liberation for Tiger of Tamil Eelam). My village got totally bombed by flights and rockets. 600 people died in our area. 3 days we only searched for safety places. We moved 78 kilometers running from safe to safe place. I lost relatives and many friends, one died in front of me. Finally we went to Maanar and went by illegal boat (arround 1400€ for 11 people) to Tamil Nadu.

Why the social work? I don´t like the bloody war. Everybody is affected by body and mind. But Everybody is equal. I want to talk to people. Why we fight for land? I want a legal struggle. See what I can do in the I high position in field work and one day in the UN.

Where did Lukas meet Sri?

Sri has been my college. He just left PAD in the beginning of April. He has been very supportive and we became friends.

12. mit einem "government officer"

Whats your Name?

Mr. Imperumal

How old are you?

48 years

Where do you come from?

I come from Covilpatti, Tutticorin District, Tamil Nadu

What is your family like?

I have a wife and 2 daughters.

What is your profession?:

I had been a teacher. Now I am a government official. I supervise the scheme ” survashiksha abian”- this means education for all.

I am monitoring the quality of teaching in government supported primary school. Do kids get enough food? How are the facilities? Is the money used properly? I also do accounts.

What challenge exists in Indian education sector?

...Very difficult question. Ask something concretely.

What should be done for all primary schools?

Yes... (He stops nervously) What?

All schoolboy should have a Uniform.

And we have to many boards. Matriculation board, district board, state board. Less bureaucracy?

Less what? … (He is absolutely nervous)...

Do you think, there should be any change in the style of teaching?

...

No beating?

Please Sir, I have to go.

Where did Lukas meet Mr. Imperumal?

I met him in the mess of PAD. He and our Project Administration chief were eating together. He should control the quality of the teaching the teachers and I are doing in PAD boarding school. At the end he left towards another school. He did not visit our school and so he can´t get an impression of the quality of teaching in PAD-school...

11. mit Gisa

Whats your Name?

My name is Gisa Möllering

How old are you?

I am 20 years old.

Where do you come from?

I was born and raise up near Hildesheim. Since last summer I study in Göttingen.

What is your family like?

I have a mother, a father and an elder brother.

What is your profession?:

Well, I study forest economy, so I should be learning … but eh... life is busy.

Now you have spend 3 weeks in India traveling around. What was:

The most exiting for you?

To drive Rikscha in Bangalore on the first day.

The most romantic for you?

Sunrise in Hampi, surrounded by beautiful nature, Temples and spiritual songs.

And when you welcomed me on Bangalore Airport.

The most astonishing for you?

The food is amazing tasty. I liked everything. And no car hit me, the traffic is crazy!

The most nerving for you?

Walking on the streets people starred at me so much. I did not like at all.

Would you like to come back?

Maybe for some places, especially Hampi. And for Chai (indian tea) and the incredible cultural diversity, which is visible in day to day life.

What is your favorite indian tree?

Ficus religiosa (better known as Buddhas tree).

Where did Lukas meet Gisa?

I met her in Bangalore to travel to Mysore, Bylakuppe, Hampi, Pune, Shirde, Nasik, Bombay and Goa. We had three weeks full of India, full of relaxation, full of love.

II- Incredible India – IT- Incredible Time

10. mit Rampelsingh

Whats your Name?

Rampelsingh Siduhan

How old are you?

57

Where do you come from?

Karnal in Hariyana

What is your family like?

I have 2 sons and 2 daughters, all are married.

What is your profession?:

My last occupation was business and agriculture. Now I am totally centered to Dhamma. I voluntarily teach Vipassana-Meditation.

My children finance me to do so. 

What has been the benefit for you to practice Vipassana?

I can´t really explain.

When I first go in Dhamma I felt unfortuned to meet it sooo late.

You are so fortunate,

You are so fortunate,

You are so fortunate.

I met it beeing 45. It helps in all stages of live. I attented all kinds of courses (10/20/30/45-Days). My family also meditates, we are a Dhamma-family.

It gives so much benefits if you go the path of Dhamma, if you practice Vipassana!

Where did Lukas meet Rampelsingh Siduhan?

Gawan and I did a Vippassana 10 Days course in Hariyana in January 2012. He has been our teacher. For more details go to http://dhamma.org/