Women at our clinic waiting to be seen.

On this second post I’ll give you a brief introduction to the project. The Mata Jai Kaur Hospital is actually named after my great grandmother on my mom’s side, Jai Kaur, who, along with my great grandfather, Ram Jas, and his two brothers immigrated to the Ganganagar region of northern Rajasthan back in the late 1920’s (keep an eye out for a future post on the history of this region). They settled in the village of 35BB where the project is now located (villages were named after irrigation canals – all the villages in the immediate area draw water from the ‘BB’ canal).

At the moment we have a small clinic running at the site that provides prenatal care for pregnant mothers and general gynaecological care for women. The clinic is open once a week on Sundays and patients are referred to our partner hospital, Sihag Hospital in Ganaganagar, for deliveries, lab work and tests. We are in the process of designing and constructing the main MJK hospital which will provide full maternal and child health services on site, removing the need for patients to travel to Ganganagar for deliveries.

The two-room clinic is named after my grandmother, Kartar Kaur, who delivered 9 of her 10 children in a small mud-walled room on the very spot that the clinic now stands. Kartar Kaur died from complications after the birth of her 10^th child, my uncle Baldev (Deep) Shergill, leaving the responsibility of raising him to his grandparents, Ram Jas and Jai Kaur. Both Mata Jai Kaur and Mata Kartar Kaur passed away on the very plot of land where the MJK hospital project is being set up. The project is a reflection of their love and sacrifice, and is dedicated to women of the Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, many of whom are suffering through the same childbirth-related issues that my grandmother faced over half a century ago.

Although most of the family has now emigrated abroad, we still have family that live in or around 35BB and who are intimately involved with the project. Having close ties to the community is very important and a huge benefit for us. Even though the project is funded externally (for the moment), there is a large amount of local ownership and influence on how things go – this is about as grassroots and locally-run as a joint Canadian-Indian project can be.

The hospital is meant to serve poor families in the surrounding area that would otherwise not have access to quality health services. The need in the area is great. The closest government hospital is in city of Shri Ganganagar which is about 50km away – a very difficult distance to travel if you do not have a car – and local health centres do not have adequate facilities. Consequently, pregnant mothers often deliver at home in unhygienic environments with no access to medical help in the event of an emergency. Many mothers will also not receive prenatal care meaning that many preventable issues – like anaemia and malnutrition – are not addressed.

These issues bear out in the statistics. Rajasthan’s infant mortality rate is 65 deaths of child under 1 years-old out of 1000 births (worse than the rest on India, which is about 55 per 1000 births). The rate for the poor rural women we are serving is likely even worse. In comparison, Canada’s infant mortality is 5 deaths per 1000.

Maternal Mortality Ratio is the ratio of the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. MMR is often used as a measure of the quality of a health care system. India’s rate is 254/100,000 and Rajasthan’s is 388/100,000. In comparison, the average MMR for developed countries is around 20/100,000. The major causes of post-partum maternal death are severe bleeding and hemorrhage, infections, unsafe abortions, eclampsia (seizures or coma that occur during pregnancy) and other complicating issues like anemia and malaria (both of which are common in the area). Again, it’s safe to assume the specific region we serve has worse rates because of the limited access to quality facilities.

In the coming weeks I’ll be discussing more about the problems women face in this region, the cast of characters working on the project, and our ideas for the future. Stay tuned!

Sign on the main road directing visitors to our clinic.

35BB at dusk looking south – the tall building in the background on left is part of the MJK hospital project

Women patients leaving our clinic after a visit.

Here you can see the clinic on the right and the house in the background. The open space in the middle is the future site of the MJK hospital.

Jaipur, January 24. Amid death threats to organisers and fears of violent protests by some Muslim groups, the much-anticipated televised speech by Salman Rushdie at Jaipur Literature Festival had to be cancelled minutes before it was scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Had the Rajasthan Government allowed Rushdie to attend the festival, the author would have been present at the event for a day. But thanks to the way it handled the entire situation, Rushdie continued to hog the limelight during the entire festival, and that too by not even being physically present.

On Monday, when it was learnt that Rushdie would address a video-conference on the last day of the festival (January 24), some local Muslim bodies approached the organisers to stop the proposed programme. They also gave written presentation to the government to ask the organisers to clarify the names of the panellists and the topic of the conference.

The government asked the organisers to obtain permission before going ahead with the conference on Tuesday. Today, the organisers called a press conference to say that the government has given a permission to go ahead with the conference at 3.45 pm. However, hardly an hour had passed, when some members of the Jamat-e-Islami gathered at the venue, Diggi Palace, demanding ban on Rushdie’s video-address of Rushdie, titled ‘Midnight Children.’

A little later, several youths gathered outside the venue shouting slogans and threatened to burn the public property if the event was not cancelled. With the circus of bigotry going on, the scheduled session on ‘Reconstructing Rumi’ was cancelled to make room for Rushdie’s video address.

While leaders of the Jamat-e-Islami and their followers assembled at one side of the Front Lawns, people on the other side waited for the event to begin. An hour later, Ram Pratap Singh, the owner of Diggi Palace, made an announcement from the stage that under threat of violence from certain groups, he is forced to cancel the video address.

An emotionally charged Sanjoy Roy, producer, JLF, announced that he was pained and humiliated by this ‘idiotic decision’. “We have been bullied. It is very sad that we have to close a festival that celebrates creative voices in this way. All of us feel hurt and disgraced,” said Roy.

Minutes later, one could see leaders of protesting groups assembling at one corner of the lawn and writing autographs for their followers, just the way writers had been doing through the festival.

Salim Engineer, National Secretary, Jamat-e-Islamia Hind, gave his follower an autograph, which read “Freedom with Responsibility”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120125/main3.htm

The state government dismissed the charge saying Intelligence Bureau had given the inputs and it was not concocted.

A day after the Mumbai police refuted reports that it had passed on information about “paid assassins” being on their way to eliminate Rushdie, 64-year-old Rushdie took to microblogging site Twitter to vent his anger. “The Rajasthan police invented plot to keep away Rushdie’ I’ve investigated, & believe that I was indeed lied to. I am outraged and very angry,” he tweeted.

Rushdie said he does not know if the false intelligence information was given by the Rajasthan police under instructions from someone. “Don’t know who gave orders. And yes I guess the same police who want to arrest (authors) Hari, Amitava, Jeet and Ruchir. Disgusting,” he said responding to a comment on whether it is the same police who now want to arrest writers for reading passages of his banned work ‘The Satanic Verses’ at the festival.

Rejecting Rushdie’s charge, a Rajasthan government official said, “It was the input of IB on the basis of which the organisers advised Rushdie not to attend the festival. “It was brought to our knowledge today that Rushdie through twitter had said that the Rajasthan police tried to keep him away from the festival. It is absolutely wrong,” the official said.

“It is our duty that if we receive advisory on any threat perception against anyone, we provide full security to him,” Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said.

Rushdie posted a link to a news report that said local intelligence officials in Rajasthan had “invented” information about the assassination plot against him to keep him away from the event. His accompanying tweet read, “Here’s the story. Astonishing.” The author had dropped plans to attend the literature meet saying he was informed by intelligence sources in Maharastra and Rajasthan about threats to his life. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120123/main4.htm

Hippie camel

This is one of the camels that took us on a safari around Pushkar in Rajastan, India. All of the camels were decorated with flowers and trinkets, but this one in particular looked like a true hippie.

Jaipur, January 9. Stressing need for developing key areas like education, skills and health care, President Pratibha Patil exhorted the overseas Indian community to continue helping India in becoming a global power.

Delivering the valedictory address at the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations here, she said 27 million strong Indian overseas community was not only large but was becoming increasingly influential.

Complimenting Kamla Persad Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, she said overseas Indians with sheer hard work, dedication and commitment have risen to top positions in their new countries.

Pratibha Patil said in the present century human society was facing the daunting yet inspiring task of forging “sustainability” in all its activities so that while meeting current human needs, the requirements of future generations were also safeguarded. She called upon overseas Indians to play a great role in meeting this major challenge as they had gained knowledge and experiences in academics, science and technology.

While appreciating the need for youth connectivity, the President appreciated the ‘Know India Programme’ as it brings groups of young overseas Indian youth to India with a view to promote awareness of different facets of life here. “We must continue to promote greater exchange between the youth as an important aspect of forging linkages and maintaining the tradition of close bonds,” she said.

She also appreciated the Indian Community Welfare Fund that has been extended from 18 countries to all Indian missions overseas.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120110/main5.htm#1

Addressing over 1,900 NRIs, Singh also said that there is need to be alert to the unfolding developments in Gulf and West Asia but assured them it was ready to extend such help to them anywhere should the need arise.

Listing several steps taken for the welfare for overseas Indians, the Prime Minister said the government was also ‘acutely conscious’ of the safety and security of Indians living abroad, particularly in regions characterised by instability.

“The government and people of India recognise and greatly value the important role being played by Indian communities living abroad. We believe that the Indian diaspora has much more to contribute to the building of modern India.

“We propose to facilitate, encourage and promote this engagement. Over the past year we have taken a number of steps towards this end,” Singh said.

The Prime Minister told the overseas Indians that the government has decided to introduce and sponsor a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund for overseas Indian workers.

The Union Cabinet had cleared a proposal for setting up of a Pension and Life Insurance Fund (PLIF) for them in the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries on January four.

“The scheme will encourage, enable and assist overseas workers to voluntarily save for their return and resettlement and old age. It will also provide a low-cost life insurance cover against natural death. This scheme fulfils a long pending demand of our workers abroad,” Singh said. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/pm-says-diaspora-has-much-more-contribute-modern-india-258

Francis van Herck, from Hasselt in Belgian Limburg, in charge of the rickshaw of Gurmeet Singh (Bharatpur, Rajastan)

I know Francis because he organises (amongst other things) groups that visit Sangat Sahib Gurdwara in Sint-Truiden
He works for Karavaan, an organisation involved in multicultural activities, including trips to India

Dr. Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu.

Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu

Nicolae Buzaianu, industriel suisse s’engage auprès de la communauté Bishnois afin de promouvoir leur message en faveur du respect et de la protection de la nature.  Pour ce spécialiste de l’énergie, l’engagement était naturel envers un peuple qui a pris conscience des problématiques liées au développement durable depuis le 15^ème Siècle.  Ce soutien permettra financer l’installation photographique qui leur est consacrée dans la Station Luxembourg du RER B à Paris en décembre prochain et aussi contribuera au projet de traitement des sacs plastiques sur le territoire de la communauté.  

Les Bishnois : Premier peuple écologiste depuis le 15^ème Siècle

 Les Bishnois sont un peuple d’environ 800 000 personnes vivants au Rajastan dans le  Nord de l’Inde. Ils sont considérés comme les premiers écologistes du Monde. En effet, depuis le 15^ème Siècle, sous l’impulsion de leur gourou, Jamboji, les Bishnois ont édicté 29 règles (Bishnois en Indi) dont un tiers est consacré aux problématiques environnementales. Ils sont notamment précurseurs en matière d’écotaxe et sont obligés de planter au moins un arbre par an.  

« Je trouve cela extraordinaire que des peuples aient eu la perception des enjeux qui sont les nôtres aujourd’hui et ce depuis plus de 5 siècles. Il me semble qu’il faut s’inspirer des Bishnois » affirme Nicolae Buzaianu 

Une rencontre avec un homme en or : Khamu Ram Bishnois 

C’est lors de la venue de Khamu Ram Bishnois en France, cet automne, que Nicolae Buzaianu a découvert l’existence du peuple Bishnois et du message qu’ils portaient. Khamu Ram est la nouvelle incarnation de l’engagement de ce peuple en faveur de la protection de l’environnement. Il se bat contre les sacs plastiques sur son territoire. Il a su mobiliser et fédérer autour de lui de nombreux militants afin de stopper la prolifération de cette pollution moderne.  

Pour Nicolae Buzaianu, « l’action de Khamu Ram, prouve qu’il est possible grâce à des initiatives locale et de proximité de changer le cours des choses et de changer nos habitudes. Khamu Ram est vraiment un homme en or ! » 

Un modèle exportable en Afrique :  

L’initiative de Khamu Ram Bishnois visant à mobiliser la population autour de la problématique des sacs plastiques prouve que l’action de proximité pouvait permettre de répondre aux enjeux écologiques. 

L’initiative de Khamu Ram Bishnois pourrait bien faire des émules notamment dans les pays africains. C’est pour cela qu’il était important pour Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu de contribuer à l’action de Khamu Ram et de donner les moyens de diffuser le message de ce peuple qui vaut de l’or pour notre planète.  

« Je connais bien le continent africain et notamment la Zambie où je soutiens déjà l’école chippendele et je suis convaincu que ce genre d’initiatives pourrait utilement se décliner dans certains pays » conclut Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu.

Not sure where to start with this post. Were feeling a bit let down by Jaipur, or maybe its just that Jodhpur set the bar so dam high with our favorite guest house and fort visited so far.

We booked to stay in Sunder Place, which has the best beds ever, soft pillows and a nice hot shower. This hotel was full of French people, which was fine, but again, maybe lovely Anna also set the standard so high travel buddy wise. Nobody was up for a late night chat (booooooo). So after a naf walk through the alleged ”Jewellery capital of the world”, all we could find was tacky shops selling fake jewellery. But in all fairness to the place, a lot of the shops were closed due to a protest against a new French market that recently opened selling cheap products direct from France. So I’ll reserve judgement on that one.

We woke up and decided to check out of the hotel and head off to Pushkar by bus. But first we decided to look for a Tuk Tuk driver to take us to the Fort, we needed one that couldn’t speak English as all the ones that can, befriend you quick and make it hard for you to refuse their offers of visiting their friends shop and be your personal guide.Funny thing one of these guys driving the TUK TUK was so chatty mouth that he said that his girlfriend lives in England and works at Nandos the FAMOUS CHINESE RESTAURANT HAHAHAHA YOU LIE!! He convinced us to let him wait for us whilst we visited the fort and When we got back to the Tuk Tuk, he decided to visit his mosque to pray for an hour, which is fine, if he’d told us in advance. So we waited in the hot sun and just when we couldn’t take it any more and had one foot in another Tuk Tuk, all the local drivers threatened the our new non-English speaking form of escape and he took off leaving us to wait for Mr Chatty Mouth (who even spoke Italian so we couldn’t talk in CODE behind his back). But as vexed as we were, we had to smile and laugh as he cracked more jokes and spoke in Italian.

Maybe we left Jodhpur without giving let it do justice, but were sat on the roof top of a Pushkar Guest house with the loudest wedding reception I’ve ever heard,blasting through the town. Were looking forward to seeing what this place has to offer. The bus journey here was completely nuts with our drive eating nuts and chatting on the mobile phone whilst nearly crashing into every thing that past us. Nice government bus for 3hrs and 30mins local bus to Pushkar.

~Later Days~

The Bishnoi are a nation of about 800,000 people living in Rajastan in Northern India. They are considered as the first environmentalists of the world. Effectively, since the 15th Century and under the leadership of their prophet, Jamboji, the Bishnoi nation has edicted 29 regulations, a third of which are devoted to environmental issues. The Bishnoi were pioneers in the field of environmental taxes and, for instance, obliged to plant at least one tree per year.

“I find it extraordinary that people have had the perception of the issues we face today, and have been facing, for more than five centuries.  It seems to me that we must take inspiration from the  Bishnoi, “said Nicolae Buzaianu
A meeting with ‘the man in gold..’ Khamu Ram Bishnoi
It was during the arrival of Khmu Ram Bishnoi in France this Autumn, that Nicolae Buzaianu discovered the existence of the Bishnoi people and the message they carried.  Khmu Ram is the new incarnation of the commitment of the people in favour of environmental protection. Khamu Ram fights against plastic bags in the territory and was able to mobilize and unite around him many activists to stop the spread of this modern pollution.

For Buzaianu Nicolae, “the action of Khmu Ram proves that it is possible through local initiatives and engagement, to change the course of things and in turn change our habits. Khmu Ram is really a man in gold! “

An exportable model in Africa
The Khmu Ram Bishop initiative entails the mobilization of the population regarding the problem of plastic bag refuse and to prove that local initiatives and engagement could provide the response to this major ecological challenge.

The Khmu Ram Bishop initiative could be emulated especially within African countries. It is towards this end that Nicolai Began Buzaianu felt it most important to contribute to the actions of Khamu Ram and in turn to provide the means through which this message, worth gold to our planet, is spread to the people.

 
“I know the African continent very well, in particular Zambia, where I already support the Chippendale school. I am convinced that such initiatives could be worthily emulated in certain countries,” concludes Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu.

I shot this in Rajastan, India.

This creative man perched on a dusty  footpath and transformed blank wood patches to wonderful pieces of art.

A controversial minister in the Indian state of Rajasthan, who is an accused in a case of mysterious disappearance of a government nurse, has been sacked.

Mahipal Maderna was dropped from the state cabinet on Sunday night by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Mr Maderna is charged with “rape and murder”. He says he is innocent.

Nurse Bhanwari Devi went missing on 1 September. The minister was named as an accused after a video CD emerged showing him getting close to her.

Mr Maderna was named as an accused by the police after orders from the court.

Earlier, Rajasthan high court had criticised the state police for “going slow on the case” and accused the state government of acting “hand in glove” to save the minister.

The case was handed over to the federal police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last week.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15331086

I shot this in Rajastan, India.

Grandpa with his little fella came out for an evening stroll.

]]> http://avikabir.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/iktara/ Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:32:09 +0000 avikabir http://avikabir.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/iktara/

A super musician and a vibrant person I shot in Rajastan, we had tea together and a warm jam session–He played his iktara (one-stringer) while I jigged…–before parting.

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

                                                        -William Shakespeare

I shot this in Rajastan, India

  I shot this in Rajastan, India

Un paese così affascinante ma così diverso, a poche ore dalla partenza per questo viaggio che sarà ricco di nuove sorprese ed emozioni….

Radha

Namaste everyone,

In this segment,  Mohini explains why the archetype Goddess RADHA is so powerful.

Just just like KRISHNA, the name RADHA is a quantum sound (mantra) that can give you material abundance and enlightenment.

RADHA is the supreme Goddess for Power and Love. RADHA is pure emotion and it is emotions (in other words, your desires) that enable you to create.

According to Dr Pillai (Babaji), RADHA is the ultimate manifesting energy.

Listen to Mohini speak about RADHA’s special power to create an effect without a cause i.e. effortless creation

Radha Krishna - The Divine Couple

Babaji Is Coming To Singapore!

Babaji

To learn more about Babaji’s upcoming 2-day exclusive Guru Purnima seminar in Singapore (9 and 10 July 2011) plus receive a rare Personal Initiation from Babaji, visit: http://effortlesscreation.eventbrite.com/

with love,

Vijay

In a scene from the Bhagavad Gita, KRISHNA reveals His true divine universal form to Arjuna.

Namaste everyone,

In this segment,  Mohini explains the power of the divine archetype KRISHNA.

KRISHNA can give you the power to create matter i.e. to manifest your desires.

Mohini also explains how the name KRISHNA in itself is a powerful quantum sound (mantra) which can make you a magnet for attraction.

By chanting KRISHNA’s name, you can also obtain His blessings for happiness, blessed relationships, music, dance and all wordly pleasures.

What KRISHNA Will Give You

Babaji Is Coming To Singapore!

Babaji

To learn more about Babaji’s upcoming 2-day exclusive Guru Purnima seminar in Singapore (9 and 10 July 2011) plus receive a rare Personal Initiation from Babaji, visit: http://effortlesscreation.eventbrite.com/

with love,

Vijay

Effortless Creation With RADHA & KRISHNA, The Divine Couple

Namaste everyone,

In this series of 2 video highlights, Mohini introduces you to the divine archetypes RADHA and KRISHNA.

As Dr Pillai (Babaji) is now teaching,  RADHA and KRISHNA are the divine couple who embody the highest bliss and ecstasy of God.

The path of RADHA and KRISHNA will give you material abundance and enlightenment in perfect harmony – you can enjoy your material pleasures and at the same time, be totally immersed in the bliss of God.

Introduction to RADHA & KRISHNA

The Power of RADHA & KRISHNA

Babaji Is Coming To Singapore!

Babaji

To learn more about Babaji’s upcoming 2-day exclusive Guru Purnima seminar in Singapore (9 and 10 July 2011) plus receive a rare Personal Initiation from Babaji, visit: http://effortlesscreation.eventbrite.com/

with love,

Vijay

Namaste everyone,

Mohini teaches how you can have total transformation when you successfully connect with an archetype (divine light beings).

She goes on to explain how the kings of ancient civilisations as well as enlightened masters had always known that in order to acquire ultimate power, they had to go to archetypes for help.

Babaji

To learn more about Babaji’s upcoming 2-day exclusive Guru Purnima seminar in Singapore (9 and 10 July 2011) plus receive a rare Personal Initiation from Babaji, visit: http://effortlesscreation.eventbrite.com/

with love,

Vijay