Navigating the Tracks of India

Guest Blogger: Olivia Rubio, Third year part-time MSW student

Today we started an early day with a commuter train from Maharashtra to the Central Railway Station to visit historical sights in Vashti,including the Magen David Synagogue and Queen Victoria monument. In the rather unkempt and dark train station we discovered that women and men sat in different coaches. The train only halted for 20 swift seconds, so you must run to your coach car and quickly board. I can only imagine how many casualties occur on a regular basis in a city with such a high density. I was worried when I learned that two of our group members were left behind-Valerie and Prof. Mandayam. They had to catch the train 10 minutes after ours as they did not board the train within the 20 second window! The 50+ minute train ride was an eccentric adventure, which shocked my every sense of smell, sight, hearing and beyond. The train passed through slums and squatters with a backdrop of tall deteriorating apartment buildings, scattered construction and office buildings.

I was simultaneously disturbed and saddened to observe children walking around naked and to see men and children defecate on the railroad tracks. My western thinking is inclined to question: Where is the dignity? Where is the privacy?

We ventured to New Mumbai to visit a women's empowerment agency, which was inspiring and thought-provoking. The mission is to strengthen the governance roles of Elected Women Representatives, motivating members and developmental groups through sustainable process of capacity and network building. I was fascinated to hear the stories of two women who held office in their local villages while playing an important role in the decisions of their people. I was particularly captivated by the second speaker since she was evidently charismatic, passionate and committed to advocating for her people and improving their living conditions. She definitely did not typify your "traditional" rural Indian woman since she was 30 year old, unmarried and stated that if she was to marry, "He has to accept me for who I am."

Today was an intense and rich learning experience in every dimension which I will continue to process as time progresses. Witnessing first-hand the inhumane living conditions impacted my views on the value of life and social injustice. I am starving for more exposure to the culture since I am on a mission to understand how locals view their own situations. As a social worker one must first capture the essence of how the target population views their situation and learn about the actual circumstances to efficiently design and form of intervention to meet the needs of the people, which is easier said than done.

My mind has been filled with questions, but I can't seem to get past the most basic question: Where do we start to help this population?