Some pictures of Sasha

Annual vacation

Team

Iam taking my annual holiday with family from April30- May 6th
Iam available throughout-pls feel free to call m anytime
I will be checking may mails and looking forward to read transcripts and field notes

Sasha is leaving

With great sadness, I inform the team Sasha has resigned. She was the first member of our team and I joined after her. We have shared a lovely relationship- most times fun. some anxious moments and some bitter and angry moments. She considers me like her mom and we have had similar quarrels of a mother and a daughter.

She is leaving us to pursue her higher studies and I wish her all the very best. She will be with us till June 2nd .

Sasha - You will be sorely missed and Innerworlds will not be the same without you . Daughters dont resign and you will always be one for me

Kudos for Mousumi

Shirish is COO of our KGFS - and Mousumi was staying with his wife's grandmother. Today I recd a call from Shirish and I was moved and elated beyond words.
Villagers from Arakhpur had called up Shirish to tell him what a wonderful person Mousumi is, how well she conducted the interviews and how well mannered she was through out her stay.
I cant express my feelings when he spoke those words-
I am proud of you Moususmi - Keep going
I am proud of Anjali who is braving hardships ( cold and computer crashes ) and of Preethi - It takes courage to go back to your roots to do research-
And Sasha is back - after an eventful trip to Rajasthan- She witnessed childmarriages, had a camel ride , petted white rats and had a heat stroke all in course of 2 weeks
Suchitra is travelling to Theni
God bless all of you
Have fun

Mousumi from Orissa

There were all kinds of people over here and I have many memorable experiences which I cant forget.A school teacher who is of my age but looks so grown up and has taken the responsibility of his entire family.

People of lower caste have no food to eat, but the treatment they have got from the higher caste has united them the all the more. They have their own definition of happiness.People from higher caste with power have forgotten about their family once entered into politics.It is family which will suport when power and youth is gone...

Is it the culture of Orissa to be so fatalistic?The people know to work hard, eat and sleep.They dont have goals in life.Is this happiness?

While I take interviews, some co-operate, some don't,some even misbehave.Over the time my framing of questions has improved.I have realised their are no particular rules for work.

Only rule is to enjoy whatever you are doing. No electricity in daytime, low lights in night .I have my own doubts, but still I hope I will be able to do justice to my work. I want to hear from Preethi and Anjali. Dear all,if you read this, please respond,it really feels good

Sasha's escapades

Sasha had an exciting trip - she was curious to know why nobody was free to give interviews and why was the entire village getting involved in weddings. She was rudely shooed off when she tried clicking pictures and was close to tears. I was baffled.

Only then it dawned on us she had stumbled on child marriages - a prevalent practise in Rajasthan. Girls as young as 12-13 were married off.

Thankfully Sasha did not get into trouble- though every one who heard about it knew how narrowly she escaped the wrath of the villagers.

Insurance- We practise what we preach

A chance remark that we need to insure our equoments led to a more obvious need-to insure our interns. Thanks to Suchitra's untiring efforts, all our interns have mediclaim in case of hospitalization and life insurance group policy. We have taken it for 25 and made it available for interns of other teams as well
Thanks Dave , Kumaar and Bindu for supporting us