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Day 12

On the last day of the trip, all of us woke up feeling a mix of bitter-sweetness and gladness that the trip was coming to an end. Throughout the past 12 days, we have truly learnt a lot about community development and its related concepts like agency and solidarity. First-hand interaction with the community and seeing for ourselves how things around here worked truly gave us a lot of insight as to how community development played a crucial role in this society.

Many of us shared laughter, revelations and shock at many of the social issues that were presented to us things that we would not have previously imagined were possible before embarking on this trip. The several instances of reflection in the evenings also allowed us to consolidate our thoughts and reflect on why we were in India. The debrief sessions were thought-provoking and helped us to relate what we experienced back to Singapore. We were able to see how interconnected we are and the possibilities we can bring back home. Truly, many of us have grown a lot since the first day of the trip.

It was finally time to bid farewell to this land that taught us so much;, India had let us gain so many valuable experiences and insights that we would not have achieved if we didn’t venture out of Singapore. Reluctantly we said goodbye to the homestay owner (who generously shared his 150-year-old house with the 25 of us) as we began our journey back to Ahmedabad.

At Bell Guest House with our kind host

We also spent a few hours at Ahmedabad One, a large shopping mall in central Ahmedabad. For many of us, it was a hint of returning to ‘modernisation’ as we saw many familiar sights like shops, fast food outlets and entertainment outlets. Everyone had a hearty meal and did some last minute shopping! We had a lot of fun there!

Upon reaching the airport, we also had to bid farewell to the bus driver, Bikas Vaishnav, and his assistant, Madhan Lal Sahu. These were two extraordinary men who brought us to and fro our destinations to the best of their ability. Through the narrow roads and busy traffic, they always ensured that we were well taken care of and navigated us to safety. Considering their long hours of driving and focusing on the road, they must be commended for their effort as well! It was a thankless service and we were truly appreciative of them.

Photo with the bus driver and his assistant who accompanied us throughout the 12 days adventure in India

Not long after, it was time for us to board the aircraft back to Singapore. With heavy hearts, we stepped onto the plane and reluctantly bid goodbye to this magnificent land.

As the plane made her approach towards Singapore, the morning sun cast a warm glow over the skyline of Singapore. After 12 days in India, we have definitely gained a new appreciation for this beautiful city we call home.

View of Singapore from SQ531

Bernard & Genevieve

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Day 11

Today's destination was the Society for Women's Action and Training Initiatives (SWATI). We travelled 1.5 hours from the Bell Guest House, where we were staying, to their branch located in Surendranagar district.

Upon arriving, we were welcomed with hot tea and biscuits as we waited for the programme to start. We also had some time to explore the compound. It is interesting to note how across the past 12 days, every organization we visited had serve us tea. Yet, no one cup of tea we had tasted the same. Some had more milk while some had more ginger or other spices added to it. I think this is a good reflection of how India has an overarching shared identity as seen in the common practices across different communities (e.g serving tea to welcome guests), yet there are subtle nuances to how each community practices certain things.

Photo of us seated in SWATI’s hall. 

The programmes began with the founder of SWATI, Ms Poonam Kathoria, providing us with an overview of India's historical and social contexts. She explained how even after 40 years of India's independence from British rule, the women in India remained restricted in various ways and there was a lack of action taken especially in rural areas. Hence, in the 1990s, she was inspired to set up SWATI to change how things were done in India, a traditionally patriarchal society.

An exhibit at SWATI showcasing what women think they can and cannot do.

Among the many amazing efforts of SWATI, their approach to women’s empowerment stood out to us the most. Using a ground up approach, they mobilized the women in rural villages via collectives. Through these collectives, greater solidarity is created and there is greater effectiveness in demanding for women's rights and influencing policy changes. They also have a strong focus on networking with various stakeholders such as schools, male youths and the village gram panchyats.

We also engaged in a Q&A with the team at SWATI, as well as peer leaders who were ladies invited from the villages. We raised a question that one of our peers asked us during our oral presentation: "Does your work overlap with the work of other women empowerment groups in the area? And is there any room for collaboration?" We then saw how there much networking between the different women empowerment groups and how they come together for various initiatives such as violence against women, or advocacy events. The women there also asked us if girls in the Singaporean society could choose whom we wanted to marry. Though we laughed about that, we really felt our hearts go out to the women seeing how they struggle to exercise autonomy and agency.

Our class with the team at SWATI. 

Miss Poonam Kathoria also shared with us how things on the surface may not reflect underlying emotions, attitudes and beliefs. Although men may be more receptive to women working, she shared that it may only be because women are bringing back money to supplement the family's income. Should the women want to leave the house to enrich herself, for example by pursuing further education, men are still against that. This reminded us to think beyond our observations and challenged us to think and rethink our thoughts.

Stepwell that we visited, named Rajbai’s Vav.

Finally, we ended off our visit at SWATI with a hearty lunch and proceeded to our next location, a stepwell built in 1538. We were extremely grateful for our bus drivers willingness to brave the narrow and treacherous road to the stepwell, knowing we would thoroughly enjoy the experience. We learnt that stepwells were important community assets as they supplied water to many households. Women used to visit them daily to draw water. Interestingly, the stepwell was also seen as the place where women could take a break from household chores and chat with other housewives about their day.

Our group photo at the stepwell.

We then had a very sumptuous dinner back at the hotel, which had fish - something many of us missed and were very happy about.

Our professors - Ms Soon Fen and Dr Kanakana then conducted an Ideas Jam where we had to pick a sweet which came along with a word related to concepts in community development. We were given 1 minute to think about what the word meant for us personally and share about it for 2 minutes. Some words we got were “sustainability”, “politics”, “aid/finances”, “impact”, “aspirations” and more. It was an enriching time of sharing as we got to hear personal reflections from our peers to round up all the learning from the trip.

In conclusion, it was an enriching and perspective changing day of learning. It was also very heartwarming to see how individuals in the Indian community are so passionate about changing things in their own community and empowering their own people.

Huixin & Zephanie

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Day 10

After a good night’s rest, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the resort, excited to start the new day’s activities. We were especially reluctant to leave this beautiful resort and took the time to take a few group photos.

Breakfast at Shaam-E-Sarhad village resort at Bhuj.

After an hour’s bus ride, we met Mr Gaurav from Arid Communities and Technologies (ACT).

Mr Gaurav gave us a comprehensive overview of the geography of Bhuj, in terms of its existing water catchment areas. We learnt that the kings of the past had the wisdom and knowledge to plan out and build man-made catchments in strategic areas that linked up with natural catchments to ensure that enough water is collected and stored for use, in spite of the highly irregular and infrequent rainfall. The past year had 30-40mm of rainfall compared to the usual 300-400mm!

Mr Gaurav then brought us to the ridgeline, the highest point of Bhuj, where we were greeted with a vast and majestic landscape!

The view from the top of the ridge line.

We learnt that the ridgeline is the line that divides a region into 2 watersheds. Many of us were glad to have the chance to revisit the knowledge gained in our past geography lessons.

Up the hill, there was a particularly steep and slippery portion where we took turns to help each other up. This was one of the many instances where we looked out for each other on this trip and offered help when it was needed. Other examples include sharing water, snacks and paying for each other when we didn’t have enough small change.

Fault line.

We proceeded to visit a fault line that was visible from the surface. The side where most of us were standing on is mostly made of sandstone while the other side consist of mostly clayey soil. Clayey soil does not allow percolation as it is non-porous, which meant that the groundwater within does not get recharged and its levels dropped drastically.

Next, Mr Gaurav brought us to a solitary 80 foot well. We were told that the past kings built  this along the sandstone side of the fault line as they knew about the non-porous properties of the clayey soil and how it will not contain much groundwater in the long run. This is further evidence of the great foresight of the past kings and their advisors, as they didn’t just plan for the next 5 years, but for the next 500 years.

Mr Gaurav shared how the water scarcity situation in Bhuj has worsened over the years as recent building construction on lakes has disrupted the groundwater recharging process. As a result, the number of lakes in Bhuj has reduced drastically and the quality of the remaining lakes have deteriorated.

Mr Gaurav also shared how the organisation tries to educate the public in layman terms on how the existing self-sustaining water catchment system in Bhuj has been successful for the past 475 years and the importance of maintaining this system in order to reduce the reliance on water from external states. We were glad to gain insights into the community participatory approach that ACT implemented in order to address the issue of water scarcity.

Presenting our token of appreciation.

While we did not manage to view the Hamirsar lake (the largest catchment area) due to lack of time, we were still extremely grateful for Mr Gaurav’s patient explanation and interesting tour.

We were in a rush against time in a bid to reach our next stop, Bhuj train station, in time to catch the train. Our lecturers thoughtfully ordered packed food to consume on the train to save time and they turned out to be delicious! However, the servings were huge which proved a challenge to finish for many.

Our train cabin.

The cabins were cozy and we were happy to find out that each of us were entitled to a bed! Some of us took the opportunity to get some shut-eye during the 4 hour train ride, while the rest of us took the time to share life stories and catch up on their dramas and tv-series. In particular, a few students were lucky to get to interact with some of the other locals travelling on the train. Overall it was an extremely comfortable and enjoyable journey.

Taking a much-needed rest.

We had some time to spare when we reached Surendranagar and unanimously decided to explore the area around the station. We were pleasantly surprised to encounter a few pigs (or wild boars) roaming around the village, which was a rare sight that most of us don’t get to see in Singapore.

The veranda at the Bell Guest House.

We then returned to the bus and after an hour’s ride, we reached our accommodation for the next two nights, the Bell guest house. We found out that the guest house is an indo-european building with a rich history that belongs to the Sayla royal family. The owner, a descendant of the Sayla royal family, shared with us that the building is actually 150 years old!

Thereafter, we had dinner provided by the accommodation. Many of us particularly enjoyed the rendang chicken, pasta and tomato soup. Indeed, it was a feast befitting of a king! Following the scrumptious dinner at 10+ pm, we all took advantage of the hot water to bathe and had an early night after our long day of learning and travelling.

Timothy & Jia Jin

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Day 9

Having spent the night at Shaam-E-Sahara Village Resort, we then headed off to Hunnarshala Foundation to learn some of their housing reconstruction efforts in community development.

Listening to Mahavir at Hunnarshala campus.

When we arrived at Hunnarshala Foundation after a short bus ride, we were warmly greeted by Mahavir, one of the founding members of the Hunnarshala Foundation, and other members of his staff. We took some time to explore the unique infrastructures there, before gathering for a sharing session by Mahavir. Mahavir began with a brief history of the Kutch region, and shared how the 2001 Bhuj earthquake was a significant turning event for Hunnarshala. Although a huge inflow of foreign aid and funds entered Bhuj following the earthquake, Mahavir recognized that many organizations then were unorganized, uncoordinated and provided a mismatch of community rebuilding efforts. He also felt a moral obligation towards the community and wanted to involve local artisans and the use of local resources to empower the community and drive the economy following the earthquake. With the focus on preserving cultural and social values in mind, much of Hunnnarshala’s work seeks to validate cultural technologies and materials which had proven to be effective for centuries. However, these traditional methods were not much recognition by the government in a time where the knowledge of cement and concrete were prominent. Hunnarshala also brings together architects, engineers and building communities, to give rise to creative solutions.

Hunnarhala’s guiding principle is the focus on a participatory framework where regular consultations with local communities were held to understand their needs. There was also a conscious effort to integrate existing skills of local artisans to ensure communities remain self-sufficient instead of relying on external help. Following which, Hunnarshala’s work expanded into other urban and rural poor housing including slum redevelopment housing projects.

Students and teachers of Karigarshala explaining their processes to us. 

Beyond housing, Hunnarshala recognized the importance of education amongst youth. Through it’s education initiative, Karigarshala, youths “dropouts” from 14 to 18 years old who would otherwise be relegated as unskilled migrant workers by society, learn practical building experience. A resounding message Mahavir shared which struck us the most was his belief that there were no bad students, but perhaps these students who were labeled as “droupouts” were not provided with the right learning environment. Karigashala recognized that each student is uniquely talented in their various ways.

Having shared with us about Karigashala, we then made our way to the school to witness the learning environment of students. We got to interact with some students and gain better insights to their curriculum. It was heartening to hear from the students there found their experience at Karigashala meaningful.

After a short tour around Kargalashala, we then had our lunch before boarding the bus to the Great Rann of Kutch.

It was already 3.30pm and we were on a tight schedule to reach the Great Rann before entry closed at 5pm. The bus journey was exactly 1.5 hours and as we neared the entrance, the teachers and our dear Christopher from the CAPT office quickly dished out the prepared documents so that we may enter the Rann as quickly as possible. As Pakistan lay just across the Rann, checks on the identities of those attempting to enter the Rann were especially stringent.

After a long wait, we were told that we had cleared all checks and were finally allowed to enter the Rann. Overjoyed that we had made it in time, the bus moved forward in anticipation. However, a security guard soon stopped us at the gate and indicated that we should go down to talk with him. By then, it was almost 6pm and the sun was setting soon. We were dismayed and could only wait as Dr. Kankana and Christopher alighted to find out more. Not more than ten minutes later, however, the two of them came running back and was greeted with loud cheers by the students. Breathless but smiling, Dr. Kankana explained that the guard was surprised to be from the same ethnic group as her, and had extended a personal favour to help us with the administrative process so that we could enter the Rann quickly. Also, it turned out that Christopher had prepared an extra set of documents which further expedited the process! Waving to the friendly guard who was beaming by the road, we finally moved onwards to our adventure at the Rann.

One of the many colourful camels we saw that day.

Past that gate, we saw sights that many of us have never seen before. For one, there were camels. Lots of them. They were tall, oddly graceful in their gait, and in the manner of India, decked out in colourful, glittering accessories. Most of these camels were pulling equally colourful carts that carried tourists.  

Catching the sunset. 

Across the Rann, land was flat and vast. Not a single tree could be seen, and the ground was a uniform sandy beige, which coupled with the flat terrain that extended wider than the eye could see, complemented the orange setting sun perfectly, presenting the fullness of the sunset such that we could see it literally dipping below the horizon. There was orange everywhere and even though the sunset was short-lived, the sky afterwards was a beautiful ombre that allowed us to be creative with our shots.

Having fun with our shots against the horizon. 

Some of us opted to take the camel ride, while others preferred to roam freely in groups around the vast space. We basked in the beauty of the place for almost an hour until the sun set and it was time to leave.

Back at the resort, our class gathered for a debrief but was told by the teachers that the day’s reflection would be conducted separately on our own. As travelling in a large group meant that we were constantly surrounded by others, we were tasked to find a quiet spot to reflect on the previous days for at least twenty minutes. After the class dispersed, it was interesting to see classmates settling down in random spots around the resort and engaging in quiet writing of their own.

It was a fitting end to a day that had given us both food for thought and magnificent sights.  

Ian & Xin Lin

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Day 8

This morning, we visited the spinner’s village and weaver’s village.

We first arrived at the spinner’s village where it was filled with houses beautifully painted with pastel colours of which blue was the most common. The spinner’s village was a community of people who spin strands of fibre to form yarn, an important component of the textile industry. Traditionally, a handspun machine is used for spinning strands of fibre. Spinning does not come without its history. Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress and played a major role in the party’s pursuit of independence. He advocated that every Indian spin for at least half an hour a day. This was in response to the British exporting Indian raw cotton and manufacturing it into clothes. Thereafter, they would sell these clothes to the Indians at exorbitant prices. This was clearly an act of economic exploitation. Gandhi believed that spinning thread in this traditional manner would create economic independence, especially for the poorer rural communities. More significantly, Gandhi’s commitment to this act of hand spinning was an essential element of his philosophy and politics. Hand spinning was aimed at not only boycotting British goods, but also the rejection of the manipulative economic and political system textile clothing were trapped in. In this village, the people would use portable or wooden contraptions to spin strands of thread manually. However, it is to be noted that the bulk of the production came from electrical machines of which the village had about 5-10. Thereafter, we headed to the weaver’s village where cotton was produced and weaved. We sat in a space next to the village temple and the villagers demonstrated how the cotton was weaved into thread. After the demonstration, we could try the same practice of weaving on our own. Funnily, the villagers made it seem easy and effortless, but when many of us actually tried, we realised how difficult it was as weaving required a very delicate balance between tense and gentle movements.

The weaving of the cotton was done as follows: Firstly, raw cotton was held in one hand while the other hand turned the wheel of the machine. This action spins the bobby pin of the machine. Secondly, the thread that was already spun will be linked to raw cotton and anchored by the thumb. Thirdly, the cotton is pulled to produce a thread. Lastly, one spins the cotton again to produce a tighter thread. The process looked simple, but it was difficult to weave raw cotton into thread. The thread had the tendency to snap when we were pulling it. In addition, the thread we produced turned out to be of varying thickness instead of a consistent shape it was supposed to form into. The realisation that a skill which looks so simple actually required years of practice and training really humbled us and gave us a newfound appreciation of the handmade clothes that were made, with communities of spinners and weavers being an integral part of the process. Next, it was lunchtime! It was a tasty lunch with different flavours! Along with the staple chapatti and various assortments of sauces, we were treated to a sweet peanut snack, popular among the old and young. An elderly lady from the village was very intent on ensuring that the students were well-fed. She went about adding extra portions of chapatti to our plates even though some of us politely refused. Her warm and friendly gestures really cheered us up and made our day and many of us gladly wolfed down the extra portions of chapatti. During lunch, Jeraldine and Hui Xin started interacting with the children from the village. Initially, they were learning the names of the children and this gradually changed to the children reciting the alphabet and counting in English. Each time the children successfully recited a series of numbers or the entire alphabet, the whole group would erupt into laughter and cheers, causing much excitement and joy. Jeraldine and Hui Xin then engaged the group with a series of games -  “Where’s My 10-Cent Coin?” and “London Bridge is Falling Down” causing even more excitement and joy within the group! It was indeed a beautiful sight to witness. Later on, some students interviewed the village head, Devji Sanjot and they were offered a motorcycle ride to his house. At his house, he demonstrated how his family members weaved. He also kindly offered some lunch to us. (Our tummies were certainly contented that day!) After lunch, the team was brought around the village to visit various households to have a more in-depth understanding of the weaving of cotton. The machines were huge wooden contraptions with threads running horizontally and vertically. The mechanisation of the contraptions was in the form of a metal rail of which a shuttle would fly from left to right, threading the cotton in the process. However, the process was still mainly dependent on manual labour. Almost all the men and women of the village were proficient in using the machines. Thereafter, we were offered to try using the machine to weave. The machine was not the easiest to use. We had to estimate the force required to pull the rope such that when we pushed the shuttle, it moved through the thread but stopped in time at the other end. We also had to coordinate our feet to see which pedal we should press at different instances. This required a delicate calibration of strength and focus.

Soon, it was time to leave the village and say our goodbyes. As we boarded the bus, it was especially heartwarming to see the children chase after the bus to bid their goodbyes.

It was indeed an interesting and meaningful experience to catch a glimpse of Khamir’s work in the villages. Communities were economically empowered where their people could earn their living either through spinning or weaving. Furthermore, spinning and weaving are inextricable aspects of the communities that give communities their unique and distinctive identities. With Khamir acting as a resource provider and middleman for consumers, these communities are able to keep their traditions while staying self-sufficient through economic remuneration. Later that night, we checked into Shaam-e-Sarhad village resort. We did a group reflection by drawing about our takeaways with SEWA and the Khamir Foundation. 

With love,

Wei Jie & Chloe

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Day 7

After a cold night, our team woke up to a chilly morning which was made better with warm chai and aloo paratha! We were very touched by the hospitality of the SEWA Airbnb homestay hosts. Despite being out of our comfort zone, we had a truly unforgettable experience. The hosts kindly walked us out to our bus and with heavy hearts, we waved goodbye to our new found friends before proceeding on our 6-hour journey to Bhuj.

Together with our SEWA Airbnb homestay hosts.

Upon arrival at Khamir, we settled in to our accommodation and had a hearty lunch which was prepared by our Khamir host. Following that, Mr Gatit, the Director of Khamir, shared with us the art and crafts scene in India. While art is more individualised with self expression as the focus, crafts tend to be a set of skills for livelihood. Khamir also portrayed a linking of communities to communities given that they have to link the thread manufacturers to the designers to the craftsmen. These different groups of people help to retain the identity of each of the specialised communities. Additionally, Mr Gatit shared with us how Khamir tries to ensure that the products of the craftsmen are more relevant to new market changes.

After the insightful talk with Mr Gatit, we had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience to try out 5 different crafts!

The 5 stations were:

1. Leather making which involved learning to stitch old cow skin together

Learning leather making from the artisan.

2. Lacquer making where we managed to try adding colours and patterns to wooden cutlery

Xin Lin trying her hand at lacquer making.

3. The pottery station that allowed us to shape and mould our own clay items

Daryl learning how to shape his handiwork with the artisan’s supervision.

4. Tie and Dye activity where we learnt to make intricate patterns on our own

Genevieve with her beautiful tie & dye end-product.

5. The plastic weaving station where we reuse old plastic bags to make something new

Jamie working hard to master the art of weaving plastic.

These workshops were highly enriching and it was a very new experience for many of us. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity presented to us as it is something difficult to find back in Singapore. We believe that everyone gained a deeper sense of appreciation towards the crafts and the artisans who invest so much energy into their work.

During the debrief, there were many intriguing questions and concepts that arose. Firstly, we discussed how we as middle-income Singaporeans often view the worth of an object based on it’s monetary value. However, is that a fair gauge of the worth of an object?

Debrief activity in the boys’ dormitory where we shared our favourite activity and learning points.

Some even felt that certain items are undervalued and under-appreciated. However, that also begs the question as to what lens we are adopting when we evaluate the value of that object. For those who can afford it, we may see something as undervalued because of its price but for the locals, the items may be overpriced.

Secondly, the majority of us enjoyed plastic weaving the most out of the 5 stations. We valued the art for its sustainability and how it utilises old material to remake something new. It encapsulated the idea of how one man’s trash is another man’s treasure beautifully as shared by our classmates.

Soon Fen also quoted “It is simple, but it is difficult.” Elaborating the quote, she shared that things only get difficult when you care because when you care about what you do, then it matters how well you do it. This struck me greatly as I always try to take the easy way out, which made me reflect on my attitude towards the way I do things. (Claryl)

On the whole, we learnt to appreciate each craftsman’s story and passion behind the mere buying experience. Moving forward, we hope more people would get to know more about the stories of the craftsmen and pass them on for the continuity of each intricate craft.

Jeraldine & Claryl

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Day 2

Our first full day began with a visit in the morning to Gandhi Ashram in the morning, which served as a significant historical site in Gujarat. This landmark was preserved to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi, a leading figure of India. We learnt more about Gandhi's life, including his beliefs, the unification of India and the Salt March.

We also took some time to reflect on our pre-trip sentiments and shared with one another our expectations for the trip. Some shared that one day was not enough to get a glimpse of India, others shared that their five senses were heightened upon arrival. Ultimately, what we gathered was that it was important to keep in mind what we have learnt in class, using a focused lens, but at the same time keeping an open mind as we go about our trip.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the migrant workers’ collective of Aajeevika Bureau, one of our partner organizations. Aajeevika serves to support and improve the lives of these individuals who have migrated from other parts of India to Gujarat, with the hope of seeking better job opportunities to support themselves and their families. These migrants find themselves falling through the cracks as they often face issues such as the lack of a proper identity, exclusion from state policies, unfair wages, poor living conditions, leaving them to drown in their vulnerability.

At Aajeevika Bureau, the team shared about the different solutions and initiatives they have started to tackle the multitudes of problems faced by struggling migrants.

Additionally, we were fortunate to be able to embark on an experiential field visit to multiple sites which Aajeevika Bureau was supporting. This included both listed and non-listed slums (not recognised by the government), where they shared about the current situation and the steps they are currently taking to alleviate these problems.

Children at Aajeevika’s childcare. 

One of the places we visited included a childcare centre located at a construction site. This served as a temporary form of shelter for the children of migrant workers who were working at the construction site. We learnt from the teachers and caregivers there about the construction industry, the unfair treatment of women and the viscious cycle of being stuck in this industry through generations, children's unfortunate stagnation of education and its impacts.

Temporary settlements provided by the employer to the migrant workers.

"Personally, the moment I entered the construction site, I started to feel uncomfortable. It was dusty, noisy and it felt dangerous. To think that children would stay here in such conditions the whole day, was just something i could not fathom." - Beatrice

Woman who kindly invited us into her home.

"It was truly an uncomfortable sight for us. Some of us felt very helpless there as we witnessed the living conditions of the migrants but yet there was nothing we could do to help or better the situation." - Wai Kit

One other group visited a tuberculosis centre, where health facilities were provided. Despite the prevalence of tuberculosis in India, HIV/AIDS was given more attention in terms of medical facilities. This mismatch of felt needs and outsiders coming in to help should be bridged, in order to better allocate resources and build up the community.

With the teachers at the childcare.

The question that still lingers on is this: "Now that we have seen the lives of these migrant first hand, what then are we going to do from here?" We believe that everybody has different paths in their lives and even as we go back to Singapore, our lives will probably not intertwine with the lives the migrants, and thats okay. However, what's more important is to bring this awareness to others around us and to treat the migrants in Singapore with more respect, given our better understanding of their plight.

Beatrice & Wai Kit

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Day 1

Today was the first day of STEER India. We gathered at the airport with our families and friends and bid them farewell before embarking on a 12-day adventure to Gujarat and Rajasthan. For many of us, it was the first time going to India and we were curious to see what new sights and experiences we would get on this trip.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed by a variety of sights and sounds that were not familiar to us. However, it was already late by then and night had fallen, so there were more to the city that we were not able to see.

When we reached the hotel, we were warmly welcomed by the hotel staff. This gave us a prelude of how hospitable the locals can be.

Before we retreated back to our rooms, we were given a few questions to think about our expectations and what we wanted to achieve from this study trip. We were all excited to see with our eyes, have conversations with the locals and understand the communities better.

Bernard & Genevieve

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Collected Insights - Field Trip to SG Accident Help Centre

These are some collated reflection points from the various groups with regards to the field trip to SG Accident Help Centre on 10th September.

Beatrice’s group:

One interesting point our group discussed was about whether the migrant worker situation is a mirror of the global refugee crisis. In some ways, the migrants who come to Singapore are also looking for a higher quality of life here, just like these refugees who have escaped in search of a better future. Ms Priyanka Jain also mentioned that through her interactions with migrants, she has realised that migrants and refugees share many common factors. For instance, they both feel alienated from the rest of society. They are viewed as outsiders who are different from the locals which makes it hard for them to assimilate fully into their new communities. However, such a mindset from the locals is narrow-minded and exclusive. Locals should instead embrace them by giving them equal opportunities and accord them the basic respect and dignity they deserve as human beings. When locals create an accepting culture for the migrants and refugees, they whole society can move forward with greater unity and cohesion. With a lesser social divide, there will be less tension. This is beneficial for the community who will be better able to work together to resolve any problems that may arise.

With this new insight, we actually do not have to look beyond our own backyard to counter our apathetic sentiments towards the refugee crisis. By beginning to examine our attitude towards the migrant workers, hopefully we can foster a welcoming environment for them to integrate successfully into the community. If we can start treating the migrant workers fairly and ensuring that everyone does likewise, only then should Singapore look beyond her shores to embrace refugees from neighbouring countries and actively be involved in the refugee crisis.

Eutoh and Wai Kit:

The migrant situation here reflects the suffering of a hidden community that is not apparently hidden. We are able to identify the multitude of problems causing them harm but yet it would be difficult to tackle them due to exploitation in both their home country and Singapore. Such systemic problems are deeply rooted, and understandably so, because the government ultimately is for the welfare of its own people. It was indeed sobering to be reminded of this fact through the plight of our migrant brothers, and it was indeed eye-opening to be able to have a glimpse of the problems plaguing the migrants who helped build Singapore. They are indeed victims of their own circumstances, further compounding the feelings of loss and helplessness. Nonetheless, the presence of different NGOs such as SAHC shows that there is still a support system for our migrant brothers - it is indeed heartening that, even though some of the migrants appear jaded by their situation, they do not blame Singapore for it, because they have seen the kindness that Singaporeans are capable of. That said, whilst this is a step in the right direction, much more can still be done in according our migrant workers dignity, rather than just sympathy.

Chloe:

The visit to SAHC was a meaningful experience that left many of us reflecting for awhile after the field trip ended. Three migrants workers shared about their work experiences in Singapore - how they were injured and subsequently fired but received little or no compensation from their employers. The gravity of the situation was prominent when the migrants explained how the extent of measures employers took to give minimal compensation - i.e. hiring gangsters to threaten the migrant workers. We question why such work practices are present in a developed and advanced country like Singapore. Thereafter, we reflected how we can reach out to migrant workers. Our groupmates reflected that it starts from the smallest actions -  when having a conversation with migrants, it was important to speak to them in a way that gives them respect and dignity and not in a victimising way. It was important to remember that they are dignified individuals and not just labels society places on them like “construction worker”, “injured” or “poor”. The treatment of migrant workers and attitudes towards them reflect Singapore and its values. The question that we need to ask now is of finding out what our society wants to do in view of this issue.

Xin Lin’s group

Walking alongside one another as we travelled the path between sgcare and the dinner place, the migrant workers kindly and patiently answered our curiosity as we handed them question after question. Initially, the conversation revolved around the common narrative of the disenfranchised migrant at sgcare — How did they get injured? What did their employers do? What is their plight now? Slowly, however, the migrant brothers shared with us aspects of themselves beyond their injury. Some showed us photographs of their family, others told us about their favourite pastimes back at home and in Singapore, and yet another shared that he was halfway through university in India when something happened to his family and he had to give it all up to find work in Singapore. These stories were striking as they transformed the man before us into an individual beyond the migrant identity. Our sympathy for their predicament came to be interspersed by a nagging reminder that these were individual people who, in spite of their injury and vulnerable position in Singapore, were assets with strengths to be harnessed.

[captindiary-blog]

Field Trip to SG Accident Help Centre

It’s field trip day! Today the class went to SG Accident Help Centre/ SG Cares where we had the opportunity to learn more from our migrant worker brothers as well as the members of the care centre who reach out to them.

Through the sharing session, it was very apparent that the vision of the centre, Restore Hope, Rebuilding Lives, showed in everything that they did. What struck us was the fact that the centre was very thinly staffed - they had around 3-4 paid staff handling the main bulk of the administration, and the rest of the work is very volunteer-centric.

Something I found interesting was that the centre sought to introduce Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to the foreign workers as a form of cheaper pain management. It had never occured to me that this is a form of cultural exchange as well, and it showed me how there are always opportunities to introduce aspects of my culture to others. There are very much real life applications for cultural exchange as well, and it should not be just restricted to contrived school lessons.

The class was then introduced to several migrant brothers who were under the care of SG Cares after suffering workplace injuries, and as they shared their stories with us, the weight of their experiences could be felt throughout the room as they shared one heart-wrenching story after another. What was clear from their sharing was that none of them wanted any of these to happen - they were just normal people trying to eke out a living in a foreign land for their families back at home. Seeing their injuries and hearing their stories first hand is totally different from reading it off the internet or from our readings when there is someone tangible in front of us that we can link the story to.

Several questions were raised throughout the sharing, such as the responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in each of these cases - The Healthcare providers, the employer, insurance, the injured worker himself, Ministry of Manpower. This shows that the injured foreign worker is up against so many factors, and it is really easy to feel a sense of loss and helplessness in light of these, compounded by the language barriers present. The brothers that we spoke to were more than willing to share their stories with us, and we could feel their helplessness as they recounted their stories for us.

Personally, I feel that we could never fully empathize with our migrant brothers because it is an experience we (thankfully) would never have to go through. Without trivializing these stories, I feel that this is a good exposure for us to the realities of what is happening. Other than volunteering our time, which, to be honest is a small drop in a very big bucket, we should cherish these seeds that were sown by these stories, to internalise the problems and work towards resolving them in greater capacities in the future. More than an ethical issue, the plight of the foreign worker, and the vulnerable population in general, is something that we ought to bear in mind as we proceed with our learning journey in this module, lest they become reduced to examples in our essays and submissions.

Eugene Toh

[captindiary-blog]

The Idea of India

In this lesson, we aimed to understand more about India and its culture. There is significance in doing so as we are going to India at the end of the year and it is important for us to have more understanding of India’s history and cultural context to make the trip more meaningful. This will also help us to be more self-aware when we go to India at the end of the year.

Before the lesson officially started, the class shared with everyone about their personal idea of India and what they were most curious about. The answers were interestingly very varied! Some talked about how they felt India would be a very fast-paced country with many sounds and sights to take in. Others mentioned how they were curious about the cultural differences between India and Singapore, in particular what it meant to be a community. Lastly, some shared about how their idea of India was largely painted by the mainstream media’s coverage of controversial issues in the country.

Before we studied the culture of India, we took time to understand what “culture” meant. Members of a culture followed formal and informal rules. Cultures share common goals and similar worldviews. At the same time, the concept of cultural pluralism left open the question of whether culture is something static. Is culture hard to change or dynamic? Does it evolve? These questions were left for us to ponder.

India’s independence was formed due to the British colonial rule. “India-ness” cannot be defined as a single or exhaustive identity but must be understood from different perspectives: physical, linguistic and cultural.

Being a large country, India is divided into union territories, states, districts and cities. Cities and towns are governed under municipalities and each government has more than one party. India practices democracy, meaning that citizens elect the government or who they want to be represented by. The state, however, has only one party governing the country - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which suggests that the party’s roots and ideals are very entrenched in society.

India also has a very distinctive caste system. The caste system divides Hindus into four main groups - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Outside of this Hindu caste system are the Dalits or the untouchables. The usage of the caste system is very much entrenched in India’s society even till today. This has implications for the social fabric and stability in India and what is to come in the future.

Of course, the lesson only showed us a glimpse of what India is like. We hope to continue to grow in our understanding on what India and its culture entails.

Chloe Loong

[captindiary-blog]

What is Community Development?

During our second session, we talked about concepts of and models of community development, concepts and world views of culture.

At the start of the session, we went through the different definitions and symbols of community development according to students’ perspectives. We then moved on to talk about definitions of community development by different organisations. Some common words and phrases that came about were: social development, critical pedagogy, popular education, community engagement, critical community practice.

We then proceeded with the discussion about the two articles we have read: “Theorizing community development” (2004) by Bhattacharyya and “The rules of the social game” (2010) by Hofstede & Minkov.

In Bhattacharyya’s article, we discussed about the theorizing of community development, and that the purpose of community development is summarized by this quote in his article: “The purpose of community development is the pursuit of solidarity and agency by adhering to the principles of self-help, felt needs and participation.” Some questions were asked, “Can one exercise agency without opportunities?” “And who determines these opportunities?”

We also found understood that were some problems to defining community development. For example, the problem of limiting community to just geographical location and/or determining the importance of geographical location.

We also proceeded to discuss about the different models of community development, as well as the pros and cons of the different models. Community development in practice takes many forms which are shaped by different ideologies.

In Hofstede & Minkov’s article, we discussed about the definition of culture and how we improved the definition of culture. We also learnt that “culture is learned, not innate”. Each of us were then told to draw an analogy that represents culture, which was shared with the rest of the class.

At the end of it all, we concluded the session with a reflection at an end: how we defined community development, as well as thoughts and questions about what we have learnt in the session.

Chloe Loong

[captindiary-blog]

To New Beginnings

Being the first lesson, everyone was excited to find out who our classmates were. It was a nice surprise to see friends and familiar faces in the class. Throughout the 2.5 hours, the room was filled with laughter, occasional chatter and cheerful expressions which added life to the class.

To kick-start the class, we had a round of self-introductions. It was an interesting and special introduction because we used the acronym NICE. We had to share our Name, Interests, what Community development meant to us and our Expectations for the module. Apart from sharing our names, we had to write our names in another language and explain its meaning.That allowed us to see beyond the surface and truly appreciate each others’ names. Additionally, it helped us to better know one another which is important for building unity and genuine friendships among us. Moreover, articulating what community development meant to each of us allowed us to gain more perspectives instead of examining a standard definition which would limit our capacity to see the other aspects of community development.

Through the various sharings, I realised that everyone was genuinely curious about India and that we all intend to apply the knowledge learnt into our Singaporean context.

Following that, we were given the chance to choose the various roles and responsibilities we wanted to be a part of. The roles were Administration and Communications, Logistics and First Aid, Photography and Videography, Finance, Flights and Accommodation and the Blog team. This division of labour gave everyone a chance to actively contribute and be involved in the trip.

Lastly, we concluded by spending some time reflecting on our feelings towards the module and trip. I am personally extremely hyped to visit India and am sure many of the students are as well. Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there”. I cannot wait to be immersed in the sights and sounds of India and be amazed by what she has to offer.

I feel a sense of pride whenever I tell others that I am going to India as part of my module as it is a great privilege to do so. I hope to get to know my classmates better as they seem like a fun-loving group of individuals who are eager to learn and contribute. I hope that our subsequent lessons will be a safe space for us to grow and learn from one another. With hearts full of anticipation, we commence our journey together!