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I just came back from a lunch at taj mahal palace after have taken the longest sleep in ever. Now you might think that my life is very glamourous and all that. Well I can tell you that it aint! The last weeks I have been sick in my stomach so a couple of days ago my body said enough is enough. Everything just stopped work. It was really scary but luckely for me they have the strongest pills so now I am half alive again. Since I cant eat that much I thought I might aswell eat in luxuary when I do eat. But its strange to sip soup in a five star hotel and then go through the slum on the way back home. We live in a beautiful strange world!
One of the ladies I work with have become really close to me, but we do have a minor problem. Every time we say goodbye she says ” Siri, I love you”. Being scandinavian this freeks me out. I dont now what to say, what to do, how to act, where to look… I dont even say I love you to my mum or dad just like that.
With this little luxuary problem I end this blog
Goa, Goa, Goa what a crazy place. I am back after a few days of beach hanging, drink exploration, colour throwing and scooter gliding.
The cellphone didnt work, internet was crap so all I could do was to entertain myself in various ways. I soon found out that it was possible to rent motorcycles even if you dont have a license. But fortunate for me (and my fathers heart) I took my sense toghter and rented only a scooter. But it was amazing to feel the wind, the rush… when I come home I want to take a mc license!
It has also been a festival down here. Everybody go out and throw colour on each other. Crazy but fun!
My project is going really good. We have our own webpage http://www.a-community-connection.com/wordpress/
loads of people from India, Sweden and even Ireland are interested in cooperations so it really looks like this is going to happen.
Thats all for today!
How are Indias people handling the countrys transistion into a growing world economic power?
There are three words that most of the people of Mumbai are very much familiar with: Money, influence and knowledge.
These three words make the vibrant city of Mumbai produce explosive people, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirits. In fact there exist liberated unconstrained spirits everywhere you look in mumbai. There is no one driving away the beggers from the street, no one asks the sellers to be more quiet as they yell out their stock and no one tell the taxidriver without license and knowledge to stop driving. Mumbai is a free zone from the jante law, cast systems and social status. Everyone work, live and breathe on the same street. Mumbai is free and open up for development. Mumbai is a city which breaths creativity, innovation and freedom.
Since India in 1947 became independent up to 1992 the government wanted to make India completely self sufficient so they had minimum imports and exports, trade barriers and the government was completely involved in every business. This lead to corruption, power centers and only 2 classes existed in the country, rich and poor.
In 1992 the present government was elected. Their vision was to to open up and liberate India so they reduced the government stake in public sector, opened up for imports and exports and exploited the human service sector.
The present politics has lead to a hyper excitement from the people. There are entrepreneurial spirits in every corner and the people are highly educated. Their politics and the spirit of Indias people has also lead to an interest from the rest of the world. Many big companies from all over the world are drawn to India. There is a huge interest in learning and combining knowledge both from India aswell as from other countries.
What I found fascinating is that even though India are looking very much outside regarding business, culture and educating they are always keeping their core as Indians. For example one of the largest economic powers in the world, USA, has not affected India or its people that much. Instead of getting into the carousel of western culture Indians choose to look at Bollywood movies, listen to Indian music and dress in Indian clothes. Most don’t know who Britney Spears is and the McDonalds are quite empty. Instead India, which is still developing and taking shape, seems to listen and learn from the rest of the world and then they do it but always with the Indian touch. I believe this is where their absolute strength are in handling the transistion into a growing world economic power. They have a strong core, they do believe in traditions, they mix religion into everything they do. Maybe this strong core is what will make India keep on rising were other countrys has stopped.
Do they feel any change in their status in the world?
Yes, many of them do feel a change in their status. From being a country ruled by the British to becoming a independent country has affected the people much, how they look at the world and likewise how the world look at them. There is a great pride in being an Indian today which builds on their history but also how they look at their future.
Is there more economic equity among the people as Indias economic performance grows?
There is still a huge economic gap between the rich and the poor people of India. 60 percent of Mumbais population lives in slums with bad sanitary and housing equipments. Most of them work 12 hours every day for a small salary. A change in the economic can be a threath for the survival because many only have exactly as much money so they survive for the day. A proof of this is Raji, a pottery maker in Asias largest slum Dharavi. He told me about his fear for the future. The politicians have for a long time let Dharavi be. The people of Dharavi haven’t had to pay taxes for living and electricity. Now the politicians are talking about making changes in Dharavi. That includes start taking charges from its people. If they go on with their plans Raji will have to stop doing pottery because he is just getting in as much so he and his family can survive. He can not afford the change because that could be life threatening for him.
I believe that implementing economic equity among Indias people might be one of the biggest challenges towards becoming one of the most influential countries in the world. I also believe that economic equity is a necessity if the Indian people are to benefit from Indias progress.
The missing peace is found! Untill today I have been working on my project “in med internet i slummen for free” alone. But today my hero Pelle stepped in. He is what I would call the brain of IT in our partnership. He understands all the technics, now how to use it and most off all are very innovative. I believe that with my ambition, contacts and commitement, and with his skillz we will make this project super cool!
Today I went to the area were I am putting in the internet, Geeta Nagar.It is just by the ocean so it looks really serene at first sight, but then I learned the hard way that they didnt had any toilettes… People just drop their pants and do it on the side of the street. Maybe that will be my side project to bring in toilettes aswell =) But the important thing with my visit was to meet the people who lives there and eventually will use the computers. And the people I meet were really cool but most off them didnt know any english.
And this is actually my final day of a month of hard work, its time for siesta and fiesta. Im going down to Goa tomorrow morning. So the coming days I will live in a bikini, with a cosmopolitan in one hand and a great book in the other. And when it gets to hot in the sun I will take a long swim in the ocean =)
I have found one more oasis. On a remote part behind rich neighbourhoods there is an area where no cars are allowed to go. It is very quiet, beautiful and serene as it is really close to the ocean. Yesterday I spend the whole day there reading, talking to people and last but not least went to a indian hairsaloon. The hairdresser were very fascinated by my hair and said with a said with a excitement in his tone that he would make it very special and very bouncy. Now I know that it was probably at that point I should had said “thank you sir but I dont want to have my hair either special nor bouncy”. But I was so seduced by the hairmassage I had had for 40 minutes so I didnt react properly. So I am at the moment walking around with a bouncy and special hair that belongs somewhere in the 80’s.
I have been sick for about two weeks now and havent had the chance to go out with the team but yesterday evening we went all way in. “Lifestyle of the rich and the famous….” is the right song to describe the cosmopolitan-jazz-rooftophang-orgie we had yesterday. Even if I will live on rice with rice until the 25th it was so worth it =)
Today I went on my first yoga class. For those of you that doesnt know me that well, I have a extremely hard time to just sit down and relax, breath and focus. And since the yoga to a large part is about focus, breath and relax it might not sound as the perfect match. BUT my friends, I abseloutely loved it. Afterwards the yoga instructor came up to me and said ” you will be very good at yoga because you are hyperactive”. I didnt think yoga and hyperactive in the same sentence would be good but apparentely it is so =).
Hello,
nu javlar smaller det. I have choosen the project I will work with! I will work with a idea I got about a year ago, to get internet into the slums for free. And now I have the opportunity to do so =) Its really exciting and I have loads of contacts who are interested in helping me to reach my idea after only a month here in Mumbai. The vision statement I wrote is not very shy. Here we go:
” The Mumbai slums have free access to internet 24 hours a day 365 days a year. It will be mentioned in the history book as the breakthrough of Internet in India…” and it goes on like that. Big shoes to fill but right now I am on fire so in two months we will see how it all worked out.
Yesterday I went on a meeting with the coolest lady ever. She is a part of a really rich family who owns several business in mumbai. Somehow I ended up on a teaparty and dinner with her and her friends in her 1 million dollar flat. It was absolutely fabolous! I tried the best I could to hide my dirty feets under my skirt =) anyways, she and I bonded really well. I thought she was super funky, she thought I was cool. So next week we will go shopping. I think we can help each other in one way or another as she has got the contacts and a good name here in Mumbai and I have got passion and wild ideas.
Tomorrow me and Patrik will have a process about our learning in a swimmingpool with our teamleaders. That will be sweet!
The team has arrriveeeeddd! Now its time to celebrate! Me and Patrik are at the moment trying to get a view, wrap up and do a presentation over all the things that we have done and experienced during these three weeks, and its alot I can promise =). On monday we will have our presentation for the team and after that the only thing I will have to focus on (at least regarding projects and contacts) are me, myself and I. Hallelujah! So this week I have a meeting with a guy from the states who wants to bring in IT to the slum areas, a meeting with a women which organization works with educating teachers and childrens and last but not least a guy that works all around the world with IT solutions. Who knew one month ago that I would be so into IT, maybe it aint that boring after all. But the best thing about this week is however that I can hang out with my team how much I want to. I am in love with my team at the moment =)
Last night at 4am I was going to meet the late comers from sweden at their hotel. On the way a street dog attacked me. It was freaking scary. Since I have a angry little Jack Russel back home I thought I could handle every dog. Big mistake, next night time walk I bring a stick.
Over and out from a sunny mumbai invaded by Kaospilots!
I am in love with this town again =) I have forgiven all the sins from last week and moved on. So again I am feeling that rush of euphoria that comes whenever I am doing something really exiting or challenging. I have thousands plans for all that I will do in the upcoming couple of months and its a wide variety from putting in a free internetcafe into shantytown to start up a creativity centre… exciting exciting!!! Today we went on a meeting with a business man that probably know everyone, everywhere. He was really cool to talk to so I am excited about having him in my network since I think he seems to be an interesting guy. We also went on a meeting with an icecream company guy =) I scream, you scream, we scream, ice cream… He was really cool aswell and loved his icecream shop so much so you could her on his tone of the voice that it was his baby.
Thats all for today, on thursday my team arrives. I cant wait!
For about two months ago I went to a luxury hotel to look at their swimmingpool since I had heard you could swim in it if you paid a couple of rupies. I looked with disgust on the fat red toned german people lying on the side of the swimmingpool indulging themselves with beer and greasy food. In the background I could see the shelters poor people have build up from things they have found. I went away from there thinking that I would never be able to relax like that with all the unjustice that exists in India. Today I have been swimming and sunbathing there all day long… Its strange but I guess that I somehow have gone used to the poverty here in India. I never thought so 2 weeks ago but strangely enough it doesnt hurt anymore when a five year old girl comes up to me begging for bananas. Instead of feeling sad or pitty with them (which wont help them or me that much) I swirl them away in a dance or make them laugh in another way. It seems to work!
I have also found my own place, the place were I can go when I want to be alone and think. Its in the women departement of the trains. I put on the ipod, place myself dingling halfway out from the train and just enjoy the sun, the wind, the speed, the men-free-zone and the music. It cant get much better than that!
