It has been just over two weeks since I relocated from the US to India. This is my fourth time to India, most recently having lived for a year in Pune. Upon arriving, I felt as if I had never left… the transition seemed seamless, natural, and relatively easy. But, slowly, I am feeling some of the challenges of the transition. One of which is the difficulty of doing nothing when…
A small child constantly taps on my arm, begging, while my autorickshaw is stopped at a traffic light.
I hear stories of girls being sold in the sex trade.
An adolescent boy on the street wants to sell me a magazine or book.
I see a group of kids smoking cigarettes while digging through trash.
Every social worker, colleague, or friend with whom I have discussed this “difficulty of doing nothing” offers the same advice; to not give money and to not buy items from these children. Their reasoning is that this only supports child labor (children should not be selling things, they should be in school) or often supports organized begging rackets.
I have embraced this policy, learning to not react, to not see, and to not hear. But, I can tell you that this is a lot more difficult to do when traveling in an autorickshaw- open on two sides- then when moving around in an enclosed car or taxi. On the rare occasion when I am in car, I am relieved to have a barrier between me and the streets. I think of my friends here, recently discussing how it wasn’t a big deal to own a car anymore. I’m also reminded of conversations where locals have discussed the growing affluence of India’s middle class and their increasing ability to purchase cars. Having a car certainly helps one to deal with the difficulty of doing nothing and, don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for those days when the children can only tap on the glass, not on my arm.
And, I am also grateful for my work with SevaYatra, where I can counter those day-to-day moments of doing nothing with doing something. These past two weeks have only further fueled my belief in this organization and the importance of providing opportunities to serve and to learn with NGOs who are addressing the needs of children in holistic and systemic ways.
As more and more people in India have the means to surround themselves with physical barriers, whether a vehicle or a security gate, SevaYatra can respect one’s desire for these creature comforts while encouraging people to learn, serve, and give.
In previous stays in India, I noticed that over time I did indeed find a way to not hear or see many of the children on the streets. It was only through the fresh eyes of visitors from the outside, that I would reawaken to the difficulty of doing nothing. For me, this time around, I want to continue to stay open to this challenge, experiencing the reality of what is.
Joy Mischley