Delhi's Homeless

We had a visit organised for tonight to one of the homeless shelters run by AAA, an Action Aid funded project. It was a little different to a Friday night back home.

In two cars with my group of 14 volunteers, we dodged the Delhi traffic then ground to a halt. We were bemoaning the fact the visit had been organised on a Friday when presumably traffic is worse. I’m not actually sure it makes a difference what day it is but the traffic did seem worse. We spent an hour inching forward and passing time by discussing the difference in the political structures of the UK, USA, Kenya, Canada and Ireland. As we approached Old Delhi it was apparent what had caused the delay. A melee of goats and their owners were struggling in the space where cars should have been, reducing the number of lanes from three to one. Translated this is space for six cars abreast which had been reduced to space for one car and perhaps a rickshaw. Our taxi driver explained the chaos. The next day was Eid al-Adha, a Muslim festival celebrating the prophet Abraham by sacrificing a goat. Our companions on the road were all going to die tomorrow.

We finally arrived and with dead legs and grumbling stomachs, any moaning ceased as we entered the shelter. It was hard to make out the entrance in the chaos of Old Delhi. We went through a door between the market stalls and cows. Inside was a long corridor with huge rooms leading off into masses of people covered in blankets on metal cots or lying on the floor. We were lead by P and S, two incredibly passionate and dedicated men, to the children’s room at the back. We went through the room one-by-one to a space at the back a room for a talk on the centre. As we passed the room full of 30 boys aged 10 – 13 years old, they shouted ‘Namaste!’ at us. I was astounded at the work done by the volunteers at the centre and the initiatives that have helped the people that shelter here. With 150,000 homeless in Delhi the managers of the shelters and the volunteers work hard. This figure does not include those that live in semi-permanent shacks and structures that aren’t fit for humans to live in.

S seemed to be drained and he mentioned that it was a 24/7 job campaigning for the rights of the homeless in Delhi and trying to keep the shelters open. AAA has a few shelters open around the city but does not cater for women or girls due to one of the shelters being shut down. That leaves an estimated 10,000 homeless females on the streets.

There are many projects at AAA, two of which belied a shocking fact. Firstly, AAA runs a ‘beggar’s court’ where homeless people put in prison can have access to a lawyer and time away from the jail. Secondly, there is a scheme where people can register and get ID cards enabling them to have access to banks, other services and a proof of their ID. The reason for these projects is the Police can ‘push’ on people without ID. They can also arrest anyone seen to be begging or even if they look unwashed, unkempt and homeless. This brings me to the shocking fact: someone may then be put in jail for three years just for being homeless.

Rather than resolve the issue of the homeless, this is a way of rounding people up and sticking them in jail away from public sight. The government however, do seem to be recognising that there is such a thing as ‘homelessness’ which they haven’t in the past. No doubt the issue will have to be addressed. It is one that hopefully will be increasingly more important with the run up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October 2010.

YouTube clip online now.

Can tech savvy teens affect change in India?

I’ve been at a VSO strategy conference all day on the outskirts of Delhi with the aim of helping to shape VSO India’s next three year strategy. We’ve had brilliant presentations that have put why I am here into India’s political, social and cultural context. A few random and surprising facts:

• 40% of India’s population are 13-25 year olds
• 40% live in cities
• The emerging middle class of 330 million people are mostly indifferent to the poor in their country
• Young people are not engaged with their country
• The Indian government only spends 1% of its GDP on public health (in comparison to around 6% in a developed country)
• A third of the world’s poor live in India
• There are 45 million internet users
• And 330 million people own a mobile phone...
• ...with another 15 million a month sold
• There is a shortage of Indian volunteers on projects in their own country.

For a country touted as ‘Shining India’ where is the government move to engage the young and middle classes, to promote active citizenship, to encourage those that are better off to help the poor in their own country?

Looking at the stats and facts above it seems obvious to me that technology and social media should play an important role in engaging the young who are the country’s future into actively playing a part in assisting their fellow citizens. With a largely corporate media do they not hear the widespread rural poverty, of the farmers committing suicide due to falling cotton prices or the wrong crops no longer suiting their climate-changed fields? If someone were to make it cool to spread this news, to become involved, to send tweets protesting for social change, to create Facebook groups, to document the failings of the government to enact change...perhaps India’s next generation would be the ones to realise that change. To be the change that you want to see in the world? It’s what the Father of India, Gandhi, wanted.

Delhi Eat-a-thon

I’ve now been in India for two weeks and it’s about time I mentioned food. It is a big topic of conversation between all the volunteers here in Delhi as we love it. We are provided with breakfast and lunch at our training centre. The food is good although thankfully the breakfast is not curry.

Lunch is a variety of curries, lentil Dhals, potato dishes and rice. There is usually Roti provided, an unleavened round bread otherwise known as a Chapatti. I find these a welcome choice if the curry is particularly oily or cooked with plenty of ghee, a clarified butter that will happily clog your arteries. The Roti is particularly good with the blow-your-head-off lime pickle, extra chillies included.

We eat out in the evenings. There is a really good vegetarian restaurant within walking distance and a belly-busting dinner can be yours for 100 rupees (just over one British pound). The Aloo Dam is an amazing mix of cauliflower and soft potato. It’s a welcome not-so-spicy alternative to curry. The butter Naans here are a hit amongst the volunteers due to their similarity to hot buttered toast. Others tell me the Tandoori Chicken is a hit. Any food here washed down with a sweet yoghurt Lassi is a perfect cheap meal.

A local auto rickshaw ride away provides a few options, the best being another veggie restaurant serving Dosas. These light pancakes, filled with a potato and veg mix served with extra fillings and coconut chutney, are a good choice for curry-weary travellers. Otherwise, I have mostly gone for the curry options: mixed veg Parantha (stuffed pancake that is deep-fried) with hot chutneys and a variety of Masala curries including Paneer (cheese curry which is delicious believe or not).

I have mainly been vegetarian here for a few reasons. Cows are sacred in Hinduism so beef is never eaten, the lamb is often mutton or can be goat in disguise. It is hard to tell where meat is from and food poisoning is less likely on a veggie diet. There is little reason to eat meat though as often restaurants don’t serve meat and there is a great variety of well-cooked delicious dishes.

On the whole the food has been great and we have all over-eaten on occasion in an attempt to try everything on the menus. Some of the group aren't used to hot food though and have been struggling to get food they find palatable. Although I’ve enjoyed and mostly stuck to Indian food over my first two weeks I have cracked on occasion. Last night a group of four of us crept away secretly to a nearby McDonalds to order McVeggie burgers and Masala spicy fries. It seems we weren’t alone in wanting a break from the food as on ascending the stairs we discovered another four volunteers silently munching away on their chicken McMaharaja burgers.

Market Mayhem

Free from the confines of the group with the weekend ahead, I could plan a day out. I feel I get on with everyone here but I find it tough living so closely with people every day. Sharing breakfast, language classes, lunch, shopping at the market, dinner, trying to use the internet in the common room or even grabbing a cup of tea is all done alongside a few other volunteers if not the whole group. My roommate and I decided to stay clear of the tourist areas as we are in Delhi for the whole year. A good plan as we headed to a local area to suss out what kind of area we could end up living in.


We negotiated a good fare to Lajpat Nagar where we know two other volunteers live. We were greeted with total chaos on the roads as we got out of our auto-rickshaw. Beeping horns, street smells and the pandemonium of humanity was a highly charged assault on the senses. Within five minutes we had stumbled into the local market and with it being mainly pedestrianised we were away from the road and although busy not as frantic as the car chaos we had left behind. Star purchase of the day was a pillow for 100 rupees to replace the brick like ones back at the institute. The best 100 rupees I have ever spent.

Getting back wasn’t so much fun as roads had been closed and it took flagging down about 7 autos before we could get one to take us and we had to give him double the price. I enjoyed the ride back though as we got to see the train station and the dangerous looking open crossing. Stuck in traffic we got many stares. What I loved was our driver chatting away or arguing with car drivers around as they were so close to each other. The downside to this was as Westerners stuck in traffic we were the focus of several stares as we were sat there powerless to do anything but smile back. Nothing offensive though and it was fairly funny.

Later we went out to the Defence Colony for some food and managed to get something less spicy for a bit of a breather whilst settling in. The beer was fairly cheap and many women were in this bar too. As it was 50% price on the second beer we had a couple more beers. Well it would have been rude not too. The greatly moustachioed doorman high-fived us on the way out and it was time for a ride home to sleep on my newly soft and fluffy pilllow.

To Beer or not to Beer

This afternoon we were told Indian women rarely drink alcohol and they will usually drink soft drinks when out. Drinking is generally frowned upon. Now, I haven’t had any alcohol at all since arriving here and I understand going out to drink blows the allowance although beer can be bought in bottle shops for 40 rupees. I don’t want to sound like an alcoholic but in the UK alcohol is such a big part of our culture from socialising in pubs to eating out with some wine. I’ve asked myself if I could go dry for the year and although most of the time I won’t want a beverage, I can imagine a cold beer in 40 degree heat on a weekend relaxing with some new friends or having a beer in front of an episode of Gavin & Stacey would go down a treat.


After our classes today, all the staff and volunteers went to dinner. I’m so enjoying the food: huge pancakes called dosas, potato dishes spiced with mustard seeds, mixed thalis, eye wateringly hot chutneys and oh so sweet lassi drinks. I’ve managed to be vegetarian so far which isn’t hard as there are plenty of great cheap restaurants that don’t even serve meat. I’d like to be able to last as long as possible without any illness or food poisoning. This seems like some kind of rite of passage in turning into a Delhite or more culturally correct, a Dilliwa (Delhi is known locally as Dilli and wa means person).

After dinner a few of us went for beers. My new Deaf colleague was there so although I did some social interpreting (tiring when you don’t yet fully know the language) it was good to relax. The beer was 200 rupees. Put into perspective, my daily allowance is 285. The bar was in the more hip district of Haus Khas compared to our accommodation on Lodhi Road so that accounted for the price alone. I loved the retro furniture and the fact I was somewhere where I could go if I felt like going somewhere that felt a bit closer to home with its interesting mix of Western and Indian culture. What I loved even more though was the women were...drinking beer. I slurped away happily from that moment on, in the knowledge I could access my savings for the occasional night out.

Back to School

We have now had a day of introductions and a further two days of training. This has been Hindi lessons in the morning which are fun but hard. There are currently 15 volunteers. Another three are due to arrive but are having problems getting their visas approved by their respective Indian Embassies in Ireland, Australia and England. We have been split into two groups to reduce the size of the class. Learning Hindi is fun and although hard not especially difficult compared to any other language. There are many fits of giggles as we get things wrong. We have limited time to learn so I am aiming for 30 minutes every day or so but I am sure this willbe difficult as time seems to evaporate here.

Each trip out for dinner or to Lodhi Gardens takes at least 15 minutes as the road is so packed and busy. Going for a run yesterday meant dodging 6 lanes of rush hour traffic, some open sewers, wonky pavements and road works in order to get to a park where risk of breaking your neck trying to exercise was greatly reduced. I’ve been told we are in the area where refugees used to come to live on arrival in Delhi. This seems like a good way of assimilating all the volunteers into Indian life. We have good parts and not so good parts here. It is not just getting around that takes ages as bureaucracy is a factor. Even getting a pay as you go sim for my mobile has meant copies of passport, visa and a photo. I don’t relish trying to set up a bank account or getting an internet connection. These things seem to take weeks to sort out.

The last lesson for this week was on Indian Sign Language. I was asked to speak briefly about sign languages and then the Deaf chef from the VSO office was drafted in to teach everyone a few signs and chat to the class. It’s a shame there wasn’t more time to prep for the session and to chat to my colleague beforehand. Nevertheless I managed to interpret for the class so they got both an idea of sign language, Deaf awareness and how an interpreter works.

A Wecome to VSO India

After language lessons in the morning we were herded into these fantastically old-fashioned taxis. I sat in the front and got told to pretend my seat belt was on. There was no other end for the seat belt to go. As we sped round roundabouts and our driver aggressively dogged traffic my feet were twitching as if I might somehow be able to hit the brakes should we be heading for a collision.


We arrived at the VSO India Programme Office with a very warm welcome of garlands of fragrant carnations strung about our necks. We were introduced to the office staff. As I was saying my name I looked up and saw a member of staff signing to another so I waved a hello and signified that I knew sign language. The head of the office asked how we knew each other. I said I didn’t but just recognised that someone was Deaf and was saying hello. Therein lies one beauty of sign language and being able to communicate, albeit slowly perhaps with anyone in the world. It turned out the Deaf man was the cook and after a gorgeous lunch of spicy beans, a spinach and paneer (cheese) dish, rice and chapattis we got a chance to chat more.

I was surprised to see a lot of crossover with British Sign Language. I could use the British alphabet which was still used in India alongside another set of differently signed Indian vowels but either signs could be used. Some signs such as ‘mother’, ‘father’ and ‘work’ were clearly taken from American Sign Language and some were quintessentially Indian such as ‘born’, ‘taxi’ and ‘sick’. Of course it is difficult to base assumptions on having chatted with one person so I’m itching to get in the DeafWay office and start meeting more Deaf people.

Stroll in the Park

After a fitful sleep on a brick-hard pillow, all the volunteers that had already arrived met for lunch at the Indian Social Institute where we are staying. This is a residential block with a canteen in the basement serving breakfast and lunch. We were given some cash on arrival which was four weeks worth of allowance to see us through dinners and travel expenses whilst on ICO (in-country orientation).

So meeting for lunch meant going done two flights of stairs to meet everyone in the canteen for, you've guessed it, curry. It was all vegetarian food with one type of curry, one delicious potato dish, plain rice and an amazing lime chutney which blew my head off and didn't compare to any I'd had in the UK. I'm going to enjoy this coming year.

We decided on a stroll after lunch and ended up in the Lodhi Gardens 15 minutes away from our new home. As you can see from the pictures, it's an impressive local park. From current volunteers' pictures that I have found on Facebook, it seems I will be here quite often. No complaints about that here. There's also a jogging track where we saw Indian women dressed head to toe running around. It is only about 30 degrees at the moment and I don't know whether people will run in the heat later when it gets over 40. Especially fully clothed. There's already talk about entering the Delhi half marathon next November and I'm planning my first run here on Thursday.

We are also based down the road from Mehar Chand Market and The Habitat Centre which is Delhi's answer to The Barbican in London. VSO training tells you to take your time in the first few weeks to get used to the area, relax and settle in slowly so as not to induce culture shock.

It seems though that Delhi is similar, in some ways, to other places in Asia. Much horn-honking, you need nerves of steel to cross the road and the food is great. If I get any form of culture shock I imagine it will be a bit later. And I am sure it will happen at some point however much I think it won't.

Arrival and Orientation at the Indian Social Institute

We arrived at 2am at Delhi airport to a few beeping cars but it was fairly quiet other than that. I was surprised but then it was the middle of the night. We were collected by two VSO India office staff who were lovely and very welcoming. After dishing out bottles of water they bundled all of us bleary-eyed volunteers and our luggage into two cars. I sat in a child seat with another volunteer at the back. My first views of Delhi were out of the back of the car through a sunscreen.

My first impression of New Delhi was one of dust and construction. We were all told that with the Commonwealth games approaching in October 2010 the Metro was being extended along with many other building works. This was in keeping with what I had read in guide books that Delhi is under construction permanently.

On arrival at the Indian Social Institute, we were handed out towels, information packs and keys. We agreed between us to meet at a certain time for lunch as nobody was going to get up for breakfast. I didn't bother putting up the mosquito net as it was 4am and I literally fell into bed.

T5 and counting...

I had two other volunteer’s phone numbers who will be on the same flight. There should have been around 10 of us, some connecting from Dublin and Toronto. I was a bit concerned about terminal 5 and the fact I don't have any baggage insurance as it was too expensive for something that didn't cover valuables. Hmmph, was not going to pay up if the policy wasn't going to cover my camera and laptop.

I was dropped off at Heathrow by my parents. We left at 6am from Hertfordshire and still got stuck in the car park that is the M25. An hour early for check in, I bump into another volunteer I'd met a few weeks ago via contact on the VSO message boards. A family goodbye and I was through security. With an hour to go on the flight we had met with the Irish volunteer and another one from the UK. We had lots of conversations about what people packed and what we were likely to miss (the evidence will be on YouTube soon).

Whilst in the queue for boarding we met with another volunteer. The beauty of the two VSO prep courses at Harbourne Hall on the outskirts of Birmingham is you often meet at least one other person that has a placement and is on the same intake as you. So as soon as there were a few of us we were networking quickly. With two intakes every year for most countries it's likely you'll have companions for your in country training. We all have a month together and this is India's biggest cohort at 17 people so it should be interesting!

Packing District

After a weekend away visiting friends before the chaos of packing, I’ve had a pretty stressful week. I only left myself seven days to finish off preparations after work and a weekend of socialising.


The first day was pretty much scanning of as much of my Postgrad folder as possible. It wasn’t urgent but the more I could get done the better. Back-breaking work but boringly necessary. The next few days I’d said I wouldn’t panic but did. I managed a few swimming pool visits to release the tension and the actual packing only took a couple of days. The panic only comes when you think you have to remember all those things you may not get abroad. Delhi though should have anything. I’ve read that hair goop and underwired bras are the worst. Everything else should be fine. I have had several offers of parcels that can be sent at a later date from the UK full of the delights of home.

It’s now the night before I leave. I went for Sunday lunch with a friend to unwind and enjoy a roast beef lunch and some red wine. It was a good move and I’m feeling relaxed, prepared and excited. A 6am start. I’m heading to bed early but I’m pretty sure I won’t be sleeping much!