Choosing Action Over Apathy

Choosing action over apathy (The Hindu, Nov 6th 2005)

SMITA JAIN

Leaving behind the security of their homes and jobs, young non-resident Indians are working to change things in their home country. The Indicorps venture shows the way.

Exploring their relationship with India: Changing attitudes to social service.

A CROWD has gathered at Vijay Char Rasta, one of Ahmedabad's busiest intersections. Neither for a film shooting nor an accident, and neither is it a dispute. A street school, run by Ahmedabad-based NGO Indicorps, is in progress. In a land that is home to the largest number of illiterate people, it is unfortunate that the school stands as an exception in its urban setting.

Speaking of the school, an Indicorps volunteer admits, "Many of these children attend school only for the free breakfast, yet it is important that they come, as it is the closest many will ever come to a school in their lifetime."

Though the non-traditional setting is unique, what distinguishes this from other informal schools is that the teachers — despite their traditional attire and language skills — are in fact young NRIs. They have joined Indicorps, as the website states, "to leave their comfort zones, place others' interests before their own... and explore their relationship with India."

Inspiration

Young Indians can gain inspiration from the example set by Indicorps. Though the volunteers aim to kindle an interest in learning among underprivileged children, they are aware that the school also makes a powerful statement to the people around them.

By choosing action over apathy, they are sending the message that young people need to take change into their hands if India is to become a better place for its citizens.

For a country that is one of the youngest in the world — nearly 33 per cent of Indians are below the age of 15 — the apathetic attitude of many youngsters towards community service is tragic.

Indicorps co-founder, 28-year-old Anand Shah says, "One needs to awaken the spirit of young people. There has to be the attitude that change is our responsibility and not that of the corporation, the Government, the Gram Panchayat or the next door neighbour." Anand began developing Indicorps 10 years ago from his Texas hometown along with his sisters Sonal and Roopal.

The street school is just one of Indicorps' numerous initiatives in India. Its primary programme is a yearlong fellowship in which NRI youth, aged 21-35, work on pre-selected development projects across the country.

Fellows hail from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., though applications from NRIs from other nations are welcome. Now in its fourth year, Indicorps has supervised over 35 fellows who have led projects as diverse as building entrepreneurs in Kanpur's slums and promoting health insurance among rural Maharashtrian women. So that the fellows adapt quickly to their project settings, they not only live at the project site, but also they take on the lifestyle of the area's inhabitants.

Needless to say, living with basic amenities in often-remote settings and on a stipend of Rs. 1500 a month is a far cry from the lifestyle of even many resident Indians.

Does Indicorps have a difficult time convincing fellows to stick with the programme initially?

"The challenge," says co-founder Sonal Shah, who was awarded India Abroad Person of the Year in 2003, "is not in getting people to stay, it is in getting people to return from India because just as they are beginning to realise what they can do, they have to leave."

But what tempts these youngsters to leave the security of home and lucrative jobs for an austere lifestyle of development work in India? Time spent in development activities is not just about promoting change within a community, Anand explains, it is also a unique exercise in personal development. "A year with Indicorps is an investment in our abilities. One builds problem-solving capacity, communication skills, and one learns how to take a vision and turn it into something successful." In short, Indicorps is not only building a cadre of more sensitised and aware youth, but it is also building leaders who will carry these lessons into their future careers. Current Indicorps fellow Shivana Naidoo, a medical school aspirant who has spent the last year working on a musical programme to encourage Hindu-Muslim communal harmony in Ahmedabad, describes a powerful lesson the year has taught her: "It is the working children of India — the rag pickers, boot polishers, child labourers — who have shown me the meaning of selfless service."

Indicorps brands itself as a leadership programme, and firmly believes that the reflection and personal growth that accompany the experience in development will help in building better, more effective leaders who can handle the challenges of tomorrow — and today.

For the Indians

Building leaders who can better represent India in their respective nations is at the crux of the Shah trio's goal. However, they hope to get people from India involved in their programmes — and perhaps also begin an Indicorps for resident Indians. "It is not good only for NRIs to come to India and give their time to the nation. Even people from India should be joining us," notes Anand.

Currently, Indians can get involved through Volunteer Ahmedabad (VA), an initiative to involve Ahmedabadis in local community projects. In its yearlong existence, VA information stalls have been set up at many campuses in the university-city. The message that Indicorps is spreading to youngsters in India is a simple one: you don't have to give a lifetime, a year, or even a day. Give what you have of your time and skills and you can help make this country a better place.

For many Indicorps fellows, simply living in India is an once-in-a-lifetime experience that often proves to be deeply enriching. Though they do admit to feeling the pangs of homesickness at times, most come to cherish the year for the invaluable lessons they have learned.

Rupal Soni, an Indicorps fellow working in the desert regions of Kutch to preserve traditional women's handicrafts, puts it eloquently: "Before living here, I never knew how many stars actually called the sky home. The desert sat me down for a quick lesson. `Rupal, you fool,' he said, `there's a lot of the world that you have left to see. You have to leave behind what you think you know in order to see it.'"