Click here to view our Picture GalleryNamaste from India! Thursday May 5, 2005.
Today Ashima and I worked with the Eco Columban's to film their documentary. They took us all around their large red-brick school and cricket fields...showing us classrooms, the canteen, the computer lab, the principal's office (with the principal inside), etc.
St. Columba's is an all boys school for kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is very old and is famous throughout New Delhi. Several Bollywood movies have even been filmed on the campus. All the Eco-Columbans were proud of their school and I could tell they enjoy attending there. The only complaint seemed to be the lack of girls... they looked wistfully toward the girls school next door while doing our tour (the two schools are separated by walls, and fences, and gates)...mumbling something like, "sometimes we can see a girl or two through the fence." We all walked slowly to examine whether anyone could be seen... but all that was visible that day was an elderly nun and a girl of around 4 years of age. The Eco Columbans all laughed at their disappointment.
I think the most lively part of our tour was the cricket field. "People are crazy about cricket here," student leader Nidhi had told me. But, I didn't know to what extent until I stepped on to the field with the camera. Small boys were dodging left and right, criss-crossing, yelling, jumping up and down. The sidelines were full of anxious audience members ...ranging from 6-15 years of age. A whole group of young boys with the Sikh attire on their heads were jumping up and down and cheering with happiness as their team scored! It was quite exciting to be a part of the scene...even though I knew nothing of what was going on.
They also interviewed each other on film. They came up with great questions to quiz each other on...things like: Who is your role model? What would you do with a million bucks? etc.
The Eco Columbans appeared to be naturals on screen. They spoke with ease as they toured us around and discussed their various environmental campaigns. One of the highlights of our tour was the compost pit...I know this sounds like a strange highlight at first (and I must admit the smell was no highlight at all)...but their stories regarding their waste management campaign are incredible. They were able to mobilize hundreds of youth in New Delhi to teach the community about waste and how to most effectively dispose of it in eco-friendly ways. They organized street plays, held workshops in "slums", formed a student "human chain" to bring awarness to the issue, made posters, spoke in front of community leaders, and much more. They are currently finishing building two additional composting pits...both of which they plan to use verma-composting in.
I think the Eco Columbans embody UN Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.
This evening, Nidhi and Ashima took me to see the Qutb Minar Complex. It is an ancient village within Delhi that is now preserved as one of the World's Heritage Sites. It was amazing walking around a place that has been around for such a long span of time. In the center of the walled village is a pillar... a pole made out of exceptionally pure iron. All other parts of the village have rusted and corroded in parts, but not this pillar. Scientists still do not know how the iron, so pure that it has not rusted for over 2000 years could have been made with the technology of the time.
We just returned from going to the market with Ashima and her cousin. Her cousin needed to shop for some new shirts. And, I wished to purchase some gifts for friends and relatives. They helped me haggle down the prices in Hindi.
On our way back to Ashima's aunts house (by bus) we stopped off at their family friend's jewelry shop to watch the guru of Delhi on TV and so Ashima could buy her mother a gift for Mother's Day.
It is late here now... people stay up very late in India.
-Jessica :)
St. Columba's is an all boys school for kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is very old and is famous throughout New Delhi. Several Bollywood movies have even been filmed on the campus. All the Eco-Columbans were proud of their school and I could tell they enjoy attending there. The only complaint seemed to be the lack of girls... they looked wistfully toward the girls school next door while doing our tour (the two schools are separated by walls, and fences, and gates)...mumbling something like, "sometimes we can see a girl or two through the fence." We all walked slowly to examine whether anyone could be seen... but all that was visible that day was an elderly nun and a girl of around 4 years of age. The Eco Columbans all laughed at their disappointment.
I think the most lively part of our tour was the cricket field. "People are crazy about cricket here," student leader Nidhi had told me. But, I didn't know to what extent until I stepped on to the field with the camera. Small boys were dodging left and right, criss-crossing, yelling, jumping up and down. The sidelines were full of anxious audience members ...ranging from 6-15 years of age. A whole group of young boys with the Sikh attire on their heads were jumping up and down and cheering with happiness as their team scored! It was quite exciting to be a part of the scene...even though I knew nothing of what was going on.
They also interviewed each other on film. They came up with great questions to quiz each other on...things like: Who is your role model? What would you do with a million bucks? etc.
The Eco Columbans appeared to be naturals on screen. They spoke with ease as they toured us around and discussed their various environmental campaigns. One of the highlights of our tour was the compost pit...I know this sounds like a strange highlight at first (and I must admit the smell was no highlight at all)...but their stories regarding their waste management campaign are incredible. They were able to mobilize hundreds of youth in New Delhi to teach the community about waste and how to most effectively dispose of it in eco-friendly ways. They organized street plays, held workshops in "slums", formed a student "human chain" to bring awarness to the issue, made posters, spoke in front of community leaders, and much more. They are currently finishing building two additional composting pits...both of which they plan to use verma-composting in.
I think the Eco Columbans embody UN Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.
This evening, Nidhi and Ashima took me to see the Qutb Minar Complex. It is an ancient village within Delhi that is now preserved as one of the World's Heritage Sites. It was amazing walking around a place that has been around for such a long span of time. In the center of the walled village is a pillar... a pole made out of exceptionally pure iron. All other parts of the village have rusted and corroded in parts, but not this pillar. Scientists still do not know how the iron, so pure that it has not rusted for over 2000 years could have been made with the technology of the time.
We just returned from going to the market with Ashima and her cousin. Her cousin needed to shop for some new shirts. And, I wished to purchase some gifts for friends and relatives. They helped me haggle down the prices in Hindi.
On our way back to Ashima's aunts house (by bus) we stopped off at their family friend's jewelry shop to watch the guru of Delhi on TV and so Ashima could buy her mother a gift for Mother's Day.
It is late here now... people stay up very late in India.
-Jessica :)
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