My Internship at RoseKanda

I arrived in Kanda on November the 2^nd after a long journey by bus from Nainital. Luckily I met Helen and Mark, two English volunteers, at the shared-jeep stand so I didn’t have to search for the right way to ‘the square, reddish house’. With my heavy back pack the road was a bit tough, but I made it safely. After 8.5 hours by bus, it was lovely to sit back in the sun with a cup of chai, chatting with Mark and Helen.

 

 Unfortunately, the second day was Helen and Marks last day. We went exploring in a field nearby and after that I joined them in the short walk to Kanda Market followed by the steep short cut track to Kanda. I was surprised by the hot temperature in daytime; short sleeves were enough, compared to the cold weather later on in the day.  In the evening we had a great meal, including a cup of lovely fresh, hot milk with lots of sugar.

 

Early in the morning Helen and Mark left and I had to sit down for a while with a swollen knee; I think I may have been a bit too enthusiastic walking on the bumpy roads and carrying my back pack. I took care of baby Anuska, I helped cooking, made chapattis as best I could and helped with cutting the grass, although I could not handle this task for a long time – it was hard work!

 

I noticed that I had no network with my cell phone here in the mountains and Internet wasn’t working, so I went into Bageshwar to inform my parents that I had arrived safely. As I knew they were a little concerned about their daughter alone in this big unknown country. I was glad I could take their worries away; the Verma’s are really welcoming and family-like.

I arrived back in time to join Mr. Verma in a celebration in the temple up the hill. I really enjoyed it, although I did not quite understand everything, even with the explanations of Mr. Verma.

 

On Thursday there was another event in a different temple; the temple was just opened and there was a meal for everybody that wanted it. Of course I loved to try it! I received a plate with fried chapatti, a cucumber-yoghurt sauce, vegetable curry and pickled mango (really nice!). After some shopping we went home and I helped Renu take care of the baby and I helped with the cooking. Mrs. Verma noticed that I was a bit cold and immediately she brought a shawl and heated some milk for me; a great example of the warm heartedness of the family.

 

I had planned to go to Almora on Sunday, but then Renu told me there was a special event happening in the Verma house; Anuska was now 5 months old and ready to eat solid food. Lots of great dishes were cooked and after some traditional ceremonies – for example Anuska writing on paper! – She could try a sample all of the prepared food which was served for her on a silver coin.

 

The day after I traveled by shared jeep to Almora and although the trip should only take 3 hours, it took me 5 hours to arrive there and then I had to walk for 3 kilometer uphill. Because of the delay I decided to stay an extra night in Almora. I stayed at the ‘Bansal Hotel’, recommended by the Lonely Planet firstly and now by me (it was a bargain!). During my trip I visited several temple’s, including the Kasar Devi Temple, but if I am honest I was a little disappointed by it. Almora is quite small, you can do some shopping, go on the internet, eat delicious tandoori chicken at ‘Soni’s’ and have a nice chat with the locals. Unfortunately, there was a strike on the day I wanted to leave and the next day I became sick which I think was due to some of the food I had eaten at a temple, so my trip took longer than I expected. But I would still recommend Almora to anyone, just for a night or two.

After some quiet days spent helping with the housekeeping and cooking we had to say ‘goodbye’ to Dipty and Anuska, because they were leaving to return to their own home 2 hours away from Kanda. I traveled with them to their house where we had a meal and a stroll through their village and then it was time to return Kanda. It was not easy to ‘leave’ them there, but we had two new people coming back to Kanda with us Jeetendr and Chandra so there would be enough company!

 

 

 

Ro

 

Rodée Veens

19 years, student University Social Work, HAN Nijmegen

Rodeeveens@hotmail.com

11/2/08 – 11/24/08

Holland, Netherlands.

Rural India study opportunity for International students

Dear Universities,

Greetings.  I am writing to introduce you to a noble effort in village ecotourism in rural India. It is called the Rural Organization for Social Elevation (R.O.S.E.) and was founded in 1981 by local residents concerned about the plight of the poor in the Kanda area of Uttarakhand, India.  In 1988 it began accepting international volunteers, eco tourists and students.  Since then it has accepted over 300 people from all over the world to work and live immersed in village life and the local culture  for anywhere from 1 week to six months.  It is a unique approach to tourism that supports and uplifts the local community .R.O.S.E. is currently trying to reach out like-minded individuals and organizations in order to form a network to share information and bring awareness to its existence. To find out more about R.O.S.E., the work it does, and the opportunities it provides for tourists please visit www.rosekanda.org &  www.bageshwar.nic.in/excursions.htm

This project has had a number of students over the years who have used this experience to study for their dissertations and even for their masters degrees (mainly from Canada). I was wondering if you could take the time to read about this project and check our awards in the hope that you might promote this to your student unions and even specific faculties that may find this a beneficial opportunity for learning. We have made some major improvements to the lives of people in this community but we can go further with the help of young fresh minds with experience in engineering, computing, ecology, agriculture and more. There are endless opportunities for students to get back down to grassroots and experience life with basic materials and make a direct impact with their knowledge through education.

Most studies by students in the past have been in reference to organic faming methods and the problem with soil erosion as nearly all the surrounding landscape has been developed into farming land for raising crops. Some have educated the locals on the benefits of biogas systems so that methane can be harvested from common waste. This allows the locals to use methane as a source of fuel rather than contributing to soil erosion by cutting down trees.

In order for us to continue going forward it is important for us to attract the correct minds, particularly innovators! Engineers may be able to teach local builders how to improve in their practices and also may have better ideas on alternative energy. We suffer from power cuts regularly and internet is limited to dial up, which is a new thing here also. Any way that we can take advantage of our environment without causing harm to the environment and the local community is a definite direction to go in. Unfortunately with limited knowledge of new technologies and poor access to the proper reading materials we cannot achieve this on our own!

Thank you for your kind attention and I hope you take the time to check out our website.  Please write if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions on other ways we could promote this project.

Yours Sincerely,
Jeevan Lal Verma

Village Eco Tourism India

Greetings.  I am writing to introduce you to a noble effort in Village Eco Tourism in rural India. It is called the Rural Organization for Social Elevation (R.O.S.E.) and was founded in 1981 by local residents concerned about the plight of the poor in the Kanda area of Uttarakhand, India.  In 1988 it began accepting international volunteers, eco tourists and students.  Since then it has accepted over 300 people from all over the world to work and live immersed in village life and the local culture  for anywhere from 1 week to six months.  It is a unique approach to tourism that supports and uplifts the local community .R.O.S.E. is currently trying to reach out like-minded individuals and organizations in order to form a network to share information and bring awareness to its existence. To find out more about R.O.S.E., the work it does, and the opportunities it provides for tourists please visit www.rosekanda.org &  www.bageshwar.nic.in/excursions.htm

Matthew experience

Dear Jeevan and all involved with Jeevan Paying Guest Unit’
Thank you for a wonderful stay I thoroughly enjoyed my self .The volunteering was flexible and well organised. I wish I could stay longer in Kanda and India , as this place is friendly and full of great volunteers. ROSE gave me the opportunity to meet many people and in very thankful. From construction with local community people and maths class in the School, the options available are fantastic. The local Indian food is pretty good too! I will check the web side regularly for developments.
All the best guys!
Matthew
Email- mattbreakell@hotmail.com
20 August 2011

JPGU/ROSE was an amazing experience

I had never volunteered abroad before and so I hadn’t known what
to expect when I got off the jeep after my 7 hour ride from Haldwani
to Jeeevan Paying Guest Unit (JPGU) Sunargaon, Kanda, Bageshwar.
Uttarakhand, India Now, however, I feel as if I want to stay forever.
The people here are incredibly nice and welcoming and you feel almost
like a permanent resident of Kanda. I personally feel like a part of
the Verma family now and I’m sure that many of the other volunteers
feel the same. The best part of this experience for me, though, was
helping in the village. There are so many opportunities to help others
that need it. One need only ask! If you really want to help people and
experience the culture of village India while being surrounded by
astounding scenery, I think that JPGU / ROSE is one of the best
opportunities available.
Arjun Bhuptani,
Indian (NRI)
Abu Dhabi, UAE.
22-08-2011

Life at R.O.S.E Kanda- Nita King

I came to Mr Verma’s Project having no conception of what to expect but was very excited at the prospect of volunteering to contribute in whatever way I could. I have to confess that I was a little apprehensive about getting to Kanda, as I was travelling alone, however those concerns were soon relieved by Mr Verma who promptly responded to my phone calls and emails…. I was collected by his son Jitendra from Haldwani. The journey from Haldwani to Kanda is long but beautiful and Mr Verma son made sure I was comfortable. I arrived at Mr Verma home greeted by other volunteers and the family. I had a chat with Mr Verma about the project and help he would like and what I could do. He is a lovely man and keen to promote the project.
The day to day living for Mr Verma’s family is tough. Early start and late finish. Working in the fields, home and with animals. It is an extremely relaxed lifestyle here. You can do as much as you like or as little and soon the stresses of our so called developed world start to melt away. The children, Gautum and Shivam, Mr. verma grandchildren are gorgeous as is the rest of the family. After a happy two weeks stay here, I feel part of Mr Verma’s family. I have enjoyed the celebrations, of shiva day and rakhee day. In fact Mr Verma is now a brother having tied a rakhee on his wrist and was gifted as is their tradition which I felt a little uncomfortable about accepting. It just shows the generosity of Mr Verma and his family.
You eat the same as the the family which is grown and produced by them for their family and those like me visiting. I have been stuffed with plenty to eat during all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have never eaten so much!!! The food is traditional Kumoni food which is a nice experience and tasty. At times a little spicy but then it is all part of the experience!!
During my stay I went to the local school to teach, helped paint a nursery school recently opened and generally with cooking and carrying iron rods for the current construction project. I have never dones such things before so was great. The children at school are cheeky and keen to learn.
The beauty of this place is undescribable. There are number of layers which makes ROSE beautiful. Its physical beauty. It is amazingly green, with flowers, butterflies and birds. When did I last hear so many birds I cannot remember. It is beautiful because of its simple and humble lifestyle. It is beautiful because everyone is so friendly, kind and grateful for you being in their community and your help. I have truely been touched and humbled by the beauty of Kanda and its people.See More
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Kanda Exprience

I spent about two weeks in Kanda and loved every minute of it. Mr Verma and his family are very friendly, I felt immediately at home after arrival. The food was locally grown and organic, cooked to perfect Kumaon taste by the lovely daughter in law and Mrs Verma. People in Kanda live a very self sufficient life style which I think will be the trend for the future. Mr Verma seemd to …be very eco minded and also a very keen gardener, which I found very impressive.

During my stay in Kanda, I was involved in teaching in the local school, painting the walls of a classroom for a nursery, helping out with cooking, breaking stones for brick making, playing with the dog and cat and making short trips to the nearby town Bageshwar. Everyday I experienced something new. Locally people are very friendly and welcoming that made me feel even more at home.

On Indepence day we watched the ceremony held by the nursary, kids performed singing, dancing and poetry reading and their talents were very very impressive.

I also had the opportunity to visit a family shrine and learn from the owner different religous and cultural facts.

Overall, the experience I had in Kanda can only be discrided as fantastic and unforgettable. Never before had I been so involved in a cutural so deeply and almost in every aspect of their life. Kanda is definitley the place to be if you want real experience of North India.

By Guimin Ma from England
Email: guiminma@gmail.com

Rakhi Festival

Jeevan Paying Guest Unite celeberated rakhi festival on 13th August 2011 with overseas guests / global family members, A sacred thread tied by UK sister Anita on the wrist of her Indian brother Jeevan as a mark of affaction ( that bind the brother to protact her in time of crissis) on Rakhi festival .

Godess Parwati Worship Photos

Some photos of Godess Parwati worship on 08-08-2011 at Jeevan’s house.

Godess Parwati Pooja

We organised a Godess Parwati (Lord Shiva’s wife) pooja (worship)on 8th July 2011, our home stay Village Eco tourists enjoying and increesing knowledg about Spritual India, enjoyed unique cooking / festival meal,community particaption, celebration dresses and relegious Hindu customs / traditions.They enjoying with the taking photos , communicating with the community members and gaining experiences about Indian relegious celebration.
Jeevan

Guy UK feedback

Thank you very much for your hospitality . The famely were very friendly made be feel welcome into the home and the community.I have enjoyed helping at the school and on the construction and i look forward to hearing about it’s progress.
i wish ROSE all the best in the future and hope to return at some point.
Best wishes .
Guy Roger UK