Summary Proceedings of the Chicago Learning
Journey Conference
May 3-4, 2008
The 72 attendees at the conference were keen on getting involved, and
many were already doing projects in India. After introductory remarks
by Ram Narayanan and Raj Rajaram, Ram Krishnan told the attendees about
the importance of understanding the problems in rural areas before we
offer our assistance. A nice video of the Rural India Learning Journey
(RILJ) that was completed in Tamilnadu from Dec. 15-22, 2007, was presented
by Ram Krishnan. This was followed by the following presentations:
Dr. Bibek and Purnima Ray of Oakdale, MN - They described their
work in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, focusing on the educational
and economic opportunities they created for the farmers. They said that
after some initial difficulties in getting all the permissions, they have
been welcomed by both the local government and people who appreciate the
opportunities they create for a better life. They want to focus on health
issues soon.
Dr. Sanjay Bhatt of Chicago, IL - Sanjay described his work with
Ekal Vidyalaya in various parts of India during his one-year tenure with
Indicorps. He described how Ekal Vidyalaya focuses on preventive health,
education using one-teacher schools, and overall literacy in rural and
tribal areas. He narrated interesting stories of how he got along with
little or no knowledge of the local language, and how his tenure helped
him
develop a love for the work being done by Ekal Vidyalaya.
Dr. Roda Patel of Skokie, IL - Dr. Patel spoke of her work in
rural Gujarat where they have been working for over a decade. She and
her husband raise the money in the US, and working with local healthcare
workers and
doctors, have improved the health of thousands of villagers in the area.
Training young women and helping the hospital in the area expand with
the
help of Larsen and Toubro have been accomplished by them so far.
Dr. Raja Rajagopal of Iowa City, IA - Prof. Rajagopal mentioned
his personal journey of discovering wonderful Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) in Tamilnadu. He has taken over 80 students from University of
Iowa to Tamilnadu over the past 2 years, and it has made a tremendous
impact on his students. He is planning to expand the program through many
fund raising efforts in Iowa City and Tamilnadu.
Dr. Deepshika Gupta of St. Catheine's University, MN - Prof. Deepshika
Gupta and her colleague, Virginia McCarthy told of their efforts to take
students to India over the last 3 years. They are collaborating with institutions
in India to improve nursing education and exposing their students to rural
life in India with the help of Sehgal Foundation in Gurgaon.
Dr. D.V.Giri of San Jose, CA - Dr. Giri described his work with
the tribal and rural people of Karnataka. He explained that he was a part
of a small organization called SEWA in San Francisco bay area for over
15 years. SEWA has raised funds for Dr. Sudarshan’s work in B R Hills
near Mysore City in Karnataka relating to the advancement of tribal people
in these hills. Dr. Sudarshan’s motto has been to help the tribals
help themselves. SEWA has contributed to the establishment of a clinic
to care for the health needs of the tribals. Dr. Giri also explained his
work through the Human Services committee of the Shiva-Vishnu Temple in
Livermore, California. This involved assisting local organizations and
also fund-raising efforts for relief work in Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat
and Tsunami relief efforts in Tamil Nadu. In addition Dr. Giri spoke about
his current project Of an orphanage called Deenabandhu in Chamarajanagar
near Mysore City. He explained the details of various phases of this project,
resources needed and current status.
After lunch, Dr. Rajaram of India Development Coaliation of America
(IDCA) explained the objectives of IDCA and introduced the key members
of the IDCA team. He then introduced Dr. Prakasam Tata of IDCA who explained
what IDCA can do for its members and those interested in rural development
in India. He was followed by Dr. Ken Shapiro, Assoc. Dean of the College
of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, who
described the rural development programs under the Khorana Scientific
Exchange Program initiated by the University of Wisconsin in 2007. He
mentioned the dairy improvement work in Amethi, UP, and the soil testing
and evaluation work for the Agricultural Consultancy Management Foundation
of Chennai, India. Subsequently, Jay Sehgal of the Sehgal Foundation
of Gurgaon, India, mentioned the work that the Institute of Rural
Research and Development (IRRAD) will be conducting in India starting
in September 2008. Work on policy issues, research and development, and
training will be the three focus areas for IRRAD.
Ram Krishnan shared a nice video regarding his progress over the
last 4 years in getting involved and getting committed to rural development
in Vilathikulam district of Tamilnadu. He urged everyone in the audience
to follow his example, and spend as much time as they could in rural areas
of India, and assisting in development of these areas.
Action Plans were developed in Health, Education, Agriculture, Water/Sanitation
and Alternative Energy for Rural parts of India. These will be followed
through with IDCA's help, and will be monitored by the Rural India Learning
Journey (RILJ) team of IDCA.
On May 4, 2008, the structure and functioning of future Rural Journeys
to various states in India was discussed in great detail by Prakash
Agarwal of California. The Rural India Learning Journeys (RILJ) will
be conducted under the guidance of the US India Friendship Alliance, and
implemented through IDCA. It was decided that a dedicated team of individuals
under the guidance of Ram Narayanan of US India Friendship Alliance
and Ram Krishnan will be selected in the next few months. In addition,
champions will be identified for Rural Journeys to Rajasthan, Maharashtra
and Andhra Pradesh. Each journey will be made of 30-50 individuals who
will commit to making the 1- or 2-week journey in late 2008 or early 2009.
Prakash Agarwal will work with a team to start planning a RILJ to UP in
2009/early 2010. Other state champions will be identified in due course
and journeys will be planned by these champions.
The conference ended with many attendees pledging to get involved and
stay involved with India's rural development.
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