Een groep van 37 sociologiestudenten van de Ambedkar Universiteit Delhi bezocht op 13 februari 2015 het kantoor van Himalaya Seva Sangh (HSS), een van de partnerorganisaties van HIMALAYA RESOURCES. Ook kregen de studenten een uitgebreide rondleiding in het informatierijke Nationale Gandhi Museum, dat op dezelfde campus is gevestigd. Er vonden levendige discussies plaats met Manoj Pande van HSS en de heer Annamalai, directeur van het museum, over het leven en de ideologie van Mahatama Gandhi. Maar ook over het belang van lokale initiatieven. Aan het eind van de middag, dicht op elkaar gepakt in een van de kamers van HSS, zetten eenvoudige vragen als ‘wie kan zijn eigen avondeten klaarmaken?’ en ‘welke bomen zie je om je heen en ken je?’ de studenten aan het denken. De relevantie en kern van problemen die op lokaal niveau spelen werden duidelijker, evenals hun oplossingen. Reflectie vond plaats op de relatie tussen dagelijks handelen en diepgewortelde ideologieën. De studenten vertrokken met nieuwe ideeën over hoe zij hun wens om iets goeds te doen voor de medemens zouden kunnen omzetten in daden. Misschien heeft HSS er binnenkort een paar bevlogen vrijwilligers bij!
Hier volgt het verslag van Amna Majeed, een van de studenten:
The course of ‘Organizational Exposure’ for M.A Sociology students at Ambedkar University Delhi is a new and profound concept. It has been introduced in order to broaden the imagination of students and to learn the employment of sociological skills. An experience in this direction was visiting the Himalaya Seva Sangh on the 13th of February 2015. The class of M.A Sociology arrived at the Himalaya Seva Sangh situated at Rajghat and was welcomed by Mr. Manoj Pandey, Coordinator, Himalaya Seva Sangh and Mr. Annamalai, Director of the Gandhi Museum at Rajghat.
The students interacted with Mr Annamalai and Mr Manoj Pandey on many issues; ranging from Mahatama Gandhi, his ideologies and the importance of grassroot level initiatives. This was followed by a screening of A.K Chettiar’s documentary ”Mahatama: Life of Gandhi” (released in 1940). This was a rare experience for the class as this documentary has real footage of Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other important political figures of that time. An inspiring supplement to this was getting a guided tour of the Gandhi Museum by Mr. Manoj Pandey. The museum is an exciting experience for any history lover. It houses so much information about Gandhi that one day perhaps isn’t enough to gather it all. It displays maps of Gandhi’s Dandi march’s all over the country and his books, clothes, his family tree and so on and so forth. The Museum also has Gandhi’s original voice recorded that one can hear over telephones. After visiting the museum, the class saw the main office of the Himalaya Seva Sangh that is right next to the Gandhi Museum. Inside the office, the class of 37 students squeezed happily inside a cozy room to recount and relive the numerous experiences of the day. Listening to Mr. Manoj Pandey’s views on his work and his way of life, the students felt educated and inquisitive. He explained how his organisation works in so many areas of the country; working for the rights of the tribals in the eastern belt of the country, or for the persons affected by the construction of the Tehri dam in the Garhwal Himalayas. To the amazement of the students, he described how simply he lives. He asked us questions such as ‘Which one of you can cook your own food?’ ‘Which one of you can name the different trees around you?’ This conversation gave the class a sense of what all different ways are there to utilise and transform one’s desire to work for the betterment of others. This visit explained to the class, as students of Sociology, the relevance and essence of grassroot level issues as well as their solutions. It also enlightened the class about how imperative daily life practices are and how they reflect the deeper ideology rooted within.
The students said goodbye to Mr Pandey with hopefulness and curiosity. Many of us are looking forward to volunteering or interning with the Himalaya Seva Sangh and learning more.
Amna Majeed, student MA Sociology, Ambedkar University Delhi