The Other Side of India

Today was an amazing experience and I’m sure I will not adequately present a vivid enough account of what it was like.

My morning began by visiting with the poor and proud villagers of Kavis village just outside of Agra. The drive to get there took me past camels, donkeys or oxen pulling carts and small mud or straw huts along the fields used as silos to store harvested crops or cow dung, which is used for cooking. This was truly a very rural setting among those making between one to two dollars per day.

It was the first time that many of these villagers had seen an American and it was the first time one had come to their village. I was immediately swarmed by dozens of smiling children and friendly people eager to get their photo taken when they saw how my digital camera worked. Only a two or three were able to speak English. I met one gentleman who said he was over 100 years old.

They proudly gave me a tour of their village showing me where they pumped water, milked cows, cooked over a small fire, made pottery cups for drinking, and even a shop that cut glass lenses for eyewear. Their home structures were mostly red brick, but there were also concrete and stick-framed rooms for homes. It looked to me like there were few floor structures other than dirt. I was told I would see “raw village life” and I certainly did.

There was no privacy in this village – there were open doorways to homes with villagers, dogs, cattle and goats milling around.

About a half mile down the road I participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open a new healthcare camp. The medical team from the Shanti Mangalick Charity Hospital now uses this location to perform health care checks on the villagers – especially exams for eye disease. About 50 percent of the patients have cataract eye disease, which needs to be treated or there is a risk of loss of eyesight.

Dr. Mahesh Mangalick, who initiated my visit, is the administrator of the hospital and arranges treatment of cataracts through very simple and economical sutureless surgery with appropriate lens implants. Very low fees area charged, mainly to cover costs of materials and operation related expenses. A mere $50 can help cover the total costs for both eyes, but these poor villagers cannot afford even this amount.

We gathered in an area where large colorful tapestries were strung out to create a tent and were welcomed by girls singing Indian songs in Hindi. I then spoke briefly to a crowd of about nine hundred after meeting the member of the Lower Assembly in the State Legislature of Uttar Pradesh, who was present as an additional host. Over eight hundred received a health or eye exam that morning.

Next, I joined the village elders for lunch and discussed their chief interest in gaining ideas and suggestions to improve the yield of their crops. Of course, I wasn’t very helpful in this area, but I have to admire the can-do spirit and strong optimism that these people project.

Minnesota connections:

Dr. Mangalick first met staff from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health about 10 months ago and since that time has received some grants to get computers for maintaining patient health records. They’ve also begun hosting visiting staff from the School of Public Health. There’s even a new side office painted in gold with a University of Minnesota sign above the doorway that reads “University of Minnesota Visitors.”

I also toured the hospital, which is stark by American standards. I met several new mothers and their tiny babies that were delivered in the last 24 hours. They’re all together in a large room of hospital beds, but there is no air conditioning to help with the intense outside heat and humidity. Needless to say, this hospital is performing admirably for the citizens and villagers in the Agra area.

Last night, I enjoyed the hospitality and had the privilege of dining with the family of Vikash Lall, who is the nephew of Minnesota’s state CIO, Gopal Khanna. It was an all-family affair with Vikash’s wife, two daughters and father and mother.

Vikash said he definitely sees a noticeable expansion of middle-class Indians moving up the economic ladder. It will take time but hopefully it’s this emergence that will eventually provide opportunities to poorer areas of India, such as the Kavis villagers.