Toilet Construction by Saraswati Group: July 22nd, 23rd and 24th

Toilet construction: By saraswati Group

We went to Jhiglikothi to build a toilet for Ramadevi. Ramadevi is a disabled woman with difficulty walking. We started the first day with Vineeth and Rohan hauling rocks to the area where the toilet was going to be built. This was the day they became men. The girls knocked off 10 years off their lives by painting the waste barrels with noxious lead paint. Luckily, it rained later because they had to clean their hands with another potentially dangerous substance: kerosene. In order to collect bricks from the shop back to the work site, Sathvik and Nikhil had to ride a tractor, which was a new experience for them. We then formed a train down a steep hill to pass the large rocks and bricks closer to the toilet building site. Of course, the CORD workers Deepakbhai and Ravinderbhai added to the work while showing off their English speaking skills to us. After mixing several buckets of cement, we made successful “trains” to pass cement and bricks to lay out the foundation.

Day 2: The mason was with the New Jersey group the first day, so the second day was when the real work began. We continued hauling bricks using human chains, and mixed endless buckets of cement. The girls also developed biceps as Gopika, Priya and Shivani were an integral part of starting the toilet. After several chai breaks due to the heat, we helped the mason lay out a fourth of the entire bathroom.

Day 3: Again, we helped mainly carry bricks and lay cement. The mason forbade us from aligning the bricks so we found small chores to help speed the process up. While mixing cement, Deepak Bhaiya found a toad that we (mainly Priya) spent time catching and holding. Also, we were impressed by the dedication of Deepak and Ravinder bhai and their desire to improve the villages. In the middle of the day,  we ran out of bricks so the guys went to get some more and rode back on top of the vehicle clinging on for dear life on the way back. After that we spent most of the time handing the mason bricks and mixing cement and we got back at around 7:00, the most strenuous and longest day of work. We were also interviewed by a local newspaper "Punjab Kesari" and had our picture published in our moment of fame.

July 24th - Toilet Construction

Authors: Radhika and Ananya

This morning for Swadhyaya, we did something different instead of meditation. We went to a local Krishna temple and saw a river associated with Kapila muni.

Along the way, we saw picturesque mountain landscapes. Our jaws dropped at the sight of the mountain ranges. Today was our last day of toilet construction. Luckily the weather was on our side and we were able to get a lot done. We had to get bricks and transport them all the way to the construction area (which was a little hard). Aside from that, we had to mix cement using lots of sand and water.

The door got put up and slowly the walls were constructed. It was an amazing feeling to see the finished product after our three days of hard work -- even though we weren't able to put up the roof.

July 22nd - Soknidakot village visit

Authors: Hiren Gihwala, Akash Mukavilli

Hari OM to all,

The New Jersey group would like to send our well wishes to all as we celebrate the auspicious day of Guru Purnima. We started our day by attending a Guru Paduka pooja this morning at the Tapovan ashram. Also, shortly before we left for the field we attended another puja where we were FASCINATED by a bhajan that the CORD workers sang. The bhajan was in Pahadi and was one of the most beautiful sounding bhajans we have ever heard. 

Today, the New Jersey group had a chance to visit Soknidakot village. Upon our arrival at the village, we had a chance to meet with the owner of the house. She is 70 years old and full of happiness. After speaking to her we found out that she has been paralyzed on the left side of her body for the past 13 years. Despite being paralyzed for so many years, we were astonished by the warmth that she welcomed us with and by the happiness that she spreads with her smile everyday. 

After sitting and having tea with the kind lady, our group set out to start the process of building the bathroom for her. (P.S. The tea was AMAZING!!) The process of building the bathroom will take three days. Today we focused on making sure the base for the bathroom structure was sturdy. 

We started the process of constructing the bathroom by digging a hole in the ground. We used our great TEAMWORK in order to expedite this process.

Next, we went and fetched several rocks. We later used these stones to fill the hole that we dug. These rocks were HEAVY. As you can see in the images, we worked as a team to get the rocks from the spot where we found them to the hole that we dug. With the help of the mason and the CORD volunteer, we were able to easily put down the foundation of the rocks. 

The next step in our process of building the core structure for the bathroom was to put a layer of gravel on top of the rocks. After completing this step, we repeated the process twice. We then put a layer of bricks around the rocks that made up our main structure. 

While a few of us were working on the process of building the structure, Ananya and Radhika were diligently working on creating the waste storage tanks. They did this by cutting holes in these huge barrels. The purpose of these holes is to ensure that the water gets out of the barrels, but the waste remains in the barrels. 

Lastly, after a long day our group finally completed our day goals. We finished the structure for the base of the bathroom. 

July 21st - Mcleodganj/Khangra/Chamunda Devi

Authors:  Radhika and Ananya 

Today was quite eventful for the New Jersey group -- you could call it a pilgrimage. We first went to the Bhagsunag temple and admired the Shiva linga there.

Afterwards, we spent some time at the local  market looking for some unique trinkets. The guys went crazy over the Ray Ban glasses and Rolex watches at a local shop (they ended up shopping more than the girls).

We all went to a Buddhist monastery adjacent to the Dalai Lama's home. The guys went around asking the monks and security guards where the Dalai Lama went. Much to their dismay, they never got a true answer.  After a lunch break, we met up with the rest of the teams at the beautiful Khangra Fort. We were all in awe at the amazing scenery there. The groups went to the Vajreshwari temple and the Chamunda Devi temple. Throughout the shaktipeet there were many monkeys sitting, eating the prasad - it was quite funny.

It was fantastic to see the Vajreshwari temple since it is one of the shaktipeet temples. We all felt very, very blessed.

July 20th - Soakage Pit in Bandla

Authors: Jayendra, Rohan, Rahul 

Today was one of the most beautiful days we've had so far. The clouds enclosing the Dhauladhars made for a majestic view.

We went to the village of Bandla with Sushma and Seema didi to make a soakage pit.

The home we went to was that of a veteran who served around India for 24 years. While waiting for chai, a few of us enjoyed shenanigan-ing with the first tamed dog (and a quiet, purring cat) we've encountered so far. The purpose of the soakage pit was to purify their waste water. Sushma didi broke the ground to begin construction, and we quickly followed suit.

After almost 40 minutes we had struck a layer of rock. Not knowing what to do, we struggled to break through. That's when Seema didi called in the heavy infantry. A local boy went SOY BEAN on the rock, obliterating it in seconds.

He finished the hole, but our task was only half done. Then we had to fill it up with filter material. The homeowner had piled a few large stones by the side of the pit, but it was insufficient.

The rock hunt began.  We looked far and wide, for the answer to this very question, but none was to be found. The same village boy jumping selflessly into the closely stream and he tossed us a few rocks and we bore the rocks through back to the pit and tossed the rocks into the pit.

Finally, we took a chai break, resting our sore backs and arms and waiting for the rain to end. Finishing our insightful discussion with the rain, we got up to complete our labors, filling the pit with sand, and covering it with a jute sack.

We were finally ready for our peaceful ride back to CORD, but this was not to be ours. The bus broke down halfway, and we had to switch vehicles, but we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful mountain landscapes.

What an eventful 8 hours!