Working for Navdanya, Living in Hauz Khas

The organization I work for is called Navdanya. It means nine seeds and is named so after the traditional farming method of a nine-crop rotation. The organization is also called Research Foundation for science, Technology and Ecology and was started by Dr. Vandana Shiva in the 80’s. Dr. Shiva is quite a celebrity in slow food and sustainable agriculture circles and I was delighted for the opportunity to come and work for the organization. I met Dr. Shiva first in California when she came to UC Davis to deliver a lecture, which I was impressed by and inspired me to apply for the program.

The “program” I’m traveling here with was started last year and lacks any real structure to speak of. It was created in response to the Bush Administration’s pursuit of trade with and nuclear development in India. Calling their program the Knowledge Initiative, Dr. Shiva was interested in creating a program focusing on sustainability led by Indian and American youth, and called it the Knowledge Exchange. I saw it an opportunity to help develop this program and come experience life here.

It’s been an interesting adjustment to work for in India so far. The time frame of everything is different here. Just because there are plans to do something doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. It’s very usual that I’m told I need to be somewhere in 3 hours or even ten minutes at a moment’s notice. Planning? Whose heard of that?

For the first couple weeks of our trip, we went to a farm where we took a course. Upon our return to Delhi, we have focused on the anti-coke/pepsi campaign that is taking place across India. Currently, seven states have banned the production of coke because of the negative impacts of soda production. Coke/pepsi factories use up the water in villages that is used for drinking water and agriculture. The processing to make the drinks pollutes the remaining ground water and the end product is product full of pesticides (not to mention high fructose corn syrup and anti-freeze).

Aside from adjusting to a different “work environment,” much of my experience has been overwhelmingly positive and I feel fortunate to be connected to and organization and some nice folks here. Navdanya has several offices located in Delhi as well as a café, which is where we stayed for the first week of our trip. We especially enjoyed staying there because they serve delicious, organic Indian food and chai (tea) and sell grains, pulses, tea, and spices. Navdanya also has a stall up the road at a local market—Dilli Haat—with artisanal crafts and cultural events.

A few weeks after we arrived, they moved us to a flat that’s about a 20 minute walk to the café and the office where we work. The picture to the right is the view from the window. It was entirely unfurnished except for a couple lawn chairs and small sofa in the main room. We were without beds until we went to a market to get some mattress-like futons for 400 rupees ($10). For the kitchen, we got an electric burner and a small pot. For the bathroom, a wash bucket. And there you have our furnishings! It’s great to live with the bare minimum. Frequent power outages are solved by having a few candles around and it’s nice not to be so dependent upon unnecessary electronics and modern gadgetry that end up in landfills. This isn’t to say I don’t have appreciation for the comforts in life—take windows and insulated walls, for example. Karly and I share a bedroom (what I’ve taken to calling our cell) that has one narrow window facing the building’s dark, interior courtyard. The only other window is at the top of the room and measures about 8 square inches, making our only view the butt of a pigeon that perches on the ledge, moaning away. If the pigeon leaves, there's a narrow shaft of light that beams down on me during morning yoga. My alarm clock is my neighbor, who begins an impassioned, half hour session of hocking loogies every morning. The thin walls ensure that I am able to visualize the very shape of those loogies that he drudges up from deep within. Our bathroom, meanwhile, shares a thin wall with our neighbor's kitchen. So, while I can hear all of their bathroom sounds in my bedroom, all of the kitchen smells waft over to my bathroom. This is especially painful because their food smells sooooooooo good and we lack the skills and equipment to make such tastey dishes. Fortunately, the area I live in (Hauz Khas Village) is located in the ‘green belt’ of Delhi. Surrounding our building are several parks and peaceful recreational areas, where people play cricket, take walks, do yoga, and meditate. So, there's good reason to get out the house and stroll around the neighbrohood, as often as possible!