Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Future of India

After three days of fieldwork, our groups’ schedule changed slightly today. In the morning, we visited a farm cooperative and in the afternoon we toured a milk storage facility. In between these two visits, though, was a stop at a local school.


Easily one of my favorite parts of this trip, we were able to ask the teachers about the government supported school meal program, the students’ curriculum, and the attendance rates over the years. Even more exciting for me, however, was being able to talk to the children themselves.


After a group of ten or twelve students introduced themselves to us in English, we began asking them questions, with Prashant, an Earthwatch team member, acting as a translator. When we asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, the first to answer, a tall ten-year-old girl with long braids, answered, “An engineer,” to which we MIT students responded with a round of applause. The next to answer said he wanted to become a doctor and another said he wanted to be an agriculturist.


Now, when I heard these responses, I was so inspired by the ambition that these children were demonstrating at such a young age. While they may not pursue those ambitions in the future, simply showing the desire to achieve so much is impressive, in my opinion.


All of this brings me to reflect on India as a whole. Obviously, I have only experienced one tiny piece of this vast country; I have only spent a few days in India and spoken to a few dozen citizens. And yet, my view of India has changed so much.


I have put faces and names to the statistics and case studies of last semester. I have held the cash crops that I had only previously read about. From all of this, our vision of India’s future is a bright one. As fellow freshman Zach Balgobin said earlier today: “India is a land of potential.”


An unexpected second to this came from Warren Buffett, as he visited India for the first time this week. As reported in The Hindu Times, Buffett expressed extreme regret at not investing in India sooner. He sees an India that all of us in the Terrascope program also see: a wonderful country on the path to further progress and success.


Based on my experiences at the school and throughout Sirsi and Hallusarige, I can honestly say that I have gained so much respect for the Indian people and their way of life. I am so grateful for my time spent here and I can’t wait to watch as the Indian people grow and develop even more.

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