After a three hour bus ride from Pune, my colleague, Arjuna, and I arrived at the Darewadi Training Center around 7:30 PM on Wednesday, September 19th. Darewadi is a village in the rain shadow region of Maharashtra and was one of the first watershed revitalization projects of the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR). After the growing success of WOTR’s work, the organization eventually established the Darewadi Training Center to educate others about their methodology for participatory watershed management in drought stricken agrarian areas. The training center serves a model of sustainable development as it’s powered mostly by solar energy and is strictly vegetarian. Luckily, the dinner bell greeted us as we arrived – hot roti, rice, dal, vegetables, and a mango-custardy dessert which was incredible. 

On the way from the bus stop to the training center, our WOTR driver informed us that the area had received barely any rainfall this year. Typically, annual rainfall in the area is roughly 420 mm, the vast majority of which is received during the monsoon season between June and September. This year, the area has only seen 290 mm and there’s only one week in September left.  As most, if not all, villagers here make their living from agriculture, the drought is sure to have large impacts including a drop in crop yields and income. Our driver told us his family had to send one of his two sons to Pune to look for work. Luckily, his son was able to find a position with a company. Others would not be so lucky considering many do not speak English and do not have a college degree. 

On Thursday, we visited two villages near Darewadi: Wankute and Kumbharwadi. These villages lie in the rain shadow or dry region of the famous Western Ghats – a mountain range in western India rich in biodiversity and also named a UNESCO World Heritage site.  This area has always been drought prone but years of heavy deforestation, acute dry spells, and unsustainable agricultural practices have led to severe soil nutrient depletion and soil erosion. As a result, villagers could only cultivate a single crop for about 4-6 months – usually pearl millet or pulses – and were forced to find work as farm laborers or in sugarcane factories for the remaining 6-8 months of the year. Additionally, women were forced to walk hours to find suitable drinking water supplies and firewood. This instability also took its toll on children who, besides missing their parents, often could not attend school because they needed to help out at home. 

It was hard for me to picture this when we arrived because today, both villages are incredibly green with tree-covered hillsides and acres of healthy-looking crops. WOTR has developed an innovative concept for working with villages that they call participatory watershed management. WOTR trains villagers in green infrastructure or landscape engineering treatments (e.g., farm bunds, dams, wells, and hillside terracing) and sustainable agricultural practices. Their process is completely dependent on the villagers who must volunteer their time and labor to install landscape treatments. They also have to keep livestock from grazing on certain forested areas as forests help reduce soil erosion and maintain groundwater supplies. This self-help component of WOTR’s work has been critical to their success. WOTR pays the farmers for their labor and, as a result, the farmers have the capacity to continue these efforts after WOTR leaves and make any needed repairs to natural and man-made watershed  infrastructure. As the villagers were in need of employment, they faced no opportunity cost for their labor. WOTR also helps villagers navigate complex government subsidy programs for agriculture and watershed revitalization, which can help cover costs for farm equipment and drinking water. 

The result: Farmers now grow both summer and winter crops and many have expanded their operations to grow cash crops such as pomegranate and tomato. In meetings with farmer groups, villagers proudly state how their children now have enough stability to attend school and stay in school, even through college. Women are more active in the community – they are earning their own income through livestock operations and have created 25 all-female “self-help” groups which serve as micro-lenders in the community. Marginalized tribal communities which reside the soil-poor hillsides are also seeing benefits including more opportunities to work as farm laborers.

After answering many of our questions, the conversation turned to more important topics highlighting challenges the village is now facing. Some of the farmers had heard about a new government program paying farmers to create large farm ponds to trap rainwater. Our guide, Prashant, a civil engineer for WOTR, warned the farmers that these were meant for certain agro-climatic zones and not their area. Government programs often promote one-size-fits-all solutions. Another issue is that farmers are eager to switch over more of their land to growing cash crops, specifically pomegranate. WOTR colleagues reminded the farmers that if everyone starts trying to sell the same crop the market will flood and the crop price will drop. Clearly, education is a huge part of working with these villagers who despite seeing the importance of watershed management and environmental conservation are still eager to increase their income. 

To address some of the risks of climate change, specifically drought and weather fluctuations, WOTR employs a multi-barrier approach to water quantity provision with a new focus on climate change adaptation. In addition to their landscape treatments, sustainable agriculture work, and education efforts, WOTR now works with villages to promote water budgeting techniques and technologies (e.g., drip irrigation), agro meteorology installations to track weather patterns, and solar energy devices for cooking and lighting. These measures serve to secure water quantity in drought-prone areas and reduce the risk of using a green infrastructure approach to rural development. Additionally, this approach has multiple ancillary benefits such as improvements in biodiversity and habitat, carbon sequestration, improved air and water quality, and reduced soil erosion. 

Third week in Pune: 
I visited India last December for a friend’s wedding and spent three weeks traveling in Delhi, Agra, Goa, and Kerala. It was an amazing, awe-inspiring trip that was a huge reason why I wanted to move here. Living in Pune so far has given me a heightened appreciation for Indian culture. Every day I see something new that makes me break out in a big smile or cover my mouth in shock. For example, the other day I was leaving my flat when I found my way blocked by a herd of ox on my street. There’s a nice patch of green right at the entrance to my society and someone had taken their herd there to graze. Hey, why not? I’ve seen a dog scratching its back on the road…right in the middle of a busy intersection. Today I read a submission for a sex column in the Times of India where multiple male readers posed strange questions about masturbation. Mind you, this followed an article about the injustice of being forced to marry your rapist. Clearly, sexuality is an interesting topic here in India. It’s something that is repressed and at the same time constantly in your face. 

While I have yet to explore much beyond Pune, this week I really enjoyed getting to know my new friends here and eating more incredible Indian food. At Capoeira Pune we had a wonderful guest instructor from Mumbai, Succuri. He’s been training for five years and has an amazing game and an intuitive sense for teaching. Both Capoeira Pune and Capoeira Cordao de Ouro in Mumbai reach out to kids in the local slums and orphanages to teach them capoeira and its lessons in balance, perseverance, and hard work. I can’t wait to visit the group in Mumbai and see them in action. We said goodbye to one capoeirista, Bond, who left for South Africa. This was the first time I have been out for a drink in Pune. We went to a bar called Toons that was filled with male college students cheering for the India cricket team. After a glass of Kingfisher we played some music and headed home. One thing I really enjoy about India is that alcohol doesn’t have to be present at social gatherings –in fact, the pressure is reversed. In DC drinking is a huge part of the culture. Every bar has a happy hour and you don’t join a dinner party without bringing a bottle of wine. I definitely do miss my red wine but I like how I feel without alcohol and I’m inspired to start finding activities back home for my friends and I that don’t involve booze. I also enjoyed my first Hindi film at an Indian theater this week, Barfi. Film tickets are only about $3 (150 Rs) which is incredible. They have assigned seats which has its pluses (can show up just before the film starts) and minuses (bright flashlights showing people to their seats who show up late).  The movie was great – highly recommend it if you can find it.
 
This week sees the start of the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in Pune. This is a 10 day festival honoring the birth of the beloved Hindu god, Lord Ganesha.  It starts today, September 19th and has been celebrated in Pune since the 17thcentury. The brief history of Ganesha is that he is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.  Parvati asked Ganesha to guard her while she took a bath. Shiva, who had been away, turned that day and asked to enter the house, but because the father and son didn’t recognize each other, Ganesha refused to let him in. Shiva became enraged and chopped off Ganesh’s head. When Parvati saw what happened she ordered Shiva to find a new head for  their son and the first animal they came across was an elephant – which is why Ganesh has the body of a man and the head of an elephant. I’ve learned that Lord Ganesha is an especially important god for Maharashtra. Right now, all over the city, people are setting up huge, elaborate statues of Ganesh in specially-made structures or mandapas. On Anant Chaturdashi, the 11th day, the statues of Ganesh are taken through the streets in a procession to immerse him in the river. The procession includes huge crowds of dancing, singing people. I’m excited to see how people in Pune celebrate. Pictures to come.

Just starting my second week in Pune and I finally feel like I’m finding my groove here. As an army brat, I’m used to moving around and know that the first few weeks are rough as your struggle to find friends, adjust to a new culture, and discover a new routine. India, of
course, presents new challenges including language difficulties, high pollution,  poor sidewalks and roads, and lots of honking. It didn’t help that during my  first week here I came down with a horrible flu and lost my appetite (especially for Indian food) and most of my strength.  My lungs are still struggling to adjust to the high levels of pollution, mostly from vehicle emissions. No wonder everyone spits so much here! I also couldn’t help feeling that many of my freedoms had been stripped away – it’s no longer easy just to step outside my front door and walk to the organic market or run to Rock Creek Parkway and take my dog for a run. My gluten-free diet began to seem silly to wish for here. 

The best way to avoid the moving blues is to keep  yourself busy and explore. First of course: food. While bigger chain grocery stores are beginning to become popular in India, most shopping is done at little stores filled with soda, chips, and candies. If you look closer though, you can find some multi-grain bread, eggs, milk, fruit juice, pasta and pasta sauce, peanut butter, etc… For $4 bucks here I can get an entire loaf of bread, half a dozen eggs, shampoo, and some chocolate. Not bad! There are also tons of fruit and vegetable stands in the area. For next to nothing I can get the ingredients for a delicious banana, kiwi, papaya salad. This I can definitely get used to.  Maintaining a healthy diet is starting to seem possible. Eating out is also incredibly cheap – most of my coworkers order food every day (called a tiffen service which equates to home-cooked Indian food). But lunch costs less than $0.50 so no wonder! There are also a lot of little international markets that sell a lot of European goods including Mueslix and beans. These run a bit more expensive but when you’re really craving a black bean omelette – it’ll do the trick. 

Beyond exploring the food scene, I’ve been exploring my fitness options. Of course, there are plenty of yoga studios around Pune. And when in Rome….My new roommate, Max, introduced me to a studio down the street called Total Yoga. With 3 classes a week (vinyasa, hatha, and power) for less than $25 a month, and a cool, young, fit, Indian instructor – I think I can get into yoga. She also tries to keep the class interesting by offering meditation and nettie pot sessions! 

My best discovery so far is that there is capoeira in Pune that practices twice a week! The group is led by a young American woman who’s been playing for about 8 years. They also have guest instructors from Mumbai, where there’s a much bigger capoeira scene including huge weekend rodas. What I love about capoeira is that it’s an instant community no matter where you go. After my first grueling class, I went out with my classmates to get some food and chat and had an amazing time. 

I’m finally expanding my exploration radius as well beyond Koregaon Park. Pune is slowly opening itself up to me and I’m realizing how lucky I am to be here. The city has an incredibly rich history which you can discover in the most random places. Today I met up with a friend of a friend from DC, Swapnil, who has lived in Pune for the past six years. Our first stop was the Pataleshvara Cave Temple next door to the Jangali Maharaj (Jungle King) temple in the Shivaji Nagar neighborhood. Pataleshvara was built around the 8thcentury and includes a shrine for Lord Shiva. What I learned today: at every temple for Lord Shiva, there is generally a bull (the Nandi bull) that waits outside (his ride of choice). The Nandi bull is supposed to bring luck to the temple and its visitors. Every time I visit a temple I’m inspired to learn more about the Hindu faith. It’s incredibly rich and complicated though so I doubt I’ll be proficient by the time I leave here. Afterwards, we decided to grab some food – Swapnil first took me to the Good Luck café – a favorite haunt for college students. So much so that we actually couldn’t get in! Will have to go back though – the bun muska bread and tea are famous and look incredible. Instead we checked out another local favorite, Vaishali restaurant. Vaishali is known for its South Indian food including masala dosa. Dosa is a fermented crepe or pancake made generally from rice and lentils. Masala dosas are filled with delicious cooked potatoe, onions, and spices. It was also served with coconut chutney and one other delicious sauce (still trying to learn all the names!). I also got my new favorite drink – an Indian milkshake. Milkshakes in India are generally made with milk, ice, fresh fruit juice, and sugar. Chikoo and chikoo-chocolate are currently my favorites. Chikoo (or chikku) is also known as sapodilla or sapotaand has a sweet, pearlike taste. 

Our final stop was Pune University which I’ve been very eager to see. Sunday is a great day to visit because it’s so quiet on campus. The area is incredibly green and lush, and will make for a great running spot on the weekends. There’s also a lovely little café which serves tea, coffee, and snacks – perfect for sitting and reading or chatting. 

That’s it for now! Looking forward to exploring more this week and getting to know my coworkers better.