Where dose times go

6 days have gone all ready, the 6 days I though would be plenty of time to unwind from India see a few friends then get ready for New Zealand has already gone. It defiantly wasn’t enough time. I still have that feeling of returning home from a big adventure but at the same time its mix with the apprehension, excitement and nervousness of leaving for an adventure. I want to sit down, put my feet up and relax; but I need to pack my bags and make sure I have everything ready before I leave tomorrow. I want to be in the back end of New Zealand picking blueberries in the spring sun but at the same time I want to be downloading my photos from my trip and meeting up with friends. It’s CrAZy. But it wouldn’t be me if I did it the easy way. And although it’s a challenge to think straight at the moment I’m pretty sure I’m ready for the next stage of the adventure. But there’s only one way to find out!

Monday Tusday...

But first the Music school. I’ve been so busy I forgot to tell you about the Brotherhood school of music. Originally set up by Farther Monodeep it was aimed at giving the street boys a practical skill which they could find employment with, at first it was a success with a good number turning up but after a while the boys stopped coming and now only one of the street kids comes with the main attendees being paying students. But there are plans to completely rebuild the centre and have accommodation for the street boys so they can be give continuous teaching and encouragement.

Mahila Panchayats

Monday was fit as many projects into a day as possible day, which I did fairly well in visiting 4 sights. First to be visited was Mahila Panchayat, not a basket ball team but a woman’s support group. These groups have been set up all over Delhi and in total there are around 2 to 3 thousand woman associated with them but this particular one had 25 members and was located in a particularly deprived part of north east Delhi. The groups offer legal advice and support as well as emotional support mainly for women who have been abused or mistreated. Through out the week cases will be mentioned and on Wednesday they have a big get together and discuss weather or not legal action should be taken or other routes should be pursued. From what I could gather other routes are getting as many members for across Delhi top stand outside there abusers house and cause a commotion. As well as this throughout the year they offer classes in how to kick men in the Johnsons, I think they call it self defence classes. So after been shown the certificate issued by the police on how to violate men we were off to another sight. This one was a more relaxed place the ‘Stuart Sadan recreation centre for elderly’ here the people of a certain age could come from 08.00 to 13.00 for a singsong, read of the paper nice chat over a cuppa chia and until recently watch the T.V (the T.V was stolen so it’s a bit tricky to watch now) When I arrived I was treaded to a song or two with some pretty groovy drumming. About the recreation centre is what I think to be a new project that has not yet got going. It was textiles project which taught young women the basically of sowing and so on. They appeared to just be sowing newspapers together when I arrived but I guess you’ve got to start somewhere also Monodeep explained how they were waiting for more sowing machines to arrive before the project could really get going. After this spree it was back to the brotherhood to catch my breath for a bit before going out to see Farther Solomon’s printing press. I should mention that Solomon has his own paper which reports on most major issues, like any other paper but this one has a particular emphasis on the need for social justice and equality. I didn’t catch the name of the paper and it was all in Hindi but apparently it has around 5000 reader, which I though was fairly good. The printing press itself was about an hours drive from the brotherhood and when we arrived the power was down (again). So I met the men in charge of the progress as well as the guard dogs, who were meant to be rather ferocious but they seemed a pair who just wanted a bit of attention. After a few hours of waiting for the power to come back on we called it a day and went back home. Although I didn’t get to see the press in action I was show round the machinery and managed to take a pretty cool photo so it wasn’t all bad and Solomon informed me the next morning that the power had come on around 01.00. Tusday was spent packing my bags, teaching Imran (for those that dont know Imrans the man that makes it all happen, working in tho office all day) about the blog, encouraging the Brothers to use their blog, signing the visiting book then saying my goodbyes and leaving. My two weeks have completely flown by but at the same time I felt as if I had been at the brotherhoods for much longer and was rather sad to be leaving all my friends but the show must go on. 

old people

Printing press

Brains, Trains and Leprosy

Me and the Gender recource workers

Since the last time I managed to get to a computer I have been rather busy. On the 15^th I had a pretty chilled day caching my breath from the day before, but in the evening I did managed to get out and see the Night Shelter. Just a 3 minute drive from the Brotherhood is a larger barn styled building, with a concert floor and a few plugs sockets that operates as the shelter. In the day it is home to informal education program for local children but by night it is the home of anywhere between 6 and 50 street kids. This being the summer numbers a lower so when I arrived there were about 7 boys sitting round a bored playing what can be best described as finger snooker crossed with curling. It was good to see how a simple game could bring so much joy but even more inspiring was how the boys all looked after each other, with the weaker and younger members not being bullied or left out; something I think the most developed countries in the world struggle to do. The following day we said goodbye to the Aussies and went to Connaught place for a spot of shopping, it was about 10 when we arrived there but it seems people don’t do morning shopping as only a small scattering of shops were open; but we occupied ourselves for a while then when off to see the Target Intervention Program, a relatively new scheme that just less that a year old which helps support sex workers in Delhi. For lunch I was treated to proper Indian restaurants not this air conditioned nonsense but a buzzing, full to the brim, spill your food all over the table kind of place; where I ate BRAAINNS, along with other rather tasty curries. Puka. After been shot with a silver bullet it was off to the national train museum. Your probably think wow that’s going to be an impressive museum with India and its famaus for its trains and what not, well not quite. It was more a scrap yard of mighty steam engines, but unlike most muses you could clime all over these exhibits. So I had quite a bit of fun. After while I stumbled across a ‘photo’ exhibition which was rather interesting, but by far the best thing there was the elephant skull. The unlucky chap had been trying to cross the tracks when he came to his unfortunate end as the 9.15 came steaming into. But he didn’t go down without a fight in his demise he managed to de-rail the locomotive and 7 of its carriages. On the 17^th I Visited the women’s self help groups and gender resource center. It was a long sticky drive away not helped by the narrow streets, large capacity of traffic and everyone trying to get through first, resulting in complete and utter logjam. But once there I was show the initiatives that were in place to teach women sowing and other skills while also helping them to acquire a government loan to start there own businesses. I think I must have made quite an impression on the women as while there I was give chi, cake, crisps, various other sweets, along with a song and dance as well as a group photos. Some say the leaving party was the main reason why there was cake etc. but I beg to differ. that evening me, Danesh, Monodeep and Daneshes’ friends cruised the streets of Delhi, eventually ending up at India gate, it was rather impressive monument, but the lights had been turned making it a bit tricky to see but it look a bit French, so not my cup of tea. Then it was of to Karmins restaurant, meant to be famous but id never heard of it, food was good though. After getting in a 01.30 from our little jaunt the 07.00 wake up was not a pleasant one, but we were off to the leprosy colony where Father Monodeep was leading the Sunday service. The sermon was completely lost on me though, think it being said in Hindi didn’t help, but what was excellent to see was the dedication of the people to be there. One boy when wheeled a man with only stumps for legs and hands to the church door then he went back home to put on his Sundays best before attending the service himself. This had once been a very successful self-sufficient project but the development of a chemical factory near the sight had destroyed all the crops and killed all the chickens; while the weaving business had ended due to the progression of the disease and a problem with the distribution of the goods. Now the Lepers we completely dependant on the Hindus bring them food. In the afternoon it was back to the cricket were the boys from the street played those from the night shelter plus me and lets just say its was another English white wash, we were undefeated, I put in a good few sixes while we had some super bowling dismissing batter after batter.

India Gate 



Boys from the street



redundant looms and reals



My First Prostitute

It was another humid day in Delhi, the sudden downpour of the morning had passed and the burning rays of the sun were shining through as we wondered the streets waiting for the call, then it came; they were ready to meet us. Straight away we headed for the car and off to the pick up point. Parked at the side of the road our man must have made a bee line for the car, as before I knew it a casually dressed India man had got into the back of the car and we were off, following his directions to the head office. A short drive later and we arrived; he got out of the car and introduced himself. No longer the mysterious stranger Alok took up us to the head office of the Target Intervention Program (TIV).

In the office

We sat squeezed into this one small room that operated as the nerve center come office for the scheme. Originally set up as a government scheme aimed at reducing STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) and HIV/AIDS among sex workers, as well as education them on the matter it was now a fully fledged operation. In the room we met three other workers. Two of whom were volunteers from a local college. They had not chosen to work here as it was a requirement of the college, but both informed me that their involvement had opened there eyes to the possibility of going into social work with one boy particularly interested in working with street children. The other person in the room was a young woman recently graduated from university with a degree in philosophy, who was the councilor for the approximately 600 women the project had under their wing. As well as counseling the project also integrates, health check-ups, screening for STIs, and distribution of contraception as well as standard check ups. This project for looking after roughly 600 women has only 14 worker, one project manager to oversee all the work; one councilor who provides counseling as well as, organizing the appointments at local hospitals for health check, screenings and deliveries so the women don’t have to give birth on the street. Then two outreach workers with their five pees. They do the ground work, delivering the contraception, both male and female condoms; and complete the checkup charts, each sex workers activities are tracked to keep and eye on weather they are using the condoms and to see if they are going to the education centers as well as keeping an eye on any other needs/problems they may have. From these charts any problems can be flagged up and the workers can then be referred to the councilor to make the appropriate arrangements.

view of mosque

After being fully briefed I was taken to a ‘hub’ were the women and occasionally men work. This particular hub was on the back door or a Mosque. As we approached you could see this vast grand structure in the distance, a beautifully work of architecture, its red bricked walls with fine detail and ornate marble minarets made it unmissable. But as we drove closer a different picture started to emerge. There had once been beautiful gardens to accompany the structure but now they were a garden of waste and destruction with water fountains left to ruin and grassland turned to mud baths filled with plastic bottles. As I got out of the car I was hit by the smell; feces and urine wafting through the humid heat. It didn’t take long to find our first two prostitutes. A pair of shy, giggly girls, one about 19 and the other roughly 27 but it was hard to tell there real age behind the dry, knocked back hair, black teeth and greasy black skin; the result of living on the streets all there life. Alok spoke to them about the importance of going to the groups provide and queried the 27yr old as to why she wasn’t going. She was very apologetic and said she understood the importance but had not been going as she was pregnant. After a while we left them to there business and walk on a bit more. We mad our way though the narrow market streets; but this was a very different markets to most in India it had quite a foreign feel the design of the shake were different, made from sheets not blue plastic; the streets seemed busier due to the small size of the walk ways and the items on sale raged from drills to DVDs. Not that I’ve ever been to a Middle Eastern market but this is what I imagine it to feel like. The next worker we found at home; a bed pushed up against the wall of the Mosque with a tree to help shelter it from the elements. This was the home of one woman and her 4 children, one a new borne baby that she had delivered right there under that tree. When we arrived a man best described as a pimp was sitting on the bed with her. BOB introduced me, told her where I was from then got to work. It soon emerged since the birth of her 4^th child that she couldn’t manage to look after them all. ‘They have no father’ she remarked, despite the displeasure of the ‘pimp’ arguing that he could be there farther she continued.  Her wish was for two of her children to go into one of the homes run by the brotherhood, to give them and education and a chance at a better life than she had. After a while we left them and made our way to the car. On route Alok explained to me that the Mosque was the reason this are had become a hub. Some members of the Muslim community were exploiting the right to have more than one wife; a principal used to support women who had lost there husbands at war; to justify the uses of prostitutes. “They’re hypocrites justifying there behaviors by there religion”.

The Mosque is just one of the ten hubs of activity in Delhi but all the hubs provide the same concerns for the workers. As in most society prostitutes India has a very low opinion of prostitutes, so the clients often abuses the Sex workers, reports of women with cuts and cigarette burns are common. As well as this there is great difficulty in getting the women to uses the condoms provided, many men will pay much more money to not use them which put the women at greater risk. The workers are trying to get the women to refuse these men explaining how dangerous it is for them but most are so poor they can’t afford to say no. Another problem which has started to be resolved is police corruption, a problem throughout the hole of India. In this case police would allow the workers to take clients but then interrupt them and demand money from both the workers and clients to avoid prosecution. To combat this problem the government has started to train the police that they are trying to help the sex workers and this behavior will be doing the opposite.

This is a new project that has a long way to go but it appears to be having a positive impact on the sex workers giving them much needed rescores and information also the brotherhood supports a project that looks after the workers children during ‘business hours’, so hopefully the combination of these two projects can help the children to avoid the same fate as there parents and for those that don’t escape and for the workers themselves make their chosen profession a safer place and one they full understand the dangers of.

Taj My Hal

What is it with India and early mornings? Anywhere else in the world people sleep until a reasonable time, but no such luck here; 03.50 was the time of my wake up call. This gave me and Danesh enough time to get ready and get down to the station for the Shatabdi Express to Agra. In the end it turned out it gave us more than enough time as we arrived at the station around an hour early, but better early than late and in true Indian style I found a bench to kick-back on before the train arrived. This train was the more expensive option, boasting air conditioned cabins, refreshments and breakfast, included in the price, so before we realized it the 2hr trip was up and we had arrived at our stop. From there we went to find our transport around Agra, in the end steeling for a pre-paid tuck-tuc. I’m not sure if this was the best option but it assured we would go where we asked to go and wouldn’t have to go though the hassle of acquiring a vehicle every time we wanted to move on. Our first destination was some white marble building thats meant to be really famous, so after been charged 38 times more than those India chaps I took a little look around and what can is say. It’s alright, ok it’s pretty impressive as you walk in and quite an amazing structure, but I think its picturess nature is too much of a good thing as it was just like the photos, but I’m glade I went. Next it was on to Itimad-ud-Daulah aka baby Taj. I didn’t pay to go round this as the real deal had almost wiped me out of cash but I took a quick picture from the outside whistled been shouted at by police to buy a ticket. On your rickshaw ladz, I’m not paying to go in there. Next we were show to the rear view of the Taj which id have to say was my favorite, a quite location under the trees over looking the Yamuna River then onto the Taj. So after spending a good while there we moved on to our lunch spot, it was ok the food was alright but the prices had clearly been raised for those lucky tourists. Then it was on to Agra Fort (Red Fort). This was a pretty impressive structure again created by the Mughals, but only 30% was open to the public which was a bit of a shame but still I found it a bit more interesting than old Taj as it was new to me and I didn’t know what was going to be round the next corner (usually bats though, the flying kind not cricket) after the fort we were give a tour of the local shops producing ‘local’ goods. It wasn’t really what I was after but I had fun teasing the owners into reducing the price of good I had no intention of buying; managed to knock  1300Rs off one thing. Then it was back to the station to catch the Taj Express, the budget option shall we say.  I had a bit of a panic when it didn’t show up or look likely to show up, but I should have remembered this is India and it will all work out in the end, and sure enough 20 minutes late it rolled into the station. Then we had the fun of looking for our carriage, 2 S. Not at the front of the train we jogged to the back but it wasn’t to be found, so a quick marched back up to the front for a second look was in order, but before our carriage could be located the train started to pull away, so we just hoped straight on to the nearest carriage. Once on bored we eventually found the guard who informed us that it was D7 where we were supposed to be. The ride back seemed endless with the sticky heat of the train and the black canvas of night to accompany me. But 1hr later than planed we arrived in Delhi and after more bartering for a tuck-tuc we were on the final stretch. 00.30 was the time we arrived back at the Brotherhood, we then sat down for a cold curry dinner before making our way to bed. 

Rear View

Mr. Mahal

Side on

Agra (Red) Fort

On A Role

Animation students drawings

Today I managed to visit another 2 project sights! St. Johns vocational training centre and child line. The training centre although a school is incredibly different to the one I visited yesterday. It has more in common to apprenticeships schemes in the UK. 
The pupils around 300, are aged from 14 to around 22 and are taught the theory as well as been able to practice the

Boys sawing

practical aspect of the subject on sight. The courses provided vary from, beauty and animation to electronics and engineering. But all the courses are tailored to the demand in the market so those on offer can change for year to year. This centre provides a really good opportunity forthose less academic to make something of themselves, and after completing the course there are placements available that the Brotherhood has organised, or if graduates  wish they can find their own placement. However one major problem faced by this sight is that it is set up on rented ground so when the lease expires what will become of it is unknown but Farther Monodeep seemed fairly confident that it would just change location. Next I was show to the child line centre which the Brotherhood is one of the main benefactors for. This particular centre covers the north east area of Delhi and runs on a very similar system to the child line in the UK, but it was good to see that this kind of help was available to those who needed it and also good to hear that it is used with the centre reviving around 50 calls a day. 

Manning the phones

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

Finally I’ve managed to do what I planed to do when I arrived visited a project sight! But one wasn’t enough so yesterday I managed to get to 2; after all that sitting around I had some catching up to do.  The sights were located at Deenbandhu (the name give to C.F Andrews meaning friend of the poor) school in east Delhi. This area until very recently had been slums, but now ‘concrete slums’ have been built in there place. Upon arriving I was show round the school its self which hold classes for those in pre-school to year 10 and is currently experimenting with continuing teaching until year 12. All the classes are well attended with around 40 pupils in each. The school day is from 8.00 till 13.00 but after that optional classes/ extra tuition start and run until the evening. The building itself is fairly primate but adequate for its purpose. However when I was visiting there was another power cut; a common occurrence as Delhi’s electrical infrastructure is very unreliable; so all the classrooms were dimly light by the sunlight. But teaching carrying on as usually so either I didn’t affect the pupils too much or they have learnt to cope with the problem.

Class 4 standing to attention

Class 4s teacher

younger pupils outside class

two of the 6th form students

Street the schools located on

going home after school

The school is also the home to the Brotherhood boys home, which provides around 12-14 boys a safe place to live. In the house there are also 2 women employed to cook and look after the boys. The aim of the home is to reunite the boys with their families but while they are there they’re taught some of the skills necessary to survive in this world as well as being provided with an education both academic and moral. The Brotherhood helps to support both these project by providing money to subsidies tuition fees and to go towards employing staff and teachers, in respect of the boy’s home donations also help employ the maids as well as purchasing food, cloths, any medical expenses and transport for the boys. On the way back home from my visit Danish told me how some of the boys used to be sponsored which help a lot with the coast of running things but recently sponsorship had been unsuccessful.

Boy studying

boys showing off their bedroom

playing in the chapel

That Just Aint Cricket

Friday the sun was shining the rain had gone away and; it was a public holiday! So everything was shut, meaning no visit today, oh India. But I still managed to put my time to good uses and spent the morning creating a blog for the brotherhood: www.delhibrotherhood.blogspot.com . After seeing mine they were so impressed (guess they’re easily pleased) they asked me to create them one with the aim of using it for; updating people on projects, posting peoples comments/diary’s of their stay, and also for the Brothers to post their own comments. So IF they use it I think it could be very helpfully for letting the rest of the world know what it’s like at the brotherhood. The afternoon was occupied by getting lost in Delhi with the Aussies, which was interesting but a lot of people want to sell you rugs; I really don’t have a need for one rug, let alone a need that would necessitate several rugs. But anyway eventually we found our way back to the Brotherhood; it was along the highway with the bicycles in the outer lane, right at the public toilets with the man urinating next to them then down pothole ally. In the evening I went to a church discussion group at Anada Grama east Delhi, where Farther Monodeep had been asked to lead. They were pretty dedicated to this discussion, as when we arrived fashionably late the power had gone down and the meeting was being conducted by candle light. I can’t be too sure what they were talking about, 

Reading by Candle lights

ok I have no idea what they were talking about, the whole thing was in Hindi, even the booklet they gave me for which they sacrificed one of their candles so I could ‘read it’, was in Hindi. So I politely gave it back and sat there for about an hour taking a few photos to pass the time. After the discussion we drove to Delhi cathedral for a wedding, I think we had arrived rather late as all the good food had gone and most people seemed to be going home, but never mind we found some grub and had our photo take with the couple, then cruised the streets looking for something to drink, got followed by the police and asked if we were dealing by two geezers on a bike, before finally making it back to the brotherhood.Sunday is defiantly  

Main Tent At Wedding

the day of rest. After gettingup a bit after 9 and having a leisurely breakfast you can go for a swim in the pool and teach Danish to do hand stands underwater. Then the afternoon is spent playing cricket with the boys from the night shelter, but cricket on its own just aint good enough so to spice it up a bit each game is bet on. After 4 or so hours I decide that enough and got ready for the evening service at St. Stephens College, formally owned by the brotherhood. the service its self was rather interesting a sort of a cross between Baptist and Anglican styles, but it kind of work, just like the sermon but as for the singing, yer, keep working on that guys. after the service we followed the sound of music to find an India, rock, talent show, type thing, it was alright apart from that singing business but the crowed was seated, SEATED at a heavy rock concert, that just aint cricket.

Boys playing cricket

Much Of Nothing

Since arriving I have spent the majority of my time in the brotherhood. Yesterday at the breakfast table I met Farther Solomon, the treasurer for the Brotherhood; he introduced himself and showed me where the porridge was. Of course its porridge! It’s the national breakfast of India, it was what we ate on Raleigh and it’s the first course of breakfast at the brotherhood (the second being egg on toast) therefore it must the nations breakfast, I can think of no other reasonable explanation. After breakfast I met a couple of Aussies who were on their first trip to India, visiting some of the Brotherhood sites as well as other projects in the area run by different charities. After a bit of socialising I was invited into Farther Monodeep office where he discussed the plan for my visit as well as those concerning the relationship with the Friends of the Delhi Brotherhood. One of which is called Odyssey, an idea where by groups from the UK to come to Delhi, stay at the Brotherhood and are given tours of the locals sights as well as been show to the Brotherhoods project sights.


In the afternoon i received the honour of going to the ‘dog clinic’ based in the heart of the student accommodation. However apart from an increase in young people it wasn’t really that different from the rest of the city, as well as this the night life in Delhi is located in the south east of the city or so I hear, which makes me think there not real students at all. On the way back from the clinic one of the dogs decided it wanted to ride up font, this wouldn't have been too big an issues but for a few facts: it was a rather big dog that had just received an anti-tic vaccination and the front of the car which wasn’t that big to start with was rather full with books and me, so it was a bit of a squeeze, but I guess when in Rome. Today I have been held captive by the relentless rain which has reportedly shut down the majority of the city, meaning I couldn’t go out and seem the Boys Home and Night shelter. This was a bit of a disappointment but the rain has provided it own entertainment back at the brotherhood; from the mundane flooding of the garden to more serious problems of roofs leaking and generators exploding.

Rain coming down

Remains of generator

Flooded garden

So really I haven’t been able to do too much research into the work of the brotherhood so far but India has a way to keep people entertain and hopefully the weather will ease of in the days to come and I can get out there.

Touch Down

 After a 17hr journey I have made it too the Brotherhood. The journey its self was not that eventfully, for all the tension around flying it’s really quite boring. Apart from been drive around Paris airport by crazy French women making sure I made my connection as my plane had arrive late and of course the drive with Dinesh and Monodeep from the airport to the brotherhood itself, the only other point of excitement came when I, in my best French accent wished the lady sitting next to me, “bone apatite”.

I haven’t yet had a wonder round the brotherhood but on first impressions it is a quiet retreat from the madness of Delhi, but I hope to get a chance to explore soon. But for now here are a couple of photos of the front of the brotherhood.

Here We Go

There is nothing better than waking up at 01.40 in the morning to make me realise that I’m actually doing this. I remember it was only last week I left the co-op and was thinking how far away my travels actually seemed and that maybe I should have worked a few more days just to get a bit more money. I’m glad I didn’t. Since then time has flown by, I’ve gone down to London to help a friend move into his new house, done some last minute shopping that I then left at said friends house, partied my socks off on Friday night at my work leaving do (not the classiest of night’s out but I believe a good time was had by all so that’s the important thing). Then after half recovering from the night out I took part in the 25^th Fram 10km which for some reason I found all the running round in circles, up painfully long hills, in muggy conditions…enjoyable!? Then after all that I had to drive round East Anglia trying to collect/buy all the essentials items I was missing while at the same time operating a taxi/ goods delivery/pickup service for the rest of my family. Oh and I almost forgot I even found time to do some potato picking. So, time has rather flown by and now I’m about to set off and let the madness of Delhi begin. But despite the overwhelming feeling of WHAT HAVE YOU GOT YOURSELF INTO! I am glad to be doing this and I’m very thankfully to some many people, who have supported me in so many different ways, making it possible to get this far, I don’t want to embarrasses people by naming names also I don’t think I’ve got time to write them all down I’ve got a plane to catch, but the chances are if your reading this you helped me in some way or another.