Tattva

This summer I was presented with a two-month internship opportunity in Bangalore, India. The internship was facilitated by Sewa International, in cooperation with Hindu Seva Pratishthana (HSP), a local NGO. There were multiple factors that motivated me to set off on this venture. One, in particular, was my strong desire to dedicate a couple of months to social work. For the past couple of years, I had been observing and realizing that we, as humans, have spiritually regressed to become very selfish individuals. We are on a constant and fierce battle with each other to be materialistically superior. And, in the process, we hardly have any time left for fortifying our moral standards. Consequently, reserving time for others would be an impossible task. For this very reason, I decided to embark on this quest and become a volunteer. Apart from that, this internship has given me a chance to explore a part of the world where I had not yet been and submerge myself in a culture that is drastically different from my own. I chose to volunteer in India because the projects that were offered were relevant to my field of study and the structure of the program appealed to me. Moreover, I chose Bangalore because I am a complete stranger to the local vernacular; and adjusting to a new lifestyle topped with linguistic differences would provide me further challenges.

What is the project? Youth for Seva (YFS) is an organization within HSP that prepares reports for and provides media support to HSP. Within YFS, my duties include doing field work as well as back end work. Field work encompasses visiting slums, orphanages, rehabilitation centers, and shelters for street children. The government of Karnataka has approximated around
80,000 children in the streets of Bangalore. I interact with some of these children and research their family background. I assess what brings them to the street and ask them what challenges they might face on the streets. Apart from that, I go over their files at the rehab centers to see how they have progressed since their admission there. Also, I contact the myriad of NGOs and INGOs that have been established for the cause of these destitute children and see how they operate. Back end work includes documenting my findings, identifying problems in the system, and offering my recommendations.

Every venture is sure to have its challenges. In my case, language has been a major handicap. Had I been familiar with the language, I could have mingled with the locals on a deeper level. I have met various influential people along the way and have gained insight from them. However, because of the language barrier, I have not been able to exploit such an opportunity to the fullest. Another roadblock is the work culture. There are a lot of things that are done differently in India than in the United States. However, I have learned not to label such cultural differences as “challenges” and have been adapting to the Indian way.

Seeing life through the eyes of the less fortunate has definitely enriched my existence. It was a little shocking to know how happy people can be with so little. During the course of this month, I have met a lot of prominent personalities, who gave up their flourishing careers to become full time volunteers and live mediocre lives. I was perplexed to see why people would give up comfort to serve humanity; and the common answer to my query was that living for others fetches more satisfaction to the soul than living for oneself. Furthermore, I have had the occasion of experiencing India’s rich culture. One in particular is the level of hospitality that everyone exhibits. I have also been introduced to a new and beautiful language – Kannada. And most of all, this internship has not only provided me a platform to serve others; it has also been a medium through which I can evaluate my strengths and weaknesses.

Shikta Sapkota, originally from Nepal, has done her MBA from University of Utah, Salt Lake City. She is interested in development economics and international politics. She is also a yoga enthusiast and loves traveling.  You can contact her at shikta@u.washington.edu

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