First Notes from India (5^th Year)

December, 2006

Report for friends and supporters of our grass root project of Teaching Wenlido (a system of personal safety for womyn) in India. These reports are unedited and written in cyber cafes (often on the run).

You may find all reports since 2001 on our Wenlido website (www.wenlido.org).

As I am in the plane to Mumbai, I am stunned with the realization: It is true; I am on my way back to India! Every year this journey to India seems unexpected and surprising. I don't take it as a given,

- that the political world situation will support safe travel,

- that the womyn in India will contribute the efforts involved to organize trainings for my coming,

- that the grass root network of independent planetary womyn will continue to womynfest the funds to pay for my not-so-cheep airfare.

I was thrilled when Wenlido WEST in Vancouver offered the money they raised with instructor trainings for my airfare. This sharing of Wenlido from West to East continues and the foundations of Wenlido are growing with this ongoing acknowledgement of funds for travel. Often we mention in India how much we appreciate that the Wenlido India project is carried by Wenlido Instructors and supporters. Independent womyn are giving of their energy, time, efforts and resources to the evolution of safety and empowerment for womyn.

I come off the plane and step into the night bus to Pune (5 hours). I have the strange sensation of stepping into my "other skin", as I travel down the bumpy road into the night and observe the throngs of people sleeping on the sidewalk, in the sticky heat.

My first month in India is spent with meetings, Wenlido Introductions, one basic workshop and a regional Wenlido meeting in Delhi. In Pune I stay with my friend S. who lost her partner last March. Her son is teaching badminton and plans to attend a Swiss University. I spent time also visiting with my 80 year old friend N. who is writing her latest book. Then our most senior instructor, Dh, comes to spend a week with me, where we catch up and plan for the next season. We have a meeting with the Buddhist womyn's network who are organizing the 3 phases of the instructor training in Maharashtra. Then Dh. and I are off to Delhi (16 hour train ride).

I am staying in Delhi with D, an instructor and friend from the early beginnings here. I had fun joining her at an outrageous party when I arrived. Our regional meeting was held in our traditional meeting place: on her roof terrace. We do some Wenlido workout, but mostly I get to hear about the successes and challenges in their workshops given in the colleges, university and in the Delhi slums. Of particular note are these interests in providing Wenlido to disenfranchised groups; blind womyn, kinnar (transgendered) and a lesbian group from Mumbai. A trainer S. came from Bangladesh to organize the kinnar workshop, all the way from a different country, based solely on her interest in Wenlido.

A couple days later Dh and I do a 4 hour Wenlido introduction for a corporation in a new settlement a couple hours from Delhi in a small state called Haryana. It is deemed highly unsafe because much of it is an industrial area (calling centres, etc) with wide open spaces and womyn often working late night shifts. Dh. finds the short introductions most challenging, and I enjoy having the chance to work together.

After barely a week in Delhi I head back on the train to Pune to pick up Anita (from Nelson, BC) at the Mumbai airport in the middle of the night. I am so delighted to have her support this year in our work and am looking forward to the added dimension of her presence and the sharing of her skills (transforming trauma).

We start off our journey together at the 9 day IIT (international intensive training) in Non-violent communication with Marshall Rosenberg and 4 other certified instructors and 68 participants from 18 countries, including Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Brazil, England, Germany, Afghanistan, Guam, France, Norway, Netherlands, America, and us from Canada, Austria, China, Macau, South Korea and the host country India. It was held on the beautiful grounds of a Krishna Murti School (alternative education) on a plateau with view of a huge lake and dam, a little reminder of our home in the Kootenays half way around the planet. A gathering of womyn and men from various cultures (about half from western countries) with a vision of bringing awareness to domination and violence perpetuated through our very thoughts and words, exploring concrete ways and tools for constructive change in order to move into social action with this added awareness. Knowing there are millions of people actively working on this change in perception and awareness around the planet, I feel hopeful as the survival of the planet has a lot of meaning for me . . . Gender awareness is not a given, even in progressive groups, yet it is a good platform to address these issues constructively. I am hopeful that these NVC tools lend themselves for men to take another look at the issues emerging out of violence (against womyn), and I can see men's groups emerging out of this movement and taking on the 'counterpart' of the work that Wenlido is doing on the side of the womyn. Many times I have been asked when taking Wenlido into the schools, is there someone that will work with the boys around safety and aggression? How useful this would be in India and the planet!!! Safety issues need to be addressed first in same gender circles . . . looking for the counterpart . . .!?!

"Never give up expecting New Beginnings" we say in Wenlido here.

Anita is struggling with illness related to food and water.

Now off to Bhaje for the phase 1 Instructor training (TOT) with the Buddhist womyn network. It is in a gorgeous Buddhist community, far from the villages with views of 2 mountains with ancient forts on top. In one of the mountains you can see 3000 year old Buddhist caves with statues of Buddha.

I am happy to be back contributing to undoing domination by ways of womyn's safety and development.

We have a large group . . . 28 womyn. Age is between 20 and 40. This is Ambedkar Buddhism, mainly people from the Dalit (untouchable) community who converted initially for political reasons to lighten their lot. Anita's work is appreciated. Phase one is on personal development, which includes recognizing our own trauma, beginning to transform that trauma by recognizing the signs and symptoms as they are being manifested personally in behavior, feelings or thoughts. Then identifying the importance of naming the traumatic events in relationship to others and society. Learning emotional freedom technique and other tools for ending the reenactment of trauma and thus ending the cycle of violence personally and collectively is also introduced.

All 28 would like to continue on, but we can only accept 10 from this group for the next phase (teaching strategies). Sad, as we grew all fond of each other.

Anita moves thru her adjustments to a different culture and microbes and bacteria . . . I am amazed to realize how much my body has grown accustomed to these by now. I am enjoying her presence and company. It is also like seeing India thru 'new eyes' again with her. I am enjoying appreciating aspects of this culture in this different light: sights, sounds and smells again that have become so familiar. Next we are off to Gujarat. Staying with P., who has been such a support and organizer for our children's work last year. Here we are for the regional meeting, 2 assessments (for certification) and an introduction to 'transforming trauma' to workers at P. organization who work with child laborers mainly. The assessment (a Wenlido workshop for 11 to 14 year old girls) of K. went very well. I was so touched how she relates to the girls, addresses painful issues of domestic violence, harassment and rape, and how the girls appreciate having a platform to speak, do role-plays and learn to problem solve. Everyone seemed to feel light and happy to sing songs and dance at the end. Lovely girls. K. was proud to receive her certificate to be teaching independently from now on. That evening we all were invited to her parents in the slums for dinner. Her father spins thread for the Khadi cotton cloth. Actually the whole family does. When the machine goes 10 to 12 hours in a day they make 3 Dollars. They are very poor, they have their home so clean, their 2 daughters are educated (far from a given) and both are Wenlido instructors now, working for a child right's organization. Lovely people whose company I thoroughly enjoyed. P. came with for translation, so I was able to communicate with them freely.

R's assessment also went well, with adult womyn. Not her strong point, as she usually works with girls. We had a nice celebration with some sweets after the hand over of the certificate. Now there are 4 certified instructors in Bhavnagar, a small town in Gujarat!

The regional meeting went well with 13 attending. Hearing of their challenges and successes was touching. More than a thousand girls went thru the program in this town since I left in April. Mostly to child laborers from the slum districts. The feedback has been very positive of how they handled themselves after.

Now we are in Tamil Nadu. Being welcomed into the commune of 12 people and 3 children. 11of us womyn are driven to Pondicherry where we spend 3 days for advanced Wenlido work-out and regional meeting and doing some 'transforming trauma' work with Anita. As expected everyone falls in love with her sense of humor and total ease in relating. The commune (people's forum) has developed a cultural program and we have an opportunity to see them perform in Chennai at a University. 20 womyn and men dancing and drumming an ancient style of the dalits (untouchables). This was their coping style of handling the long days of hard labor in the fields, some of the songs addressing their hopes for better lives, coming out of oppression.

Now back on the train for 32 hours to Gujarat, a town called Baroda. Anita and I are asked to do a 3 day Workshop for (24) therapist from all over India. We are calling it: SUSTAINING HOPE, TRANSFORMING RAGE; WHILE WALKING TOGETHER ON A TRAUMA ORGANIZED PLANET. This was an event with counselors, womyn activists, psychiatrists and psychologists coming together with a common intention to respond the impact of trauma that is occurring throughout India and to support one another through continued contact and networking to share, learn, and grow. The experience was nurturing and the workshop experiential. Concepts were explored in the area of how the culture is organized around trauma due to the domination mindset. Tools were presented to bringing hope and imagining to what it could be like to live in a radical humane society organized around human need, potentiality and inherent human value. Exploration was done in the area of bringing together raised self awareness and social activism through needs based understanding to support compassion with self and others. How powerless rage is formed was examined and ways to transform this rage into action called "constructive rage" for social change was inspiring for all. There is still much more work to do in creating form and structure to these teachings, and we are so inspired for the input we received to continue to grow and learn with this passion we have for being the change we want in the world. We are so grateful for these opportunities with others who are stimulated to explore peace.

We finished last night, and I am still processing all that happened.

Time on the computer and even accessing cyber cafes seems to more challenging than in the last years. It has been weeks that this report has been on my mind. I am happy to see it going on its way now. I am thinking of you all! As always I invite questions, clarification or anything these reports might inspire for you. Much love to everyone, and am so happy to say that I have been healthier this year in India than ever before.

In womyn's strength and courage. . . .

Gitta