January 13, 2008

I think the majority of the group would count our day spent in Vrindavan as one of the highlights of the trip, myself included.  As we drove deeper into the countryside, away from the hustle of Delhi and Agra, the roads began more and more narrow, until we had to abandon the bus and set out on foot.  We walked the final leg into a small (by Indian standards, actually the population of Danville) village to see the work of the Food for Life organization.  We first peered in on a childbirth and childcare class and learned that the infant mortality rate had been significantly improved through the classes.  The women sang and danced for us and put a traditional red dot on our forehead as a sign of welcome.  Next stop was a women’s education class.  The students had recently learned to write their names and were working on learning the English alphabet.  Finally, we toured a bakery that had been established with the help of a microloan.  It was truly amazing to see that one organization could help in so many different ways.  We also loved the playfulness of the children.  A few ran out to meet us as we walked into the village, and they were all eager to pose for our photos. They got especially excited when we showed them their picture on the camera screen.

In the afternoon, our group hired 21 bicycle rickshaws to tour Vrindavan and its many temples.  The city is the childhood home of Krishna, a major Hindu god, and is therefore a major pilgrimage site.  We also toured Care for Cows, a shelter for injured cows.  Krishna was a cowherd, so cows are very sacred in India. As we were told about the organization's relief efforts and toured the facility, the rehabilitated cows followed right along with us, butting into the group, begging to be patted, and sniffing out the bananas in our bags.

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