We are the latest set of interns to be travelling to Bangalore, India to work with the Hippocampus Reading Foundation. We are both graduate students in the Masters of Library and Information Science program at the University of Western Ontario and are very excited to be in Bangalore. The “MLIS Out of the Stacks” blog and will be updated weekly and we look forward to sharing all of our adventures and experiences with you.
We arrived in Bangalore five days ago after almost thirty hours of travelling. We have already accomplished a lot including moving to a new place (from our original accommodation), learning to get around, meeting our coworkers, and figuring out all the little details like restaurants, grocery stores, banks, etc. Both of us have been eager to explore our new environment. Though we have been here for only 5 days, we have done so much it seems like it has been several weeks. Both of us are absolutely fascinated by Bangalore and the stark differences between India and the other countries we’ve been.
We are lodged in corporate stay complex, also known as a serviced apartment, that is very common in our neighborhood of Koramangala. Immediately adjacent to our apartment building is an vacant lot where migrant construction workers and their families live in tents. The migrant workers are building a new apartment complex adjacent to us. When Matt was returning home late at night several days ago he noticed several of the single male construction workers sleeping in the unfinished apartment. The workers labour from sun up to sun down, during the weekend, and even during and the Hindu celebration of Mankar Sankranti (the workers held their own party that evening). We feel somewhat guilty living in a grand apartment while the migrant families live in the vacant land beside us. However, all of the workers, wives and children appear in good spirits and are always smiling and working together. The work of the men is astoundingly accurate and they take great pride in their construction, just as the wives take pride in housekeeping and socializing while the men work and the children play. In contrast, there is another building site down the road where better dressed and equipped local workers are erecting a foundation for a new high-scale apartment. In comparison to the migrant workers, the “richer” construction workers appear somewhat idle.
We have been taking several long walks to explore, discover, and watch people, cows, dogs, bicycles, auto rickshaws, and automobiles weave around each other in what can be described as an ordered chaos. Walking along the streets of Bangalore as a pedestrian is a jarring experience. Sidewalks are rarely well maintained, level, or easily traversable. Many areas of the city do not have sidewalks or crosswalks. Walking through the city, Alan sometimes felt like he was navigating an obstacle course. Traffic in Bangalore is extremely heavy and features a hectic flow of cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and auto rickshaws. Aggressively weaving and swerving, traffic is accompanied by incessant honking and braking. Despite the hectic nature of traffic, accidents appear to be very rare. Lane discipline does not seem to exist and drivers often drive in the middle of the road. Drivers rarely stop for pedestrians and, unlike in Canada, pedestrians do not have the right of way. Alan felt that learning to deal with traffic was one of the most overwhelming things when we first arrived. However, we quickly adapted to the frenzied flow of things and are now expert Bangalore pedestrians.
The street corners and sidewalks are full of life and energy. Each corner is filled with all manner of shops and stands and a sheer abundance of people. There is an amazing and vivid liveliness and vibrancy to the streets. It is an energizing and stimulating experience to walk through the streets. Each side street is a unique adventure with new sights and sounds.
We quickly became friends with two female Hippocampus workers our age, Gayatri and Shahd. They know several ex-patriots working and living in Bangalore. Our first weekend was filled with evening social engagements, night clubs, and meeting new people, Americans and Middle Easterners for the most. The Hippocampus office dog, Julio, is very affectionate, cute, and always eager for a scratch.
We have to be careful about sanitation as she is a street dog and spends several nights a week out on the street. Our first few days at Hippocampus have been spent learning about the organizational structure. We had the opportunity to visit the Hippocampus Children’s library which is about a twenty minute walk from the main Hippocampus office we work at. This is a library created by Hippocampus exclusively for children. It is a beautiful multi-story library with open spaces, lots of light, and a large court yard. The library features a large book collection, computer stations, programs and events, and an audio visual room. Comparable to any North American library, Alan thought that it was nicest children’s library he had seen. As Nariel, Jen, Amy, and Shawna have all mentioned in earlier blog posts, it is a beautiful place that strives to be more than just a library.
Matt discovered a large parcel of vacant land down the road from our complex where impromptu cricket matches are held and land suitable for jogging can be found. This land mass also holds two slums, a lot of wildlife (mostly eagles and a few fish in a heavily polluted river), farm plots and a jungle military training area.
On Mankar Sankranti, a recent festival, the two of us decided to explore the two slums on this land plot. Tensions were high in the first slum (because it was a dead end and we were intruding), even though a group of children ran out with their toy tires and sticks to greet Matt several evenings ago. We were very interested in the larger slum adjacent to a landfill. The slum’s entrance features a fork in the road. On the right side live construction workers. They have hard shelters, electricity poles, groomed dirt roads and a large freshwater well. On the slum’s left side live garbage and recycler workers. They have plastic tarp shelters, an uneven dirt road, no electricity and no water access. The left side of the slum features a recycling area which was very well maintained. There were stations where bottles were separated, metal, plastic bags, etc.
This was our first slum experience. We both had to let go of all of our reservations and sum up the courage to enter. Contrary to what we expected, both slums were clean, well kept, smelled fresh and were very organized. Both slums also had satellite dishes and several homes were filled with neighbors enjoying company of friends. The children in the poorer slum were also much kinder and very interested in us, shyly saying hi and riding beside us in a cart-bike. At first, Alan felt somewhat apprehensive about exploring the slums. However, we both felt very comfortable and slum residents paid little attention to us. After this experience we reflected on the experience, felt that our courage increased, and we feel confident with exploring some of the many forgotten areas of Bangalore.
Later this week, we will be visiting a government funded school, a low cost private school, and possible another Hippocampus library in a nearby city called Chennai. We will keep you updated!
Cheers,
Alan and Matt
Out of the Stacks: An MLIS India Internship Blog 