Charlie 1 are so impressive they make the papers!

“Getting to Ealamanna”

by Nick Finegan

I am sitting on a bus which as I write lumbers through the arid Indian countryside. Outside it is a predictably unbearable and all pervading, stagnant heat.

Karnataka pulsates with this still burden everyday which at around 9am awakens to slump itself across India like a great lazy slab. Inside the bus spirits are high as Charlie One career towards the green and tiny Ealamanna, edging ever closer toward our paradisiacal new home. As someone who loves writing, India provides a creative feast. Women draped in kaleidoscopic saris, men chatting and puffing on pipes, children playing and cows sleeping and the vibrancy of India pounds.

Inside Charlie One certainly rivals India for vibrancy, buzzing with chat and bonding over bus seats. I personally feel like we have been lucky with our group; a good mix of characters – funny, clever, deep or silly we have it, and throw in some of your best PM's on the job and it's safe to say that Charlie One are the best of the bunch. Biased I am clearly not.

The bus veers left on to a crumbling sandy path, five minutes on it slows and shrouded in fresh jade foliage the petite but perfectly formed village of Ealamanna peeks at us from its nest at the bottom of the hill. Greeted with garlands we drink in the view. The surrounding countryside is simply stunning.

Dark mountains just upwards dramatically petering out into tea plantations that coil around the steeply sloping hills like an emerald sari and for the next three weeks all of this is ours to call home. This escapes not one member of Charlie One – smiles resound.

by Nick Finegan

We cross three states to visit Charlie One to find out what they are up to; starting in Karnataka at field base, onwards through Kerala and finally into the state of Tamil Nadu we eventually arrive. The group met us with bright, smiley faces and straight away before we even unpack we are treated to a tea picking demonstration from the local villagers and we are invited to get involved. The tea plantations currently provide one of the main income streams into the village and we are told that nothing short of two leaves and  one bud will be accepted by the tea factories. The locals pick with precision and speed and we, well we do our best.

                                                

Charlie One have integrated themselves into the heart of the tribal community of Ealamanna and they eat, sleep and work in the village. The Centre for Tribals and Rural Development, (CTRD), one of our project partners, have their office sitting neatly amongst the houses and their vision hangs over the entrance to their office as a gentle reminder as to why all this work is so important.

"The vision of the organisation is to empower the tribals to become self sufficient and improve their living conditions without losing their cultural and environmental identity."

The village of Ealamanna will be used as a model to educate and train other tribal villagers in the Nilgiris to include bio gas and sanitation into their villages. The benefits of the bio gas will prevent the need for the villagers to take materials from the forests and Raleigh are building the village a cow shed and are providing 8 cows. The dung from the cows will produce gas and the village will be able to sell milk and cheese to provide the village with another income stream.

Digging appears to have become an obsession at Charlie One. They have dug a hole so big we had a debate as to whether you would survive if you fell in. Take a look.......

                       

We will, we will .....Dig It

We will, we will ......Dig It

We've got mud on our face, its not a race

but we're progressing at a remarkable pace

Singing We will, we will .......Dig It

We will, we will, Dig It

Singing lots of songs, passing many bowls

Working til the clock hits five and dongs

Singing We will, we will......Dig It

We will, we will, Dig It

Cricket with a kid, hitting many a 6

Losing all battles and stopping when we did

Singing we will, we will ...Dig It

We will, we will........ Dig It

by Alan Smithies

They have done so well they have attracted the interest of the local press and I have scanned in the article for you and provided a translation so you can see what the local papers have had to say.

 

Bio Gas Units are being installed in Tribal villages

Gudalur, March 16:

Bio gas units are being installed in Eallamanna tribal village to improve the living standard of the community. Centre for tribals and rural development trust in partnership and with the financial support from Raleigh India; have started installing bio gas units in the tribal villages of Pandalur Taluk. This project has been started in the Eallamanna tribal village for 7 tribal families. A cow shed which can accommodate 8 cows, bio gas units, cow dung storage unit are being built in this village under the supervision of Mark by the foreign volunteers. The Managing director of the Centre for tribals and rural development trust stated that tribal communities are reliant on fire wood from forest for fuel, which in turn effects the habitat conservation, and the tribal communities can’t afford for LPG gas connections. Tribal communities show big interest in cattle rearing, the bio gas project in Eallamanna is a pilot project. This project will reduce the need for firewood and the community can also have income from dairy products and manure. CTRD is also planning to link the communities with the Kadhi board for subsidized loans to cultivate cattle fodder. This project would benefit the environment and the community. This project is great opportunity to improve the living standard of tribal communities.

Boys plaster the side of the cow shed

                    and Nev puts the finishing touches on the cattle shed

The masons finalise the bio gas structure in readiness for the grand opening on the 25th March. I will keep you updated with the continuing press coverage that this project is attracting! Also as a sneak preview I know that the girls have had saris made up to wear to the final party so watch out for the photographs they are going to be worth the wait.

So enough work, what have they been doing for fun...........

Reading the messages on the blog

James manages to get the World Service on the radio and sneaks a cuppa on the veranda before guiding the troops to work everyday.

Yoga lessons on the roof in the morning

 The creativity, imagination and energy that is Charlie One is symbolised by the Ealamanna Cup. One league, five boys and the ultimate prize, the Ealamanna Cup.

There are five roles, the commentator, the referee, the goalie, and the two competing sides that fight to score.

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A bit of argie bargie that is sorted by the ref

The proud winner Chris Devlin who takes Linfield FC to a glorious and tense victory decided on goal difference.

Also we are treated to a roof top production that could have been produced by Rada. I couldn't have been more impressed by this group.

And finally I will leave you with some thoughts from Juliet Cameron Wilson which are potentially deeper than the bio gas pit!

“ Life is calling”

by Juliet Cameron Wilson

 

This is the line that adorns many a Raleigh t-shirt. This is the line that has inspired many a young person to temporarily throw aside their normal daily life in hope of embarking upon a life changing adventure of culture, challenge and charity. This is the line that epitomises Raleigh.

On one level it may appear nothing more than a relevant catchphrase with an appropriate message. However it is so much more. These two simple sentences call into question our very concept of life, of living. “What is the meaning of life?” is a query so commonly pondered that it has become a cliche. It is frequently employed to demonstrate the characteristics of an over thinker, a Hamlet, who thinks rather than acts. It is ridiculed. Nonetheless, it remains the most poignant, profound question that man can ask.

Perhaps the average person’s refusal to take it seriously is a reflection of society's reluctance to think; a fear that if one stares too intently into the mirror they may not like what they see. Many people in Western Society are stuck in a rut: perpetually waiting for their lives to begin. They live for the weekend and put dreams on hold just until that ever sought after promotion is attained. More time is spent toiling over papers than drinking up everything that this incredible life has to offer.

Raleigh offers an alternative. Raleigh offers an opportunity to experience new sights, smells and sensations. To stand small and breathless in awe of the power of nature, the vastness of beauty that is Ealamanna landscape. To be enveloped by tea plantations, swamped by majestic mountains, consumed with a sense of elation, of wonder of spirituality.

To hear that gleeful ring of Pombay’s laughter or to see the gentle curve of Schoba’s smile. To feel the subtle buzz of spices on your tongue, the delicate, yet pungent, exciting new flavours of an authentic tribal dish. To collapse with both exhaustion and satisfaction at the end of a hard day’s work. To feel proud as progress is steadily made, lives steadily improved. Then there are the relationships formed; the bonding over bricks. Memories are shared, memories are created.

In the words of Oscar Wilde “ to live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” All of us have a choice. Make yours wisely.