Conservation - INDIA Volunteer stories - Daniel Soley

Daniel Soley

Conservation in India

The heat hit me again as I stepped out of the smallest plane so far. It was the third and final flight in my journey and had been filled with the most excitement. I had been travelling alone to a place I'd never been before, a place of many colours and differences, the country of India. And here I was, thirty six hours after taking off in London, I had arrived in Madurai, The Temple City.

I collected my bags and walked out of the airport to be greeted immediately by one of the happiest men I now know. Victor smiled at me holding the Projects Abroad logo by his waist. “Daniel?! Hello nice to meet you! How are you? How was your flight?”

I was driven to a restaurant for the first of many fantastic curries and then to a hotel to get some rest before the journey to the farm the next day.

The drive to the farm wound through the dry Tamil plains, passing through villages, rice plantations and by the odd isolated temple. I couldn't take my eyes off the view through the window, the world outside was so different to anything I had seen before. We shared the road with herds of goats, cows, bicycles, rickshaws... the list is never ending! After two hours we arrived in Ullar, my home for the next two months. The small village has a school, bus stop, sweet stall (handy for toffee éclairs) and the all important tea stand, where volunteers can talk with the locals over a hot cup of chai (I say talking, babbling basic Tamil from guide books and using exaggerated hand gestures is more accurate).

My room provided everything that was needed; a bed, table, plug socket, hook for the mosquito net and a shared non-western toilet (don't worry girls; you may get a western one). It was very comfortable and many a happy hour was spent on the patio between the rooms playing cards and taking the relaxed pace of rural Indian life. Two minutes down the road was the house of Lakshmi and Durai, where we were fed and watered. Words cannot describe how friendly and accommodating they were, not to mention the delectable South Indian cuisine that Lakshmi made for us (sweet coconut noodles was a favourite breakfast of mine!).

Five minutes walk in other direction and you reach the Model Farm. A beautiful garden of medicinal plants and banana trees on one side of road, and on the other, an example of sustainable rice production. In the morning, the volunteers would rise before breakfast to water the plants along the highway, a definite appetite builder! Throughout the day there was always plenty to do: planting cuttings in the nursery, digging irrigation ditches and building/decorating tea stalls to name just a few. It was fascinating for me, as a prospective Geography undergraduate, to experience sustainable development in a developing country first hand. Every Monday we discussed the progress of the farm and volunteers chose what the most pressing issues were to be acted upon in the following week. Market day was a great chance to practice Tamil salesmanship and contact home.

Once a week we either visited a school, or a school came to visit us. We would play games, practice leaf rubbings and make plays with the children, all with the aim of promoting environmental awareness. I can remember one afternoon at a school in Sivakasi. We had asked the pupils to form groups and create a play based on an environmental topic, which we gave them. After half an hour of chaos, and seemingly little rehearsal, it was time for the performance. One by one the groups came up to the front. Almost out of nowhere came eight theatrical masterpieces, exemplifying water pollution, littering and organic farming! It was a real joy and reward to know our message had sunk in.

To list everything that made a lasting impression on me during my stay would be an impossible task in so few words. From walking with elephants along the streets of Madurai to a weekend spent on the backwaters of Kerala to helping a friend with an activity day for local schools, my visit to India was full of diverse and new experiences. India is a remarkable place, full of remarkable people; In my two months I only scratched the surface of what it had to offer, yet, it couldn't have been a two months better spent.

Daniel Soley

Back to Volunteer Stories