My Caste

The other day, I wore some silver anklets like all the ladies here do. Today, before we left my room, Asha held them out for me to put on again. "Compulsory".

We visited a really nice angan wari center in the village of Navatala. Kaluamma is the teacher there. My friend Rachael in Petaluma is an Orf-trained music teacher with a special interest in world music and she’s asked me to bring home a children’s song. Kaluamma taught me the yenegu (elephant) song while we waited for community members to arrive.
Yenegu yenegu nallana,
Yenegu kommalu tellana.
Yenegu meeda Ramudu,
Yetto chakkani devudu!
How beautiful is Lord Rama sitting on the elephant’s back!

This day we met with pregnant ladies. It was so sweet! One woman in particular was just beaming and pleased to be in the 8th month of her first pregnancy. You know her labor will be lovely. Another woman with disheveled hair and sari had sallow skin and such an obviously anxious expression on her face. It was heartbreaking. She looked anemic and neglected. We spent time talking about how important nutrition is, for baby’s development, and for her health. She’s at increased risk for infections like malaria and severe complications at delivery. We tried to make a plan, who was going to help her with food, and care for her. I just wanted to be there with each of them at time of delivery.
**But mostly, Jena, I wish I could be with you! Good luck and make sure Denise is your nurse!**

We talked about how you know when labor begins, and what to expect during labor. We also reiterated that babies need colostrum until mother’s milk comes in. There was a common belief that babies should not eat the first 3 days of life. Sometimes they were given water or cow’s milk, but colostrum was devalued. How can such ideas persist when they so clearly compromise survival? Infant and maternal mortality rates have been so high in this area, there is a big push for institutional (hospital) deliveries. Women are even given cash money (1000 Rs!) if they deliver in the hospital. The program has been very successful and the mortality rates have dropped significantly in the past 2 years.

The government had a similar strategy to address family planning. They gave every woman who (voluntarily) underwent tubal ligation a free sari. (I emphasize voluntary because India has a horrible history of enforced sterilization campaigns, fictionalized memorably in Rohinton Mistry's incredible book A Fine Balance.) Now, most women get the tubal after babies, even without the incentive, but it really makes you think what someone’s life is like when a decision like that can be influenced by the price of one sari.

The first picture is me eating nuvulu (sesame seeds) while the telegas grinds them in the press used by his father, grandfather, etc. The telegas have their own caste even! I decided I'm in the 'field worker' caste with people like Asha and Nell. There's also one of me and "Sir", A. Ramakrishna Raju, the head of BREDS.