Today I woke up to the sound of bullet shots. But don’t worry they were not violent gunshots. Each time someone makes an offering to the Gods at t Hindu temple, a blank bullet is fired. Religion in India is taken very seriously and here in Kerala there are places to worship for nearly every major religion. Hindu temples, Islamic mosques, Jewish synagogues, and Christian churches or cathedrals. Most days we can hear the chanting, praying, and bullet shots from Hindus, Muslims, and Christians starting at 4am!
The president of one panjayat, or a local body of government, gave today’s presentation. Since 1996, there has been a movement to decentralize government and the planning process within India. As a result of several constitutional amendments, local governments in India experience much more power than they had in the past. This movement is manifested in “The People’s Plan.” Local governments receive between 30 and 40% of state funding for various planning projects. Our speaker described his panchayat’s emphasis on sustainable development and provided us with a unique definition. Four components make up the practice of sustainable development, he informed us. These four components include: 1) ecological awareness, 2) equity or distribution of wealth, 3) increase in production/economic growth, and 4) social peace. I often hear of the three “E’s” of sustainable development: environment, equity, and economy, but never before have I heard social peace as part of it’s definition. I found this element particularly encouraging, especially after hearing of the atrocity that occurred back at home in Tucson where one of our congresswomen, along with several others, was shot. No political agenda is worth the loss of human life. I appreciate how this panchayat makes it a priority to emphasize this belief. To hear local government officials describe sustainable development as the framework for their planning processes, decision-making, and policy setting, was inspiring and hopeful. It is an exciting time to be a planner in India.
We then took two site visits to see panchayat-funded initiatives in action. First we visited an organic banana farm. The sacred bananas are grown to supply food for sacred elephants at a local Hindu temple. Afterwards we visited a goat and cow farm. The animals were absolutely adorable!
Upon arrival at our hotel we spotted an elephant standing in an open field located directly across from us. The elephant was being held there for use in a Hindu festival. The temple was located in the area as well and each day more and more elephants were brought to the field.
That evening, a group of us ventured to the Oberon Mall. I felt right at home with a Baskin Robins, Adidas, and Puma store. We enjoyed dinner in the food court (many of us excited to diversify our meals after two weeks of eating Indian food!). I particularly enjoyed an ice cold Pepsi!
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