A lot of people say I can’t do it because I’m blind, or I have red hair, or my feet are too big. Get the right team around you, don’t set boundaries and go for it.
Sabriye Tenberken
The journey of Portrait of a Nation from Kanyakumari started with a great bang. Thousands of people gathered, media was in full strength, the district administration in entirety, press interviews, public meetings, garlanding, and wishes from gathered people and dignitaries, and children waving flags. The opening was really grand!
A sound terrific isn’t?
Wish this was for real!
We three and our beloved Maruti Gypsy standing near Gandhi Maidan, Kanyakumari, in the Sothern tip of India. We were being observed by people around this place, shopkeepers, tourists and local public exchanging strange and questioning glances as if short of asking ‘what the hell is happening here?’. Three of us, Enith, Srinivas and Me adorned our campaign T-shirts, provided by our partner Almamater, flaunting our lovely logo designed by Bharath Surendra, smart NID Kid. We stood to wait for someone to enquire us so we could explain our forthcoming adventure and purpose of this travel.
Unfortunately, there were no queries or comments or anything until 09.30 am. We were still standing hoping someone will come.
At 10:00 my friend Mr. Velu (Mathu Soothanan), an energetic social worker visited after his work. With his suggestion and insistence, we offered our prayers in 3000 years old Goddess Devi Kanya Kumari temple, referred to as the Virgin Goddess . Mr. Velu took us around this great Kumari Amman Temple which is one of the most sacred temples in the world and considered as one of the 108 Shakti Peethas.
Built in Dravidian style of temple architecture, this temple is known for intricate carvings that adorn both the stone temple walls and the black stone temple pillars.
Thanks to Mr. Velu, at least we had one Soul to wave to us!
We started our journey waving to Mr. Velu and to the silent and vast ocean, at the tip of our great nation India in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The journey was smooth, the long and winding, we crossed the beautiful coastal landscape of Kanyakumari and entered picturesque God’s own country Kerala.
We reached the coastal village of Vizhinjam, 17 km from Thiruvananthapuram.
The stop was not panned, after looking into the map we found a coastal village nearby, so we thought let’s explore and have some art attack.
Once we reached, we found the fisherman hamlet Vizhinjam was been a very important coastal port town since it was the administrative capital of Ay Kingdom (Ay dynasty, also known as Kupaka in medieval period, were an Indian ruling lineage which controlled the south-western tip of the peninsula, from the early historic period up to the medieval period), which is believed to have ruled over parts of the southern India between the 8th and 10th centuries A.D. The region had witnessed several battles in which the Chola and Pandya dynasties attempted to gain control of the port town.
The battle is still going on. This time environmental activists are fighting against the proposed seaport project. Adani’s Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd is built with the estimated expenditure of Rs 7,525-crore, touted to emerge as one of the world’s deepest seaports and will be connected through a rail link which is projected as one of the longest rail tunnels in the country.
I spoke to lots of fishing families and other local inhabitants. Some of them said this project is good since they will get jobs and it will economically improve the life of the people around the port. And some expressed their apprehensions about the port causing large scale coastal erosion and losing their dwelling spaces.
That night we stayed in a beautiful and vibrant Kanthari International Institute for Social Change, an educational and training institute at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was co-founded by Ms. Sabriye Tenberken and Mr. Paul Kronenberg in 2007.
Kanthari, believes in the strength of people who have overcome adversity. Kanthari equip them with tools and skills that enable them to start own social ventures. Since 2009, 206 participants from 45 countries were trained at kanthari. This has resulted in more than 130+ social initiatives and organisations that are creating a positive impact in the lives of thousands of people within their communities and therewith contributing to a more peaceful world.
It is truly incredible to know the story about Ms. Sabriye Tenberken, nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and won so many different awards from so many different institutions and individuals for her leadership and accomplishments. It would be really great if you take some time and read about her incredible story at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/innovators/2014/06/040609-tenberken-blindness-kerala-india-school-tibet-braille/
Kanthari offers a 12-month, scholarship-based leadership program for visionaries who have overcome adversity and who are keen to drive ethical social change anywhere in the world.
we were privileged and honoured to stay in the magnificent campus of Kanthari. We missed meeting Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg but we left the space-inspired and motivated.
Do you have what it takes to become a social change-maker? to participate in the 12 months Kanthari leadership training program apply now https://www.kanthari.org/
The next day i.e. is on 18th august 2019, the journey started in the early morning but, had an unexpected halt at Popular Vehicles & Services Ltd. Workshop in Trivandrum
Our Gypsy which was erstwhile running fantastically threw her first tantrum. Gears were not functioning properly and there was a problem with switching them. The trip until workshop was very tough.
The Maruti Service center was super busy, perhaps it kept with it name and was a popular one around.
We were not sure of how much this repair would cost us and me and Srinivas did a quick estimation and arrived at a ballpark figure that we should be able to spare, given our infinitesimal budget. Enith perhaps guessed the delay that may ensue, so she headed to the waiting hall to sip and enjoy the free coffee available for customers.
It was a long queue and I somehow managed to spot and meet the super-efficient customer service manager Ms. Karthika PM. We explained the situation to her and she immediately called upon her service engineer to fix our gypsy. The engineer did a quick inspection and dumbfounded us with shocking revelations. He said that it was required to change the gear assembly and this work may take a couple of days.
We stood in utter silence, unable to react while the engineer said that he will still check around and let us know his final verdict. He took a small test drive and parked inside one of the service chambers. The gypsy was now at the intensive care unit and we wanted to inspect the treatment being provided to her, so me and Srini entered the service chamber to notice that three mechanics were at the repair floor, inspecting and working together. They looked like Angels to us. In 15-20 minutes, the service supervisor visited again, pressed the clutch and accelerator, changed gears and looked at us with a smile saying ‘It works fine now; there was a minor problem which has been fixed’.
It was a WOW moment
We were relieved, also to the thought that the repair bill might be manageable since it did not take a lot of time and labour. We were asked to visit the manager to check for the bill. We also wanted to thank her for the fast and efficient service, provided by her staff
She handed over the keys of our Gypsy to us and surprised us by appreciating us for our ongoing project and journey. She said that the repair cost was on their service centre as a token of support for our project. She wished us best and we bid goodbye at this good note.
That was a great gesture from an unexpected quarter.
