The Calcutta Children’s/Shree-Durga Project
Pubic Praxis, Marist College,
3399 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Bruce Luske and Mar Peter-Raoul, Project Keepers
Contact: Mar.Peter-Raoul@marist.edu
October 2009
Greetings. Our small team wants to share with you the surpassing experience and pictures
from our visit to the people living and working at the Sree Durga dump in Kolkata, May 2009. Begun
in 2007 (that is, begun in earnest with a precursor in 2005), the Calcutta Children’s/Sree-Durga Project (joint Project between the Marist Praxis Project for Public Citizenship and the Better World Beloved Community) has had the keen privilege not only to ease some of the pain and hardship of the
families working and living at the Sree-Durga dump, but has also contributed to the ever–increasing
sense of community, trust and camaraderie between our teams and the families there; a true sense of
“belonging to one another” was advanced during our May visit.
Making it all happen, Christopher Ratan Das (our Project-Keeper in Kolkata, mentored by
Mother Teresa and still working with the Sisters of Charity), visits the people two or three times a
week, and with our limited donations tries to meet their most pressing needs. He knows the more
than 50 families well, and celebrates all their festivals with them. When the older boys suddenly
break out dancing (Sree Durga style of break-dancing), Christopher laughs and joins in. A little more
sober, Christopher with recent donations took the teen boys to buy shoes (many are barefooted
working in the dump). At the purchase, one of the boys started crying. He told Christopher that this
was the first pair of shoes he had ever had. Orphaned at one year and a half old, he said no one has
ever been as kind toward him as Christopher.
Let me introduce you to our May team: Alanna Henneberry (a pre-med and Public Praxis minor at Marist), and Tom & Heather Eck (members of The Beloved Community in Binghamton, NY),
and myself. We also have an association with the International Philosophers for Peace, thanks to the
heart-interest of its president Dr. Glen Martin. Dr. Patricia Murphy, head of the IPP Advisory board,
visited Christopher and the people at the dump in January 2009. Together they all celebrated one of
the Hindu festivals. We hugely thank the families at the dump for letting us enter their lives, and for
giving us a glimpse of what every-day life is like for those who occupy their country’s lowest status.
The angle of their lives offers us an unrivaled view of the world.
Inspired by other groups, we distributed cameras to the teens and asked them to take pictures (see back pages) of anything they wanted. We then developed two copies of each picture, gave
one to the teen photographer, and purchased the second for 50 rupees. In high spirits, the teenagers
started taking pictures immediately upon receiving their cameras. The scenes they captured of their
lives are authentic, and we share them with you in hopes that they move you as deeply as they moved
each of us. The team hopes you enjoy the “newsletter.” Thanks to team member Heather LarnerdEck for editing the newsletter and selecting the pictures. We invite you to participate in the Project,
and to communicate with any one of our team and with the people through our contact with Christopher, and even consider a visit to Kolkata one day. See Sree Durga trip blog on the Public Praxis
website (search Public Praxis on Marist homepage, and see www.thebelovedcommunity.org).
Believing the world could be otherwise —Mar, Mar.Peter-Raoul@Marist.edu
Cementing Our Bonds of Friendship
One of my favorite experiences was our first visit to the
Shree-Durga dump, which occupies a large corner of a
busy intersection.
We learned a lot about the families that we hadn’t realized before, such as, there are approximately 50 families
that routinely cycle in and out between the dump and
their ancestral village, with about 30+ adults, (along with
their children), working there at any given time. Also,
the same families have claimed “rights” to the dump for
more than 20 years, and must keep it occupied with
enough workers at all times, so as not to be bullied out
by street thugs.
One by one, Christopher gathered and
introduced each family/person to us, knowing
each by name, and making small, sometimes
funny, remarks as he told us names and what
children belonged to whom.
Then with a conspiratorial whisper he nodded, and each person
- man, woman, & child
- brought out, against
the dark of their
clothes and the dump,
bright roses in red, pink, and yellow, each holding them out as a gift for us.
Seeing
how
surprised and
pleased
we
were,
the
women, teenaged girls, and
children smiled
widely
and
pressed close,
We also learned that none of the people living and
working in the dump are beggars. They work from dawn
to dusk every day, sorting through garbage to separate
out recyclable materials such as metals, plastics, paper,
etc., which they then sell each evening to be recycled.
They earn little more than 100 Rupees (about $2-3) per
day for all their food and necessities.
It was early evening when we arrived for our first visit
with Christopher (mentored by Mother Teresa). Folks
were still working as we drove up,
and took turns continuing to work
after greeting us (until it was too
dark to sort any more). As we
drove up, the women and older
girls beamed and ran to get the
stools they had set aside for us to
sit on. The younger children pressed in to see and touch us, then
giggled and teased one another
whenever we smiled at them!
but the men stood
back, mostly at the
edge of the crowd,
along with the teen
-aged boys who
jostled
around
horse-playing a bit
with each other,
until it was their
turn to present their roses.
We were delighted when some of the
children eagerly gave us drawings they
had made just for us. And another
delight was when the younger children
gathered together and in earnest
voices sang the Indian national anthem.
We were struck by the contradiction of these trusting children spiritedly
singing their country’s anthem while relegated to a life of the lowest caste, to no participation in civic
life, even refused entry into any business or government building (though if they can pay school fees,
buy uniforms, shoes and study materials they can go to a government school - way beyond the means
of anyone at the dump). They receive only meager medical care, sleep without shelter against monsoon
rains, and live in a dump among rats and garbage.
Throughout the evening, team members
Heather and Alanna held babies and tried to
communicate with the children pressing around
- who were especially fascinated with Alanna’s
blond hair, each wanting a turn to touch it while Tom, our fourth team member (leaning
on the edge of the dump’s old battered table),
strummed his mandolin and sang songs.
The older boys pressed toward Tom, eyes fastened on
the mandolin. One of the boys, R, intrigued with the
music gestured to Tom that he wanted to play. Tom put
the mandolin on him and showed him a few strokes. R
then pantomimed playing and dancing, while the other
children laughed, clapped, and danced along.
This first evening set the tone for
our entire trip, and with each
subsequent encounter, the bonds
of trust and friendship between us
grew stronger and stronger.
Christopher - A Man of Faith and Action
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says. James 1:22 (New International Version)
Nothing could have prepared us for the experience
1.
of visiting the ancestral village that the Shree-Durga
families actually call home. And how Christopher
was able to arrange/coordinate all of the details - &
actually pull it off(!) - amazed us all. We want to
share with you this example of Christopher’s gifts
of organization, leadership, hospitality, and compas3.
sion; Christopher makes things happen!
On the morning of our trip, Christopher picked us
up at 5 a.m., and then we traveled together to the
dump.1 Upon arriving, we were so surprised to find
everyone bathed, and dressed in their very best
clothes!2 The girls had ribbons in their hair, the
boys had their shirts tucked in3 - they looked, and
felt, beautiful. They were beaming, twirling around
in their colorful saris, each vying for our attention,
teasing each other, posing to have their picture
taken over & over again.4
We learned that their beautiful saris were actually
the same ones the first Project team had purchased
for them in 2007!5 They are considered so special
and precious, they are only worn on the most
important of occasions.
Christopher had thought of everything. He brought
new socks and sandals for some of the boys that
didn’t own shoes;6 he had games to play,7 food to
eat, sun hats for the little kids,8 water bottles for
everyone9 - and, right on time, a slew of prearranged taxi cabs showed up to transport everyone to the train station.10 Some of the drivers
objected to driving certain people, so Christopher
“fired” them on the spot! It was great to see him
so protective of everyone’s dignity. We then piled
into the remaining taxis, and were on our way.11
2.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
At the station, Christopher took care of securing
tickets while the teenagers raced to the back of the
train and saved an entire section just for our group.
There were no padded seats on this train - only
hard benches; and there were no doors or windows
either. As the train became increasingly crowded,
people were literally hanging out the doorway as
the train was moving.
During the two hour train ride Christopher kept
everything under control. He had Tom play music,
Heather taught everyone the motions to the Hokey
Pokey (huge hit), the older teens had a mock
“American Idol”, we learned some common Bengali
phrases, and introduced everyone to hand sanitizer
(not such a big hit!). The playfulness, and excitement in the air was contagious! Everyone was so
looking forward to showing us their village, and introducing us to their friends and family.
To read about our actual experiences in the village, please visit
our Shree-Durga Travel Blog at www.TravelPod.com.
Taking Care of Business...
Meeting with Christopher at the Y, we caught
up with some of what has been happening with
the people at the dump since I was there with
another small team in summer 2007.
Christopher has written often, enclosing wonderful pictures, and has sent regular e-mails, so
we have kept in close touch. This day he gave
us a detailed accounting of exactly how he has
spent each dollar of earlier contributions, on
and for, the families thus far. He also shared his
dreams for the younger children and teens, and
the possibilities he sees for providing them with
alternatives to life at the dump.
We entrusted Christopher with the recent
contributions - just enough to provide school
fees for each of the school-aged children for
at least the next four months (Christopher
proudly showed us their report cards with good
grades from last year); some supplemental baby
formula for each of the three babies (one seems
quite malnourished); shoes for the older teens
who work in the dump barefooted; badly
needed medical and first aid supplies (including
$300.00 put in a reserve to fill prescriptions as
needed); pre-natal vitamins and doctor care for
a petite, weakened pregnant fourteen-year-old;
personal lock-boxes for some of the families
(with hopes to provide one for each family
eventually); additional mosquito netting (with
hopes to provide one for each individual, in
time); and at least one weekly nourishing meal
for everyone.
Christopher informed us that a lack of access to
good medical care is a serious issue for our
families. There is a government hospital where
those assigned to the lowest caste are allowed
to go. They line up, sometimes for hours, waiting to see a doctor, but the government no
longer provides free medicine. With only the
pittance the people earn sorting through trash,
medicine is out-of-reach most of the time.
Christopher has been providing what he can,
but money set aside specifically for this purpose
is necessary to ensure their on-going health. In
fact, while we were there, one of the little boys
became very ill, and suddenly spiked a high fever.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment and
Christopher was able to fill a prescription for him,
and in a day or two he was better.
A sadder, and unfortunately more
common, case is that of a little boy our
first team met during summer 2007. His
mother, aunt, and grandmother with their
four little children lived on the sidewalk
across from the YWCA where we were
staying. At night they would spread out a
thin piece of cloth for the four children to
sleep on.
The youngest boy’s face was red and
swollen and he had a seriously infected
eye. Across the barrier of language, the
mother gestured to the boy’s eye and held
out a prescription to us. We gave her
rupees to fill it, but left Kolkata soon after.
We saw her and the rest of the family
again this visit, and were sick to hear that
the little boy had died. Was his death
preventable?
In addition to medical supplies, Christopher
stressed the need to supply mosquito netting for
each individual as a precaution against malaria,
(deadly during monsoon season—just around the
corner). We don’t yet have the funds to provide
netting for each individual, but out of the medical
funds we left him, Christopher will try to ensure
that each family has at least one (or more depending on the size of the family). A net for each
person is something we want to eventually
provide through the Calcutta Children’s/ShreeDurga Project fund.
Globally 28,000 children die every day for
preventable reasons; a million children die
each year from malaria, alone.
Future Possibilities...
With a recent donation, Christopher has enrolled
the four oldest teenage girls into a sewing program that
they attend for a few hours each week. They were very
excited when Christopher invited them to participate in
the program, so Christopher arranged for them to start
right away. We would love to be able to provide the
tools and training they and the other youth need in order to earn a living without having to sort through trash
each day for the rest of their lives.
In addition, Christopher would like to find a room near the dump that he can rent for
the children to use for studying and for him to give them English lessons. Literally no one on
the street or living in the dumps, or even those with low-paying jobs, speaks English. Yet,
knowing at least basic English significantly increases a person’s work value in India, and
opens up opportunities usually reserved only for those with a private education. We had
tried to rent a room before, but the landlord changed his mind when he realized lower caste
people would use the room. Christopher knows what benefit a room would be for the
children, so once we can raise the funds, he will try again.
When we started the Calcutta Children’s Project our only intention was to help the
children at the dump go to school, thus possibly having a chance for a better life. But with
the rare opportunity Christopher’s service gives us, we could actually adopt the dump and all
it’s people. Though it is only one dump out of hundreds of thousands around the world, it
is the one that has fallen to us; one we have the terrific opportunity to affect - and be
affected by. What do you think - would you like to join together and “adopt a dump” and
it’s hard-working and very poor people? And by doing what we can to improve their lives,
receive the rare opportunity to come to know personally fellow human beings consigned to
the lowest rung of a society? We might even see the world a little more truly from this angle.
At this time, because we may or may not receive the funds necessary to keep the
project going, we cannot plan beyond the immediate future. However, by having others on
board, we could really start to develop and put in place more long-range and farther reaching programs - and include more of the adults as well.
If you would like to join together with us and “adopt” the Shree-Durga dump and its
families, please contact us and let us know what you would like to do to help/contribute. We
have listed on the back of this page some of the different needs, and various things you
might consider “adopting.” In addition, we invite you to communicate with Christopher
directly by sending letters and pictures to be shared with the people; and even join a future
trip to Kolkata, to meet the families of Shree-Durga personally.
(donations should be made to the Calcutta Children’s Project through Marist College,
see next page)
Individuals and families living at the Shree-Durga dump would find life
a little less hard if we could provide them with some of the following items:
1.
Treated mosquito nets for each person
8.
Medical supplies/first aid kits
2.
Shoes/sandals for each person
9.
Vitamins for pregnant women
3.
Balance of school fees and supplies
10.
Nutritional supplements for babies
4.
Tuition for teen’s vocational programs
11.
Milk for small children
5.
Rent for study room
12.
Personal lock boxes for each family
6.
Healthy food daily
13.
Musical instruments and art supplies
7.
Personal hygiene products
14.
A digital camera for Christopher
If you would like to contribute a tax-deductable donation to the Calcutta
Children’s/Shree-Durga Project, please send a check made out to:
Marist College/Calcutta Children’s Project
send to: Dr. Mar Peter-Raoul, Public Praxis Project, School of
Liberal Arts, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
To allocate your gift towards a specific need listed above,
please mention in a note.
If you would like to learn the history of the Calcutta Children’s/
Shree-Durga Project; and/or read the travel blogs of our first trip
and our most recent, please explore the following links..
1. www.TravelPod.com (search Shree-Durga from home page)

Travel Blog of our May 2009 trip to the Shree-Durga dump
2. www.Marist.edu (search Public Praxis; at site: click on Global Projects)
3. www.TheBelovedCommunity.org (click on Projects link)

Links to Mar and Jamie’s Calcutta Blogs of the 2007 trip
A Few More
THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUTH...
Through their pictures, the teens have given us the rare opportunity to glimpse a part of their lives and community rarely seen or experienced by Westerners. We thank them for sharing their life experiences with us and for allowing us to share them with you as well. [each of these pictures was taken by one of the Shree-Durga teens]
Christopher distributing the cameras, &
explaining the assignment ~
They were so excited they started taking
pictures of each other right away!