"Soulmate"- Odanadi
Odanadi- "Soulmate" which is someone who walk with you hand in hand in life, is an organization in Mysore that commits to rehabilitate girls and boys whom were victims of human trafficking. It is also a place to help restore the dignity of women who were victims of exploitation. My fellows and I had an opportunity to visit the site that combats this crisis. I only took pictures of the facility to respect the privacy of the people and to share with all of you what this remarkable organization looks like.
PHRII Mobile Clinic
A fruitful day. A chance for my Global Fellows and I to be able to witness PHRI's main mission in action. PHRI's next village to visit was Sagarkatte, about one hour away from Mysore. With Cervical cancer being the second leading cause of death in India, PHRII's commits to bringing healthcare and screenings right to their door.
Mysore University
My Global Fellows and I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Dr. Indira Ramarao, whom is a professor of Sociology and formerly a professor of the University of Mysore. Her lecture gave us perspective that "health is not just freedom of illness" but that there is a global relevance to it as well. That we need to look at health from a gender, economical, political, and ethical angle as well to better understand the concept of healthcare.
Dr. Indira gave us the opportunity to visit the former university where she use to teach, The University of Mysore, and built a platform for us to exchange views on how we view each other's culture. "Namaskar", which is a traditional way of greeting someone, was a new form a salutation that our new friends taught us. To my surprise, both of our cultures are similar in numerous of ways. They spoke much about the upcoming election and how strongly India as a whole is a believer that democracy is what in fact works for a nation. "Of the people, by the people, for the people" - Our new friend Pavan, had recited.
Dharwad- The Jungle Experience
Three days in the Dharwad. An eight hour overnight train ride from Mysore. This was genuinely a chance to really disconnect ourselves. Something we all back home can learn from.