|
|
|
|
|
|
Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
|
|
| site design imagesparkle.com |
| April 21-22, 2004 |
Cochin, India – "The Kerala Model" - NGO Study Tour and Exchange |
|
| |
 |
| Chinese fishing nets towering over the entrance to Cochin by sea |
Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP http://www.kssp.org) is a "People's Science Movement" that was established in 1962 to "popularize science and create a scientific outlook among people." With over 40,000 members throughout India, KSSP also works to develop education, living standards, healthcare facilities, gender equality and eco-friendly energy usage. |
|
|
 |
| With young KSSP members |
Peace Boat participants travelled to the Keralan headquarters, where they were received by local programme directors. A self funded non-governmental organization, KSSP supports its programmes largely by publishing and selling books. Various best selling titles that promote science to children make KSSP one of the leading educational publishing houses in India - even though the books are sold by volunteer sales staff and are not stocked by bookstores. Comprising people of all ages, castes, religions and professions, the KSSP movement encourages its volunteers with the message, "The more time and effort you give to the group, the more time and effort it gives to you." |
| |
 |
| Literacy and the empowerment of women has been fundamental to the KSSP since its foundation |
Asking the Peace Boat participants "What makes us happy?" the KSSP local director compared life in Kerala to life in the United States, pointing out that while the average Keralite uses 2 percent of the energy consumed by a US resident, the life expectancy in both countries is almost the same. Despite the high quality of life in India's most densely populated state, more and more of Kerala's 31 million people apparently "want to be American." In an effort to halt the increasing investment of US corporations in Kerala, KSSP members boycott US products and evidently creating an impact. For example, Kerala locals have recently began producing their own soap, taking 20 percent of the market away from the US pharmaceutical giant, Unilever. |
| |
 |
| Sharing the generosity of local families |
At the villages of Thammanam and Thengod, the study tour participants split into smaller groups to share lunch with local families. Despite the language differences, it was no problem for participants to communicate their appreciation for the delicious home cooked food and warm hospitality offered by the host families. Many participants enjoyed the local delicacies of mango and fish curried in Kerala's famous coconut sauce, especially after learning from KSSP members that they were eating from the well-managed and protected eco system. |
| |
 |
| Science in action; a model lesson presented to local children and Peace Boat participants |
Returning to the center with the host families and their children, participants watched a demonstration of the wonders of science as taught by KSSP members at free "Science Festivals" and schools. Through fun experiments that help to explain, for example, the forces that keep water in a bottle with holes in, or why a glass jar can stick to your hand with the help of a flame, KSSP hopes to bring into focus "the need for a scientific attitude" that will empower people to "oppose the abuse of scientific knowledge for exploiting the masses." At a time when India and Pakistan are pointing nuclear warheads at each other, many contend that a greater factual understanding of the consequences of nuclear weapons would reduce support for the Indian nuclear programme. |
| |
 |
| A Japanese Origami paper crane |
After watching the KSSP soap making process, where natural, local products are mixed together and poured into a mould to produce cakes of soap, which are then sold locally with profits reinvested in the local economy, Peace Boat participants bid goodbye to their new friends offering a quick lesson in origami (Japanese paper folding art) and a Japanese song of farewell until the next visit to "The Land of Coconuts."
|
| |
|
|
|
