Danielle Grindlay -- Australia

Dakshinayan…I can’t make you realise how amazing it is without dragging your anxious behind along with me…and no-one wants to read about ‘how it changed my life’…SO I guess what I would have liked before I left is someone to annul my doubts…which I will try and do for you:

Does it exist? We live in an evil world. I was coming from safe little Australia and all anyone had to say about India was “Don’t trust anyone. They’re all out to get you. JHARKHAND…are you crazy?” Truly comforting. Especially since I found Dak through a random link on a random website.
And yet all of a sudden I had $600US dollars (I went with a friend) strapped to my stomach and had placed all my trust in this mysterious ‘Siddharth’ character I’d only spoken to via email.

And I’ll be grateful for throwing caution to the wind for the rest of my life…but none of that soppiness…
He really does organise every single aspect of your travel – which was the most daunting thing for me…jumping on a 12 hour bus after a strange man approaches you with a mobile phone and Siddharth’s voice tells you to do what he says…it felt like some kind of movie and I couldn’t help but inwardly farewell my organs. Clearly I was a tad dramatic. But coming from my safe little bubble, Kolkata literally blew my mind.

Is it worthwhile? Please don’t have any doubts about the value of your time on the project (as I did most days). Siddharth is one amazing man. But that’s the problem. He is just one. Not enough for the 85 children that attend his school.

And don’t think that your role is a small one either – you are a teacher. No ‘cutesy’ bullshit, taking photos of children and gushing to your friends back home about how adorable and sad they were. Siddharth is heavily dependant on volunteers to supply these kids with the only education they may ever receive.


Teaching. It seems simple enough…but when there are 20 children who speak minimal English staring at you blankly, it is slightly unnerving. Yes they are left solely in your care for the school day. I couldn’t believe it. I’m not qualified to teach! I’m 23 and still a student myself…then I realised what I had to offer was me. My language. My culture. And somehow the lessons just unfolded. The difference between
Australian kids and these little gems was they were DESPERATE to learn.

In Australia school is compulsory and most of a child's time is spent figuring out how to avoid it. It is a fight for some of the kids in Roldih (the village) to even attend school...and they thrive on every minute they're there. There is nothing more rewarding than teaching someone who wants to learn. And it's amazing how much they do learn in such little time. There's no mucking around and certainly no lack of respect - this is what makes it so special because it is real. You have a major impact on their lives.OK so I'm rambling...Every day life: peaceful, relaxing, carefree...FREE of all the bullshit...do you like reading? writing? pondering the world? yoga? meditation? I wrote every day. And I treasure the thoughts that came out on the page. It is absolutely beautiful there. The sunrises/sunsets and BRIGHT moon make you appreciate the natural wonders we have been given - don't get me wrong I'm not the sentimental romantic type - but that place will bring out the cliché phrases in anyone...We weren't pressured to do much more than teach...but there are always things to do...and we loved being involved with the day to day activity. So after school we painted school benches, watered the plants with buckets, helped Suman cook the dinner etc. There's always something going on and I actually wish I didn’t hold back so much waiting for an invitation to join in. Siddharth will go out of his way to help you...if you want it. He is a natural teacher. I don't know how old you are, but his wisdom left me in awe.

The kind of wise man that doesn't dictate or alienate those he talks to - he's a man of the world and very open and easy going with a GREAT sense of sarcastic humour. Because I was interested in Hindi, he taught me. I was interested in meditation, so he taught me. I asked him a simple question about the water pumps and he sat me down and gave me a full lesson in a classroom. He told me Hindu mythology...and I actually found myself intrigued! Strange for Miss Cynical me...Someone that has given up their life for a cause and spent decades segregated from 'normalcy' has an extremely unique and valuable idea of the world.

The food is simple, but there is plenty of it and I gained a great appreciation of spice and home grown flavours. Definitely join GORGEOUS little Suman in preparing the meal. He and Banshi (the other worker/teacher on the project) are 2 of the warmest hearted, most positive characters I'll ever meet. Their appreciation of life left me envious and ridiculed my initial impression that they had nothing compared to me.

We also went on a trek to one of the project's old schools, now run by the villagers there in Cheo...through the incredible Indian rural land...once again, you'll just have to see it to appreciate it.












Hrm...other possible concerns...contact with the outside world? You are given your OWN mobile phone...credit is cheap as could be and even if you don't want to call people, they have a number to contact you (handy for an irrational mother).

I can't really think of anything I can say that won't make you want to vomit...but it has changed my life.

I believe all humans have the innate desire to aid those less fortunate and share their love with the world...and because of this, there are plenty of phoney 'volunteer' programs...when you find something you truly believe in and see the impact you have first hand through the keenest, brightest, delightful little children...it's hard to ever see the world in the same light...PLEASE email me any questions...and add me on facebook to check out my pictures.




I guess the best evidence is that I'm heading back in January. While travelling through India left me dizzy, overwhelmed and helpless on many occasions (among many more positive reactions), Dakshinayan was my home. It still feels like my home. The people and the atmosphere do that to you. So I'm studying hard and working harder to save enough for my return. Nothing else seems important in my life at the moment…it’s all about India.

Sharad Dutta -- United States of America

Roldih March - April 2009

I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Roldih project during months of March and April of 2009. This was truly the most wonderful experience of my life. Following are some details of my time at the project. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need any additional information. I have posted some photos here and additional photos are available on Facebook.

A little background on how I got involved with Dakshinayan - I was born in New Delhi and moved to US 16 years ago. In US I have been working in corporate settings in New York for the past 12+ years. In January of 2009, I decided to leave my current position, take advantage of the bad financial/job markets and travel to India to get involved with some volunteer projects. I had been researching volunteer opportunities in India for past few years that provide a chance to work directly with rural villages. Initially, I was mostly disappointed by the web presence many of the NGO/volunteer organizations have setup that seem like a money making scheme and don’t highlight the nature of work or their mission or objectives. It was just pure chance that I stumbled upon Dakshinayan’s web site. I was mostly impressed with the simple description of the project’s goals and scope of Dakshinayan’s projects. I also found the background of Dakshinayan’s director Siddharth Sanyal particularly impressive. I didn’t have any volunteering experience let aside teaching primary school children but I felt comfortable enough after a few e-mail exchanges with Siddharth to visit the project. I wish this volunteer blog site was setup before I went to Jharkhand as I think the posts from ex volunteers will be very helpful to future volunteers.

Initial reaction from everyone when I mentioned going to Jharkhand was that the area is not safe and there are other projects in other parts of India that will be a lot more “comfortable”. I was warned repeatedly about the journey to Jharkhand and the instability in the area in general. A majority (approx. 80%) of Jharkhand is inhabited by some of the most underdeveloped tribes of India. Jharkhand’s demographics both introduce the obvious concerns but also provide an opportunity for someone interested in learning about the social, political, and economic issues that face Indian society today. Journey to the project was an adventure which included a 16 hour train ride from Delhi to Jasidih and a 3 hour Jeep ride from Jasidih to Roldih. I found the travel to/from Jharkhand and my time in Roldih completely safe and I cannot imagine any issues for anyone just following some common sense precautions.

The project setting was surprisingly pleasant. Being accustomed to the big city life and comforts it takes a few days to get settled into the basic amenities and all that wilderness has to offer. There are very comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms (English style) available. I carried a sleeping bag, sheets, and eating utensils but found everything was available at the project. I still recommend checking with Siddharth before getting to the project as I went during summer days when no other volunteers were visiting. Food is basic vegetarian yet tasteful. Suman always cooks with a smile on his face and all members dine together as a big happy family which is enjoyable. The scenery is truly picturesque - I have never enjoyed such beautiful nights and mornings in the cities or other places I have visited. I really enjoyed walking around the project watching sun rising over the mountains, reading during the day in shade of the 100+ year old Banyan tree that towers in the project territory, and having conversations with Siddharth after dinner just appreciating amazing skies on most nights.

Daily routine is at a slow pace yet the days aren’t a drag. Main focus of the project is of course is education but there is a great opportunity to start other initiatives for overall community development. After hearing about the sad state of education system in the area, I must say the work that Dakshinayan is doing even with 100 students is truly remarkable. I heard some horrible stories of corruption in the education system. Some of these stories have been documented by Siddharth on the project blog. Working with children was really a rewarding experience for me. Children are respectful, loving, and very enthusiastic about learning. I was teaching Social Science, English, and Living Science to class II and class III, and mathematics to class 4. Knowing Hindi definitely worked to my advantage as most of the children and villagers understand basic Hindi. School timings are from 8:30 AM to 12:00 which allows for a lot of free time during the day to do additional reading, water the plants on project premises, and just enjoy the surroundings. I enjoyed playing games with the students, flying kites, working on puzzles with them. It was difficult to build context around many things related to city life and outside world as the children have never been exposed to life outside their villages. But the children have an amazing sense of wonder and were amused by my stories of city life. I was fortunate enough to visit at a time when daily village visits were starting. I learned much about village life from our daily visits to students’ homes. We all agreed that daily village visits as a first phase of building community contact will be beneficial to the students and to our understanding of issues and problems in the area. Even after a month we were starting to build a good rep with the villagers and they were appreciative of our routine contact and willingness to get involved in resolving their issues.

Spending time with project’s director Siddharth Sanyal was truly a privilege for me. I really cannot be thankful enough that Siddharth was on the project and gave me enough of his time and shared his knowledge and experiences with me. Siddharth has dedicated his entire life to the development of this area and the people. The first hand knowledge that Siddharth has gained from being associated with the Santhals for past three decades is truly remarkable. From conversations with Siddharth I learned a lot about the history of the region, the social and economic issues, and the sad state of political, medical and education system. I requested Siddharth to document his experiences and thoughts as I think he can provide great insight into the issues and development needs of the people. It really takes a lot of patience and understanding of the deep rooted cultural issues in the area to understand and appreciate the day to day operations of the project and the approach Siddharth takes towards handling relations with the villagers. Some might consider the project’s involvement in community affairs a bit passive at times. In my opinion, a neutral stand is probably the only way to survive and to be successful in this area. It would be naïve to expect an overnight change when the issues and factors have existed for many centuries.

Unfortunately, Siddharth has had a difficult time finding people in the area who would genuinely be interested in these projects and build upon the platform that has been established. I completely understood Siddharth’s frustrations just watching attitudes of the some folks on the project and general apathy towards the cause and vision of the project. It is really is unfortunate, as I think Siddharth has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share and he can provide guidance for development of the Santhal people.

There is a lot more that I learned and could share even after a month on this project but I think the above summarizes my experience for anyone interested. Overall, I was very impressed by the commitment of Dakshinayan organization and will definitely support the project for as long as I can to the best of my abilities. I strongly recommend a visit to this project for anyone looking to learn about rural societies and development needs. Please feel free to contact me at Sharad_Dutta@Hotmail.com if you need any additional information.