Places, People & Issues
The Learning Expeditions series looks at human issues and development in various regions. Locations will be in Kashmir-Jammu-Ladakh and Maharashtra-Gujarat-Karnataka. These visits will cover four types of locations and communities: urban, rural, forest and alternative-eco-communities.

Objectives

Urban Life
To visitors from "developed" countries Indian cities often seem to be a miracle of survival in spite of hopelessly over-taxed infrastructure. Get to know the city through the eyes of those who live in different sectors of social strata, culture & religion. Tap the pulse of the city by meeting with its engines of business, services, entrepreneurs, industry, governance, city corporations, ngos and activists.

Rural Life
India is still predominantly rural in spite of huge migrations to cities. The outlook of rural India is quite different from the urban and has its own story to tell. Spend time with the pace of village life which still revolves largely around weather, water, crops, animals, traditions and customs. Visits and home-stays with people in the village would be a chance to discover their views, values and concerns. Organized infrastructure and support systems come in different shapes: governmental, co-operative societies, NGOs. Talk to the people who have made this work their vocation and occupation.

Sustainable Societies
While our 'Fast and Furious' lives help us to ignore fundamental issues plaguing our societies and handicap us from taking action, there is an urgent need to explore, research, negotiate and find simple sustainable solutions and alternatives to trends that are disturbing in our lifestyles, environment or government policies. The excursions will be our opportunity to discover new choices and diverse best practices that have been initiated by individuals or local organizations in urban and rural centres that provide options to live healthily, to care for nature and to learn to share and replicate working experiments globally.

Religion
However much we may try to keep religion above controversy, a lot of what has been violent and bloody in recent years can be pinned to the most contorted view of religion. What are the different faces of religion and spirituality today in the Indian context? As part of the Inside India journey we meet people of different regions with unique religious traditions and customs, religious symbolism and discover the religious messages that are enmeshed in their daily lives and have the chance to compare the practices of some of the major religions of the world.

Conflict
Can conflict be synonymous with or a precursor to change? Can it demand the elimination of what has failed and the emergent will of what is desired? Can it also justify lives lost or present to us a battle that is just to one and crime to another? These questions must be delved into now, since conflict is more real to all citizens of the world more than ever. This expedition will venture into various manifestations of conflict in the regions that we will travel, be it about identity and community, religion, politics or economics. Through observation and meetings with people who are bridge builders, opposing groups, leaders of conflict movements and the public.

Participation
Recommended for:

Stay, Travel, Food, Language

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Current Programmes Offered

Jammu & Kashmir

Programmes will be from bases at Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.

Maharashtra, Gujarat & Karnataka

The programme will include three city centres, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and rural satellites of these places.

To arrange a study tour according to your preferences please contact us at: team@phasefive.org

Work-Camps

We recently conducted a work-camp (8-10 July 2005) to restore a landslide area caused by an artificial pond above a natural forest. Participants planted grass on contour lines and plugged small gullies. The programme included a study of the disaster and a brief about the region and the forest. They learnt to use various farm tools and also had a short stay at a place in a tribal area which is being developed as a base for an eco-community that currently manages without amenities like electricity and water faucets.

There will be more such camps to answer specific needs at the places involved and also to consider the interests, concerns and needs of those who would like to participate in such activities. If you or your group would like to join such a programme or have one arranged for you please let us know.

We followed up on 1st and 2nd October 2005 with another weekend workcamp. The task this time was to build a bamboo dome in the well-forested property of Vanwadi, where an eco-community is starting up. It will serve as a shelter for participants coming there for a 5 day forest festival on sharing skills of simple living.

 

More Pictures of these camps are on Leslie's Yahoo Photoalbum