Tilonia, India - I kekahi mau mahina i hala aku nei, ua hoʻomaka ka Afghan Peace Volunteers e hoʻouna i kahi ʻelele liʻiliʻi o nā wahine ʻōpio i India ma ke ʻano he mau malihini. Ke kula kamaʻa ʻole, he hana kaulana e hoʻohana ana i ka naʻauao kauhale, ka ʻike kūloko a me nā mākau hana i loaʻa ma nā kuaʻāina e hoʻomaikaʻi i ke ola o nā kamaʻāina. Ma hope o kekahi mau pule kānalua e noʻonoʻo nei inā hāʻawi nā ʻohana a me nā aupuni i ka ʻae no ka huakaʻi, ua hiki iā mākou ke haʻi aku i nā mea hoʻokipa ma ke Kulanui Barefoot e hele koke mākou. I kēia manawa ke hoʻomaka nei mākou i ka lā hope o kā mākou huakaʻi pōkole akā maikaʻi i Tilonia, ke kauhale liʻiliʻi ma India's Rajasthan State, kahi e ulu nei ʻelua mau kahua kula Barefoot College.
ʻO kekahi o nā kamaʻāina, ʻo Ram Niwas, ua kōkua mai iā mākou e aʻo e pili ana i ke kula ʻo Barefoot College ma ka haʻi ʻana iā mākou i nā ʻāpana o kona moʻolelo ponoʻī a me ka hoʻolauna ʻana iā mākou i nā poʻe i lilo i poʻe niho kāmaʻa ʻole, nā mea helu, nā ʻenekinia lā, nā mea hoʻolaha lekiō, nā kumu, nā loea mālama wai a me nā puppeteers . I nā makahiki he 27 i hala iho nei, ua lawe ʻo Ram Niwas i kēia mau kuleana iā ia iho. Ma ke 'ano he 'Dalit', 'a'ole hiki ke pa'i 'ia,' 'a'ole 'ae 'ia 'o ia e komo i ka luakini Hindu kūloko. Akā i kona hui lōʻihi ʻana me Bunker Roy, ka mea nāna i hoʻokumu i ke Kulanui Barefoot, ua komo ʻo ia i nā wahi he nui a loaʻa nā ʻike āna i manaʻo ʻole ai.
"Ua hāʻawi mai ka ʻōnaehana caste iā mākou i 3,000 mau makahiki o ka ʻeha," i ʻōlelo mai ai ʻo Ram Niwas iā mākou. "Akā lohi, lohi, ke neʻe nei mākou ma mua o ia." A laila hoʻomaka ʻo ia e haʻi mai iaʻu e pili ana i nā wahine e hoʻomau nei i ka hana lima o ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻana i nā halepaku maloʻo. Hoʻouka lākou i nā ʻōpala mai nā halepaku kauhale a me nā lua i loko o nā hue a laila lawe lākou, ma luna o ko lākou mau poʻo, i kahi hoʻolei ma waho o ke kauhale. Pilikia ka hana e like me ka hoʻohaʻahaʻa. ʻO ka poʻe e hana nei i kēia hana e loaʻa i nā maʻi a me nā maʻi ʻē aʻe. Mai ka makahiki 13 - 15, ʻo ia ka mea i loaʻa ai iā Ram Niwas kahi ola.
I ka hopena, ua lohe ʻo ia e pili ana i ke kula ʻo Barefoot College. I ka ʻike ʻana he nui nā Dalits i hana ma laila, waiho ʻo ia i kahi palapala noi. Nīnau ʻo Bunker Roy inā hiki iā ia ke hana moʻohelu kālā. Ua hōʻoia ʻo Ram Niwas iā ia ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke makemake e hana ma ke ʻano he peon. "ʻAʻohe o mākou peona ma ʻaneʻi," wahi a Bunker. "E mālama pono ʻoe iā ʻoe iho, a e hoʻāʻo e aʻo i ka helu helu." ʻAʻole ʻike ʻo Ram Niwas i 10,000 Rupees. ʻAʻohe ona manaʻo pehea e hana ai i ka makemakika kumu. Akā, ma hope o ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana i ʻeono mahina, ua lilo ʻo ia i mea kākau moʻolelo kūpono a i mea manawaleʻa, e hana ana no ka uku ola, ma ke Kulanui Barefoot. I ka wā mua ʻaʻole hauʻoli kona ʻohana no ka mea ua manaʻo lākou hiki iā ia ke loaʻa kālā hou aku ma kahi ʻē. I ka wā lōʻihi, ua ʻike lākou ua loaʻa iā ia nā ʻike he nui i pili ʻole i ka loaʻa kālā. Ua lilo ʻo ia i mea pena kiʻi, ʻoihana i ka Puppet Theatre. Ua hoʻomohala pū ʻo ia i ke kahua lekiō kaiaulu ʻo Barefoot College. Ua huakaʻi ʻo ia ma waho o India a ua komo ʻo ia i "yatras" ma India, nā huakaʻi lōʻihi e hoʻoikaika nei no ka hoʻokō ʻana i nā pono kanaka. I kēia manawa ʻo kāna hana ma ke kamaʻilio ʻana he nui nā kuleana, ʻo kekahi o ia ke kōkua ʻana i ke aʻo ʻana i nā malihini e like me mākou.
Mahalo mākou i kāna unuhi ʻana i kona hoʻolauna ʻana iā mākou i nā wahine like ʻole. Hana ʻo Jarina i ka hapa nui o ka moʻohelu kālā no Barefoot College, me ka hoʻohana ʻana i kahi papahana Excel i kamepiula. ʻO Battacharya he "kauka niho wāwae wāwae" hiki ke hana i nā kaʻina hana inā ʻaʻole koi ʻia ka anesthesia piha. Ua hoʻoholo ʻo Bila e aʻo i ka pāpaʻi ʻoiai ua hoʻowahāwahā ka ʻōnaehana caste i ka hana keaka ma ke ʻano he hana i hāʻawi ʻia i nā lālā o ka papa hiki ʻole. ʻO Bila i kēia manawa he puppeteer maikaʻi loa, e hoʻohauʻoli ana i ka lehulehu a me ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana i nā hale hana keaka. Hoʻonohonoho ʻo Raju i kahi hale kūʻai ikehu lā, a aʻo ʻo Magankowar i nā wahine e hōʻuluʻulu i nā papa kaapuni lā.
I nehinei, ua hui ko mākou ʻelele me Bunker Roy. Ua nīnau ʻo Zarghuna iā Bunker i ka mea i hoʻoikaika iā ia e hāʻawi i nā makahiki he kanahā o kona ola ʻana i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā kahua hoʻomoana a me nā papahana hoʻohiwahiwa i kēia manawa ʻo Barefoot College. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Bunker Roy, ke ʻike ʻo ia i ke kupuna wahine i nalowale i ka manaʻolana, i loko o ʻeono mahina, he wahine wiwo ʻole a wiwo ʻole i aʻo i ke ʻano he ʻenekinia lā, manaʻo ʻo ia e hoʻomau.
I ko mākou hōʻea ʻana, ʻo nā lālā mua o ke kulanui a mākou i hālāwai ai, he hui o nā poʻe e hui pū ana, e ʻohi a e lawe ana i ka sima no kahi hana kūkulu hou. ʻO ka hapa nui o ka poʻe hana he mau kupuna wahine.
I loko o nā makahiki, ua ʻike nā lālā ʻo Barefoot College e makemake pinepine nā kāne ʻōpio e aʻo i nā mākau hou i kahi palapala e hiki ai iā lākou ke lawe i kēlā mau mākau ma nā wahi ʻē aʻe, e hāʻawi iā lākou i kahi manawa e loaʻa ai ka mea a Bunker i kapa ai he uku makeke. ʻO nā kupuna wahine, ma kekahi ʻaoʻao, ʻaʻohe manaʻo e haʻalele i ko lākou mau kauhale a me nā ʻohana, akā naʻe, ua nui ko lākou manaʻo e lilo i poʻe limahana akamai, hoʻomaikaʻi i ko lākou mau kauhale, a loaʻa ka uku ola. Hoʻokipa ʻo Barefoot College iā lākou me ka hauʻoli. I kēia manawa, hoʻomaʻamaʻa nā kupunawahine kauhale i nā wahine mai nā ʻāina ʻē e hahai i nā ala like.
Ua lawe ʻo Ram Niwas iā mākou i kahi papa hana nui kahi e aʻo ai nā wahine he 37, ʻoi aku ma mua o 35 mau makahiki, mai 11 mau ʻāina like ʻole e lilo i ʻenekinia lā. Ua hoʻohana ʻo Magankowar i ka ʻōlelo hōʻailona e aʻo ai i nā wahine, ʻaʻole lākou a pau i ka heluhelu heluhelu. Noho ʻia ma ka papaʻaina lōʻihi i uhi ʻia me nā mea hana, nā ʻāpana papa kaapuni a me nā puke aʻo kiʻi ʻoniʻoni, hana nā wahine me ka mālama a me ka pololei.
He nui ka poʻe i uhi i ko lākou mau poʻo me nā pāpale huluhulu a i ʻole nā ʻahuʻula mai ko lākou ʻāina ponoʻī; ʻaneʻane pau nā makaaniani, a he nui ka poʻe i ʻaʻahu ʻia i nā lole ʻālohilohi e ʻaʻahu mau ʻia e nā wahine kauhale India.
Ua hui au i kekahi mau wahine i ko lakou hoomaha iki ana mai ka houluulu ana i na papa kaapuni. Ua hoʻomaka kekahi o nā wahine e haʻi mai iaʻu e hana ana kāna mau keikikāne ʻelua ma Arizona, akā ke manaʻo nei lākou ʻaʻole e hoʻokuʻu ʻia ke aupuni US iā lākou. Ua hoʻopau ʻia mākou i ka wā i paʻi ai ʻo Ram Niwas i kona mau lima, kāhea i nā mea a pau e nānā a noi iā lākou e hīmeni pū i kahi mele. Naʻe fakamoʻoni, naʻá u ʻiloʻi naʻe hivaʻi ʻe he fefine takitaha, ʻi hono lea fakafonua, ngaahi veesi ki he “We Shall Overcome.”
Ua lele nā lālā ʻōpio o kā mākou hui i India ma kahi mokulele. Ma kahi kokoke i kēlā me kēia ʻaoʻao o ka huakaʻi hou i kēia wā, ua hoʻokūhoihoi iā lākou. Akā ʻo nā ʻōlelo maʻamau i aʻo ʻia ma ke Kulanui ʻo Barefoot, i hāʻawi ʻia ma waena o kahi pā kula i hoʻolaʻa ʻia no ka maʻalahi, lawelawe, kaʻana like ʻana i nā kumuwaiwai a me ka ʻōlelo paʻa ʻana o ke kaulike ma waena o nā kānaka a pau, ua lawe i kā mākou mau hoaaloha ʻōpio i kahi aupuni ʻē aʻe.
"Me nā kumuwaiwai maʻalahi i loaʻa i nā mea āpau, ka lā a me ka ua, hiki iā mākou ke hana i kahi honua kahi e hoʻokuʻu ai mākou i ko mākou hiki," wahi a Zarghuna. "A i ʻole, hiki iā mākou ke hoʻokaʻawale iā mākou iho ma ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana i ko mākou manaʻo i kahi ala e hana ai. Me he mea lā e hoʻopaʻa ana i ko mākou mau manaʻo i loko o ka hale paʻahao. Inā wehe mākou i ko mākou mau manaʻo, hiki iā mākou ke noʻonoʻo i nā mea he nui.
Kathy Kelly ([pale ʻia ka leka uila]) Co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence (vcnv.org) Ua kākau ʻia ka huakaʻi i India me nā wahine ʻōpio mai ka Afghan Peace Volunteers ma ka ourjourneytosmile.org paena.