Why India?

When I announced my spring semester plans to friends and family back home, their first question was usually "Why India?" The obvious answer is, why NOT India? But as a stop-gap blog post (until I have time to write up something up about my time here so far), I'm sharing an application essay that answers that question (and gives some background on my academic interests). The prompt specifically asked me to describe my academic interests in South Asia, how I have demonstrated commitment to those interests thus far, how studying abroad in Varanasi will enable me to pursue those interests, and how I intend to further those interests after my return. Here goes ---

As I close my eyes and travel to my imagined Varanasi - allowing myself to truly smell the burning flesh and pungent river, to truly hear the calls to prayer and popular music, and to truly taste the garam masala or turmeric spiced meals, the countdown until my departure becomes more bearable, and the idea that I will finally achieve my goal of living in India becomes more real. I am so excited to study abroad in Varanasi, in particular, because it is such a perfect site to pursue my interests in sociology and religion.

My curiosity for both subjects springs from a deep craving for understanding - of myself, of other humans, of systems, and of the world. Of particular interest are politics, power structures, gender relations, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. After living with a Muslim host family in Ghana during my gap year after high school, I became fascinated with the (oft-misunderstood) system of beliefs and practices. I decided to study Arabic in college in the hopes that I can eventually read the Qu’ran in its original text. I attended services at The Crossing almost every Sunday for two years. I spoke at The Crossing gala in 2014, then designed and led a ten-week course on Liberation Theology last Spring. As my studies have progressed, my intellectual curiosity has increasingly provoked existential questions to which there are no answers. When I probe deeper layers of reality, I find comfort in the intangible yet unshakable faith inherent in various religions. Last year, I committed to reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s writing for at least ten minutes everyday, and I reaped the rewards of this Buddhist perspective in my personal life. Practicing yoga originally got me interested in some of the symbolism so prominent in Hinduism. This year, conversations with an Indian fellow cooper and others have deepened my understanding of and imbued a deep respect for Hindu beliefs such as ahimsa, or non-injury.

Running parallel to my interest in religion, I have developed a profound interest in Socialism, as it is a system of thinking about economics and politics that most closely aligns with my own core values. This summer, with a housemate and a group of comrades from the Madison ISO chapter, I attended the Socialism 2015 conference in Chicago. While at the conference, I heard lectures relating to India, including “Gendered Violence in India” and “What Happened to the Indian Miracle?”, and got to meet the wonderful Indian author and activist, Arundhati Roy. Participating in decision-making in my Quaker housing coop has shown me how democratic organization can function beyond ideology. Experiences in my various roles within Madison Community Cooperative - on the Board of Directors, a mediation team, and various committees - have helped to unravel years of internalized gender roles and hierarchical thinking, prompting me to advocate more egalitarian power structures in other organizations I am involved with. My experiences with the ISO and MCC, combined with my upbringing amongst the diversity of Southeast D.C., imbue a sense of responsibility to devoting my life to dismantling inequality, whether it is due to racism, imperialism, patriarchy, or any other oppressive force. As an undergrad, I have lived out this mission by doing research (on a Welton Grant through the L&S Honors Program) in order to identify more effective means of transportation to and from school for homeless K-12 students in school districts across the country, by volunteering at Centro Hispano of Dane County, assisting Spanish-speakers with their job search and applications, and by interning with the Community Literacy Program at Literacy Network, designing lesson plans to help my class of eight recent immigrants learn English.

In India, I will live out this mission by producing research that exposes the causes of violence against vulnerable women, and by acting as a citizen diplomat. Following up on a paper I am writing this semester, I plan to focus my independent study on an examination the causes of India’s “gendered violence problem” from a Marxist perspective. Specifically, I will question how neoliberal economic policies and Western ideals of the family have contributed to an uptick in reported violence against women in Northern India. I will also deconstruct media reports on this topic to identify cases of mis-reporting or cultural insensitivity. South Asia, and Northern India in particular, provides fodder for an infinite number of other case studies on both socialism and religion, and I look forward to learning about the caste system, ethnic conflict between Hindus and Muslims, and labor unionization. For my cultural study, I am hoping to practice yoga, and to use that as a launchpad for inquiry into spirituality, symbolism, practice, and tradition in this region. It helps that Varanasi itself is India’s holy city, and I look forward to participating in religious ceremonies at the ghats or at home with my host family. Even the time spent relaxing with my host mom or dad or siblings will be valuable because their perspectives will cause me to question assumptions that I may not even know that I have. In turn, I hope that I enrich their understanding of the United States so that our time together is mutually beneficial.

I expect that I will be transformed upon my return to the United States, hopefully in ways that propel me closer to my vision of crafting a more equitable world. In terms of personal growth, I hope to come back to Madison more confident, more empathetic, and more brave. More concretely, experiences in India will undoubtedly inform my post-graduation career decisions. As a past recipient of a YES Abroad scholarship from the State Department, I feel indebted to the U.S. Government and would be absolutely honored to work for the State Department after graduation. At the same time, concerns about perpetuating top-down power structures drive me to want to create change from within for a community that I am part of. My ultimate dream is of a city, or at least a community, in which access to food, housing, medical care, legal services, and other necessities can be provided for marginalized groups, with dignity. I envision myself creating this reality by leading an organization based in cooperative principles to empower and sustain people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. My experience in Varanasi will bring me one step closer to this goal by exposing me to life experiences that produce intense personal growth. Living with a host family, I will gain the ability to communicate with people from different backgrounds. Working on my independent study, I will gain the organizational skills essential to tackling a large independent project. Practicing yoga daily, I will gain self-awareness and spiritual renewal to keep constantly moving forward. It is difficult for me to disconnect my individual experiences from broader societal factors, and I have found that this paradigm promotes an orientation towards empathy and humility. Along with this perspective, I hope that I go into my semester abroad with an open mind, ready to be transformed by every experience so that I can pay that transformation forward in good work for the world.