WEARING THE V HAT- Beth Mulock, Research Volunteer

Arriving in Bangalore I knew nothing of the challenges encountered by citizens as they go about their business every day. Living in the city over the past seven weeks, some of these have made themselves known to me- I too have been stuck in Bangalore’s traffic and jumped over holes in her footpaths. Interning at Janaagraha has shown me, however, that the bigger picture extends far beyond these superficial problems. I have learned to examine a problem as part of a system and to look for sustainable solutions within this system also.To be able to contribute to Janaagraha’s vision of improving the quality of life in India’s cities and towns is an opportunity that I have relished. Working within the Citizenship Training Program has demonstrated to me the enormous, but largely untapped, potential of education to mobilize people. It has been inspiring to see of what is possible when individuals identify problems and set about fixing them: it would seem that almost anything is possible!

Janaagraha is a special place: the passion for change that surrounds me every day is something I had never encountered before. It has undoubtedly been a privilege to work alongside individuals so motivated to ‘be the change they want to see’ and I hope that this, above all, will be something I will be able to take away from my time at Janaagraha.