India 2005

Tsunami

2009-07-01T16:07:00.003+10:00

Indian countryside II, Tamil Nadu

2009-07-01T15:49:00.009+10:00

India countryside, Tamil Nadu

2009-07-01T15:24:00.006+10:00

On the picture above, on the sand there are thousands of fish caught by the fishermen. This was 3 months after the tsunami, when they finally felt safe enough to return to sea.

Pondicherry Street and market

2009-07-01T15:15:00.003+10:00

Mobile clinics

2009-07-01T15:07:00.005+10:00

Doing mobile clinics along some of the villages that were struck by the tsunami.

Health Projects

2009-07-01T14:47:00.007+10:00

Most of the health awareness sessions were conducted during the night. The whole village assisted. We used plays to hammer the message home, it was good, people loved it and retained the information much better than if someone stood up and talked.

We had a free meal at the end of the night provided by our kind village hosts

ADRA International visit

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The story of Chinaponnu

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Indian festival- MAHAVIR JAYANTI

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Psychological support group meetings

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SED packs

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Small Economic Development Projects

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Water and Sanitation Emergency Project

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Loma Linda University Psychological support Workshop

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ADRA India Team

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Cuddalore Hospital

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ADRA Office/home

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Auroville, Tamil Nadu

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"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity." runs the first public message of the founder of Auroville, Mirra Alfassa, known universally as the Mother.The Matrimandir (Sanskrit for Temple of The Mother) is an edifice of spiritual significance for practitioners of Integral yoga, situated at the center of Auroville initiated by The Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It is called soul of the city and is situated in a large open space called Peace. Matrimandir, does not belong to any particular religion or sect.

And after that, fully spiritually loaded we went to the beach...

ADRA Health Project

2009-06-30T15:41:00.005+10:00

Pondicherry

2009-06-30T14:30:00.010+10:00

Pondichéry, English formerly Pondicherry, is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named after the largest, Puducherry [1]. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est). Of late, Puducherry is also considered an educational hub of southern India, having about 7 medical colleges, 7 engineering colleges, and 10 arts, science, and technical colleges functioning within its territory. Many medical and engineering colleges are also reported to be in queue.Pondicherry consists of four unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. Puducherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively.

Pondicherry still retains much evidence of its history as a French colony. The design of the city was based on the French (originally Dutch, the plans of Pondicherry dating from the end of the seventeenth century (1693-1694) are preserved in the National Archives at The Hague) grid pattern and features neat sectors and perpendicular streets. The entire town is divided into two sections, the French Quarter ('Ville Blanche' or 'White town') and the Indian quarter ('Ville Noire' or 'Black Town'). The history of French India is led by Joseph Francois Dupleix, governor general of the French establishment in India, and rival of Robert Clive. Dupleix was primarily responsible for the Carnatic Wars. At first Dupleix was successful in resisting the attacks of the English East India Company, but he lost in the later battles.
There is also French influence in the layout of the city. The numbering of the houses is unique compared to other cities in Tamil Nadu, in that all with the even numbers are on one side and the odd number are on the opposite side of the road.

Beach in Pondy, you can see the Gandhi monument in the background

French War MemorialRaj Nivas, oficial residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry and French Governor before that.

Beautiful Hindu temples are found obviously throught the city, complete with elephants
French Cafe by the ocean, one of my favourite places in townFrench section of Pondicherry. This section of town is utterly different from the chaotic and more entertaining India section. Walking through the street it sometimes reminded me of Buenos Aires (only some streets...)
View from Hotel windowDowntown Pondy

Baseline survey

2009-06-30T12:37:00.007+10:00

The health baseline study consisted of going to around 20 villages, most located on the coast to evaluate the impact the tsunami had on the health of the communities. A lot of dicussions took place involving the whole community. I was also able to see some of the material damaged caused by the tsunami, not nearly close to the impact it had on the people psychologically...

Cuddalore

2009-06-30T12:33:00.007+10:00

Cuddalore (Tamil: கடலூர்) is a fast growing industrial city and headquarters of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadustate of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population. However, one industrial pocket -SIPCOT - has also secured it a place in the dubious club of global toxic hotspots owing to the area's high levels of pollution.

Delhi

2009-06-29T15:51:00.000+10:00

Oficina de ADRA en Delhi

The Red fort was initially built by Raja Anangpal, a Rajput Tomar king. The Red Fort was originally referred to as "Qila-i-Mubarak" (the blessed fort), because it was the residence of the royal family. The fortress palace is an important focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad. This Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by Emperor Shahjahan. The Important physical changes were carried out in the overall settings of the site after the First War of Independence during British Rule in 1857. After Independence, the site experienced a few changes in terms of addition/alteration to the structures. During the British period the Fort was mainly used as a cantonment and even after Independence, a significant part of the Fort remained under the control of the Indian Army until the year 2003.
The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh great city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests.
The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh Fort, a defense built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546.The construction of the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648.
On 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This was marked by Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, unveiling the flag of independent India on 15 August 1947.

El fuerte de Delhi, conocido también como Fuerte rojo o Lal Qila (en hindi) por el color de la piedra arenisca con la que se construyó. Fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco en el año 2007, abarcando una superficie protegida de 49.18 ha.
El fuerte rojo fue un palacio en la nueva capital de Shah Jahan, Shahjahanabad, séptima ciudad musulmana que se erigió en la zona que ocupa la actual Delhi. Shah Jahan trasladó la capital desde Agra en un intento de dotar de más prestigio a su reino y para conseguir un lugar en el que desarrollar sus ambiciosos esquemas de construcción.
El fuerte rojo se empezó a construir en 1638 y no estuvo completado hasta diez años más tarde. Toma su nombre de los impresionantes muros, construidos en arenisca roja, que definen sus cuatro costados. La muralla mide 6,5 kilómetros de largo y su altura varía entre los 16 metros en la orilla del río a los 33 metros en la zona cercana a la ciudad.
El fuerte se extendía a lo largo del curso del río Yamuna (desde entonces, el curso de río se ha modificado).
La Puerta de la India (originalmente llamada el Memorial de todas las guerras indias) es un monumento construido por el arquitecto Edwin Lutyens para conmemorar a los soldados indios que murieron en la Primera Guerra Mundial y las Guerras Afganas de 1919. La piedra inicial fue puesta el 10 de febrero de 1921 por el Duque de Connaught. Los nombres de los soldados que murieron en estas guerras están inscritos sobre las paredes del monumento. Su construcción finalizó en 1931. Desde 1971 se encuentra bajo el monumento una llama eterna, conocida como Amar Jawan Jyoti (la llama del guerrero inmortal), la cual marca la "Tumba del soldado desconocido" y está dedicada a honrar los soldados desconocidos muertos en los enfrentamientos entre India y Pakistán que tuvieron lugar ese mismo año.
La construcción de la Puerta de la India, de un estilo claramente colonial, se inició en 1921 y finalizó en el año 1931. Inicialmente bajo el monumento se situó la estatua del rey Jorge V; estatua que desapareció al alcanzar la India su independencia. En la parte superior del monumento se puede leer el siguiente texto:
A los muertos de los ejércitos de la India que cayeron con honor en Francia y Flandes, Mesopotamia y Persia, este de África, Gallipoli y en cualquier lugar del cercano o lejano este y también en la sagrada memoria de los que dejaron sus nombres inscritos al caer en India o en la frontera noroeste durante la Tercera Guerra Afgana.
El templo es un cenotafio de mármol negro, con un rifle en su barril, coronado por el casco de un soldado. cada cara del cenotafio tiene inscritas, en oro, las palabras "Amar Jawan" (Guerrero Inmortal). Este cenotafio es un edificio que tiene sobre sus cuatro esquinas, cuatro llamas que se mantienen constantemente vivas.
El monumento tiene una altura total de 42 metros y está situado en la confluencia de diversas calles importantes. El tráfico alrededor del arco de triunfo es muchas veces motivo de conflicto debido a los continuos cortes de tráfico provocados por el riesgo de ataques terroristas. La zona en la que se ubica la Puerta de la India, rodeada de zonas cubiertas de césped, suele ser uno de los destinos preferidos de las familias de Delhi durante los días festivos.

The India Gate (Hindi: इंडिया गेट) is one of the largest war memorials in India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Originally known as All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the erstwhile British Indian Army who lost their lives fighting for the Indian Empire in World War I and the Afghan Wars.
Originally, a Statue of King George V had stood under the now-vacant canopy in front of the India Gate, and was removed to Coronation Park with other statues. Following India's independence, India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Immortal Soldier).

Varios edificios gubernamentales en el centro de Delhi. La puerta de India esta en el centro de todo.

El Templo del Lotus/ Lotus temple

Tāj Mahal, Agra

2009-06-29T11:31:00.000+10:00

On the way from Delhi to Agra Elephants were a common sight as well as camels amd cows.

Tomb of Akbar

Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, only 13 kilometres from the Agra Fort. Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deers, rabbits and langoors is set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Turkic custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahāngīr completed construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613. The names of the Gods of ninety-nine religious sects have been inscribed on the tomb.

Tāj Mahal

Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahān's favorite wife, Mumtāz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra.
Completed in 1653 CE., the Tāj Mahal was built by the Mughal king Shāh Jahān as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtāz Mahal. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustād 'Īsā, the Tāj Mahal is on the bank of the Yamuna River. It can be observed from Agra Fort from where Emperor Shāh Jahān gazed at it, for the last eight years of his life, a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is an acknowledged masterpiece of symmetry. Verses of the Koran are inscribed on it and at the top of the gate are twenty-two small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to build. The Tāj Mahal was built on a marble platform that stands above a sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Tāj Mahal has a diameter of 60 feet (18 m), and rises to a height of 80 feet (24 m); directly under this dome is the tomb of Mumtāz Mahal. Shah Jahān's tomb was erected next to hers by his son Aurangzeb. The interiors are decorated by fine inlay work, incorporating semi-precious stones.

Craftman working on marble carving