Kanchipuram (or maybe it's Kancheepuram)

I decided to take a day trip to Kanchipuram, the silk capital of India, to take a tour with the Rural Institute for Development Education, an NGO that works to end child labor and empower women in the state of Tamil Nadu. To get to Kanchipuram from Chennai, the person at RIDE told me to take bus 79. When I asked the man at the lodge to confirm, he said there is no 79, take 76A. So I go to the big bus station in Chennai where there is no 79 or 76A. I take 76B to Kanchipuram and actually arrive on time.

RIDE was great. The tour includes a visit to the leader of one of the women's groups, who showed me all of her book keeping from the last few years. Women contribute about $1 a month to be part of the women's group. In return they learn about borrowing money and business and can take out a loan from the group's money for medical, school, family or emergency expenses.

Then I visited homes that had silk looms. I met a man who made silk wedding saris which will sell for 20,000 rupees or about $500 each. To make three of these a month he makes 5,000 rupees ($125). A woman making simpler saris in the same time makes 3,000 rupees (about $75). It's such difficult work for such beautiful clothes. It seems so unfair.

After I saw the looms, I visited a school where RIDE educates nearby kids. The school was built with money collected on a Semester at Sea ship, and RIDE was expecting 40 Semester at Sea students the next day. There were three classes of kids aged 3-6 (so tiny). They sang rhymes for me. It was adorable.

After a snack of peanuts from RIDE's community garden, it was time to go back to Chennai. The director dropped me off at bus 79. It does exist! As it left the station and the ticket collector came to get my money, he told me the bus didn't go to Chennai. Of course not! I took it anyway, hoping it would get me close. I wouldn't say it got close, but it was the right direction.

It was a great day. It was wonderful to see an organization like RIDE making progress and growing. Two volunteers from the US were there filling out grant applications. Two volunteers from Holland were working on expanding their tours. RIDE has a staff of 45 and makes weekly visits to the women's groups. They don't plan to grow bigger than Tamil Nadu but keep expanding their services. The director is a passionate man and former teacher who won't stop at anything. He said he has been threatened and nearly killed, but he's still up beat and laughing all the time.