Day 20 Nov 6 2009 - Ahmedabad train station

On Friday Soon and I kept working on our final presentation as we were to have a meeting with SEWA's director the next week. We still had to complete the story line and work on the graphics and text of the presentation.
As we had only a few days to go, Soon and I decided to take some more pictures of the SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre where we were located to better document our project, the people and the SEWA office. Luckily some women from the countryside had come to Ahmedabad, so that we were able to take some more pictures.

In the the late afternoon we decided to pay Ahmedabad's train station a visit. We asked our rikshaw driver to take a detour and drop of us off at the train station for a short while so that we could have a look at it. Traffic was dense around the train station. When we got to the train station, we saw many trucks and rikshaws standing in front of it. The parking lot (see picture) was filled with bikes, bikes and even more bikes.

We went inside the train station, then down onto a platform where a train was just about to leave. The platform was filles with people either standing or sitting there. Some vendors walked along the train's cars to sell food and other things. The train cars next to the staircase did not have glass windows but just some metal bars. Soon and I guessed that this must be the 3rd class as opposed to the other train cars at the front of the train which seemed to be 1st and 2nd class as these cars were much more luxurious. Unfortunately we did not have the time to get on one of thr trains for a ride as this certainly would have been quite some experience. Well, next time then... On the way back to the rikshaw we saw some porters carry suitcases on their had. We had seen people carry all kinds of this on their head, from huge bags, bricks, water bottles but not entire suitcases.

Day 19 Nov 5 2009 - A busy busy day!

Thursday has ben one of our busiest days so far, apart from the weekend travels. As we are to give a presentation during the IBM event in Bangalore on Nov. 13th which is supposed to have some humorrous content too, we decided to come up with a little video clip to present the team. The plan was to shoot all of us in rikshaw. So the day before we had told the driver of our rikshaw to SEWA (which was not so easy as he speaks little English) to be at the hotel early to have enough time to do the video. All of us wore t-shirts with the Rangoli team logo on them as we did the filming. Soon used a luggage cart as a camera stand as we did not have a big enough tripod which turned out to be quite a nice solution for the problem we had. We did several different video takes to get everything covered and to have enough material for Soon to cut it into a 45-60s video. All in all it took just about 45 minutes to do the filming but then it'll certainly no Hollywood masterpiece.

After the filming it was off again to SEWA where we finished the proposal and reviewed it before sending it off to Mohammadi for his review. We finalized the architectural drawings, estimated the implementation efforts and documented the benefits and implications of the solution for SEWA and its members. After work we asked Vishal to take us up to the roof of the SEWA TFC building from where one has a nice view of the streets around our office location.

In the evening we went to visit Pallavi and her family whom we had met just a few days earlier when we ventured out after work into the streets outside of SEWA. Soon and I were already awaited by the family and several of their friends. We were invited into what seems to be the living room. The house consists of two rooms, the first one through which on enters the house and a second one right behind it. This second one also functions as a kitchen and has a small stove on the floor and a dish rack just above it. Soon and I were asked to have a seat and eat dinner. Funny enough though, that we were the only ones eating while everyone els just watched us eat. The food again was excellent and the portion was more than enough as Pallavi's mum kept giving us more and more.

After dinner Soon and I showed them some pictures on our laptops, pictures of our families and friends, of our home countries and of our travels. Before we left we made sure to take many pictures of and with our new friends.

Day 16 Nov 2 2009 - First glance at SEWA systems, amazing laundry service

During the previous week, Soon and I had spoken with Mohammadi, that we would someone from the IT team to work closely together with us, so that basically there was a permanent hand over to the SEWA staff rather than just at the end. Mohammadi had agreed to let Vishal (one of SEWA's HW experts) work together with, so this Monday we had or first meeting to go with him through the use cases we had had modeled and documented. We also asked Vishal to give us a demo of the system they use so that we would get a better understanding of how it works and what data it contains, so that we could reflect this in our work.

SEWA has been using a membership management application beginning this year. Previously most work had been done only paper-based. Do collect comprehensive data to be able to provide better services to SEWA members as well as to improve deicsion making, SEWA is currently also piloting a system to gather additional data from its members.

On the way back I collected my laundry from a little laundry shop just across from the Himalaya Mall. Whenever I pick my clothes up there I am amazed to see that they have all been tagged with little signs so that they know to whom or to which order the clothes belong. Not only that, all my clothes have been ironed including my underwear - I am not too sure about the socks though - and folded neatly around a piece of paper and put on a hanger. When I pick the clothes up, they are again wrapped in a paper held by some string before they are bagged. All this for 15 Rupees (= 0,20-0,25 €) a piece. Quite amazing. I for sure will miss this when I am back in Germany.

Day 5 Oct 22 2009 - Afternoon adventure

On our second day at SEWA, Soon and I decide to venture out of the SEWA building for a short stroll to explore what's outside the SEWA building. So far our driver had always brought us here and back to the Ginger hotel. In the early afternoon we bravely step outside armed with our cameras. At first there is not much to be seen, a few shops, some people standing or sitting along the street. Just after a roundabout things change. Soon and I find ourselves surrounded by countless kids who have spotted our cameras and ask us to have their picture taken. From what we have heard on the day before we must have made our way to one of the slum areas. Slum here however still means having a house, electricity, etc. Amazingly in the early afternoon the area is very busy with people. Few seem to be off to work somewhere. We keeping walking down the same street, kids following us closely. Now even the adults start to notice us and just like the kids they also want us to take their pictures. At more than one house they drag out their entire families just to have us take their picture. Soon and I keep taking pictures - either because we want to document where we are or just to give in to all the people asking us for photos.

Before we stray too far from the SEWA office, we decide to return after an intense 10-15 min in the outside world. Quite some experience we had!

Day 4 Oct 21 2009 - First day at the office!

After having met our clients the previous day, Soon and I are anxious to go to their office and learn about SEWA and our project. A driver is supposed to pick us up at 10.30 am. We two meet in the lobby around 10:20 am to wait for the driver to show up at 10:30 am. Our predecessors have already told us about his legendary driving skills. 10: 30 am no driver, 10:40 am no driver, 10:50 no driver, Soon and I wonder if we might have misunderstood something. We walk to the window to glimpse at the hotel driveway and with every car coming we think this must be him. Finally at 11:05 am a SUV arrives at the hotel and we both have the feeling that must be OUR driver. An indeed it is him.

While Soon opts for the front seat I have a seat on the backseat - which turns to be a wise decision later on. Our driver is fast and moves quickly though the traffic, not just on our lane but on all available lanes as though he was qualifying for the next Formula 1 Grand Prix. More than once does Soon step on his imaginary brake pedal but oh wonder we get to SEWA office safe and sound.

The SEWA office is located off a main road. We sign in and there we are. We wait a few minutes before Mohammadi arrives and shows us our office for the next days, a room just next to the entrance. Mohammadi hands us some brochures on SEWA to give us a better understanding what it is they do and as we have WLAN access there we also start looking at the various SEWA-sites to get an impression of their work. Also we have a look at our statement of work and the documented results of our predecessor team which is basically the starting point for Soon and me.

Around 3 in the afternoon Mohammadi takes us for a quick tour of the building which turns out to be a production building where various types of garments are being produced. Some of them have elaborate embrodering which is all handmade by the women of SEWA. In the building the raw materals are cut and sewn. To ensure a high level of quality a quality inspection of every single peace takes place before the garments leave the house.

In evening we walk to a nearby restaurant where they serve South-Indian food. However we di not pick a good time as 8:30 pm is a popular dinner time. We decide to stay nevertheless and wait unitl it is our turn to get a seat. In the meantime we sit / stand comfortably outside the restaurant. As Per and I sit just in front of the door, Per is handed our waiting slip with our number. Funny enough the slip says, that the management cannot be held accountable for delays due to unavoidable circumstances - which could be pretty much everything. In addition the management reserves the right to allot seats to VIP guests. Obviously we are not as we have to wait outside. Several times the manager comes out to us to tell us it'll just be another 5 minutes, in the end it comes out more like to 20 minutes but that's ok as we enjoy the 25-26C evening temperatures. Next to us several Indian families are waiting to be seated as well. Some with children, some without. Right next to Per and me is a family with two little girls, one maybe 1.5 years of age, the other one maybe 3-4 years old. The latter one keeps looking and me and we start waving hands at one another. Later the little gitl opens a package of strawberry cookies and comes over to Per and me to offer us some, so that we will not starve to death while waiting to enter the restaurant. Later in the restaurant, I want to return the favor by buying her an ice cream but to my suprise she denies the offer but comes over to our table together with her auntie to say Thank you and Good Bye. What a little cutie she is.

Day 3 Oct 20 2009 - Finally we meet our clients!

After having received Gavin's and Arjun's briefing on Monday, Tuesday finally is the big day - we meet our clients. Based on our applications and profiles all of our team have been assigned to one of four projects, with two or three of us as a project team. We all have read our statements of work multiple times but today is the day that we get face to face with our clients for the very first time, quite an exciting moment. The four project / project teams are:

• Eva & Dominik: Indicorps
• Rich, Mapje & Annamarie: Ashoka
• Soon & Stefan: Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA)
• Susanne & Per: Tribal Development Department of Gujarat

Following a brief welcome by Gavin and an overview of IBM India by Col. Pandey, each of our clients introduces their respective organisation and the projects that we will be working in. Not a single one that one would not love to be part of but since we all have limited time here in India, we will focus soley on our assigned projects - which does not mean that we will not have a chance to visit the other project teams at their projects.

Soon and I will be working together with SEWA, the self employed women's association - an organsation we so far know knew little about. SEWA in short is an organisation of poor, self-employed women here in India. The main objective is to support and enable these women for a full emloyment so that they can make a decent living. SEWA has about 1 million members, of which about half reside in the state of Gujarat. Next to the representation of its members SEWA provides services such as insurance, banking, child and health care, education and training, housing, legal support and more. After having read the speech of SEWA at the United Nations assembly in 2008 I really understood what SEWA is all about.

Soon and I will take over from our predecessor team Manuel and Kensuke and work on the design of a new membership management system as well as on a concept for the use of ICT enabling SEWA to offer more services to its members and to work more efficiently.

The evening we spent close to the Ginger hotel at a nearby small lake and park within walking distance where we become an attraction, especially for the kids who love to have their pictures taken by us.