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his morning Dr. Isaac Joseph, the medical director at the Poonamallee training center and in charge of the Research cum Action project, picked me and Ruth up and took us to Poonamallee. I had not met Dr. Joseph when there last week, as he was on a trip. As I wanted to see him before the Calcutta meeting, I felt this morning a propitious time and asked to include Ruth, who I knew would be interested in meeting some professional people in India and getting some ideas about programs, problems and people. The morning couldn’t have been better. Dr. Joseph briefed us on the historical aspects of the program, not only for training public health workers but for the health centers as well.

The health center has as much staff for a population of 6,000 as most health centers have for 2 million people. Therefore, one can’t say it is typical. However, they have been able to demonstrate the effect on the community when anything nearly adequate is provided. There is a difference in this community in the way people seek help when there is something abnormal about the pregnancy. Dr. Ramaswama was there today. He is said to be the person who was successful in involving the community in building maternal centers and supplying furniture at six locations in the district. Dr. Vishalakshi, the woman in charge of the maternal health program, was holding a clinic today. She took time to talk with us about the work there. We were shown charts of reduced maternal and child death rates accompanying such things as a higher immunity status, which was charted, and also deliveries by trained midwives.

Dr. Joseph showed us the model latrines, soakage pits and compost pits at the center. The people receiving the training participate in building latrines, digging the pits, etc. Dr. Joseph said sometimes doctors objected to this, but they usually come around to it after they are given permission not to participate. The RcA people gave Ruth a briefing, and Dr. Subbiah showed us how a chart story was used in the program. Again, Dr. Subbiah brought up a question we have discussed before; what is it that makes a committee move to action after it is formed? Some do and some don’t. Since the committee action itself is a thing that is different in the so-called media communities and the community organization projects, it is a crucial question. This is not true for India alone. It is asked over and over again in the United States. And what if we had a pat answer and could demonstrate with a set of rules to guide the organization of sure-fire committees that could always achieve the established goals, the committee’s or ours? What would we do with such information?

The question again this morning gave me an idea for my orientation and Mary Champlain’s observation after the Calcutta conference. I suggested I be given an account of what has been done to date and by whom, and what has happened subsequently in each of the villages. From this information we would try to make a chart to see what were the points of commonality and what were the differences to see if we get any ideas of what makes it successful. They seemed to think it an idea worth trying.

Returning home through the rice fields, Dr. Joseph said, when he saw a recently reaped field filled with ducks, that duck raising and rice growing are compatible. The ducks follow the reaping. In each field grain is left. The ducks are guided from field to field in an orderly fashion like the double lines in the corridor at my junior high school, and they stay orderly in the fields. They grow fat for meat and lay eggs as well. Dr. Joseph talked about the importance of an improved economy and transportation and communications in really improving the health of the people here. He said, “You do not talk about improving the diet of people who do not have one meal per day, or say, ‘Drink milk,’ when there is no milk for miles around.” For this reason he said the community development program is playing an essential role. He predicted that the health center program, which is now separate, will become a part. There are at the present time health specialists responsible to both the district health officer and the community development officer.

While I was in Delhi, an auspicious time arrived for weddings. Weddings are planned by the stars. During certain periods there are none. They were bursting out all over when I was there. The house of the bride is easily detected by the strings of colored lights like Main Street U.S.A. at the Christmas season. There are also large tents erected because the wedding and the entertaining, of which there is much, take place outside. As I listened to people talk of weddings and saw the houses, I kept wishing I could attend one. And then Miss Bishoff came by to invite me to attend the wedding of a girl living across the street from here. The girl’s sister is a public health physician.

As Mrs. Bishoff was leaving town and I didn’t know any of the people, I almost didn’t go. But Miss Bishoff insisted and said I was expected. As I drove toward the home in a cab, I had great misgivings about attending a wedding of a person I didn’t know. Upon arrival, I entered the big tent where many people were milling. The reception was just over, and preparations were being made to serve the dinner. The food is prepared and served from an adjoining tent.

As I looked about trying to decide who I could ask to show me to the lady for whom I was looking, I saw Mary Champlin, the health educator with the RcA project at Najafgarh . She came over and then I found I had already met a number of guests—public health people. Mary too had tried to locate me in Delhi to invite me, so I immediately felt comfortable at being there. One of the people I met was the health education person at Najafgarh, a beautiful woman who was previously a social worker with a tuberculosis project. She married a person in the area and accepted the job to be near him. She sat with me on the side of the altar which resembled a carnival booth from a high school at home. Instead of crepe paper decorations, there were strings of marigolds combined with roses, as is so often done here.

One of the health educators explained to me some of the symbolism as the service took place. The bride was reported to be very Western in her outlook, and was, because of this, turned down by some prospective mothers-in-law. But in spite of this she chose the conventional service. The groom, however, dressed in a plain white summer suit and wore the elaborate silver headpiece which may be handed down in the family but can be, and often is, borrowed from a jeweler. His face was not covered with the garlands of flowers hanging from the headpiece. The panditji sat in front of a brazier of fire which he kept going with a can of ghee or butterfat.

The mother plays a prominent role in the ceremony—or at least this mother did. The bride’s father is dead. The groom’s mother does not attend the ceremony. The bride goes to the groom’s home the morning after the ceremony in clothes brought to her by the groom’s family. The panditji was always preparing a bit of something to be eaten by the couple, usually given to the groom by the bride. The subservience of the wife to her husband is symbolized. The entire ceremony is most informal. Girl friends of the groom—some members of the family—played jokes on him during the service. At one point they brought a flat pan of cold water and told the panditji that it was time in the ritual for the groom to put his feet in the cold water. The panditji asked them to set it down and it would be used at the appropriate time. The groom poured it on the fire. This, Mrs. panditji explained, wasn’t good, as the burning fire was also symbolic of a happy fruitful union. After a delay to rekindle the fire, the ceremony continued. Frequently some item necessary for the service had not been brought from the house, and someone would run to get it.

The bride was lovely in a red sari worn over the head but not the face. There were garlands on her head, face, arms, and even her feet. As it was cold outside, someone brought a rug to protect her bare feet from the cold—also his. They sat on a low bench opposite the panditji, who sat cross legged on a pillow. The wedding guests continued their visiting while the ceremony took place, and at times were so boisterous that they were shushed by the groom’s father.