Indian Politics and Artists

The Press Conference

Our spokesperson Sue!

We had a press conference yesterday and the NCF (Nek Chand Foundation) chastised local officials for witholding funds from ticket sales that should be used to expand the park. This is an old story. Nothing happens anywhere without local community leadership and generally savvy marketing. The park has neither the moment.

Yesterday, a community leader stepped forward and offered to spearhead an effort to build local community support, and I agreed to help them begin to form some savvy marketing. As of yesterday, it is all words.

However, the lifestyle reporter from the major daily newspaper and other reporters/ photographers, were present and I started up a conversation with the reporter about following our progress as the International Volunteer group at the park, which seems to be a big deal for the park and the community,

My take is that it is unusual to have a group of westerners in this community, cause the local population literally stares at us in amazement as we walk down the street. Young teenage boys stop us on the sidewalk to shake our hands, and women want us to hold their babies while they take pictures of us with their families. Sometimes in the park, we will have a crowd of 30 or so visitors crowd around us, especially if red-hair Sue is with us.

Anyway, I agreed to help one of the regular, local volunteers who is highly educated, to create at least a media plan and some strategy for the next year. In addition, there is an art college in the city and we are going to try to create some sort of program with its students.

That's all for now.