Guria India Blog

Over the past week, Guria hosted a concert at a local college in the village of Jarkania which featured marginalized artists from UP, MP, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. The concert lasted five days and featured artists performing in traditional art forms such as Bundeli Ghat, and the Mayur and Rai dances.  In addition to keeping alive India’s traditional art forms, the concert also contributed to the income of the performers, all of whom come from communities that are vulnerable to exploitation. Additionally, the concert acted as a platform to introduce the villagers of Jarkania to Guria and to raise awareness about human trafficking. Jarkania is the epicenter of many smaller villages, all of which are vulnerable to trafficking. Thus, Guria hopes to establish a presence in Jarkania and gain the support of the villagers in order to effectively prevent human trafficking in the area. 

Namaste from New Jersey. It’s Azza, Bridge Year India Guria volunteer from 2011-2012. Princeton hosted an event called  “Unite for Guria” to raise funds and awareness on campus! Katie Horvath, Shaina Watrous, and I worked for Guria during the Bridge Year Program, and planned the event through the campus organization Princeton Against Sex Trafficking. Students enjoyed samosas, henna designs, and performances from Princeton Bhangra (high-energy Punjabi dance, of which I’m proud to be part), Princeton South Asian Theatrics (a desi acting troupe), and beautiful sitar music from another Bridge Year alum and Guria enthusiast Doug Wallack. Students also wrote notes, in English and in Hindi, on vintage Princeton postcards and mailed them to the kids of Guria.  Azza, Katie, and Shaina Through the sales of handmade Guria cards that we brought back from Varanasi, Princeton Against Sex Trafficking was excited to send over $500 to the NFE center. Katie, Shaina, and I shared our favorit