Leaving nothing but footprints and taking nothing but memories

04 Jan 2012

Dentaid tells Dentalrepublic.co.uk about its India Trek and Dental Project... 

In 2010, Dentaid supplied two dental surgeries to a charity in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) that helps disabled children to receive free oral health care and education.

In October 2011, a challenge event was organised to assist at this dental project, followed by a four-day 60km trek through the stunning West Bengal mountains, forests and villages and a visit to a Buddhist monastery.

Gap-year student, Priyanka Patel (right) is planning to study dentistry and was the youngest member of the team.

She writes:

“Arriving at the airport with my brand new backpack on my back; hiking boots incorrectly laced; and one of the largest suitcases which I could just about lift, it was apparent that as well as being the youngest of the team [team pictured below], I perhaps was the most amateur; and this experience was definitely going to be something new that I had not prepared myself for mentally or physically. This was apparent by my lack of uphill trekking in the Derby Dales, due to me living in London, where hilly countrysides isn’t really abundant.

“Upon arriving at Doha (our stopoff point for the connecting flight to Kolkata) Team Dentaid was informed that we needed to stock up on sleep because we would be heading off to the new dental clinic soon after touchdown in Kolkata. Were were also to see all the children on a trip to view the decorations for a festival named Durga Puja through the VIP Gates.

“Driving down in our air conditioned van to Kolkata, everyone soon realised there was no veto on horn honking, despite there being many people lying asleep on the road, on car bonnets and other weird and wonderful places.  Walking with the families and students of the children of The Institute for Handicapped People, it was shocking how our arrival had brightened up their day. They had the greatest smiles, the biggest handshakes and the largest desires to have their photo taken with us – it was possibly the nicest welcome one could wish for in a completely different country.

“The next day was the biggest day, the day of the inauguration. We realised that despite the room being wonderfully painted; cupboards and the dental chairs being assembled, nothing else had been sorted. It was all hands on deck. We had someone trying to attach a compressor to the mobile units, others sorting out equipment. It was quite manic for the first couple of hours. The best part of the trip was this day, for me personally.

"The children had prepared a ceremony to welcome us. You could tell they worked so hard. The first dance was by three hearing-impaired girls, and after they had performed, the shock on our faces was apparent; they all danced to the beat of the music that was playing and you would never have been able to tell. There were other dances and singing which had the whole of our team truly touched and some of us in tears. 

“On day three, we moved from our clinic to a rural area in Kolkata where it was apparent that dental care was not sought after as a must. We had driven so far out to our new proposed dental practice – which was a glorified shed with a metal roof –in the sweltering heat. This made us a tad overheated to say the least.  The villagers saw this from our bright red faces, and, from the middle of nowhere, installed an industrial-sized fan to help us overcome the heat, which no doubt led to serious safety hazards with hair and head scarves almost getting stuck.

“Teaching oral healthcare in a new language began with difficulty on the first day, but, after a while, I discovered a knack for acting to convey morning and night, and eventually learnt some key words from hearing them speak to each other. The people were so interested in learning on how to better their mouths, listening greatly about what foods and drinks to avoid. I learnt that the adults were the most eager to demonstrate how to brush their teeth on our great green dinosaur, donated by the British Dental Health Foundation, more so than the children. I guess this was to get reassurance that they had listened and learnt to brush correctly.

“Getting the overnight train for our trek was a new experience in itself. I could not sleep due to a fear of losing my passport and my possessions, which made me stay awake the whole journey, hearing “CHAI, COFFEE, CHAI, COFFEE” continuously being chanted down the carriage, whilst lying off the bed in the overnight carriages, trying to protect my suitcases to deter any thieves. Although I was assured of the safety, I enjoyed the return trip more, as I was a lot more relaxed!

“The sun had risen, and as we left the train at New Jalpaiguri, the heat hit us. We were driven uphill to our trek starting point with our trekking guide, Sanjeeve. He sat at the back of the car, ensuring that nobody fell asleep and missed the breathtaking views of the tea plantations.

“We met the horses that were to be our porters. Sitting in a small dark house in the mountains, I realised that the altitude had kicked in and rushed to put on more and more layers of clothes. After a hot orange drink and chicken noodle soup, we headed off, smiling in anticipation. As the sun was setting, it was apparent that the smiles were fading and our breathing deepened as the terrain became much steeper. 

"We became drenched walking through the clouds,and, seeing that we did not know each other a week ago, it was quite surreal to see what a close-knit family we had become.  Nobody was left to walk alone, and we kept a steady pace with regular breaks until we reached the peak of Sandakphu. This is the highest point in West Bengal at 11,929 ft.  Seeing the beautiful view, with Everest in the distance, gave me such a sense of happiness and achievement.

“The trek down was the hardest. My bamboo walking sticks were kept at full swing!

“The last day of the trek, we were surprised by the chefs who made us a cake to congratulate us for reaching our destination’s end.  That night had such a warm atmosphere. Everyone had a sense of self-satisfaction from overcoming altitude sickness, and not taking the easy option of taking the Jeep up or down the peaks. The night had come to an end, and, after having numerous power cuts this left us sitting in the candlelight sharing stories; singing our favourite songs with the guitar; and recalling everything we had accomplished on this trip truly. This is something I will always remember and has paved my way of thinking about life.”

In April 2012, Dentaid is taking another team on a similar trip – this time to assist at a dental project inn Kathmandu followed by a trek up to the Annapurna Massif. For more information, visit dentaid.org.