He came. He saw and decided to stay on.
If simply put, that would be the tale of Peter Van Geit, a Belgian IT professional, who has literally made Chennai his home for the past 17 years.
Like Peter, there are many foreigners who were blown over by the charm of indigenous India so much that they never left this country. But there won't be many, who take efforts to give it back to the place they fell in love with.
A one-year project is what brought Peter to the shores of Marina beach, but what made him stay on was the clear blue skies, the winding roads and the warmth of the people. But he did not end up being just another backpacker roaming our desi streets; instead, he took the broom and helped clean the filthy streets of Chennai.
Also the founder of Chennai Trekking Club, an NGO, Peter soon came up with various ways to tackle and reduce the mess that was Chennai. Helping him in this endeavor was hundreds of young volunteers, who were inspired by his indomitable spirit. The middle-aged man skilfully juggles his time betwixt coding and trekking, whilst he passionately motivates more people into joining his cleanliness initiatives. Intrigued by his work, Onmanorama caught up with Peter through his NGO.
Excerpts
What brought you to India, specifically Chennai, all the way from Belgium? And what made you stay here for the next 17 years?
I was sent to Chennai, India, in 1998 to set up a software team for my company in Belgium. The original plan was to stay for one year and then return. However, as I started to travel and discover the lesser known roads on my Enfield bullet, I fell in love with the natural diversity and beauty of the Indian subcontinent. In the first two years in India, I covered 50,000 kms on my bike from Western Ghats to the mighty Himalayas. It was love at first sight!
You work with IT firm CISCO. How do you juggle between your professional life and your social works?
I am a project manager at CISCO. We usually work five days or 40 hours in a week. That leaves the entire weekend, five weekday mornings and evenings totalling more than 40 hours to engage in social, sports and outdoor activities. We organize cleanups, open water swimming, tree plantations, hikes, hill runs, cycle and many other activities during nearly 300 days in a year. Some people invent excuses to convince that they cannot even get out once in a year. It's just the difference in mind set. Life is short - don't miss living it intensely.
How difficult or easy was it for you to adjust to the Indian lifestyle, the hot temperature and the cuisine?
I come from a small countryside town in Belgium where the weather is neither predictable nor pleasant - mostly chill, grey and rainy. Landing in South India, a place with blue sunny skies, where you can plan to get outdoors all 52 weekends of the year is like heaven to me. The Indian lifestyle is colorful, warm and energetic - I love it. People are very welcoming. Don't get me started on the cuisine - I love a good masala dosa or some tangy spicy gravy that sizzles on the taste buds.
You were actively involved in the rescue efforts during the Chennai floods. Could you tell us more about your initiatives?
It was actually pure luck. Roaming on the main roads, I was initially unaware of the gravity of the situation. It appeared like the usual annual monsoon. However, when a friend of mine told me she was stuck in 10 feet of water, we moved out with a few friends and some lorry tubes to the rescue. After swimming in submerged streets for two full days we were able to retrieve some 130 people. After the water receded and left the city buried under loads of garbage, we decided to pick up the broom stick and initiate a big cleanliness drive. Since then, we have done some 40 clean-ups with thousands of volunteers removing tones and tones of garbage from slums, rivers, lakes, schools, etc trying to make our city more liveable again.
Tell us more about the endeavors of Chennai trekking club
After 10 years in Chennai, in 2008, I was starting to feel a bit bored. I had nothing much to do except for visiting the beach, driving to Mahabalipuram and watching a movie. After doing a few hikes to known picnic spots, I got bitten by the outdoor bug and was badly looking to connect with other like-minded souls to explore more locations. I set up a web site chennaitrekkers.org and very soon, hundreds of people start joining me on treks and bike rides, cycling, ultra runs, cleanups, social events, tree plantations and more. Eight years later, we built a non-profit, volunteer-based community of 30,000 members with hundreds of events happening throughout the year.
You have travelled extensively in south India, even Kerala. Which would be your favourite place and why?
During the initial years, I used to regularly pack up my bullet on the train to Kerala and go biking through the beautiful Western Ghats during the entire weekend to return back to office on Monday morning. I really fell in love with the natural beauty and peacefulness of the ghats. In the following years, I would ride my bike four times across the mighty Himalayas and Ladakh - it was an out of the world experience. The high altitude snow and rock deserts with unworldly landscapes were mind blowing. Recently, I cycled and ran some 2000 km through remote valleys of the Himalayas and camped in a tent, below a billion stars.
You have literally made Chennai your home, what was your family's reaction back home in Belgium when you decided to stay on in India?
Being the only son, mom used to be in tears whenever I returned back from a visit to my hometown in Belgium. My parents never imagined that after the initial assignment, I would settle down permanently. I do frequently share photos of my adventures in India but it's of course hard for parents to realize that their son is living 8,000 km away from them.
Peter has been an inspiration to many of the younger generation.
One of the volunteers at the CTC, Ahamed Hanifa, said that his life changed for the better after meeting Peter in Chennai. "Peter practises what he preaches, be it cleaning of garbage or removing the blocks of drainage pipes he is the first to be there," said the youngster, who has been part of Peter's many endeavors.