Bhavan's Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya

The only other school I visited in the Hyderabad area is Bhavan's Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya in Secunderabad, a K-12 establishment affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education of India.

Since it was raining, it took two hours to get through snarled traffic from Hyderabad, but the visit was well worth it. Once again, I found student who were eager to learn, and teachers who were actively incorporating character education into their lesson plans. The first teacher, named Kutty, was actullay teaching a poem from the Springboard Level 2 curriculum, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost! She had previously discussed character traits that could be learned from the poem, and student groups had prepared presentations on each of the traits. Her teaching style was highly animated and interesting.

Kutty's students doing a presentation on determination

 So I learned a new way to teach that poem, which can be very dry and confusing to students.

Kutty in action

 

One reflection I have after this experience is the mind-boggling fact (mind-boggling to me, as an American) that all students in both schools are English language learners; although the language of instruction is English, it is the heritage language of none of the students, and of few of the teachers. They are not always seen as ELLs, however; since their education begins and ends in English, some teachers refuse to see them as such. In fact, there are few visual aids, which is why I really appreciated Kutty's lesson which had the student create visuals of their own. 

With Kutty, an AP, and a teacher from JHPS (on right)

10th Grade girls

 Kubric Cube Champion - 17 seconds

 
On the way out I asked Uma, the teacher from Jubilee Hills who accompanied me, if Bhavan's is a religious school. She agreed that it was, but when I asked her if they held religion classes, she scoffed, "No! They just teach values." Values like hard work, determination, respect, and tolerance (for example for a gawking westerner who came to visit them and compare notes on our different systems).

In the principal's office (she's on the right)

Fun in Hyderabad

The state is Saraswati, the goddess of learning

One of our last tourist stops in Hyderabad was the Shilparamam Market, where we had our first encounter with bargaining. The first day we went there we had very limited time, so we went to just one stall in the marker, where we bought some items. We negotiated our prices hastily, and tried to leave, but we were summoned by the sister of the women whose stall we had visited. She showed us embroidered bedspreads and wall hangings that seemed pricey but there was no time to talk her down. So we said we would be back. "You promise?" the woman demanded, leveling a severe look. We duly promised. A week later we were back, thinking she may have forgotten us. Not a chance. We absolutely had to buy something from her, "because," she explained, "you bought from my sister only last time!" This time we had a little more leisure to arrange a more satisfactory price.

  

 

With the sisters                                                          Blingy merchandise

Dana looking at some products

 Sree Devi, despite her busy schedule, invited us to her house for dinner one night. Apart from the curry and chicken dishes she made, she also ordered out for Haleem, which is a dish with wish Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.

  

Sree Devi in her kitchen                                                             A little Coke with your haleem?

Another great memory we have with Sree Devi is when she took us to the movies. Apparently some teachers at her school told us not to take her to the particular film we saw, becuase they felt we would not understand it, as it was in Hindi. (No, it wasn't a Bollywood movie.) It was so well directed and acted, however, that there was no need for a translation. The movie, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, is based on the true story of an Olympic-grade runner, Milkha Singh, who early in life was a refugee from Punjab during the separation of India and Pakistan in 1947, known historically as Partition. Despite the film's serious theme, there was one awesome dance sequence - a riveting man dance done entirely by actors playing Indian soldiers that is quite juicy. I think we both have a new favorite actor, Farhan Akhtar.

With Sree Devi at the movies (yes, they have recliners there! Great after being on your feet all day.)

    

Dining at our hotel - Raj is the manager of one of the three restaurants - the most popular one, the Serengeti


Winding down our stay in Hyderabad at the Serengeti

Just a word about the hotel where we stayed - Ohri's Banjara, in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. This is a great place that is truly Indian - hospitable and with excellent food. The staff at this hotel made us feel truly at home, and I never dreaded coming back to my room at night. The rooms were comfortable, clean and large; the staff saw to our every need. So....if you are ever in Hyderabad...you know where to stay.

The Jagganath Temple of Hyderabad

Dana and I went to the Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Krishna, which is actually a replica of the original in Orissa. We were present at a ceremony in which the priest waves plates of fire in front of the idols, then brings it out for worshippers to wave towards them. The fire represents purity, and the waving of the fire towards one's faith symbolizes absorbing the pure energy from it. Pictures of the ceremony were not allowed, so we contented ourselves with taking pictures outside. Before entering the temple, we removed our shoes and left them in charge of the concierge.

The temple is dedicated to the god Krishna. The picture which reads "Prasadam counter" is actually serves food that has first been offered to the deity.

 While we were at the temple, we ran into groups of children who really liked to pose for pictures.

One girl called out to me, "Auntie! take my picture, please!" I was only too happy to oblige.

At one point we saw a large scale set, and wondered what it was used for. Soon after the temple ceremony we saw a family and a priest place a tiny girl on one of the scales, and her father began adding packets of something on the other side. Later we spoke to the parents and found out that they were offering the girl's weight in milk to the temple. It turns out it was her second birthday, and Hindus generally celebrate birthdays by giving offerings of that nature. The year before they had offered her weight in rice. Sree DEei also offered the information that since the couple were not very young, they may have been giving special thanks for having had a child after waiting for a long time.

Children posing for pictures

Baby Girl Worth Her Weight in Milk

 

The illustrations are from Hindu myths, such as the Ramayana

and the Mahabharata

The most revered Hindu teachings are in a book of the Mahabharata (which means "Great India") called

the Bhagavad Gita, in which Krishna expounds his philosophies

These two young men had never spoken with Americans before. Dana and I talked to them for a long time, asking questions about their lives. The young men on the left spoke English very well; he said he had learned it from movies, and from talking to himself!

An older woman resting at the temple

Spirituality is everywhere in India, as this
shrine dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed
god of successful endeavors, placed right outside a
mall, demonstrates