Government School

Students marching and playing music at morning assembly

On Thursday, we visited a Government school, which is state-funded with free admission, uniforms, and meals for the children. The students were very polite and friendly. The teachers are trying their best in a situation in which they have little to no support. Supplies are minimal, as is professional development, and accountability is very low. The pay is quite high, but jobs are very difficult to obtain, and usually require what our host Maya referred to as "political influence" to get. The school is in two different locations, one for the primary school (through 7th grade) and one for the upper school (through 10th grade). After 10th grade, students can text for and apply to higher education; there is some talk of adding eleventh grade to government schools, but the logistics still need to be worked out.

The principal with two students

Students are eager to learn at all grade levels, and obviously want to be in school. Learning is almost exclusively by rote, with a great deal of verbal repetition and utmost adherence to a single text.

One of the best classes we observed was the art teacher's embroidery and sewing class. The children seemed to enjoy being there, and she observed that sewing is almost a form of meditation for these students, as they are still and have their hands busy. Absenteeism on the part of teachers is common, and students cannot always come to school. One of the reasons for this in recent times has been a lack of running water due to drought. Girls and other family members are required to stay home to fill containers from tanks supplied by the government.

Exquisite hand embroidery work done by students

Students at work in embroidery class. Most of them are boys.

Hindu and Muslim students seem to work well together, side by side.

On the way to the school, we saw many children on the streets who are not attending school at all.

All in all, given the lack of resources and modern equipment, these schools are working hard to provide their students with a brighter future. Government schools now have a great deal of competition from private schools, whose instruction is in English. Parents want to send their children to English-taught schools, since English is the unifying language in a country with hundreds of languages and dialects, and is the language of business. This government school is beginning instruction in English in the lower grades, and working their way up to the higher ones. For now, most instruction is in Kannada, the State language of Karnataka.

            Handmade Gifts from the Students

Icons of Ganesh, the god of success, Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts, and Krishna, god of peace, in the Principal's office/reception area.

Centuries of Cultures, Religions and Life Side by Side

This morning an excellent guide and native of Bangalore, Arun Pai, took us on a walking tour. He recounted how General Cornwallis recovered from the notoriety of being defeated by the American colonists by winning a battle over Bangalore against the King of Mysore.  We saw a drawing of a toy made by the king celebrating an earlier victory over the British: a tiger is eating a British soldier. By pressing a button on the tiger's head, one could hear the tiger roar, and the soldier scream. A young  British cavalry officer spent three years in Bangalore, growing roses and reading books, but itching to cut his soldier's teeth in battle. He wound up fighting in the late 19th century, in Afghanistan; unlike many of his comrades he survived, and became the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill. 

Indian soldier preparing a rocket for launch

Churchill in Bangalore as a young man

Our guide, Arun

Arun had these and many other stories to tell as he led us into tiny pockets of colonial houses with spacious yards, a long driveway away from the mad honking bustle of modern Bangalore traffic, the Wild West of the IT world, and the site of rampant development, favored as the chic city for young Indian yuppies. One of them was about the best military rockets in the world, which came from Bangalore. The line "and the rockets' red glare" supposedly refers to copies of these rockets.

Golden Arches, Indian style

McDonalds delivery cycle

Mc Donalds in India has no drive-through. Instead, they do delivery.
In the restaurant itself, people expect to be waited on. Since 50% of India's
population doesn't eat beef, they do not serve the Big Mac, but provide
chicken and vegetarian substitutes.

Mickey D's Indian menu

Construction site scaffolding

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After a visit to a colonial period church, Arun led us through the ritual of crossing a street that is actually the confluence of four different streets, into a rural village right in the middle of the city. 

Every morning here, he told us, women rise to decorate the area in front of their doors with intricate chalk drawings.

A man told us excitedly that a calf had been born just this morning from one of the many cows in the village. Later we found the calves were actually two; and saw then being licked by their mother in the middle of chaotic village traffic.

Many of us had hand-sewn garlands of jasmine flowers pinned to our hair by smiling women.

As we looked at the details around a Hindu temple, I learned that the reason for the 33 million Hindu gods is that the concept of the gods is constantly personalized by worshippers, so that each transmutation of a god takes on a different aspect and a new name. At least this is what I understood. Arun, used to conducting tours with IT groups, put it in terms of software: Hinduism is like the open source or Linux of religions: the authors are anonymous users who are constantly adapting the philosophy and the symbolism to meet their individual needs.

I have included more pictures pf market produce, the temple, street scenes, and a video of a man who played and accordion in the village as well.

Various chili peppers. They actually came to India from South America.

Mangoes!

Oil burners

The village has been a dairy-farming community for 1000 years. Bangalore just grew up all around it.

A jewellery polisher: a fast disappearing trade

Our English word "pundit" actually comes from the Sanskrit "pandit" or knowledgeable one; this is a fortune teller...

Couple readying for a relative's wedding

Open trash dump

The people in the village were really friendly!

Bangalore (Bengaluru) at Last!

We arrived very early this morning after an epically long journey, to this very comfortable and friendly hotel. Dr.Chiranjiv Singh gave us a lecture on Indian culture and recent history, and I think I may be beginning to understand the Indian concept of dharma, and some of the background of the Indian talent for synthesizing ideas, philosophies and lifestyles. I also understood that there are many different kinds of scripts that accompany some of the dozens of languages. Finally I understood why Shiva and other gods have so many arms - its an idealized representation that symbolizes their attributes. I never knew tat there were Christians here before there were in northern Europe! The Indian Constitution is the longest in the world because it borrowed from the constitutions of many other countries - again that Indian knack for synthesis.

Maya Menon, of the Teacher Foundation, gave us a highly detailed and interesting overview of Indian education, its affirmative action, its challenges, and its increasing privatization. Tomorrow I will include a picture of Maya. One of the greatest challenges is simply the vast array of languages: how can education be inclusive of all when schools must teach in a particular language, which may or may not be spoken by the population it serves? English is increasingly popular as the choice for private schools, partly because it overrides this problem; however the federal mandate, as I understand it, is that schools should teach in the languages of individual states. This creates huge divides in the system. what we call public schools are called government schools here, and these serve populations which are less economically advantaged, although there is a mandate for private schools to accept at least 25% of its students from formerly low-caste (called scheduled castes) families. this does not mean however that all of the 25% are low income; the situation is very complex. One thing I would like to know is if they have teacher education in language learning.

Dr. Singh

Outside the Ente Keralam Restaurant

We had the most wonderful dinner at this charming restaurant that specializes in South East Indian food. The waiters (yes, plural!! We were attended by a bevy of them)  were exceptional.

I made my first gaffe when I asked one of the waiters to take our picture. He held the camera for a minute, then shook his head, smiling. Thinking he was confused, I showed him how to use it. Then I remembered that the headshake is an Indian sign of affirmation! (Duh....of course he knew how to use the camera...)

Broward teachers

 Consul General for South India McIntyre

Padma, also of the Teacher Foundation

In the Frankfort airport...before we landed this morning, I looked out the window and saw scores of tall white wind turbines dotting the countryside. At the airport there are no trashcans that I can see, but plenty of differentiated recycling bins. Slots for paper, packaging, plastic...of course it makes me wonder why we don't do more for the environment at home.

We will board the plane for our final leg of the journey, to Bangalore, in a little over two hours. So far there are four of us, but I am sure we will meet up with the others soon. Andrew, Tina and I met up with Licia in Newark.

Celebrating the 4th of July in Florida

The 4th of July is such a joyous holiday: in the middle of summer, when people are warmed (or in the case of Florida, perhaps overheated) by the sun. What better way to celebrate our country's independence than to watch the spectacular flight of fireworks?

For me, this year more than most, as I reflect on the people who have passed away in my family over the years, it is a celebration of life: their lives, and the lives of my brother and I, who have suddenly become the "older generation": all of the generation before us, from our immediate family, are gone. So yes, I want to celebrate my true coming of age, my true independence as one of the elders of my tribe! How fitting to do this, right before departing on an adventure that carries me across the world, to India! 

Happy Independence Day to all!

Last night the Heat was on, winning another championship, my mother's friends Juana and Udine both woke up around 12:30 AM thinking of her, knowing about her illness. I was by her side, holding her hand. She fell asleep, then stopped breathing, at just about thirty minutes after midnight.

Her health had been gradually deteriorating for the past six months, and finally she was no longer able to stand, so I made made the call for her to go to the hospital. A week later she was in hospice care at the hospital, and a week after that, she was at home, where she wanted to be. During her stay in hospital I was tormented by the thought that I could miss her ultimate leave-taking because I would be in India. Meanwhile she was worried about her illness disturbing my life....I reassured her over and over that everything was fine. At a certain point she woke up, looked me right in the eyes, and in her sweet, soft, utterly lucid voice, whispered, "I think you should go to India." Her love melted away all my fears in that moment.

She had many friends and acquaintances who were touched by her warm heart in many different ways. In the last few years, I began to open up to her, talking about my life, and she did what so few people really know how to do: she listened, without judgement, and without loads of well-meaning but cumbersome advice. She just listened. She is in my heart, and will be forever, throughout future existences; she is a Buddha who left this life with warm hands and an incredibly strong spirit to make up for her failing heart. Just before she died she had several long sips of water, and then left with dignity. I love you, mum.

News From India

The TGC-India cohort has a Facebook page, where we have all been posting articles, videos and information. I just want to share some of those items here. The following article came to me through the Zite app, which collects news according to user-specified preferences. It's about a huge coal company in India planning to install solar panels at its facilities, and also to build a solar power plant.

The World's Biggest Coal Company is Turning to Solar Power to Lower its Bill

This one is more whimsical: about ear-cleaners on the street in Mumbai.

On a more serious note, the following story from The Times of India claims that Andhra Pradesh, the state of which Hyderabad, my main destination, is the capital, is "one of the most notorious states for women trafficking in the country." Thousands of women and girls disappear every year. Some are found, but apparently most are not. 

93% of Missing Women and Girls Remain Unfound in AP

This issue ties in with one of the essential questions that I am bringing with me: How does education in India, and specifically Hyderabad, address gender inequality? I am curious to learn how widely this issue is addressed, and whether curriculum addresses it.