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So, the elections are over and the result was announced on May 11. The DMK won, with the party riding to victory on the promise of free colour TVs for all. Not even Indian-made TVs… they’ll come from Taiwan.
After what seemed like a constant flow of motion and blur and noise I made to Arasavangkadu (yep, you try saying it…) and was met by the lovely Aruna. She allowed me a day to settle in and meet the family before putting me to work. The family is made up of:
Amma - her white sari-ed mother and matriarch of the house, whose main aim right now seems to be to feed me.
Swarmigee - an orange robed monk or ‘Jesuit priest’ as he was described to me who talks philosophy, has a very sick sense of humour and a beautiful singing voice.
He is her youngest brother-in-law.
Raj or Gopal - a retired chemist who’s been living in England for the last 40 years. Our first conversation centred around Geeta’s on the Willesden lane. Can’t say I expected that.
Her parents in law Two tired looking bullocks A host of workers and of course
Jane Bond - the ageing golden labrador whose hind legs are so riddled with arthritis that you have to heave her up from her behind each time she wants to get up and whose cataracts mean she keeps bumping in to things.
I’m yet to meet Raghavan and Niru - Aruna’s husband and daughter as they’re in Bangalore shooting a pilot TV programme that will hopefully raise money for the school.
The school itself is an amazing and unique project. Set up 12 years ago by Aruna and Raghavan, it is privately funded and aims to bring out every child’s potential. The couple settled here, chosing a rural environment where the kids were most disadvantaged. Most have illiterate parents and suffer from malnutrition and poverty. Aruna’s policy is to take in the most severely disadvantaged children - those with behavioural problems largely due to a brain and body starved of food, then girls (as they still get a short straw here) and if there is still room, some of the local boys.
Aruna is unique amongst Indian educationalists as she has set up her own teaching methodology. She believes that each child
possessed
a possessed woman dances away evil outside the house has the potential for genius. Certainly Niru, 18 and already a twice-published author is testimony to her methods. Her education methods break many Indian conventions (and British ones too), using flash cards instead of phonetics, mixing up age-groups and most shockingly (for Indian schools) encouraging the children to ask questions.
On day 2 I met some of the kids. Schools are normally closed for the month of May as it is too hot. However Aruna had sent the kids home in April and brought them back for my visit (so no pressure then). The first thing we did was get the kids to choose a project they wanted to work on. The kids (aged 5-11) shouted out things they were interested in and we took notes. Then they took a vote on what 4 projects they wanted to do. They settled on :
Places
Dresses
Houses
And most worrying
‘Susie and the BBC’.
I’m not sure whether to be flattered or concerned that I have become a project.
When rummaging through dusty piles of Encyclopaedias, reference mags, atlases and of course Enid Blyton and the obligatory Harry Potters, I was approached by the 4 teachers, none of
mobbed
the feeling I get when walking down the street whom look much older than the kids. They asked me if they too could do a project so that they could learn my ‘teaching methodology’. They were also curious as to my background in teaching and qualifications. They were all armed with the equivalent of BAs, PGCEs, and computer degrees. I didn’t quite know how to tell them that the only thing I was really qualified to do was to write about Dante - and badly at that….
Aruna later explained that they had been shocked to see me ask the kids what they wanted to do and nearly fell-over when I asked them to vote.
I’ve also set up a box of questions so that the kids who are too shy to speak can ask me questions by popping a piece of paper into a box. We’re starting each day with me trepidaciously pulling out a question from the box and answering the whole class. So far I’ve had questions about my school, my pet and ‘how did the BBC chose you?’. I know that one coming up is ‘How do people not fall out of tree-houses?’. I’m looking forward to that one...
As for generally adjusting
to life here, I’m learning to eat rice and gravy with my fingers, walk in the sun with an umbrella and adopt an Indian accent so that people can understand me. I’m finding it harder to adjust to having Aruna’s mother cook and serve me food (she won’t eat until everyone else has finished) and just generally being around so many people all the time. I went for a quiet meditative walk the other day to find myself mobbed by 20 or so villagers, all surrounding me and running around me in circles shouting: ‘Hi’, ‘Bye’, ‘What is your native country?’, ‘What is your father’s name?’, ‘What is your mother tongue?’ and my favourite ‘Are you a student?’. At least when I go for a run they can *barely* keep up…
Kisses
Susie
Nick - Having spent some time here I can see why you loved it. Surely an army of women pandering to your every need had nothing to do with it? Also Aruna wants to know whether your bike has helped you ‘pull any birds yet’?
Rachel - Being a ‘project’ here reminds me - you never did show me what you wrote about me for school. Was there a reason for that? ;o)
Bekka - Nice one on the run. Here, what with the heat and the mobs of kids and villagers as well as the constant feeding by an Indian grandmother I’m lucky if I’m managing 15 mins…. I did however manage to make a farmer crash his tractor as he was so shocked to see me running down the road he forgot to look where he was going.
Murray - Thanks for taking me for a Thali that time before I left. Good to at least get my head around the multiple dishes everyone has at one sitting.
Everyone - really great to get all your messages and text etc. Please keep them coming, though it is hard for me to respond as computer access is limited here and very very slow. Seems unable to cope with my images too. Really really good to hear everyone’s news though.
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Mum
non-member comment
All mothers are the same
So Grandma insists on feeding everyone - what a strange concept! Good to know that we are all basically the same. Sounds to me that every night is a Friday night. Wish I could have heard your description of school - which one? Anyone ask about your scar??? Had not realised that this was another link in the Goldring/Clements chain! Miss you very much but really hope that you are enjoying life. Hugs and kisses from everyone.xxxxxxxx