Knowing Ourselves, Understanding Others: FINAL THOUGHTS ON MY TRIP TO INDIA

The girls at Shri Shikshiyatan School gave us a wonderful send off with a performance of both Indian classical and folk dance. Then they invited us to dance with them. Being a lover of dance, this was a wonderful send off for me. After leaving Kolkata, we flew to Delhi for several days of sightseeing. As I’m writing this blog entry, I’m sitting on the bus driving back to Delhi from Agra where we visited the Taj Mahal and Agra’s Fort. I feel the best way to end my blog posts about our trip to India is to give you a taste of what has impacted me during my visit here.

India is hot! I love the smell of jasmine flowers. Fresh mangos are delicious. Indian women dress with style and beauty. Bare feet are a part of life. Muslims invaders built many impressive monuments in India. Life in India is completely different from anything else I’ve every seen. Diversity is everywhere: language, religion, ethnicity, and socio economic status. Religious worship is everywhere and practiced by most everyone. Slums are built with tin and have satellite dishes. The young people of India are an amazing resource and the girls I met in Kolkata/Calcutta seem ready to take on the world. Traffic is insane in India, but the official drivers everyone hires seem amazingly competent. Based on some innovative people we met, such as the director of the Teacher Foundation and the managing director of the Sesame Schoolhouse, there is a push for change in education in India, which I find inspiring and hope to play a part. The current Prime Minister of India, Modi, is an inspiring figure, and has a lot of plans for India that make sense, however, both local and federal government agencies seem incapable of carrying out the basic needs of the citizens: garbage collection, city planning, building construction, infrastructure, road safety, reducing pollution, and addressing abject poverty. India is indeed a land of paradoxes, which is a curiosity to us visitors, but a tough reality for most Indians. Because India will soon be the largest population in the world and already has the largest number of young people, change in educational practices, environmental policies, and city management is key to the success of this country. Most of the elements of Indian traditional culture, such as reverence for religion, respect for family and teachers, and a belief in hard work and perseverance make the India people well prepared to take on their challenges. I only hope I can be a part of it! Thank you host teachers, Soma and Tanusree, for having us and to Teachers for Global Classrooms for giving me this experience.