For a long time I have been
thinking of taking my students to village. I know that most of them have
limited understanding of a village life and the issues faced in the village.
I also realized that an overnight
trip to a village may be too short to get a complete perspective but it’s a
good starting point. But at the end of it I also know that we have achieved
quite a bit. . I do not know who felt what? Who learnt what? Who enjoyed? Who
felt bored? Who got tired of walking? If anyone felt lack comfort? ………………….. No
one complained to me about their discomfort, so thanking all of them for an insightful
outing for me and my other faculty who gracefully accompanied us.
After we came back I was so tired
and I just crashed! Woke up only next day at 7AM!
This trip made me to think more
and more in the manner we approach things, people, thoughts, and also the way
we learn to think, interpret people. There were some surprises for me in terms
of my expectations from students (some students I did not expect shocked me
with their interpretation and interaction in the village). I am not blaming
anyone it’s just for my thought; I know at the end all of them behaved very
well, I also know they needed much longer time and also much relaxed program.
But unfortunately I don’t have much time but it’s worth that we think about it.
Evening @ Village:
This is the aspect I liked the
most from the aspect of learning. Learning when I say from the aspect of
students and as well as villagers. As a villager born and bought up in the same
village knowing people’s background personally there is lot to talk about it.
But I must say the level of interaction and the kind of question posed by
students was simply amazing. Not just that their level of interpretation and
observation of the time we spent in front of Temple with the villagers was
simply amazing at least with the people who come and spoke to me individually.
I know some of them are shocked by many facts and it was the reason in taking
them there.
That apart what made me to think
is Gopal my School-mate who expressed his anger about the system, reservation,
caste system, also partly culture. According to him there should be no
reservation, according to him no caste system exists today as the way it used
to be, now they sit together.. he took an example of Venkatesh who is my other
school-mate who was also sitting next to him. What he forget or probably not
noticed is that Venkatesh was waiting for his mother and father to go and work
in the farm owned by Gopal’s father/ Grandfather as daily Cooli and get cold Ragi Ball for him to eat, and whereas Gopal was
waiting to eat Hot Rice.
Today they are sitting next to
each other outside the temple, will Venkatesh able to go inside the house of
Gopal today? Has Gopal taken Venkatesh along with him to village temple?
Question is not just Gopal it’s for everyone in the village.
Gopal also spoke about the
reservation benefits available to SC/ST.. did he realize that electricity is
supplied to him in subsidized rate to his farm, he has got ration from the
ration shop at a subsidized rate, also what about the other many subsidies like
capable to walk to everyone’s house in the village, can visit every temple in
the village, can talk and question almost everyone in the village just because
he had born in upper caste family. Can Venkatesh claim same liberty?
Gopal had no answer when he was
put forth these difficult question about the caste system but I know the fact
that he stood there till that question and despite of difficult question he
remain stood but others had already left and the remaining people are only the
Dalit youth and not upper caste. The difference between Gopal and others are,
Gopal has less exposure and willing for challenge and not interested in just
escaping from there. I have hope with Gopal that one day he will change and
take Vekatesh to his house and will eat together!
I would like to invite my students to write their experience
and learning from this trip.
The trip was an eye-opener for me. Thank you so much sir.
ReplyDeleteI hate the fact that change takes so long to come about. As an individual who lacks patience as one of his many flaws, I am not comfortable with how we are reacting to this problem. I do not know what the answer to the problem is. What troubles me the most is what i realized when i spoke to Francy mam that evening. Children of the village are still being brought up in that same manner, that is not helping the process of change.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how it is in school. Do children from all castes sit together? History has shown us that while things may seem rosy at the helm, cracks still exist and i fear with all the political polarization one day those cracks will break society...