Visitors Bring India To Reed Classroom

By Nancy K. Crevier

The Reed Intermediate School (RIS) sixth grade cluster of teachers Lil Martenson and Petrice DiVanno rounded out their studies on South East Asia, India, and diversity with a visit from classmate Sammy Kapur’s parents, Monju and Sandeep Kapur, Thursday, October 13, who shared with the young people the wonders, culture, and history of their native country, India.

The visit was a great tie-in, said Ms Martenson, to the literature unit the sixth graders are studying now, the social studies unit on India, the school’s focus on diversity in the school and community, and this year’s national PTA Reflections art contest with the theme of “Diversity Means…”

“We just finished a unit in social studies on diversity and prejudice, as well,” said Ms Martenson.

The classes are currently reading Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan, which tells the story of a young girl living in modern India, whose life is dictated by tradition, and the challenges faced as old and new ideas conflict. It has led to many interesting questions from the sixth graders that the teachers hoped could be clarified by the Kapurs, both of whom were born, raised, and married in India, before moving to the United States in 1998.

Ms Kapur first compiled a list of what the students thought of when they thought of India. Answers ranged from saris, to spicy foods, to “a lot of people,” as well as the varied weather, fashions, and dancing.

“These are all good answers,” Ms Kapur praised the attentive group. “Let’s use it as a reference during the following presentation.”

Mr Kapur led the presentation, first with a “Fun Facts” section about India and some of its prominent people, then focusing more on India’s place in the world, its politics, and history.

The seventh largest country in the world by size, he told the class, India is the second largest by population in the world, with 1.2 billion people. Those people, of many different religions and subsets of those religions, live in 28 states and seven union territories.

“India is a very old country. Humans have inhabited it for 30,000 years,” said Mr Kapur, with the first modern civilization in India dating from about 4,500 years ago. Because of its beauty, economic wealth, and its famous spices, the land attracted people from all over the world. Once a country of small kingdoms, India was ruled by the British from 1700 until 1947, when through completely peaceful actions, Mahatma Gandhi led the country to independence. The influence of the British remains today, though, said Mr Kapur. Although Hindi is the first official language (among 21 others, and 325 spoken languages), English is widely spoken and used in the business world.

An interesting fact, noted Ms Kapur, is that despite its great land mass and number of people, and the number of wars in which the country has been involved, India has never invaded another country.

The misconception that much of the world has today about India is based on the old traditions of the country, Ms Kapur told the class, and is also skewed by a media that focuses on what are actually small aspects of modern India.

“India is a mix of tradition and modern ways,” said Ms Kapur. The old ways, which seem to predominate Western views, include large, extended families that live together; a preference and distinction of boys from girls; arranged and child marriages; the dowry; and religious faiths that did not allow for intermarriages.

Just like in Western cultures, though, she said, modern Indians tend to have smaller families, and there is a great deal more religious tolerance today than even one generation ago. “You do still see the caste system, and when a couple marries, there may be a dowry still, but it is not like the big gifts as once were given by the bride to the groom’s family, and not really expected anymore.”

Arranged marriages are rare with her generation, said Ms Kapur, and laws now exist prohibiting marriage before the age of 18. “It is not like what you will read about in your novel,” she said, “except in small, rural villages maybe.”

Ms Kapur noted the similarities and differences between the land of her birth and the United States, as she spoke.

“In this country, holidays are very much centered around families. In India, festivals are very communal in nature,” she told the class. Festivals like Diwali, the festival of lights similar to New Year, and Holi, “the fun festival,” with everyone splashing each other with colors and water, involve the whole neighborhood, Ms Kapur said. “The festivals are very large scale. Everyone celebrates together,” she said.

Sports are popular in India, just like in the United States, said Mr Kapur. Some, like tennis, track and field, golf, soccer, and field hockey are common to both countries, but others popular in India include cricket, a baseball-like sport, and kabbadi, in which a designated team member attempts to tag opposing team members before being captured. Polo, badminton, and chess are also extremely popular with Indians, said Mr Kapur.

Indian Fashion

In answer to how Indian fashion differs from American fashion, Ms Kapur, dressed in a modern Indian “suit” consisting of an elegantly embroidered turquoise blue silk tunic over slim rust-colored trousers, noted that many articles of clothing are Westernized these days. She then pulled two very traditional items from a bag, which are commonly seen in India.

Demonstrating on class members Tara Gaiser and Mark Hall, Ms Kapur swiftly wrapped Tara in five meters (more than 16 feet) of printed silk, presenting the sari. Wearing a sari is a rite of passage still for girls in India, she said, and how it is wrapped for wearing depends on the region from which the owner hails. “It is very exciting for a girl to get to wear a sari, and she is usually 13 or 14 before she is allowed to do so,” she said.

Mark stood still as Mr Kapur skillfully constructed a turban on his head from several feet of colorful cloth. Men from the religious group known as Sikhs grow their hair very long, said Mr Kapur, and then wrap it up in a turban. It is a common sight in India.

Land Of Many Firsts

India is an ancient land and a land of many firsts, the class learned. India is the birthplace of many mathematical concepts, and the first university was founded in India. It is the land of Sanskrit, the mother of all higher languages, and of Ayurveda medicine, the basis of all medicine.

Housing is similar to that in America, said the Kapurs, with high-rise apartment buildings in large cities. In small towns, the homes are more of the bungalow variety. Unlike most houses in the United States, though, the structures are not made of wood, due to the climate and lack of trees to make enough homes for 1.2 billion people.

The Kapurs left India looking for adventure and new experiences, said Ms Kapur. “Indians are not scared of moving around. We wanted to experience living in the West, and there were better job opportunities here at the time. We realized it was a wonderful place to live,” she said.

For the most part, the Kapurs said they have never had negative experiences living in the West. “America is a global country,” she said. Early on, they occasionally ran into people who expressed surprise that they did not “speak like that,” referring to a preconceived notion of a heavy accent.

“It has mostly always been good here, though,” said Mr Kapur.

Questions

The Kapurs took time during the visit to answer thoughtful questions posed by the students, following the presentation.

“Do Indian kids have iPods and computers?” one wanted to know. Indians usually receive new technology immediately after it is released in the United States or Europe, Ms Kapur answered. Because India has connections in both places, Indians actually have access to a broader variety of technology.

Rice is not the staple in the Indian diet that it would appear from restaurants in America, or what is shown on television, said Ms Kapur in response to a question about Indian cuisine. It is a popular side dish, but is not served at every meal.

The class was curious about what schools are like in India, and there are some marked differences, said the Kapurs.

“Classes are usually taught in English, and many schools are private schools,” Mr Kapur said. “The classes are much larger, with 30 students in a classroom considered to be small,” he added.

Schoolwork is far more taxing in India, said Ms Kapur. “I used to get picked up by the bus at 7 am and be in school until 2:30 or 3 pm. Then I would do homework every night until 7:30 or 8 pm, at your grade level, and carry all of my books back and forth to school every day. We had no lockers at school. So you see,” laughed Ms Kapur, “I have very little sympathy for Sammy when he complains about 45 minutes of homework.”

Indian school children would not dream of coming to school unprepared or without the homework fully completed, she said. “School is very competitive there, and there are so many tests that count,” Ms Kapur said. Discipline in the classroom is much more enforced than in American schools.

That said, Ms Kapur confessed that she believes a better balance between relaxation and schoolwork would be beneficial in her homeland.

The Kapurs left the class with a lesson on the traditional Indian greeting: Namaste, “Hello,” with hands folded prayerfully in front and a slight bow.

“Namaste,” repeated the class, “And thank you,” added Ms DiVanno and Ms Martenson.