“These are our very special guests. Welcome them with thunderous applause.” Was the instruction they were given and so the some six hundred students assembled in front of us complied with their headmaster. Some screamed, others cheered, their applause filling the courtyard where we had gathered. Next we were thoroughly entertained. The sound of traditional Indian music was played through loud speakers that, we were told, were purchased especially for our visit. For the next ten or so minutes we were enthralled by the intricacy of the carefully choreographed steps performed by the young girls on the stage. None of them seemed to be as daunted by their audience as we were. The foot of the stage marked the boundary for dozens of regimented rows of smartly dressed pupils. Each boy sat straight with his legs crossed, looking handsome in bright blue trousers and matching gingham shirts; each with their hair swept smartly into a side parting. The girl’s attire was equally as efficient. Dressed in pretty pinafores of the same bright blue they giggled and nodded nervously, clamouring over the boys at the end of assembly to shake our hands.
Although their school uniforms are a stark change from the saris they wear outside of the school gates the Indian influence is still president: long black pigtails are tied up with ribbon framing their smiling faces; as they dance they carefully clasp their first and second finger on the thumbs, twisting their wrists in time with the veena, the traditional Indian instrument accompanying them. Such delicate gestures draw attention to the henna art on their palms; almost every child is dotted with the signature of this area: the Hindu dot (pottu) painted between their eyebrows. Yet at the end of this beautiful welcoming ceremony the children all rise from their squatted positions and in chorus they recite the Lord’s Prayer.
This is Kennedy’s school where we have been teaching for the past two days. It is a Christian school and although many of the students come from Hindu families the Head teacher, Francis, informed us that parents prefer to send their children here because they install discipline and hope into their young students.
The discipline, or rather lack of indiscipline, is immediately obvious and the children appear for our classes eager to learn and they all participate enthusiastically. My initial reaction to this “royal” welcome was one of panic. It is totally overwhelming and extremely humbling being presented with gifts from a school where the children attend classes with little more than a notebook and the teachers teach with only a single piece of chalk. No interactive whiteboards assist them in their quests to educate this future generation. Similarly the children suffer from the lack of technology. Although they belong to the 21st century generation they are do not know what it is to benefit from 21st century technology. I am not implying that ones education is determined by what technology is available to them, not at all, but I am simply using it as one very obvious examples of difference between facilities we (in the west) have and the schools here don’t. Or let me use another. I was told, and actually experienced during my short period of teaching in Scotland, how children are affected by the weather. It’s true they, like us, become easily distracted by the elements. If it’s raining outside they become a little more excitable (completely mental and hyperactive) and if it’s sunny (on the rare occasion it is in Scotland) they complain of the heat. Well here the elements really do predict the atmosphere in the classrooms. Some of them have no walls or they have holes in the tin roofs, so when it rains they get wet. Some are however fortunate enough to have fans cooling the students from the unbearable humidity here, or at least the one student sitting directly underneath it; there is no air conditioning. Or we could even use the example of shoes. Kennedy school and St Mary’s, which we have also enjoyed visiting, is one of the more affluent schools yet many students do not have shoes and during monsoon season (Sept-Dec) this can cause fevers and illness, which we have witnessed. Today we saw many children actually wade through deep puddles, making their way to school. Now that’s ‘willingness to succeed’ don’t you think!
Visiting these schools has been a real education to me but I trust they also learned something from our visit. I mentioned earlier that initially we were overwhelmed by their hospitality and generosity of our hosts. It made me question the justice and purpose of our visit. “What can we give them? How can we repay them for their kindness towards us?” The answer was obvious and so over the next two days we put our everything into giving them the best gift we have: the gospel.
We spent our mornings dressings up, using props made out of bits and bobs gathered from different hostel rooms and our larger than large rucksacks; it’s amazing what you can make with some tinfoil and a few wire coat hangers. The children loved Lorna’s impression of a 600-year-old Noah and they didn’t even flinch when we splashed (soaked) them with water during the forty days of rain! Our afternoon was blessed by a session of questioning and discussion with the senior students from St Mary’s school. They were keen to learn of our culture and what the real ingredients of haggis were. Many asked questions about our faith, our families and why we had chosen the name ‘Soul Touch’. We answered them all as best we could but I hope the answer to the latter is obvious. That is our greatest desire: that these children would see beyond our white skin and big smiles and they learn something of God’s love for them.
Our time at Kennedy school was a complete joy as well as being completely exhausting and we loved every second of it. We know that some of you peeps in St Andrew’s also fell in love with the pupils and staff there and so we pray that this is the start of a connection and a friendship that will continue and will bless all the children in both India and Scotland.
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