Fulbright-Hays Indian Summer: 25 July: Jain Temple, school visits, cultural showcase

25 July: for the record, squeezed in another 5K today. Yippee!

25 July: driving to the Jain temple

up at 6, coffee in the hotel, driving to our trek to the Jain caves/temple. The streets are abuzz with activity, merchants already have their wares out, women with silver metal tubs on their heads, piled high with lemons (look like 1/2 lemon, 1/2 limes), mangoes, other fruits. People stack their wares into neat pyramids on cloths spread out on the sidewalk. We see small horses munching their way through the dumpster (ick), dogs scavenging, folks milling around. Too early for most shoppers. I see now that most streets are still quiet, maybe only the market streets are coming alive now. It's interesting to observe how careful people are with their clothing. Men's dhotis (veshtis in Tamil) look ironed and neatly folded as they are tied into place. It signals a certain standard of deportment that's slightly at odds with what looks like casual attire. Lots of people are barefoot--I still can't get over that. I wonder what local doctors would say--is this problematic (worms, say) or not. I even saw a guy driving a motorcycle barefoot yesterday, thought of what my dad might say.

I forgot to pack my camera again. Drat.

One of the main streets in this city has an open drain running along it--it has a patchwork covering of debris and ooze, an almost psychedelic green in patches. Such care with the small things, such overwhelming problems in other areas. Maybe every human community has that. And I'm aware that I notice aspects of life that are different, and some sound comments sound like critiques.

Another sunny day, not so hot to start, we're lucky that way. The riverbed has water in it, must've been released from the dam upstream. I wish I had my camera. I'd like Liv, Ruby and Chris to see all this. I just saw two gray haired men in lunghis sitting on the earth, one carefully shaving the other. Small and wiry, these men must have been in their 60s. Such patience people show here. I'm aware of my Type A tendencies. Even at this hour we see adult men congregating, some performing the tasks of early morning, some sitting in conversation, some just sitting, either on haunches or on concrete.

Morning trip: Vedic and Jainist beliefs with Dr. Venkatraman

list:

1. banyan trees drop new roots, generate more oxygen, sacred as spaces for Dravidians (pre-Hindu, pre-householders) when cattle were attracted to them as spaces to rest

2. hills, water tank (pond), tree...these are the three traditional components for temple

3. Up the hill (half stairs, half free rock) for great view, panoramic moment. Barefoot run up the hill--challenging with karst-like rock (layered), brown and orange, noticed it was brittle on the way down. This place is part of the "Circuit of Jainism", which cracked me up a little. People repeatedly refer to the main religions of India as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Yet we don't do Jainism justice in our teaching.

4. icons/dieties at temple entrance mark locals' struggles against invaders (incl. British). Men with swords, women with red faces at their sides.

5. Lecture on Hinduism/Jainism/Buddhism

stress evolving nature of Hindus

early Vedas (Riqvedas) predate Jainism, as Jainism is a reaction against the indulgence and celebratory core of Hinduism. Jainism added asceticism, denial of desire.

Jainism started hundreds of years BCE, not as I had described earlier.

Buddhism is the middle path between these two philosophic extremes: celebratory/ascetic. Hinduism took the ideas of karma and reincarnation from the Jains (and Buddhists). Neither of these concepts is mentioned in the Vedas. Dharma...two levels of application: cosmic dharma (sun comes up where it comes, there is order in the universe, as in the body); social dharma, you must do what you must do, fulfill your responsibilities (your job on this earth at this moment, in this life).

Artistic iconography: how to decode sculptures of meditating sages (look like Buddha)

Jain sculpture: three umbrellas above head, meditating figure, smiling means reaching enlightenment/release from reincarnation cycles through "religious suicide", about 40 days of no eating/drinking

We are driving by a project organized by the Mahatma Gandhi rural women empowerment coalition (or something like that)...through job training. This project has women deepening a large community pond by excavating dirt, scraping it into large metal bowls and carrying it away in loads on their heads, then dumping it out...somewhere. The pond looks to be 2-3 football fields big. There must be 45-50 women out there, all in saris. And barefoot, I think.

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Went to Gandhi Museum. My takeaway from the 30-paneled historical overview of India's drive for independence was that imperialism is consistently oppressive. I had no idea of the character of British activity in India from 1757-1947, especially the first 100 years. I certainly didn't do a good enough job setting the stage for Indian independence, contextually. The museum gives an overview of these events, then has sections on regional art. After that it traces Gandhi's life from his youth in Gujarat, to his law school life in England, to his work and racial justice awakening in South Africa, to his long road of leadership and satyagraha in India's drive for political independence. They have artifacts like the cloth he was wearing when he died, his shoes, his books, etc. So it gave a lot of food for thought.

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School visit: OCPM Higher Secondary School

very large girls' school (Church of South India, diocese of Madurai) 6000 girls in K-PG, over 200 staff. Celebrating 75th year. Girls not allowed to go to school in India when this school was founded by female American missionary, started with 100 children.

Rev. Mrs. Milton, Mrs. Ruby M____________ (works in History Dept)

This is a "minority institution" bc they're Christian. About 4% of population. 95% students are non-Christian, high Muslim population due to neighborhood (but this doesn't matter at all, just for information).

About 90% go to college; about 400 stay in hostels, rural girls who live here.

Begin day with prayer, part of values-education (mirrors what we've seen in lots of other schools).

Q: Lou: religious education

Q: Catherine: is admission competitive?

A: Tamil is medium for 1-5th standard; no entrance test. They admit freely. Used to have entrance test for 6-10, just did away with that. Now admit 11-12 according to test results along subject tracks: bio/math; humanities; pure science. Highest scoring students testing for 11/12th std. can choose their track, but most high scorers go for bio/math; typically lower scoring students pursue humanities.

Gov't sets limit on number of students overall. If want to exceed that, must get permission from gov't.

Q: Mary: Muslim students, do they wear hejab?

A: they wear them to school, but should be in uniform during school day. They put them back on for trip home. Gov't of Tamil Nadu ruled this year that there should not be male teachers in girls' schools. (there are only 2 here)

Q: Rae: who funds you? Are your teachers government employees?

A: gov't, yes.

Q: Lou: what is school day like?

A: 9:00: prayer, 9:30 on are classes, 45 minutes. 11:00 short break for 15 minutes. 2 more classes; break for lunch; 2 classes; break; school ends at 4:15

Q: Mel: are there extracurricular activities?

A: games class is part of regular day, 4:15-6:00. Team players come to school early. Other clubs are Junior Red Cross, other groups that sound like girl scouts. Basketball (JV/varsity), volleyball, badminton, kho kho...regional game. Sports day is August 8.

Special coaching classes for students before they take their final exams (10th/12th standards) and for slower learners. These are free. Resources available for differently able students. Operate breakfast system too for poor kids (management, teachers, etc. provide funds or materials for these breakfasts for indigent kids.)

Q: Sanjeev: do all 6000 come every day?

A: yes

Q: vocational classes?

A: had. secretarial, sewing, nursing...but no more. Not the same demand as before.

Q: Mel: what challenges?

A: teen problems, local girls with uneducated problems (that's why we give coaching, so many girls can't study at home). Single parents, due to separated/divorced parents, widows, etc. We provide counseling and extra help. Classroom teachers are like mothers.

Q: Wendy S: what is your vision?

A: We want them to rise up, we want to teach them to face problems, be bold.

Q: Lou: how much time do you think students need to study outside of school to be successful?

A: after 16, about 3 hours/day, especially those facing national exams. We think they should study before school. But only til 10 p.m., not later.

Q: Mel: absences?

A: 12 casual absence days/year. The teachers support each other. For medical leave, they make arrangements to cover internally or for extended med. leave, must find and pay substitute. Gov't used to pay for these sub salaries, but stopped 15 years ago. This is the system of the management schools; protocol at gov't schools might be different. Maternity leave for two kids (only): 6 months. Gov't pays then for sub.

Q: Chris: library?

A: building new library building, have departmental libraries. No librarian though, as former one has not been replaced by gov't.

Q: how are students' research needs being met?

A: (didn't hear)

Walk through the courtyard was unexpected: throngs of girls descended upon us, smiling, giggling, extending hands and shy hellos. But then the pushing started, and we were closed in upon. Wow--that's what a thousand kids look like. It reminded me of a swarm of swallows, especially the streams of rapid departure when a no-nonsense teacher marched through sharply dispersing the girls. Sam told us some of the things she said in Tamil, "get back to class or I'll break your ankles" was my personal favorite. Not sure I could use that myself, but it certainly was effective in the moment.

There appears to be a boys school directly adjacent. We talked to a few students and saw the results of English-language medium: the girls can hold a conversation comfortably. We're in a classroom right now and I've enjoyed taking a few pictures of the inside of students' desks and reading through a math/physics notebook. Neatly done problems, interesting work, certainly very challenging. I want to keep snooping, but there are curious onlookers around and it makes me aware I might be invading someone's privacy.

Took pictures as we were heading out. My favorite is of Priyanka, a tall and lovely older girl on the kho kho team. I got a shot of her school team jersey, front and back and will post it. I want to look up kho kho--people in my group say it sounds like Duck Duck Goose, but I can't believe that'd be a sport played at the national level. We saw girls training for badminton (lots and lots of them, some practicing against a wall in what looked like a giant two-car (bus) garage. The basketball team was active but seemed much less skilled. Badminton is serious business here, basketball less so.

We got the option of going to a dargah that does social services for mentally &/or physically handicapped folks, or coming back to the hotel for a rest prior to the evening's activities. I came back (we've been to 2-3 dargahs already) and got in a workout. That necessitated another shower--that's two today--egad! We're having a lengthy musical show tonight with three performances of traditional, religious and...I forget.

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Showcase of traditional regional music, Vedic chanting and Tamil adaptations of Christian songs.

Dr. Venkatraman's introduction: there are 4 Vedas, from 1500 BC-1000BC created by mystic poets who believed that they had mystic alliance with universal spirit (masc/neutral gender; He, rarely She). In text of Vedas, you can classify them as early, middle, later Vedas. Cosmic force manifested as spiritual force.**

Vedic texts written in Vedic Sanskrit, different than classic Sanskrit. Never written in 1st person. Can't translate them exactly...there are physical meanings but also deeper allusive connections, spiritual meanings evoked.

Chanting of Vedic texts goes along 3 notes only.

(**accidentally erased all of Dr. Venkatraman's introduction. 2-3 paragraphs. I could cry. )

For over 3000 years, these prayers have been chanted in open spaces (to reach the divine). For the first time they are chanting them in a closed space here. There are 1000s of schools teaching these chants. But regardless of where the chants are taught & learned, the final product is uniform. Tamil Nadu chanters win national competitions.

Vedic chants by students from Tiruparankundam school.

The 12 young men before us are between 8-9 and late teens. They specialize in this discipline, learning rudimentary math, other subjects. But they learn the Vedas wholly. They are all wearing humble butter- and sunshine-yellow garments, bright lunghis and different hued wraps on top, some with Tamil script across them. They have white powder in three stripes across their brown, kumkum between their eyebrows, and the first few inches of hair shaved back from the hairline. Some have just a bit shaved, the younger ones have half their heads shaved, the rest tied into a knot in the back.

Begin chanting at 4:30 in the morning. Ancient practice, being maintained in Tamil Nadu. These boys are from one of the most revered schools.

Christian singers now from Lady Doak College (used to be part of OCPM campus). These girls have been part of the choir for a few years. This is a college choir. Director is an economics professor, a violinist and a (composer?) They sing Christian devotional songs in English and in Tamil. Use instruments and application of local language/musical forms to reach wider audience with songs of praise. The choir director explains that St. Thomas came to India way back, so Christian roots run deep here. Lady Doak College is a product of a mission, first women's college in this area (1940). Ms. Katy Wilcox started the college. 9 students, 6 singers, 1 acoustic guitar, 1 bass guitar, one keyboard. Typically start singing Western songs of praise, then go into Tamil.

The final group of the evening has pretty amazing credentials. There were two singers, a mridangam artist and a violinist. The two singers are 21st generation "Odhuvars", or hymn singers. They, along with the mridangam player, are part of the official Meenakshi Temple ritual "family", so the singers sing hymns in front of the deity and at all the four times of the Puja (ritual prayers offered to the Deity)--as have 21 generations before them--as does the Cheif Mridangam artist. These folks were great, they showed great range, synchrony and polish.

I also got to talk to CM Center scholar and Syracuse Univ. professor Cecilia Van Hollen and her charming son Jasper. They're doing some work in Chennai but came over to enjoy the evening's presentations and have dinner with us. She is a cultural anthropologist specializing in medical anthropology, specifically women's transition in the past few decades from home births to hospital births. She just completed a book about her research on women's reproductive health in light of the HIV/AIDS situation in southern India. She says things have gotten better for women, and that women here enjoy greater reproductive health than in many parts of the north. She added that her interviews reveal Indian women's desire for drugs like Pitocin but not for anaesthesia. Odd. Nice woman, and coincidentally her PhD advisor was Lawrence Cohen whom we met at Berkeley. Small world.

So happy to be in bed at a reasonable hour. Tomorrow a group of us is hitting the food market as a precursor to a cooking lesson. Awesome.