Shopping for salwars

Salwar kameez is a traditional Indian outfit made up of pants, a long tunic shirt (kurta) and a scarf (dupatta). The students are required to wear these clothes in accordance with the dress code at BACAS. However, it really helps them to fit in more and shows that they are embracing the culture. Not to mention that they are so beautiful!

Yesterday the students had the chance to get in some much anticipated shopping. We traveled by bus (first time) to a market to sort through piles and piles of clothing at the different shops.Thankfully their peer mentors were along to help with sizes, bartering, and fashion advice! Next they stopped for a coffee break and a small small snack and tried parantha- definitely a winner!!!

Trying parantha

 Hanging out with new friends

After a little more shopping, we felt like we had succeeded and it was time to go home. Since it was getting late, we decided to just catch an auto which is always a fun and exciting way to travel!

This morning the students arrived at church dressed beautifully in their traditional salwar kameez. Batch 5 is ready for classes to begin tomorrow!

Ahlan!

Ahlan! I’m Poornith Ninan. I’m the new program assistant at ISP. A little about myself, I was born in the state of Kerala (also known as God’s Own Country) and raised in the Middle-East. I recently graduated from Bharathiar University with a Bachelors in Business Management. Previously, I’ve been working as a student assistant with the ISP and I own a travel agency as well. I love travel and trying new cuisines. I look forward to meeting you and building a meaningful relationship with you over the semester. I’m here to do whatever I can to ensure that you have an amazing time here in India.

Namaste! Vanakkam! Jambo!

I am so excited to meet this new batch of students and get to know you all and walk along side you on this journey. And trust me, it’s going to be a fun and crazy journey! You are going to be challenged in your faith, your viewpoint, and hopefully your attitude and actions in your life back home.

Let me introduce myself so that I’m not as much of a stranger to you. My name is Hannah Brown and I just graduated in May from John Brown University in Arkansas with a B. S. in Child and Family Studies. I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya which really grew my desire to travel and to experience new things. For the Spring semester of my Jr. year of college, I had the opportunity to go on the India Studies Program and it absolutely changed my life! I loved how alive and crazy India is and I really enjoyed getting to know the people and traveling around to see the beautiful sites. It was so fun to ride an elephant, tour the Taj Mahal, swim in the Indian ocean, and celebrate the Indian festival of colors- Holi. The very best part for me, however, was the relationships I made with the people in my batch (group). They challenged me and encouraged me and we helped each other grow. I can honestly say that some of those people are still some of my best friends a year and a half later.

I’ll be honest though that there are some hard things that you will see and experience in India such as power cuts, heat, and beggars. This is where I come in- I will be there living along side you to teach you some of the ropes like how to cross the bustling streets or what food to order. I hope to also support you as you encounter culture shock and process how to apply what you are learning to your everyday life.

You may have some questions or concerns going into this semester such as what to pack (or not pack) and what to expect. Feel free to message me on Facebook regarding those questions-I am here to help!

I kept a blog while on my semester in India so if you would like to get a little idea of what is in store for you, you can check that out at http://india-hannah.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-my-way.html . You can also go to the India Studies Program page on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/India-Studies-Program-ISP/172820189398536 and 'Like' it to see lots of pictures from previous semesters and keep updated.

One more thing: be sure to tell your friends and family to follow this blog because this is where they are going to be seeing updates throughout the semester of what we are up to. I will do my best to keep them in the loop by posting stories and pictures of you on here!

See you in India!     ~Hannah

Goodbye Batch 4!

Another semester has come to a close and ISP is sad to be saying goodbye to another group of students. Batch 4 - we have loved having you in India and are so excited to see what you will do in the future! We're taking a break for the summer but watch us this fall for new adventures with Batch #5. 

Travel Component: In Pictures

Ready for some train travel!
Most Indians travel on trains and ISP loves taking students along for the ride.

The end of semester trip is always highly anticipated by all of our ISP students. After several months of making Coimbatore their home, they are excited to take their journey to the North and keep learning from inspirational people and new experiences!

 

Checking out a temple.

This time our trip took us to 6 unique cities around incredible India. We started in Chennai, the capital of our home state of Tamil Nadu, and wound our way north to Delhi, home of the famous Taj Mahal.

 

A woman selling flowers for puja outside a temple.

Our first stop was Chennai where we realized that it could in fact get hotter than the sweltering summer climate we were experiencing in Coimbatore. Despite the weather, we had a great time learning about the diverse offerings of the city. Chennai has a rich history of Christianity in India so we took the opportunity to visit where St. Thomas was martyred and buried. 

The site where St. Thomas was martyred.

We also visited Shiamala Baby, a woman who transformed her own abusive past into an organization working to empower women in their own communities. She is one of the many amazing people we meet that our students like to call "cool people doing cool things".

 

Shiamala and the women she works with in a self-help group.

Next on the list was Calcutta, a city that played a prominent role in India's colonial background. We were excited to try kati rolls and spiced chai in clay cups before heading to Sari Bari. This NGO continues to be a highlight for ISP students. It focuses on providing an alternative source of income for women who want to leave the sex industry by teaching them to sew beautiful products from recycled saris. As we toured their workshop and learned about the organization we were encouraged by the courageous stories of the women working there.

 

Enjoying some roadside chai in clay cups.

Filled with twisting alleys and wandering holy men, Varanasi is filled to the brim with nooks and crannies to explore. As the holiest city in India it was the perfect place to learn more about Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Varanasi is famous for its ghats along the river.

On our walking tour we spent hours making our way down the ghats and seeing daily life on the holy river Ganga. Those of us who were early risers saw bathers and dhobis doing laundry on the riverbanks. Then in the evening we all headed to the ghats to watch the Ganga aarti, a fire worship ceremony to the holy river.

 

The daily Ganga aarti.

Of course a trip to the north would be incomplete without making our way to Agra, home of the Taj, and Delhi, the capital of India. Pulling into the train station in the early morning we had  a breakfast of puris before checking out the Agra Fort and the famed Taj Mahal. 

Jumping for joy at the Taj!

The Mughal architecture was stunning and we took the opportunity to not only soak in the history but also to taking some group snaps! Once we made our way to Delhi we took some much needed time to relax and wandered the city - seeing everything from the Lotus Temple to a lively Sufi singing performance at the tomb of a saint.

 

Sufi music at the Nizamuddin Dargah.

Our last destination was Dehradun, a gorgeous hill station nestled in the Himalayan foothills. In addition to debriefing the semester, we visited some organizations in the area focusing on social entrepreneurship and one that mentors Tibetans in the area. 

Riding in rickshaws.

One of the best ways of getting to know someone is over a meal, so we were delighted to share a lunch of buffalo momos with the mentees in the program! Then we spent time with one business that sells beautiful furniture and crafts while partnering with locals to work towards sustainability. And of course our trip would not be complete without some whitewater rafting down the Ganges!

 

Whitewater rafting.

All in all, our end of semester trip was two weeks of insane traveling around and witnessing India's vastness and complexity. We are excited to see how we can continue learning from these experiences! 

Ooty, or Ooh Tea!

It is getting hot here in Coimbatore so a few weeks ago ISP headed for the hills. Ooty is a hill station a few hours away where the British used to escape from the heat of India. Given the current heat here in CBE where it has been hovering around 100F (40C) for the past week, we were excited for cooler climates. 

Catching a cup of tea on the way up.

 Our first stop was the Toda tribe, one of the few remaining hill tribes in the Nilgiris. We sat down to talk with them and learn a little about their community and how it differs from wider Indian society. Their lives are closely tied to buffaloes, which not only produce the ghee and dairy products that they sell but are also revered in their worship. Even in the afterlife, the Toda believe that their buffalo journey on with them to sustain them.

Chatting with the Toda Tribe.

 Then we headed over to the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary for a safari ride! This continues to be a highlight for students as they look forward to peering out the windows for any signs of wild creatures. That evening we spotted a multitude of peacocks and sambar deer (which made us wonder if there were also rasam deer lurking about) and even a few wild elephants. No-one has seen a tiger yet though. Perhaps batch #5 will have better luck?

Seeing the elephant feeding at Mudumalai.

The next day we went back up the mountain to the town of Ooty. Aside from being renowned regionally for its homemade chocolate, Ooty's climate lends itself to some of the country's best tea. So off we went to learn about how tea is grown and picked!

Learning how tea is picked by hand.

Picking tea is an arduous process. The higher qualities of tea are plucked by hand and only new leaves are taken. A single plant also produces different grades of tea based on changes in its environment such as seasons or the age of the leaf when it is picked. It was amazing to wander through steep tea fields with tea workers and gain a new perspective on tea.

On to the manufacturing process!

From there we moved on to the factory, where the leaves are taken from the field. We learned that there's a whole hidden side to making tea. When we drink a cup we rarely think of the days that the leaves must dry before being rolled, chopped and fermented. We definitely came away with a greater appreciation for the many cups of chai that we consume here!

Hearing about Sisters International.

Another highlight was hearing from Rebecca Park who co-founded Sisters International, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young Indian girls and teaching them about social issues facing Indian women around the country. She saw that there were many organizations around India addressing social problems but few working on preventing them and was inspired to start her own organization. Now they run several conferences a year to inspire young women and are hoping to begin a similar project for boys soon as well. We left feeling inspired by the great work that she is doing for so many youth.

Enjoying the view of the tea fields.

All in all, it was a great weekend trip filled with tea, chocolate and inspiring visits!

Stay tuned for more updates from our travels.

In Pictures: Madurai

We are diving into the semester and time is flying by! A while ago, we had our first weekend trip and headed to the city of Madurai. As much as we love our home base of Coimbatore, we were excited to get out and explore another city.

ISP on the bus!

Leaving bright and early, we arrived into the bustling Madurai full of a delicious South Indian breakfast we had eaten on the way. We rolled right into the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS), a quiet green campus hidden in the middle of a dusty city. Our first program of the afternoon was touring the college and learning about its mission before moving into a session on Dalit Theology, understanding the gospel through the lens of the oppressed. Jason Brownlee shared his thoughts on that afternoon: 

Learning about Dalit theology at TTS.

 "...we toured the seminary and got to talk with a few of the professors about the program. The seminary has an amazing complex. Separate from the busyness of the city, it is like an oasis in the desert. It has trees everywhere (including Teak, shout out to my Dad and the sailboat), chickens roaming around, cows for milking, and most of its own food is grown on the campus. Another part of the seminary is that its students spend one of their three years living in a slum. They do a lot of work for the Dalit (or Untouchable) caste, dialoguing mainly with the Christian Dalit community and how they can be representatives of Christ to the Indian community. It was a really cool seminary and I am glad our program is showing us the ways the Christian community is showing Christ in the Indian context. It was cool to see how Indians were meeting the needs of other Indians through the story of Christ."

A Hindu convert's interpretation of the birth of Christ at TTS.

 The evening was filled with activities out in the city! Students made it down a busy street to try jigarthanda, a special drink from Madurai. None of us could pronounce the name, let alone identify the interesting ingredients, but we all agreed that it was delicious and well worth the trip. From there we headed to the Thirumalai Nayak Palace where we settled in to watch a sound and light show that relayed the history of King Thirumalai and the city.  

Thirumalai Nayak palace lit up at night.
Credit: Kari Christensen

On the way back from the show students stumbled across a circus and managed to convince Kirk and the faculty to accompany them on their adventure. After catching part of the show, the students got up close and personal with the circus elephant! 

Kari face to face with the circus elephant.

We woke up on Saturday excited to be going to the Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in South India. As we wandered through, our guide explained the scenes around us - from depictions of Parvati and Meenakshi painted on the walls to intricate carvings on the many pillars scattered around the temple. Although we had been to one temple before in Coimbatore, it was the first time many students had been to one of this magnitude. With pujas and daily temple life swirling around us, there was a wealth of experiences to take in.  

View of the tank in the Meenakshi Temple.
Credit: Kari Christensen

Before heading home we had a few more stops to make. First was the Gandhi Museum. While a major part of it is devoted to understanding Gandhi's life and work the first section of it also details India's independence movement. Walking through, it was fascinating to trace the path that India has traveled to arrive where it is today. From there we said goodbye to Madurai but made one final stop at Arulagam, an HIV/AIDS hospice run by TTS. The hospice is set in a peaceful area away from the city where people who are affected by HIV/AIDS come for treatment and care. A group of children who are also affected live at the hospice. It was wonderful to spend time listening to how this seminary is making an impact by serving the community that is around them. 

QGP (quick group pic) at the Meenakshi Temple.

Jason shared a final reflection on the temple and the weekend: "I am trying to look past the cultural shock of seeing, smelling, and hearing the goings on of the temple and learn about the ways of the Hindu people. The term Hindu is such a complex word that my small view of it can’t begin to understand, so I will reserve my judgement and take the stance of a learner".

Thanks for reading! Watch for upcoming posts on our other weekend trips.