How can one convey a complete upheaval of comfort and routine, a loss of language and comprehension and direction? Is it possible to put into words the magic of discovering a new place for the first time? So have we, the Bard in Berlin cohort, experienced a complete cycle of disorientation and reorientation in moving
CategoryYear Abroad
Notes from India #5: English as mode of betterment
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad she has spent in India. Click here for part one, part two, part three, or part four. There is no singular, binding essence to India. Languages vary state to state, dialects emerge district to district, religious rituals, idols, dietary habits
Notes from India #4: Struggles in displacing structures of thought
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad in India. Click here for part one, part two, or part three. The problems that will be laid out in this article refer to the problems when expressing ideas or even merely speaking with people whom you share very little
Notes from India #3: An Attempt at Invoking Curiosity through Critical Literacy
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad in India. Click here for part one and part two. My initial contact with the Eureka Koovathur Model School involved glimpses of the Social Science classroom. The subject teacher (Ms. Umarani) was teaching a chapter on the wildlife
A walk around Kathmandu
There is a lot to do in Nepal, especially adrenaline-pumping activities such as mountain climbing, paragliding, bungee jumping and much more. But if you’re interested in history and religion, a very important factor to help you understand Nepalese society is a visit to Kathmandu. Various important Hindu and Buddhist temples are spread around Kathmandu. These
A wonderful landscape surrounds a highly polluted Capital
As other major Asian capitals, Kathmandu struggles with pollution. Respiratory diseases, as well as other health complications, linked to the levels of air and water contamination, are growing among the population. Unstable politics, bad management, lack of awareness, and a growing industry cause the issue. People wear masks as they walk or drive around the
Notes from India: #2
I was invited to a conference in Chennai to learn about the results of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012. Various educators, activists and writers were invited to share their perspectives on the current state of the Tamil Nadu education system. ASER is an annual educational assessment conducted throughout India to test the
Notes from India: #1
Mathujitha Sankaran is a 3rd year student, currently interning for an education NGO in India. Prior to my trip to India, I have long been intrigued by the dualities that contemporary Indian society so evidently displays. How is it that, time and again, the caste structure has persisted alongside the modernization of other aspects of