What do I teach?
What would you teach if you were told to teach something to
a class within 5-8 minutes?And you could pick
a topic, any topic under the sun (well, except the inappropriate ones).
What would you do if you were in this position and you have
to teach a group of people something, anything, in 5 minutes?
Let’s take a look at this group of people. It consists of professors and students from
all parts of the world. And you are an Indian national.
You have been born and brought up in India and after living
there for almost a quarter of your life, you fly half way across the world, to
do something you believe in. And everything is great, everything is new and
different, but it is great nonetheless.
Except that you are still Indian. For your own self and for
the world, you are Indian. That is your first line of introduction for the
first month you are here- “Hey, I am XYZ
and I am from India”. It will probably be the first time in your life when you
will actually feel proud of your nationality. Instead of just feeling it
because you are supposed to, you will actually feel proud of it. The only other
occasion you feel as proud and connected to your motherland is when you sing Her
the national anthem and salute Her flag on a foreign country. It will be a
feeling so powerful that it will choke you and you will have to fight to get
the words out of your mouth, but you will still do it. Because you are Indian. You still listen to Bollywood songs no matter
how crappy some of them are and you still crave for Indian food.
Or maybe you won’t feel any of the above mentioned things,
in which case, I just pity you. Because on a global scale, you really don’t have
a sense of belonging. Sure, you will eventually make your own identity and you
will still need a sense of belonging to keep you rooted. You work for an
organization it will be a part of your intro. You work for an individual that
will be a part of your intro. But that’s
beside the point right now.
So what are you supposed to teach a group of people in 5
minutes when say atleast for the time being, you are seen only as an Indian
student, nothing more. 30% of the people you talk to will be surprised that you
can actually make a conversation in english without getting stuck and they will
compliment you about it! Most of the people who ask you which part of India you
belong to will need an answer relative to New Delhi or Chennai or Mumbai. And
almost all Indian food will be naan and chicken tikka masala. And you will feel
happy and surprised that people around the globe know about it. And you will
feel grateful that people are taking so much efforts to make you feel
comfortable and at ease. And eventually you will settle down and make friends
and build a life.
But now that you have a chance to teach them, what would you
say? Will you talk about the vast and varied geography of India? Or about the
numerous cultures She encompasses? Or will you talk about our many festivals ,that
certain set of people don’t observe anymore, or the varied food choices? Will
you talk about cities which are getting westernized slowly or about those who
still uphold their traditions? Will you list the accomplishments of other
Indians and tell people why you are
proud of being an Indian? Or will you mention India’s poverty or illiteracy problems
? Will you talk about India’s economy or our attempt to ape certain festivals
from across the globe in an effort to become more “westernized”?
What would you teach?
What do I teach?
Any ideas?
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