The sun rose as we arrived in the southern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, through a vast wind farm. Wind turbines spotted the landscape off into the distance (they were large, but not as large as the ones on the Altamont Pass- those ones are ridiculous!). The sun colored the sky a vibrant red- a warning for sailors I believe.
We were picked up at the Nagarcoil station by the driver of the family we stayed with. He arrived in an air conditioned minibus (quite a luxurious one might I add- it had mood lights and tassels and everything) and drove us to the house for breakfast. The couple, P. and Lathe Kumaraswamy greeted us kindly. They lived in a nice two-story estate. Upon entering the front room the smell of cloves filled the air. The couple owned a spice plantation and it was clove season, so a small room to the right of the entry was filled with cloves. They were waiting to be separated and then the workers would take them out to dry on the rooftop. The rooftop was covered with a variety of delicious spices, all grown locally.
After introducing ourselves we proceeded to the dining room. On the way we past four large portraits adorned with beads and flowers. Latha told us that these were the photos of her husband’s parents and grandparents. It is tradition that a shrine of the ancestors be set up in the son’s home. Latha’s family shrine was at her brother’s house. A large table was set up in the dining area and we enjoyed a breakfast of dosa, idly, curried vegetables and fresh bananas. All so delicious! All the food was prepared in the home by their workers. It was a little strange for me to be waited on but this is tradition in India. Wealthy families have servants that work for them. I was happy to find that the couple treated their workers very well and they seemed quite content in their job.
After breakfast we proceeded to a school the couple owned. The Pioneer School is named after Mr. Kumaraswamy’s grandfather. He is popular throughout South India and especially in Kanyakumari District. His name is “spread all over the country for his entrepreneurship and innovative ideas and is best remembered as one who rose to dizzy heights from humble beginnings.
Pioneer S. Kumaraswamy, son of Satha and Sivakami, was born on 12th October, 1897 at Nagarcoil. He said goodbye to his studies while at the 4th standard and started earning his daily bread by doing odd jobs like as a servant boy in a yarn shop, in a medical store and in a timber shop. At fourteen he left for Madras, seeking a job. There he worked as a fitter in Addison’s Motor Company, became a motor mechanic and obtained a driving licence. He returned to Nagarcoil in 1915, worked as a driver in Lekshmi Vilas Motor Services, Kottar and in 1917 he became the proud owner of a second-hand bus and started a bus service named Champion Motor Service. He bought a dozen buses one by one and became a fleet owner and renamed his new bus service Pioneer Motor Service.
From then on Pioneer Kumaraswamy never looked back. It was one marathon march. Whatever he touched he made it golden. Establishments after establishments, industry after industry, innovations after innovation. Today he is the legitimate climate to many firsts and the words ‘pioneer’ keeps ringing in the ears of each and every individual trumpeting to the world the secret of success, namely, hard work!” (from the Pioneer School Yearbook).
The wealth that Pioneer earned was passed onto his children and grandchildren, who continued to run the family businesses and give back to their community. In 2003 Latha and her husband founded the Pioneer School. “The vision of the school is ‘growth and success for every child.’ With this end in view, this school attempts to bring out all the latent talents in each and every child, to make education meaningful and fruitful to every one of them. What we see around us today is that much teaching is going on in every educational institution, but very little learning is done. To learn, the environment should be congenial. There should be work and play- diversity to ease the burden of learning- recreation to make learning delightful.
The Pioneer School offers ever so many avenues not only to make learning enjoyable, but to develop the full personality of every child it undertakes to educate. Various programmes are conducted to develop the intellectual, physical, moral, aesthetic and social faculties of the students… May this institution continue to fulfill its vision and be true to its name- really a pioneer school among the schools in our district… I appreciate Mrs. Latha Kumaraswamy for establishing a school with a vision to producing global citizens and providing value-based quality education to our young children.”
The school was amazing! The entryway was marked by fabulous kolam exclaiming “welcome”. “Kolam is a sort of painted prayer — a line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to homes. Every morning in southern India, millions of women draw kolams on the ground with white rice powder.
Through the day, the drawings get walked on, rained out, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day. Every morning before sunrise, the floor is cleaned with water, the universal purifier, and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. Occasionally, cow-dung is also used to wax the floors. Cow dung has antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.
Decoration was not the sole purpose of a Kolam. In olden days, kolams used to be drawn in coarse rice flour, so that the ants don't have to work so hard for a meal. The rice powder is said to invite birds and other small critters to eat it, thus inviting other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed so as to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes, and thus are they prevented from entering the inside of the home. It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor standing up in between. The month of Margazhi was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam. The ritual kolam patterns created for occasions such as weddings can stretch all the way down streets. Patterns are often passed on generation to generation, from mother to daughter.” (Wikipedia).
We entered the auditorium where a welcome reception took place. The children sang India’s national anthem and also led the class in a prayer. This prayer is not meant to single out anyone religion, it is just meant to serve as a moment of reflection for everyone. The prayer song was beautiful and could touch the heart of any one, regardless of their spiritual creed or lack thereof. The school is not geared toward just hindus or just christians. There is in fact a variety of religions, castes and economic statuses present.
I found this to be quite different from most private schools in the US, which gear specifically to only one religious practice or allow in only those who are wealthy enough to pay their high fees. The Pioneer School, on the other hand, supplements fees for students who are unable to afford the fees and even provides funds for the uniforms for those who are very poor. I used to greatly dislike the idea of uniforms in school; I thought it limited creative expression. But after visiting India, I have changed my outlook.
The idea of uniforms is not to limit, but to remove judgment. When all students all across India wear the same uniform, then there is nothing to identify your social or economic status. Thus, students can feel safe and comfortable at school regardless of what their home life may be like. This promotes a much better educational environment.
The SAS group was seated in the front of the classroom, facing all the students who were orderly lined up and excited to greet us. After the anthem and prayer, the prinicpal gave a brief talk and then students asked us questions. One question that comes to my mind was, “Which country do you think is better, India or the US?”
To this I replied, “No country is better than another, they all of their greatness to add to the world.” This response was greeted with loud cheers from the children. Remarks were also made on the greatness of the education system at the Pioneer School, how lucky these students are to be at such a school, how much we love visiting India and learning about the culture, and the importance of globally-focused education and how lucky we are to be on the Semester at Sea voyage.
A few dance performances followed, including one by a young boy that honored Lord Krishna as a playful boy. The boy who performed this dance had great facial expressions, all part of this style of India dance. There was also a beautiful dance meant to resemble the dance performed by rural village women during harvest season. It was joyful and clearly portrayed the exuberance of harvest-time.
Then a group of seven girls, all in grade 6, took me around the school. They showed me the various classrooms, computer room, library etc. I basically served as ‘show and tell’ in all the classrooms. Many of the children were shy around me, but once I asked, “nenga unoda nanbana erukengala?” (‘want to be my friend’ in Tamil), they would all burst out in laughter. I’m really glad I’ve chosen to learn that phrase in every language, it really helps people open up around me and smile J Oh the smiles I’ve received!
The following poetry and prose are from students and teachers at the school.
“Smile” by S. Subrija, grade 7
“Smile! Smile! Smile!
Never be too shy
Always grin to your ears
That is very wise
When you see a happy face
Your mood will surely change
A smile will gently rise
From you heart deep inside
Smile at others
They’ll smile back
Cause your smile is very warm
It will never do any harm
Smile! Smile! Smile!
Never be too shy to smile”
The Magic of Right Words- submitted by R. Snigdha Roshini, grade 3.
“When you throw a stone into a still lake, you never know how far the ripples may go. Similarly, when you sow the right words of appreciation, encouragement and motivation on a young mind, you never know how far it may take them in life. The beauty of these magical words is that the person who said it might have forgotten what was said but the one who received those words may carry it in their mind for the rest of their life.”
God Doesn’t Bother About- submitted by C. Devadharshini grade 3.
“God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask how many people you helped clothe.
God won’t ask what your highest pocket money was. He’ll ask how you used it.
God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
God won’t ask how many friends you had. He’ll ask to how many people you were a friend.
God won’t ask what neighborhood you lived in. He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.
God won’t ask about the color of your skin. He’ll see what’s within.
God won’t have to ask how much you follow what you read here. He already knows!”
Don’t let the word ‘god’ in this poem detract from its meaning. I wish I had a better word for it, because I dislike the connotations that ‘god’ arises, but that is how the poem is written so that is how it will remain. I may not be a believer of a certain god, or a follower of a certain religion, but these words of wisdom are good to follow regardless of who you are or what you believe. I think it is important to see past the lines of religion and creed and just accept the wisdom of all the world’s spiritual paths and ways to live life as a good human being. I think that this belief is very true in India. It is truly a country that is united by diversity. The rest of the world has a lot to learn from them.
The following story was written by a teacher, Mrs. V. M. Lakshmi Kala, who showed us around later in the day.
“I am really delighted to speak to everyone through the words of a happy life. Everyone in this world is in the search of ‘happiness.’ Some are behind money, some seek power and some others amass modern pleasures, but none finds real happiness. Then who is really happy? How can one acquire happiness?
As religions say, it is a very hard path to heaven.
For this I like to quote an example of a poem by Alexander Pope the foremost English poet in the 18th century, named ‘The Quiet Life.’ ‘Happy is the man, whose wish and care content to breath his native air in his own ground.’ This gives us a broad idea which instills our hearts to know about a universal truth.
Yes! It’s ‘contentedness.’ A man who is content with what he has is really happy. As his worldly belongings are limited he does not have problems which cause worry and unhappiness. He can live in his own land breathing fresh air of his own. He is blessed and his mind is filled with peace. He leads a pure and innocent life and devotes a lot of time for prayer and meditation.
As it is said ‘life is short,’ it should not be full of misgivings but to perform certain duties in this short span and to understand real truths that still prolong around the world.
Be contented, be happy, make others happy.”
“Tick Tock” by Miss G. L. Jeslin Vijaya.
“We all need time to be alone, think, dream, wonder.
But,
Take time to work, it is the key to success.
Take time to play, it is the secret of health
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness
Take time to love and be loved, it is the privilege of the gods
Live and let live, it is the motto of life.”
“Our Mother Land” by R. s. Santhiya grade 7
“We love India, our motherland
Whom we garland and pray with folded hands
We are proud to be her citizens brave
And will glorify her name always
Saffron, white and green
Do you know what these colors mean?
Courage, peace and prosperity they signify
Plying above all in the sky
All religions live in amity
Its our secular integrity
Unity in diversity
That is our solidarity
We love India, our Motherland
Whom we garland and pray with folded hands”
What a lovely time you are having. So nice to also hear that you are open minded and might be changing some of your views. Always staying open minded is mind opening.
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