OCTOBER 2013
SNAPSHOTS
Learning Out of the Classroom
IN THIS ISSUE Message from the Head of College
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Kalamezhuthu Pathu- A Ritual from Kerala
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Project Week: A historical tour of Amritsar
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Project Week Collage p.8 UWCCI- Model UN on campus
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News from the UWC Movement
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Alumni Stories p. 14 Cover Photo by Federico del Monte Design by Raisa Mirza/ Office of Outreach and Communications
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF COLLEGE I am writing this as our students return from all over India where they have been engaged in a wide variety of different NGO related projects. They now have a week of academic engagement and will then disperse to families and friends for the Diwali festival, a long weekend in Pune, Mumbai, Goa or elsewhere in India. Our year started with an invitation to stay with a host families in the local villages in the valley below the college. “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand� is a well known Chinese proverb which we seek to follow by involving students in every possible way, giving them responsibility for their community so they learn to live together as different peoples, nations and cultures, facing challenges and working through problems, in and out of the classroom. These are some of our unique opportunities for learning through experience, learning by doing, learning from mistakes, learning humility and self confidence. Enjoy this newsletter and watch this space for innovative ways we plan to enhance the MUWCI experience.
Pelham Lindfield Roberts Head of College
Kalamezhuthu Pathu- A Ritual from Kerala Living in India provides our students and faculty the wonderful opportunity to learn about the many different traditions that take place in different parts of this diverse country. Kalamezhuthu is a form of agragrian worship and may be roughly translated as powder drawing, pattu as a song. This is a magnificient form drawing performed by creating large figured representing dieties using organix powders and the floor as a canvas. The process of Kalamezhuthu starts at noon on the day when Theeyattu is to be performed at night. Kalam progresses through three steps; kalamezhuthu- drawing of the picture, kalam paatu0 singing the myth to the accompaniment of instruments, and kalathillattam- the enactment of the myth in stylized performance. And it has three aspect- aesthetic, religious and social. After the ritual is completeed the enactor takes back the power from the power by destroying it.
UWC Mahindra College would like to thank the members of this particular community for giving us the honour and privilege of witnessing this scared ritual rarely, if ever, seen outside of Kerala. It gave us a first hand experience of an acient ritual transcending time and space that was much appreciated by the audience. Everyone was left grappling with the cultural nuances and differences that they see in the society around them. People participated with a great deal of enthusiasm with some even being given the incredible opportunity of participating in the rituals. This evening brought alive for the community of how lucky we are to living and learning in a country of such long-standing historical, social and religious traditions. Photos by Niklas Roggenbuck (Germany/Class of 2015)
Project Week:
HISTORICAL TOUR OF AMRITSAR As we were set to leave at 5:15 in the morning, and as we crammed into the bus with our big bags, no one spoke much. We were probably just sleepy but at the same time there seemed to be a sense of anxiety. Fast forward a week and when I sat down to write this, I couldn’t stop smiling, that’s how good that week was, that’s the power of the Project week. As we travelled 40 hours to Amritsar and back in buses, trains, Mumbai locals, Delhi metros, rickshaws and by foot, there was plenty of time to bond over the travel. Many told us that our project week was almost like a sightseeing project week, and we wouldn’t do much work in any case. But in my view our project week was perfectly balanced in the terms of work, discussion, exploration and fun. We stayed comfortably, did voluntary service at the religious headquarters (The Golden Temple) for about 4 hours a day, and had time to travel the town of Amritsar and discover its charm. Amritsar, and the Sikh community have a distinct charm, and their belief in community living was probably the greatest learning experience I take from this Project week.
The idea of the religious institution providing free food to numbers in the excess of 80,000 a day without having any formal staff is staggering. This idea of everyone working for the community that they all commonly believe in, seemed ideal but has actually worked for centuries in practice. Our project week was mainly a Historical one and by the end of it, I thought we had served that purpose and more. Visits to the Jallianwala Bagh (where the massacre on non-violent indians had taken place) and the Wagah Border (the famous India-Pakistan border) to see the closing ceremony were parts of a bigger idea to study the general lives of the people there. We asked about their culture clothing roles of men and women in the society, food and the like and have come back with great first hand knowledge of the people there. It was a great trip and while I hoped for it to be longer, it seemed perfect, and am glad to have chosen to go there. by Ram Sharma (India/Class of 2015) Photos by Saloni Saraf (UK & India/Class of 2014 & Ram Sharma)
Going to Kolkata and learning about the different aspects of Indian classical music was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed visiting the institute and the great learning experience. The people at the ITC Sangeet Research academy were very helpful, informative, encouraging. The cooperation and support on their part encouraged much enthusiasm on ours. It was very informative and I learnt a lot of new things about Indian Classical Music, its instruments, its complexities as well as gaining some skills in studio work as well. - Padya Paramita, Bangladesh/Class of 2014 Project week: ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata
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Too often, living in big cities, you forget about the small world of the undergrowth; during this project week, I started again looking down my feet as I used to do when I was a young curious boy. Federico del Monte, Film Studies Faculty Project Week: Agumbe
“Spending a week in a tropical forest, sleeping in a bamboo hut with wildlife in front of my bed, eating vegan food, having a shower from the bucket and using composting toilets was a great way to learn respect for the environment. Even though I realised I’m not a hippie (which my mom is probably glad about), now I appreciate everything I have way more.” Sonia Wargacka, Poland/Class of 2014, Project Week: Sadhana Forest
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UWCCI- Model UN Conference With the aim to make everyone in our community more aware and enthusiastic global citizens, a group of students, backed my our faculty advisor, Zia Pochkhanawala organized a national Model United Nations Conference- United World College Conference 2013. The three day long event was graced by the presence of Mr. Ashok Nigam (UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative, Myanmar at United Nations), and delegates from all over the country. The delegates had heated discussions on topics ranging from the situation in Kurdistan to the violation of human rights in Palestine to exploitation of migrant workers in South Africa, and came up with concrete solutions in their resolutions. Our press team worked excellently to provide fresh newsletters each day and the equally competent dais members made sure that the committees ran smoothly. At the end, after looking at the quality of the debates and seeing how much everyone learnt from UWCCI, we were happy that this student run conference turned out to be a success. by Shaibyaa Rajbhandari (Nepal/Class of 2014) Secretary General UWC-CI For more information about UWC-CI please visit: www.uwcci.com
NEWS FROM THE UWC MOVEMENT
UWC Maastricht opens new campus On 11 October UWC Maastricht’s new campus was officially declared open by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The new campus brings together all of the students from the early years up to the IB diploma students, but also ensures that each age groups is thoroughly catered for with their own custom built classrooms and facilities. Accommodation for boarding students has also been integrated into the campus, bringing it into the heart of college life. The grand opening of the campus was a resounding success, with visiting dignitaries, staff from the global UWC family and special guests in attendance. To start the day, student led workshops were held in classrooms around the site, giving them the opportunity to become the teachers for the afternoon. The focus of the workshops was varied, with dance, art and discussion groups all taking place. King Willem-Alexander visited each of the workshop groups, before officially opening the college. Attendees were treated to a show by the college students, including performances of Japanese and hip-hop dance, musical pieces including one composed and performed by a group of students, comedic skits and even a rendition of “Another Brick In the Wall” (Pink Floyd) by the head of college himself, Peter Howe. King Willem-Alexander unveiled a mosaic of the UWC logo with some special helpers from the younger years of the college, and later stood for photographs with the entire student body. by UWC International Office
Welcoming two new UWCs into the family UWC is delighted to announce two new colleges have received Final Approval from the International Board. UWC Robert Bosch College in Germany and UWC Dilijan in Armenia are both due to open their doors to the first intake of students in 2014. “With the opening of UWC Robert Bosch College and UWC Dilijan in 2014 the international UWC network will increase to encompass 14 schools and colleges,” Keith Clark, Executive Director of UWC International said of the news. “The continued growth of the movement demonstrates that our message of fostering mutual understanding between cultures to build a more peaceful future is just as powerful today as it was when our first college opened more than 50 years ago. We are delighted to welcome the two new colleges to the movement.”
UWC Dilijan UWC Dilijan is based halfway between the capitals of Armenia and Georgia in a part of the world in which UWC has previously had no reach. Once one of the main stopovers on the Silk Route that passed through Armenia, Dilijan now finds itself in a country that is situated on the border of Europe and Asia, at the heart of a diverse, culturally rich and complex region at the junction of the Persian, Byzantine, Ottoman and Russian Empires. Being placed amidst such a rich but fragmented history, it is one of UWC Dilijan’s main goals to become a beacon in the region that will help establish strong ties between students from Asia and Europe, the post-Soviet and the Western worlds, the Muslim and the Christian worlds.
UWC Robert Bosch College Jens Waltermann, Chair of the Board of Deutsche Stiftung UWC said: “With the opening of UWC Robert Bosch College a dream has come true for the German National Committee. We are very glad to be able to establish a partnership with such an experienced and long-standing organisation as the Robert Bosch Foundation.” The school will be located at the outskirts of Freiburg in a former Carthusian monastery surrounded by a beautiful, cultural and natural landscape overlooking the river Dreisam and the Black Forest. Historic buildings will be complemented by newly-built facilities on site. Each UWC has its own particular focus, and UWC Robert Bosch College is no exception. In keeping with the ethos of Robert Bosch, founder of the Bosch Company, the College will have a deliberate focus on the environment and innovative technology. The school will emphasise environmental issues and in particular on how technology can contribute to sustainability, ecological development and peace.
ALUMNI STORIES
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“My time at UWC Mahindra very much advanced me both academically and experientially. It has given me the inspiration, confidence and the leadership skills that are required to carry out such an initiative effectively.� - Benedikt Urban (Class of 2010)
TURNING A FRIEND’S DREAM INTO A PEACEFUL REALITY Benedikt Urban (Class of 2010) has been able to turn the tragic accident of fellow UWC Mahindra College alumnus Pema Norbu into a possibility for peace. Along with friend Leif DeJong- both studying at Earlham College- they have put Pema’s dream of changing the lives of his people and finding towards a nonviolent solution in Tibet into action by setting up the PEMA Peace Project in honor of their former classmate. The project aims to correct a developing misconception among Tibetans that nonviolence is ineffective. The objective of the project is to introduce Direct Nonviolent Action to Tibetan students and provide them with a set of tools to develop and implement effective nonviolent strategies to further their cause. In the summer of 2013, this was done by running five-day workshops in four Tibetan schools in and around the city of Dharamsala, India. In addition, the project provides an online platform at pemapeaceproject.org that allows anyone from around the globe to explore, discuss and contribute to Direct Nonviolent Action. So far, the project has been hugely successful and Benedikt and Leif hope to continue supporting and promoting the PEMA peace project and take workshops of this nature to the southern Tibetan exile communities in India next year. “Growing up in Dharamsala and especially attending the Tibetan Children Village (TCV) schools, I realized that I would return home and give back to the community that fostered me. Being Austrian/German by blood and Tibetan by birth, I feel I have a unique advantage to really help bring a different dynamic to life with the Tibetan community. These were some of the driving incentives that led me to honor my late friend Pema Norbu, by cocreating the Pema Peace Project and serving the community that has shaped a big part of who I am today.” Pema’s dream of changing the lives of many people by inspiring change is now changing the world in the hands of his friend Benedikt. A certain proof that the friendships and bonds that form at UWC Mahindra College are powerful connectors that aim to build a more peaceful world.