Lilting notes of music interspersed with spurts of claps and laughter flow into the peaceful evening. Surrounded by green hills, swaying coconut groves and cashew plantations, a young group of Germans sit playing guitar and singing songs in this idyllic village in Anandapuram mandal near Simhachalam. The village has been their home for more than six months now. So what is so special about a bunch of German students in the city? Tourists or maybe Indophiles at best? Not quite so.
Johannes Kuchle, Leonie Konrad, Jana-Nita Raker and Melanie Hunger are all undergraduates from Germany who are here with similar agendas – to impart education to tribal children and soak in the vibrant Indian culture in every possible way. Working as teachers and researchers at Bala Mitra (friends of children) school set up by Samata, an NGO, their experiences in the classrooms with the tribal children has been a “fascinating” journey they say.
“It’s remarkable to see the spontaneous creativity in the children of the villages,” says Leonie, who teaches arts and crafts in the school. “They know the names of every tree, the sounds of the birds and they are so amazing with colours and shapes. Being close to nature opens up the mind so wonderfully! Living in the city clogs those natural senses,” she adds.
Their mornings begin with a session of Yoga after which they head to the kitchen unit to learn the different types of tribal and local cuisines. “Bhendakaya (lady’s finger) curry and ‘Pulihara’ (tamarind rice) are our favourites. The cuisine here is so varied and every dish has a distinct taste,” say Jana and Melanie. They both have been working on a special project ever since they fell in love with the local delicacies. “We are translating the tribal recipes into German and planning to come out with a recipe book to give a glimpse of Indian culture and cuisine to German people,” they say. More than 35 recipes have been tried and tasted which will be a part of the recipe book. “A German foundation has agreed to support this idea and we plan to raise money for ‘Bala Mitra’ by selling the book in Germany,” they say.
The classes at Bala Mitra are as unconventional as the school’s new German teachers. Based on the Waldorf (Steiner) education system which is an experiential and imaginative approach to learning, the classes begin with singing sessions under the shade of tall trees. Art is taught by painting the walls of the well and the classrooms with creative ideas. “The Adivasi children have a pure originality about their interpretation of art. A student of class 3 one day made a portrait of mine which was so beautiful,” says Leonie.
Besides focusing on their work, the German students are also exploring the city and capturing a glimpse of the culture and tradition of India to take back as souvenirs. Interestingly, their favourite spot in the city is not the beaches but the busy Poorna Market! “There is so much character to that place and warmth in the people there. In fact, we made friends with the women vendors and also gifted them some photographs that we took of theirs,” says Johannes. While the weekends mean a dose of surfing lessons in the Rushikonda coast for Leonie, Jana explores her roots in India which she left behind when she was a few months-old toddler. Adopted from an orphanage in Delhi by a German couple, this is Jana’s first trip to India as an adult. “There is a lot of diversity in the culture. But I don’t have any childhood memories of it. For me, everything seems new,” says Jana, who documents the activities of the school in their newsletter. As they prepare to leave for the country next month, they wish to take with them the rich memories of their stay here and leave behind some trace of their love for the people through their work.
