I am in the second week of my Peace and Conflict Studies course in Pondicherry, and it’s an amazing feeling being here, with all these beautiful people from everywhere. I haven’t had the opportunity of studying on an international program before, so it is quite exciting to experience this.

When I reached Pondicherry tired and sleepy after an early morning flight from Mumbai followed by a taxi ride from Chennai, little did I know that I would be greeted by the warm smiles of my lovely new housemates who immediately made me feel comfortable. Jens Augspurger is from Germany, and Mathias Breum is from Denmark.

During the time we have known each other, there have been many opportunities to learn about the exciting and quirky stuff from each other’s countries and cultures. More importantly, there has quietly emerged a feeling that many of these differences are worth talking about and learning from but they do not count for much when you are taking the same classes, sitting around talking late into the night, confiding secrets, walking by the sea, or just enjoying a nice meal together.

As far as our classes are concerned, I marvel at the diversity of experience and expertise this course brings together in the form of seminar leaders, guest lecturers and field trip resource persons. I feel grateful that I have this opportunity to learn from people who are deeply dedicated to their work, and are constantly engaged in finding ways to support our learning.

Earlier this week, we were taken on a field trip to Auroville, an intentional community on the outskirts of Pondicherry which was founded by Mira Alfassa, the spiritual companion of Sri Aurobindo, a modern seer. That place was inspiring in its commitment to create a space where people could come together regardless of their nationalities and live harmoniously with a desire to generate and cultivate goodwill, while working through challenges that come up in the process.

I am glad we were taken there. The people we met there did not inflict on us any Public Relations sort of spiel. While they spoke of how they draw strength from living in that community, they were also open to discussing challenges. It was good to know that they do not imagine themselves as an island, untouched by problems in the mainstream. What impressed me most was their consistent emphasis on self work — the idea of being the change one wants to see in the world.

Another highlight of this week was the celebration of Teacher’s Day at our Study Centre. This day is celebrated in India on the 5th of September every year, to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was a respected teacher, and also the first Vice President and second President of India.

We organized a large chocolate cake and yellow roses for all our teachers and non-teaching staff from Kulturstudier, and gave them individualized cards, expressing our gratitude for all the wonderful things they do for us. It was fulfilling to see the smiles on their faces, which mirrored the joy in their hearts.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks in Pondicherry. Watch this space for all the details!

Chintan

– And thank you Angom Delhi Rose for photos!