SEPTEMBER 2013
SNAPSHOTS
Celebrating A World of Colour
CONTENTS Message from the Outreach Office.....p.2 Introducing the Outreach Team.....p.3 A Colourful Tradition.....p.5 Creating a World of Peace.....p.7 Celebrating UWC Day with Action ..... p.9 Celebrating Diversity! Asian Regional Evening ..p.11 Alumni Stories: Anaka Narayanan..... p.13
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MESSAGE FROM THE OUTREACH OFFICE After the introductions are over and people have settled into their surroundings, September is a time to celebrate here at UWC Mahindra College. The annual Ganesh Chathurthi Festival that takes place in Maharashtra, is a fantastic opportunity for our students and staff to join in festivities with the people in the villages around the College. It is also an opportunity to get messy and colourful! This month, we also celebrated the first Annual Global UWC Day taking place on September 21st. The whole community got involved and became part of dozens of events taking place around the world organized by National Committees, alumni and our sister colleges. Other events included Peace Day and Asian Regional Evening featuring workshops and performances- providing opportunities to learn from each other about events and culture around the world. As the monsoons slow down, the lush greens of the valleys and forest are complemented by blossoming flowers and deepening friendships on campus. Students and faculty are getting down to a rythm and it is truly a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this beautiful world full of colour! Nandita, Ra誰sa, Maria and Usha
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INTRODUCING THE OUTREACH TEAM AND OUR INITIATIVES What does the Outreach Team do? The Outreach Office was started in September 2012 to maintain strong and continued relationships and engagement with our alumni and parents; to create and implement a funding strategy in order to reach goals set out in a new Strategic Plan and; to create sustained marketing and communications for all areas of the College. Our first goal is to ensure that we are in regular contact and engaging with all of our alumni. Last year, we began reaching out and asking them to share and update their information with us and asking them in what ways they would like to stay connected and support the college. We also organized and hosted the 10-year alumni reunion for the graduating batches of 2003 and 2004. 2013 has been an exciting and extremely positive learning experience both during the year and during the monsoon break. We are now regularly hosting summer courses that are either organized and run by us or organized by others and supported logistically by the Outreach team. June 14 to Aug 5, 2013 saw UWC Mahindra College hosting seven programs back to back and in some periods simultaneously! In true UWC style our students have generated all the topics for the summer courses we run. They have also been great student facilitators for the various courses and our alumni have been fantastic faculty facilitators.
Tell me more about these summer courses!
y (YES!) estions: t and Sustainabilitof gage with two predominant qu en Youth, Environmen nts de stu tch ba rth fou vironment saw its ions by opening
est This 7 day course on the en S wrestles with these two qu YE ? do to ing go we are general at Wh arding food production and reg ke What choices are we making? ma we s ice cho the w d dialogue of ho up spaces for examination an rld around us. consumption impacts the wo
Religion in India
Introduced this year our two week course on Religion sought to examin e, understand, challenge and further develop one’s own approach to and perspective on religions, while engagin g with religious ideas and practices in India. Participants traveled to Southe rn India to explore how history and soc iety interacts with religious thought and beliefs.
Encounter India
rld where students of students from round the wo tch ba th six it’s d ha 08 20 r areas of d in und India grappling with fou aro Our flagship course introduce ys da e nin for led vel tra days and then and engaging in lived on campus for fourteen spent traveling, volunteering s wa e Tim h. alt he d an re ltu er, agricu development: education, gend . through hands-on experiences discussions with these topics
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What age are participants for these programs?
These programs are for towards high school students (15 to 18 years). We had hoped to broaden our reach by introducing a four-week course on religion called Arth for undergraduate students (19 to 21 years). However, this year we did not get an optimum group size and hope to do so next year.
What other courses do you organize? Our College also provided logistical support for Shikshangan and Coevolve and cohosted the Learning Societies Unconference. We are keen to extend our partnership with other link-minded organizations and welcome any ideas of association for events on campus.
Short Courses We have also introduced CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) short courses during the academic year for students from other schools to participate in. The International School Hilversum and Oslo International School have spent a week each working on a community project along with Akshara and are coming back again next year to continue their association with Askhara and us!
So, why are you doing all this extra work?
Our aim in running these courses and hosting the others is to spread UWC awareness, to give opportunities for our students to engage with different ideas and concepts, opportunities to students, faculty, alumni and parents to facilitate programs/courses and, where possible, to fund raise for scholarships,. From the various initiatives this year we have been able to raise two full scholarships and I would like to take this opportunity to thank last year’s Outreach Team (Usha, Raïsa, Lamisa, Melissa, Howard, Michael and Erneilly) for their fantastic effort and contribution. There is as much and more happening this year but that’s for the next issue. Before I sign off I would like to introduce to you our team this year and hope that you will email one or all of us with suggestions, ideas, wanting to volunteer or just know more!
Nandita Deosthale Director of Outreach
Raïsa Mirza Head, Communications
Maria Charles Head, Short Courses
Students: Alisha, Ali, John Roy, Shiv, Trisha Contact us at outreach@muwci.net or development@muwci.net
Usha Sundaram Logistics Coordinator
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A Colourful Tradition She tossed it towards the sky and we stared in wonder as a cloud of pink descended on us. As if on cue, the music began to blare from the speakers and people started flinging pink powder on each other. Then, the heavens opened and bathed us in thousands of droplets of water as we danced along the path to Khubavali, a nearby village. At the village, the drummers began to play. The frenzied beat of the drums seemed to resonate in everyone’s movements. The village temple, people, and emerald fields blurred before me as I let myself be possessed by the rhythm. We made our way down to the river, behind the procession of villagers bearing the idol. A fire illuminated the faces of the men as they prayed and sung to Ganesh, the elephant God. As the sun slipped under the horizon, they immersed the clay idol in the river and let the current carry it away. That was Ananta Chaturdashi, the culmination of Ganesh chaturthi, an Indian festival commemorating the rebirth of Ganesh. To an outsider it is a scene of chaos; one observes the loud music, powder being tossed everywhere, furious droplets of rain, and frenetic dancing. But as a participant I saw the chaos not as chaos, but as a celebration of the human spirit, as beauty in its rawest form. by Ritika Philip (India/China/Class of 2014)
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Creating a world of peace Peace is a necessary ingredient for anybody’s wellbeing. Sadly, for millions across the globe, it is a rare luxury. While some stories of violence get news columns, other equally harrowing issues are swept under the carpet. For Peace Day, we shared knowledge about both well-known and little known conflicts from around the world. Hopefully, learning about an issue would deepen an understanding of its causes- and maybe, give us a glimmer of a solution. Fifteen workshops were divided into three rounds, separated by snack breaks. They explained various crises, ranging from the decades old Indo-Pakistani strife, to Latin American drug wars, to the headlines making Syrian crisis. They were not only informative, but were also presented with spirit and sparkle. The aim of the workshops was not to highlight the conflicts spread over the world, but to provide hope for a solution to these problems and this goal was effectively fulfilled. The only thing that one could complain about is that he or she didn’t get to attend more than three of the workshops. Apart from the workshops, a few other informative and stirring activities were held. A number of people could be spotted with tape over their mouths, to show solidarity with those silenced and exploited in bloodied zones and people shared their own definitions of peace by writing them on the whiteboard. We can hope and maybe even conclude that all of us took with us some idea of what peace is and why is it essential, and plan to implement this knowledge in some way or another, in the future course of our lives. By Chahat and Radhika (both India/Class of 2015)
THESKINOFASHADOW I am the skin of a day’s shadow. Seeking transformation, seeking wavy presence in every beating place. I am the skin of a day’s shadow. The skin that is exhausted, gives up. That sleeps, then vanishes into tears. I am the skin of a timid shadow, of a blurry shelter. The skin of a shadow whose desire is to relieve, The skin that opens invisible pores to enter fertile lands. I am the skin of the wise shadow that expands, shrinks, disappears and reappears. The skin of the shadow that dies with courage while living, and that Lives while dying, growing younger. I am the skin of a boned shadow that resists the sun, but that Turns weak, because it is weak, and runs, and feels, and cries. I am the skin of an intangible shadow, which flees without being touched. Which hides in abysses that can’t be seen. Protected, abandoned abysses. But I am also the skin of the wooden shadow that covers the highest peaks, That reflects the image of the sad tree over its surface, That dries the sweat of the one who falls, who faints. The breathing shadow, at the end of the day, sheds, burns, leaves. Then rebirths, made of another skin, another story. There is no perfect or immortal shadow. There’s no shadow that can evade coldness. Not a blind shadow caused of its darkness. But we, skins of ineffable shadows, exist. Dressed of mystery, we die, leaving behind the memory of a particular skin. Which fades, and little by little, is eaten by the murderer soil. by Andres Montiel (Venezuela/Class of 2015) p.8
CELEBRATING UWC DAY WITH ACTION
On September 21st, we celebrated the first global UWC Day and our very first International Coastal Clean-Up. Armed with shovels, pick axes, shovels, gloves and their own muscles, students, staff and faculty participated in various activities throughout the day. From digging contour trenches, pulling out invasives, transplanting saplings, picking up garbage alongside the Mula River, it was an opportunity for the whole community to come together and put our mission into action. Satat activities will continue with at least one session a month taking place for all members of the community. These are part of a long-term plan by which we hope to be completely self-sufficient in terms of water usage on campus. Thank you to all the participants who were so enthusiastic and eager to contribute to a more sustainable future.
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CELEBRATING UWC DAY WITH ACTION
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Celebrating Div
Regional Evenings allow students to dialogue, dances, songs and dress. Th student body.
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versity! Asian Regional Evening
o share with the community the culture of their home countries through hey are a great opportunity to showcase the talent that exists within our Photos by Saloni Saraf (UK&India/Class of 2014)
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ALUMNI STORIES
Do you have a story to share? Do you know someone you think should write for us? Please e-mail us at communications@muwci.net!
When I went to UWC, I went through this awakening. My life until then had been sheltered and heavily anglicized (I learned tennis, piano and German outside of school!) Meeting people from all over the world made me aware of how little I knew of the real India. And then project week(s) happened and I suddenly became interested in traveling. I took a year off between school and college, and spent the better portion of that year volunteering at rural development non-profits. I had found my passion (for the time being), and I felt that year had me aware of my relationship with India and the issues that I find interesting or intriguing. I went to study Economics at Reed College in Portland (Oregon), thinking I’d eventually work at a think tank in Delhi, on issues related to education and health. But four academically intense years and a thesis later, I realized I wasn’t cut out for academia. I love studying, and all those issues still interested me, but I’m incredibly impatient and I don’t think I would have felt fulfilled doing research without seeing some of that implemented. I felt I was at a crossroads and I didn’t know what to do. I took a job at an economic analysis firm in New York because... well, because I wanted to live in a big city until I figured things out. Every time I went shopping I would see silhouettes I loved, but I missed the handwoven and hand-crafted textiles I grew up with. Every time I went home for a vacation I would gush over the fabrics, but I found the shapeless silhouettes unappealing. I spent most of my non-working hours thinking about a business plan, wondering if I could do something in a field I had no training or formal background, and networking with designers and retailers back home to get feedback on my idea. My parents were really supportive of the idea, so in 2006 I quit my job and moved back home to start my business. I do think each step along the way led to where I am now- the Creative Director at my own company Brass Tacks Madras. In an effort to find new markets for traditional textile crafts and hand woven fabric, the design team at Brass Tacks works to re-articulate these fabrics in the form of contemporary styles with an urban context. My journey started at UWC Mahindra College learning about the world and India. by Anaka Narayanan (Class of
“Meeting people from all over the world made me aware of how little I knew of the real India.”