Travel notes from Nagaland

Fri, July 11, 2008

My heart is so overwhelmed by the love that can be shared between a few strangers from different worlds, crossing paths for just a brief instant of time, yet leaving a mark on each other’s lives… What a privilege it is to visit an entirely different world, a completely unknown culture and people and customs, and yet find something so familiar…that magic of sharing laughter and warmth and stories over a nice cup of zutho (special Naga rice beer :) …a wonderful gift from God!

This week the state of Nagaland in North East India was conducting the training for all the Teacher Trainers who will then be training all the government teachers in Nagaland in the coming year. Much of the training centers around trying to bring a paradigm shift from teacher-centered/rote-learning education, to more active, learner-centered pedagogy. They invited me to observe this training of Trainers, as well to conduct some sessions on Leaner-centered pedagogy for various groups of Trainers. Although most teachers have already supposedly been trained on ‘learner-centered pedagogy’, most of the classrooms are still quite teacher-centered, so a shift has still not taken place – partly because much of this training itself is conducted in a very lecture-style, ‘teacher-centered’ manner

I was supposed to leave Kohima this morning to fly back to Delhi from Dimapur, after attending and presenting at 2 different training centers the last 2 days. Instead, because of a bundh due to protesting activists, I was unable to get to the airport in Dimapur, and had to delay my return by a day. Slightly put off at first, I decided to just take it as it comes and see what this extra day would bring. And what a blessing it was!

Since I had a free day I decided to return to visit the training center where I led a training session 2 days ago, and to just hang out with the Trainers there and watch was going on.

The session before lunch finished early and we were all just sitting and waiting for lunch, so someone spontaneously got up and in my honour started telling some local stories and jokes. Then they all started singing songs, they even taught me a Naga song, and asked me to teach them a ‘Delhi-song’ or some action song, so we all got up and started singing ‘Father Abraham’! The Nagas are so warm and jovial, they have such a happy spirit and beautiful singing voices. After lunch, the afternoon program finished an hour early so they spontaneously asked me, am I ready to give another lecture for the remaining hour? So I had to scramble to think of what I could do with them for an hour, but we ended up having a great time! The basic theme of my two presentations was on how to bring about a shift in teachers from teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching. So I spoke about the essence of learner-centered education, tried to make my session as learner-centered as possible to give them a taste of it, and my main point was that bringing about a shift to learner-centered pedagogy requires not only addressing teachers’ practices, but bringing a fundamental transformation in teachers’ underlying values/attitudes, and in their underlying worldviews/mindsets (eg. their assumptions about knowledge/ children/ learning/ the role of the teacher, etc.).

We had quite a lot of fun, and some even stayed back to ask questions and earnestly share some of their struggles…and the most encouraging part that made the entire trip and the missed flight worth it and makes my entire job fulfilling was the feedback I received from them. People told me afterwards that my session inspired and motivated them, that their own mindsets had been changed, and that they want me to come back soon and give more training! Here are some of their comments from the feedback forms I received:

“Your visit to our state or training has really encouraged and motivated me and its an eye opener and a new challenge for us to go forward and deeper in our responsibilities. We will appreciate it if you visit us again”

“At a time when teachers’ trainings were become monotonous, and motivation among the Trainers were at a low, sessions such as these is a refreshing input and a lot was learned and will be applied with a better mindset of the teachers”

“Addressing the mindset of the teacher rather than the practices has been something very useful to me”

“Got encouragement specially on how to tackle with the irregular teachers. I learned more how to love the dull children”

“To see the tremendous potential in children and teachers, to have patience in the limitations of the children and the authorities”

“It was really learned education from your session. I was really inspired by your lecture. I will do my best, give my best in the coming days. Thank you!”

What more could I ask for? Talk about job satisfaction!!

After the training was over, 3 of the ladies decided they liked me so they took me under their wing to show me around Kohima. They took me to visit the war cemetery from the World War II battles that were fought in Kohima between the British and Japanese, then to a naga restaurant for some typical local food…there’s nothing I like better when I visit a new place than hanging out with local people in a local joint eating the local food! (although unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to try any dog or snake or locusts which are all delicacies here!) Then they took me to the village to visit some typical village homes, where we drank some yummy Naga rice beer (zutho)– their specialty! The villagers got a kick out of my attempt to learn a few words in their language…making a small effort can go such a long way. I was so warmed not only by the zutho but by their hospitality, warmth, stories, sincerity and simplicity. I loved learning about the culture and customs here, seeing the rich vibrant colours of their clothes and houses and shops, the beauty and depth contained in their lined weathered faces, the beauty of the hills and clouds and sunsets, the charm of the narrow steep windy streets. The simplicity and peace of life here (there is no nightlife and everyone is in their homes by sunset!) and yet the happiness and jovialness and openness I see in people makes the drivenness and overstimulation of a Manhattan life seem somewhat…absurd.

I was also quite fascinated to learn about the impact of missionaries here…C.D King was the first American missionary to come to Nagaland in 1881…and today about 95% of Nagaland is Christian. There are churches everywhere. The government official who was showing me around yesterday said how it was the missionaries who started the first school in Nagaland as well as the first hospital…they were also the ones to write the first book ever in Angami (one of the major tribes) which did not have a script before (and today is the only tribe in Nagaland to have achieved post-secondary education in their Angami mothertongue). He said if you ask any person in Nagaland they will tell you that Nagaland would be very backward today if it was not for the missionaries. Quite a different picture than the one painted in development courses…

What a privilege to be here!