Teaching English in Kasba Peth

The communal wash area.

The women feel vulnerable to be photographed while washing

I taught English today, in Kasba Peth, the original settlement in Pune.  Kasba Peth is the oldest residential part, or Peth, in Pune.  It was established sometime during the 5^th century and is close to the historic ShaniwarWada palace-fort, in the heart of Pune city.  It is actually known as is the “Heart of Pune City,” and I feel very fortunate to have have landed a volunteer teaching gig here.

Kasba Peth is primarily residential, and is well known for the Kumbhar Wada (area of earthen potmakers) and the Tambat Ali (area of brass/copper utensil and pot makers).  As you walk through Kasba Peth you can here the rhythmic pounding of the copper as the copper-men pound out the pots.

They let my kids have a go when we first visited.

It was much harder than Gracie expected.

Even George struggled a bit.

The man's granddaughter was with him that day and she had a little pot to bang-learning Grandpa's trade.  She let Gracie have a go.

I was really nervous about my first day teaching and almost chickened out.  But my sister, on call in the OR, sent encouraging words to me and I swallowed my fear and I went.  I entered the Peth through a narrow walkway lined with piles of black earthen pots, and entered the residential area near the communal wash area where the women all come together to wash clothing and cookware.  I was pleased that I managed to find the small temple without any problems, and then I just hoped the women would come.  I greeted all I met with a nod and Namaste, and was greeted kindly in return.  I removed my shoes, entered the small temple and organized my supplies.

I had 4 students. They speak Marathi and a small amount of Hindi.  And it is not easy to teach a second language to someone when you don't know their first language.  But they come, and they smile and giggle and we try to understand each other. Of the four women, there are four very different skill levels.  And often it is hard to tell if they understand me, as, in the Indian way, they nod pleasantly in the affirmative, whether they understand or not.

I feel so blessed to have had this role practically thrown into my lap.  I'd been looking for some volunteer work, something where I could use my skills to give something to India.

From the time I learned about the possibility of an assignment in India I knew I wanted to not live only a stereotypical expat lifestyle. I wanted to integrate, at least in some small ways.  We chose a home in a society with very few expats, and now none other than us.  But upon moving I discovered that even that would keep us very apart from the average Indian, for the divide between the very rich and the poor is vast here, and suddenly we were seen part of the very rich.

We have help here.  Wonderful people who we really care for, indeed love.  But they will not use my name-I am and will remain Madam or mam.  I have to refer to my husband as sir, or they wonder who I am talking about.  So we are not integrating.

see the tree growing out of the building?

When my mom was here visiting, we went took a Chalo Heritage Tour, guided by a wonderful man named Rashid.  The tour began at Kasba Peth.  Rashid and his wife have worked to establish a good working relationship with the people of Kasba Peth so that he can bring his tours through.  People are encouraged to take photos, especially of the people if they are willing (and many are).  Rashid then asks you to send him your photos, which he prints and brings to the people of Kasba Peth.  Many here had never seen, let alone owned, a photo of themselves or their children.  So they do love having pictures and it has encouraged a lovely relationship between the people of Kasba Peth, the tour guides and the tourists, and that relationship is not monetary.

On our tour, Rashid mentioned that there was a woman who came and taught English to some residents of Kasba and that the relationship had grown organically out of his tour.  I realized I knew the women he was talking about, and the next time I saw her I asked to volunteer with her and help her teach.  When she learned I had formerly taught English as a Second Language, she was thrilled to have me.  I joined her one time to teach and was very excited to join her weekly.  But then her husband was offered new work and they decided to relocate to the UK.  So she reached out and said, will you take it over?  And that is how I am now the English teacher in Kasba Peth.  Weekly I teach a young MBA student for an hour, then the local printer and yoga master (not quite a yogi, but 10^th level?) for an hour, often accompanied by his two sons.  Then I teach a group of women in the Peth’s Hindi temple.  The number of women vary week to week, but there are 4 that come most weeks.

So I’ve gone from feeling like I would never integrate, to being quite warmly welcomed into Pune’s oldest residential neighborhood.  It is a remarkable place.  Rashid tells the story of a young mother who had a 2 year old daughter and was having twin girls.  When it came close to time to give birth, this young mother left her 2 year old daughter in the Peth and went to her village to have the twins.  She was gone several weeks.  And each time Rashid walked though the Peth, he saw her young daughter, with different hairstyle and different make-up, happily playing.  She was cared for by a different family each night and all the families took care of her.  All I could think was how very blessed all of these people were for this kind of support system.  And to make it even more wonderful, perhaps exceptional, and certainly exceptional to someone from the west, is this Peth is mixed, both Hindu and Muslim.  So the little Muslim girl was cared for, with respect for her faith, by both Muslims and Hindus, so her mother could leave her without a worry.

The printer I teach has a printing press.  He only prints straight lines, for lined paper.  He was asked once by a tourist why he didn’t expand his business.  He took time to consider this question.  Then he explained that he had enough to support his family, and enough time to do what he and they enjoyed.  So he didn’t see why he should expand, for then he would not have time to enjoy life.  I believe this is a lesson the west has forgotten.  We are taught to strive for more and more, and rarely taught to stop and appreciate what we have. 

Now everytime I enter Kasba Peth, I am greeted by smiling faces, or smiling eyes behind hijabs.  I am greeted with Namaste or hello and I hear them greeting each other with Namaste to Hindus and As-salamu alaykum to Muslims, as the Muslims and Hindus greet each other respectfully with the proper greeting for the receiver’s faith.  And there is always a smile to be passed on.  What a lovely place.