Millikin students in India, Summer 2006

[Presentation during Faculty Workshop Day, August 2006]

As we drove up the foothills of the Himalayas on our way to Darjeeling, I was nervous with excitement about who we were going to meet once we got there.   

Hi.  My name is Christine LaPorte.  This summer [2006], Dr. Banerjee took me and eight other students to India for a month.  We toured parts of North and East India during the most intense weather I could have ever imagined.  It was either 85 degrees and humid or a scorching 105 degrees almost everyday!   

When we weren’t sweating, we were studying.  Two courses were offered as a part of our India immersion--Introduction to Indian Popular Cinema, taught by Dr. Purna Banerjee; and, Democracy and Conflict in South Asia, taught by Dr. Paula Banerjee, Dr. Purna Banerjee’s sister.  I took the cinema course, which included watching and analyzing about fifteen Bollywood films.  Initially, it took time to get used to the multi-genre, musical nature of the films.  Once I saw past that, I was puzzled by how Indians present their culture through film.  What I saw on screen wasn’t what I saw in person.  Our class came to the conclusion that there is much diversity in the definition of Indian culture and that all aspects are not usually found in the same real place like they are portrayed to be on film.  Dr. Banerjee said, “The most rewarding part of this course will be when you can critically identify sparks of commonalities in the midst of difference,” and she was right.   

About three weeks before we left for India, I found out that we would be meeting Gopal Gandhi, the governor of the state of West Bengal and the grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi.  Meeting Governor Gandhi in Darjeeling was truly unforgettable.  He possesses the same peaceful nature that his grandfather is famous for.  Because Mahatma Gandhi is one of my personal heroes, being immersed in his home country was very special to me.   

To the average American, India is a “third world” or “developing” country about one-third the size of the United States.  To me, and anyone else who has been captivated by India, we know that she is a lively and productive country rich in history, culture, religion, tradition and people.  With a population of over one billion, people are, in fact, India’s wealthiest resource.   

My most cherished memories of India will be of the times I spent interacting with her people.  Although this immersion wasn’t set-up to have a humanitarian service focus, we did visit a couple of non-governmental, grassroots organizations where we learned about human rights, positive empowerment, and the like.  Prayas and the Child In Need Institute believe that every child is a sacred gift of God to mankind, and I do too.  My immersion in India further developed my passion for human services and social work and lead me to ask myself how these things will be a part of my future.   

The difference my India experience has had on my life is invaluable.  It was one of a few key things that has made my college career complete.  I’d like to sincerely thank the Banerjee’s for hosting us in their country, Millikin University for offering this immersion course, and also the Global Issues Committee at Millikin for awarding me with a student award.  It is my hope that the Global Issues Student Award will be available for many years to come so that other students can also have the opportunity to visit countries of their choice.   

I feel that the rest of the world can learn a lot from India.  And so, in closing, I’d like to leave you with this, an excerpt from Indian Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize-winning Gitajali: 

• Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

• Where knowledge is free;

• Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

• Where words come out from the depth of truth;

• Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

• Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

• Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--

• Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 

Thank you. 

Center for International Education