“You lead English prayer?” The request, by the exercise instructor at the end of the morning session set off a series of UU heart palpitations. I had no idea what the girls at this school usually prayed and I had no idea what to say in a prayer in general. However, when I paused, he prompted me with “You know, the last.” Our morning exercise sessions often include We Shall Overcome in English or Marathi. I had never considered that song as a prayer before. As I looked into the eyes of these 160 young girls – most of whom are the first people in their families to get a formal education and who are part of an anti-oppression movement – and sang the words “we shall overcome” I felt part of a bigger moment.
A few weeks later, I was asked to lead the song again. This time, it was in the context of many dalits (untouchables), tribal people, and others who were gathering to stage a massive protest. The government had gone against the wishes of 53 village councils and incorporated them into a municipal corporation. Villagers from these villages and others blocked the main highway, masses participated in protest marches, and a handful of leaders went on a hunger strike that continued 3 days until the government agreed to review the decision.
I had met Vivek Pandit, the co-founder of Vidhayak Sansad, when he came to
I am a teacher and each summer I like to travel somewhere in the world in a capacity that will allow me to get to know something of the local place, people, and life. After learning about the anti-oppression work of Vidhayak Sansad, I thought I could use my skills as a teacher in a bilingual school in this small corner of
I usually learn at least a few phrases in the local language, but I had no Marathi upon arrival. To my relief, there is a system of commonly understood gestures that I could quickly pick up based on my experience with sign languages. I used that and my slowly (word-by-word) increasing Marathi vocabulary to communicate with the 160 students in 1st to 7th grade. I like to think that my stumbling attempts at Marathi gave the girls more enthusiasm or courage to try their English. However, their joy for meeting and getting to know a new person (especially one crazy enough to dance the Hokey Pokey which they had learned from Laney-teacher) and their enthusiasm for sharing about their lives probably played a more important role.
Besides endless verses of Hokey Pokey (even including “put your teeth in…”) and other favorite American children’s songs with motions, my days were spent in two capacities. I taught the 5th-7th graders daily and rotated through the younger classes, which led to enthusiastic requests of “Teacher, teacher” and a number shown by fingers or pointing to a classroom by the younger students until I learned the words for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. I also worked in the Vidhayak Sansad office to help write two annual reports for funders. In this capacity I was able to meet and interview a number of dedicated activists and organizers of Shramjivi Sanghathana and learn about the challenges and success they experience in the field.
This summer, I learned a lot about love, dedication to social justice, and joy of living. I can only hope the students learned something from me as well.
- Wendy Harris
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