When the teachers began to develop a level of comfort with the basic vocabulary and phrases, Raj stood up and offered a challenge. Having divided the group into four teams, he offered an “incentive” of 100 RS to the group that could do a skit with the most participation from their group with the most usage of English vocabulary and concepts studied in the small groups. After about 10 minutes of prep time, each group yielded the best skit they could, and they ranged from very “serious” skits featuring teachers and students interacting about career choices, to more comical skits where teachers parodied the struggles that they have with their kids in the classrooms and trying to keep them quiet and attentive. In the end, each did such a great job that Raj doped out a 100 RS note to each group, and even another 100 to an “MVP” teacher who was especially creative (and hilarious) in one of the men’s groups. As a general rule, India (particularly South Indian) culture is extremely expressive artistically. It is not uncommon for everyone to play multiple musical instruments, be familiar with literally hundreds of folk and contemporary songs, and adapt quickly and readily to drama or other means of expression. If they think or believe something, it comes out in their arts and expression, and those expressions are vast in number and depth.
No comments:
Post a Comment