My Time at Tirthankar Mahaveer Vidya Mandir, Pawapuri

By Joe Grif

From Monday to Saturday, for 4 weeks this past summer, at 8am each morning, I passed by a shining white marble building, the Jain temple in Pawapuri. The temple was settled amidst a pond covered by the leaves and flowers of white lotuses. Later I came to realise that in India mythology the lotus symbolises knowledge.

After passing the temple, the school bus I was in parked at the front gates of Tirthankar Mahavir Vidya Mandir (TMVM). When I first entered the building, I was surprised at the size of the school. A large internal courtyard was surrounded by three stories where classes were taught. After morning assembly, from each storey I could hear repetitions – perhaps of multiplication tables or some basic words of English.

I taught in several classes from standard 6-10. The classes were often difficult – the months of July and August are unforgiving in Bihar. Temperatures reached 35 degrees and it was humid. Nonetheless, my students were brimming with questions: “Where did I come from?”, “What was my family like?”, “What did I eat at home?” It was difficult making a textbook chapter relatable to my students lives but working with our shared cultural interest in one another, I made my classes an opportunity for cultural and linguistic exchange. I showed my students videos based off the texts we were reading. I showed them photos from Ireland, where I am currently studying, and I taught them words that English-speakers would use such as “guys”, “hey” or “come on!”. I hope that this is where I might have made an impact – exposing students to the world outside of Bihar, just as they taught me so much about life inside it!

I was surprised at the level of English my students spoke – most were able to comfortably hold a conversation in English. My British English accent was understandably challenging for the students. But as I taught more classes, I soon found that we overcame these barriers.

I quickly grew fond of my students. In Standard 10 class, I had the opportunity to find out more about my students. For example, Nisha wants to be a graphic designer and she often wrote in both English and Hindi in her drawings. And Rishabh wants to work in the technology sector – he wants to learn English to help him get there and to travel.

Realising the opportunity that education presented for these students – how radically it could change their lives was very moving for me. Leaving them, even after such a brief period, was emotionally very difficult for me. Nonetheless, I had a very special last day at TMVM – where I got to say goodbye to the students and my last ride in the school bus with all the children was fun and joyful.

Though it was undoubtedly a challenging experience to work in the heat and the depravation of Pawapuri, I am immensely grateful for all I learnt. I also did not quite manage to let go of my students – I am still tutoring Rishabh!

Next Volunteer Programme being planned….

We are excited to inform you that we are in the process of organising the next volunteer trip at the end of July 2024 for two weeks. Greater detail of the trip will be released soon.