Service and scholarship in India
Study abroad program offers inside look at living and giving back in India
2:01 p.m., April 22, 2016--Since 2009, the University of Delaware’s Mahasveta (Gitu) Barua has led students to study abroad in India, and specifically her home state of Assam.
Barua, adjunct professor of English, has designed a service-based program that allows participants to dream up, propose and carry out their own volunteer projects at Parijat Academy, a small school that provides free education for underprivileged children in the surrounding rural areas, through a commonly-taught business writing course.
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Parijat Academy began as a grassroots effort in 2003 when a local man, Uttam Teron, noticed that aboriginal children could not attend public schools as a result of language and other economic and social barriers. “Over the years, it has grown,” noted Barua. “They’ve really benefited because all of us have sort of rallied to it.”
Students who studied abroad during Winter Session as part of this program joined forces to carry out a number of projects, including dance lessons, physical education classes, arts and crafts activities, and a pen-pal project with UD’s College School.
Monica Lindsay, a 2016 Gilman Scholar, was a member of the team that taught students a choreographed dance to a popular Beyonce song. “We chose this because we believed that music and dance are universal languages that would help us communicate with the students and give them a taste of American culture,” said Lindsay. The dance, she said, infused American contemporary choreography with traditional Bihu moves.
“The most rewarding part of this experience was just being with the students,” said Brien Gleason, a junior Honors Program student and economics and mathematics major, who was worried that the students would be a tough crowd to please.
“After the first day, my group talked about how we thought it went and we were unsure what their general impression of us was,” Gleason said, noting that language barriers made communication difficult at first. “When we went back the second day, we could tell that the kids were very excited and retained a lot of the information we taught and showed them.”
Throughout their time in India, the students also explored the country, traveled through several states, visited a literary festival, and stayed with local families.
“I wanted to choose a trip that was outside of the traditional study abroad locations, one that would expand my horizons and push me outside of my comfort zone,” said Lindsay, who was first inspired to travel to India after being assigned the University’s freshman reader, Beyond the Beautiful Forevers.
Lindsay received exactly the experience she’d hoped for, commenting that “India is such a dynamic country. As a developing nation, I was moved by the respect individuals have for democracy and political activism. Each state is complex, with different histories, cultural norms and languages. I enjoyed being surprised on a daily basis.”
As a capstone to the program, Barua works with her UD students each year to co-organize an international conference. Held annually since the program’s inception in 2009 and titled “Closing the Divide in a Globalized World,” the one-day event brings UD students together with other Indian university students and local leaders in academic and non-profit fields to put their experiences into context.
This year’s conference focused on “Global Mobility and Migration,” a topic currently on the tables of many nations around the world. Each of the students sat in on several presentations, but also moderated a final session centered on discussion.
“The topic of the conference is not always related to the service,” said Barua, “but in a way it is, because it gives my students the ability to talk about India, and what they have seen. You really become a part of the culture for a little while and that gives them a confidence they wouldn’t have otherwise.”
According to Lindsay, the conference was most impactful because “it was a powerful experience that celebrated the voices of India…while giving us a platform to engage in conversation with them.”
As students returned home, they were encouraged by Barua to allow what could simply be an isolated, one-month experience, to inform their daily academic and personal lives. “I always believe there should be a follow through,” she said.
Many participants of the program over its six years have continued on to present on related topics at professional conferences.
To learn more about the India study abroad program, visit the program’s website or contact Barua. Students interested in exploring India further are invited to apply for the program by Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. Interest meetings will be held on May 3 and 4 at 5-6 p.m. in 110 Memorial Hall.
The Institute for Global Studies has launched an initiative to celebrate the diversity of its study abroad community. Watch Gitu Barua’s video, and see more of the #UDAbroad Voices of Our Community video series on the University’s Go Global YouTube Playlist.
About the Institute for Global Studies
The Institute for Global Studies was created in 2009 to enhance the international dimensions of teaching, research and outreach at the University of Delaware. IGS provides leadership and support for programs and experiences that contribute to the education of informed, skilled, open-minded citizens of the world.
Best known for coordinating the University’s study abroad program, IGS also awards scholarships and grants to faculty and students for a number of global opportunities, and administers internationally-recognized U.S. Department of State-sponsored programs such as the UD Fulbright Initiative, Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Institute, Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders, and most recently the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders on Women’s Leadership (SUSI-WL) program.
IGS sponsors such signature events as Global Month each fall and country-specific celebrations each spring, such as Arctic Month 2016.
IGS collaborates with other global partners on campus, including the Office for International Students and Scholars, the Confucius Institute and the Center for Global and Area Studies. In addition, IGS partners with Enrollment Management to coordinate the UD World Scholars Program.
Article by Nikki Laws