Image belongs to Annabel Boyer via ABC
ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, has some interesting podcasts which cover things in the international sphere that you don’t often hear about. I recently listened to India School which contained reflections by a number of young adults who had attended the International Sahaja Public School in a remote part of India. The nearest town to the school is Dharamsala, but when talking about the original journey out to the school the students mentioned that the road ended… and then they started walking. For a 9 year old, this must’ve been quite exciting if also a bit daunting. But one man mentioned how he’d told his parents how he really wanted to go to the school, yet didn’t really cotton on to the fact that his parents would not be there with him until the day he started school and they headed back to Australia. I thought this indicitive of a 9 year old’s thinking and was intrigued to listen on through the podcast to see if this scenario presented any trauma to any of the students. It did not appear so.
By all accounts the students worked hard in academic and spiritual endeavours, but also had a lot of what they kept referring to as “wild times” exploring the forests and mountains and even trying to catch a bear. Despite being away from family in such a remote place one thing that was apparent, and this will resonate with many Femina Intrepida readers, was that re-entry to Australia after leaving the Himalayan school was the hardest thing for the students. Again, the TCK theme of feeling like you are in an alien world arises.
There are also some intriguing moments when the producer and host, Annabel Boyer, asks her mother how she felt about sending her daughter off to the school. I’ll leave you to listen to her sincere words about that topic. The podcast is put together really nicely with beautiful music and a nice flow to the issues, stories and points the students reveal. You can listen via the link below.
India School audio download on ABC Radio National 360 Documentaries
Have you attended boarding school or enrolled your child in one? If you can relate to some of the issues covered in this podcast, please get in touch via comments or our Facebook page as we’d love to hear your voice on Femina Intrepida.
Hi all, I am Mita Bajaj, I have sent my son in public boarding school when he was 9 years old and I have not faced any bad issue with him. Rather after two years, I have observed very vast change in his daily life. He was very stubborn and violent, but now, he seem to be more descent, active and intelligent.
That sounds like a good result, Mita. Thank you for your comment.