We are in the air Saturday evening beginning the 15 hour flight from Delhi to Newark with memories of an extraordinary week. The students and faculty of Lady Shri Ram College provided abundant hospitality throughout the week. They offered a provocative study of the life and work of Gandhi and consideration of the place of Gandhi in our society today. Our study explored Gandhi from the perspectives of politics, economics, peace and conflict transformation, sociology, and the media.

Our work in the classroom was complimented by energetic interaction between the students of LSR and OWU. These interactions included the opening tour on Sunday; three sessions of community service; dance workshops offered by OWU Dance Professor Marin Leggett; numerous meals together; informal conversations about all sorts of issues relating to our cultures and the larger global context; and finally a tour of Gandhi-related sites in Delhi Saturday. The tour included places of worship from various faith traditions frequented by Gandhi, the house where Gandhi often stayed during his visits to Delhi, and the site of his assassination on January 30, 1948.

Interaction between students of the two institutions continued into the wee hours of each night with Facebook posts and extended conversations online continuing the engaging discussions of the day or preparing for joint presentations the following day. A treat on the final afternoon was a dance presentation by students of the two schools, under the direction of Marin Leggett. Principal Gopinath, the leader of LSR and herself an LSR alumna from the class of 1970, was so moved by the presentation that she asked for the opening music to be played again so that she could honor the work of the week and the visit by Ohio Wesleyan to LSR. She stepped on stage and presented a beautiful extemporaneous dance that brought students from both schools to their feet in a roaring ovation.

Lady Shri Ram College, widely noted as the top liberal arts college in India, is interested in an ongoing relationship with Ohio Wesleyan. During the week, we discussed the possibility of student exchanges, faculty exchanges, joint faculty development, occasional short courses offered on each campus for students from both campuses, and other ways in which we can share our talents and resources.

As I return from my first trip to India, I am struck by many things: the rich and diverse culture; the pride of the people of India; the complexity of a society that remains deeply divided economically and socially with both great prosperity and widespread poverty; the places where the boundaries of social class are bridged, such as in the bright colors of saris, tunics, and other apparel worn by women of every social class; the paradox of an ancient culture in a historic nation with a government and Constitution that were formed barely half a century ago; and the tensions between tradition and modernity that are leading to enormous social change.  

Oh yes, and then there is the frenetic bombardments of all of the senses, represented most dramatically in the streets of India. There one encounters people sitting in the street; pedestrians walking in every direction; very old two-wheeled bullock carts being pulled by donkeys, mules, horses, oxen, bulls, camels, and men; rickshaws, both motorized and the old pedaled types; mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles; automobiles; tour vans and busses; and more. The lines marking lanes and the lights directing traffic are, at best, suggestions. It is a fascinating country that leaves much for contemplation and offers much opportunity for collaboration in higher education, as well as for the corporate and non-profit sectors.

India and the United States are the two largest democracies in the world today. India is enjoying dramatic economic growth. The country has bold ambitions for increasing opportunity for higher education. Colleges and universities in India are eager to partner with institutions in the United States. My visits to the United States-India Educational Foundation offices in Mumbai and Delhi confirmed that many families in India want to send their sons and daughters to the United States for college. All in all, there is enormous opportunity for Ohio Wesleyan in India.

Finally, a word about our students. This is my first time as President to have the opportunity to immerse myself fully in the student experience for a week, – living, studying, and interacting with a group of OWU students in an intensive experience. Each student brought a unique perspective to our conversations and to our life together. I was moved by their passion for learning, their curiosity about people and cultures different from their own, their insightful reflections about all they saw, their care for one another and others around them, and their desire to serve. With students like these, and with the commitments they bring to all they do at OWU, one can see the coming fulfillment of our vision to prepare the next generation of moral leaders for a global society.

When we began planning details of our time in India, the students in our delegation requested that time be set aside for community service. This is consistent with the OWU culture and the commitments of OWU students. We quickly found it also is consistent with the culture of Lady Shri Ram College and the LSR students. 

LSR students participate in numerous programs of outreach and community service. Most notably, as reported by Brenda Gable, each afternoon between 30 and 50 children from a nearby slum spend an hour at LSR where they engage in activities and receive tutoring from LSR students. We were told that these children often come from very large families that, if they are lucky, have a single room in which to live. We were told that these students likely will all be out of school by the time they finish the tenth grade. At LSR, they receive an extra dose of care that could make all of the difference in their lives. For our work with these students, activities that do not require language were planned. On Monday we worked together to make origami’s, and on Thursday we watched the children create beautiful artwork on an outdoor patio through an Indian folk art known as rangoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangoli ). The LSR students are making an enormous difference in the lives of these children, and for two days our students were able to join in.

As reported by Craig Ullom, we also visited Muskaan, a center for intellectually disabled youth and adults that is the brainchild of a former LSR faculty member and now serves more than 100 persons every day. We saw the various work centers where these individuals help grind and package spices, make candles as well as decorative container for the candles, make gift bags with lovely art, and bake pastries that are packaged for sale. Our students interacted with the people working at Muskaan and engaged in a friendly game of basketball with a group of them.

Through the daily commitments of the students at LSR working with children from nearby slum and through the life work of Shanti Auluck in creating Muskaan, we were reminded of the potential that exists in each person to change the world. Gandhi challenged his colleagues to “be the change you want to see in the world.” This amazing journey has taught us much about Gandhi, much about the complexities of the culture of India and our own culture, and much about the opportunity to make a difference.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Last night in a conversation with the parent of a current OWU student from Delhi, the parent noted that the strength of India lies in its diversity. This comment grew out of a discussion of Indian cuisine and the variety in Indian food from various parts of the country. He noted the difference between the diet of South India and North India, and then said that each of the four states of South India in fact has its own unique cuisine. He went on to talk about the diversity of culture, ritual, and religion. His argument is that it is the rich diversity that holds the country together and makes India, well, India.

Our experience with Lady Shri Ram College began Sunday with a day in the city, led by students and faculty from LSR. Our first stop was the Lotus temple, a magnificent sacred space constructed by the Baha’I community. The principles of the Baha’I faith include the common foundation of all religions. The lotus temple is a pilgrimage destination for Indian people of many religious traditions, reflecting again the rich diversity of the land.

We began our course on Gandhi Monday morning with a prayer service on the lawn of LSR. The service was patterned after the morning prayer service Gandhi shared with his friends each day at the Ashram.  Gandhi was interested in many religious traditions, and his daily prayer service drew upon those traditions. The service included the favorite hymns of Gandhi, readings from various religious traditions including Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism, reflecting Gandhi’s understanding of the authenticity of the collection of the world’s religious traditions. We were all deeply moved, many to tears, by the beauty of the music, the serenity of the prayers, and the unity of the human spirit reflected in the service.

So often today religion is used as a source of division, and diversity is treated with suspicion, if not hostility. It is good to be reminded that our strength is found in our diversity.

Our tour of Delhi yesterday included a visit to the Crafts Museum, a presentation of the culture and history of India’s rural villages.  The exhibit included replicas of village homes, bullock carts and other essentials for village and agrarian life, and demonstrations of traditional Indian craft making such as carving and sculpting (wood, stone, ivory, clay), etching, drawing, painting, spinning, weaving, sewing, etc. We saw an amazing collection of historic Indian art.

Our guides from LSR explained the background for the family house in the center of the village, with individual rooms for each unit of the extended family, an internal courtyard for the extended family’s gathering place, and the public area in front of the house where the village would gather for important events and for storytelling.

It’s interesting to think about the significance of a place where the village gathers to share information and to hear its own story. The fact of the space is a statement about the significance of preserving the communal stories and history that shape the culture of the village and form the people who live there. As we begin our study of Gandhi today, we will be reminded of his preference for the simple life of the agrarian village over the industrial city. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can consider those elements of our past that we might be wise to reconsider. Perhaps we should give deeper thought to the value of time and space reserved for telling stories, reciting history, practicing ritual, and claiming relationships – in our communities, in our families, and on our campuses.

Saturday was intended for a noon reception for admitted students from Mumbai. However, end-of-year exams for graduating seniors ended late Saturday morning, and our admitted students were not able to meet with us.

So we spent Saturday with the family of a recent OWU alumna from Mumbai, whose sister will enroll at OWU in the fall. The day of conversation in their home and a wonderful guided tour of the city left us immersed with more images of India – a visit to an ornate, ancient Hindu temple – holy ground; lunch of traditional Indian fare in a contemporary, neighborhood vegetarian restaurant; passing a funeral procession as the men bore the body of the deceased, adorned in flowers, to the crematorium; tens (perhaps hundreds) of thousands of people of every part of Indian society enjoying an early summer Saturday. We learned about the discipline of daily prayers at the temple at 5:30 a.m. We learned about the transition in cultural norms in a society where parents of our students from India entered marriages arranged by their parents, but where today’s students no longer are expected to have marriages arranged by their parents. We experienced the profound hospitality that characterizes the welcome extended to guests in an Indian home. We heard the horrific stories of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, reminiscent of the experience of people in New York on 9/11. We were reminded of the richness of a culture that has persisted through the centuries despite threats from within and from abroad. We have so much to learn from one another on this planet that grows smaller and more interdependent every day.

We flew to Delhi Saturday evening, where we arrived about the same time as our seven students – Alecia, Anna, Brenda, Emily, Kelsey, Molly and Shannon. It was good to be united with them after our two days in Mumbai and their 14 hour flight. We were met by representatives from Lady Shri Ram College who transported us to the Legends Inn, our home for the next week, adjacent to LSR. Today’s schedule includes breakfast at Legends Inn, a visit to Lotus Temple, lunch at LSR, a visit to the National Crafts Museum, a visit to a memorial to Gandhi marking the spot where he was cremated following his assassination in 1948, and drives past India Gate and Parliament House.  We’ll visit Dilli Haat, a local handicrafts bazaar, and the Navdanya Stall, an organic food center at Dilli Haat, before returning to the Legend Inn for dinner.

We had a terrific evening with a group of young OWU alumni in Mumbai. The group represents majors in English (Creative Writing), Economics, Fine Arts, and Mathematics. We had lengthy conversations about OWU and how to attract more students from India to Ohio Wesleyan. Like nearly all OWU alumni, these former students talked at length about the impact of individual professors, the benefit of small classes, and the opportunities for learning both inside and outside of the classroom. They talked about the diversity of the campus and the commitment at OWU to break down boundaries. One of the group said she thought OWU might be the only place in the world where a student from India and a student from Pakistan could be best friends and where Indian and Pakistani students can watch cricket matches between the two countries, together. I suspect it can happen elsewhere, but OWU is a special oasis where students have the opportunity to build bridges of understanding that can be quite difficult in another setting.

We were reminded again of the important role parents and extended families play in decision making in India and of the willingness of Indian families to sacrifice to provide educational opportunities for their sons and daughters. We were told of the important role of independent counselors in advising students who are considering college in the United States, and of the preparatory schools most likely to send Indian students abroad. We were advised to make alumni and parents of current and former students available to support our recruiting efforts. With this dinner, we have three candidates for the video we will produce for recruiting in India.

All of the alumni spoke with deep gratitude about the work of Darrell Albon, director of international and off-campus programs at OWU. One called Darrell “our God.” They expressed appreciation for the opportunity to visit other parts of the United States as part of their time at OWU (all international students have the opportunity to visit New York City and Washington, DC, with the support of Gordon and Helen Smith). We left the dinner once again amazed by the energy, passion, and intellectual capacity of our young alumni and encouraged about prospects for building a much stronger presence for OWU in India. Like OWU alumni everywhere, these young alums are making a significant impact.

Oh yes, we were advised of one other way to attract students from India – add cricket as a club sport.

We’re looking forward to lunch with prospective students today and then to the journey to Delhi where we will meet the 7 OWU students as they arrive in India this evening.

We saw much of Mumbai as we traveled from our hotel north of the city to the offices of the United States-India Educational Foundation today. Mumbai is a city of more than 20 million people, making it the fourth largest city in the world.  A visitor is overwhelmed with the sensory overload that accompanies the density of the population; the color and beauty of the dress; the range of conditions in which people live; the aroma of curry that seems never far away; and streets packed with taxis, rickshaws, people walking and/or pulling cargo carts, and animals. There are echoes of the colonial era in the architecture of grand buildings and evidence of both the financial interests and the poverty that characterize the city today. Mumbai is the wealthiest city in India, hosting the country’s largest financial institutions, commercial interests, and entertainment industry, but one cannot miss the extreme poverty that affects much of the population.

We enjoyed an inspiring and memorable visit to the home of Shri Revashankar Jhaveri,  where Gandhi stayed during his visits to Mumbai between 1917 and 1934 and where he  orchestrated much of the movement for Home Rule.  Most notably, it was in a tent on the terrace of this home that Gandhi was arrested in 1932. The home now is a museum that tells the story of Gandhi’s life. Among the most moving exhibits were letters written by Gandhi to Adolph Hitler and to Franklin Roosevelt, and a copy of Albert Einstein’s eulogy to Gandhi, delivered in Princeton. Einstein concluded, “Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”

Our visit to USIEF was productive. We met Sucharita Narayanan, regional officer, and Behrooz K. Y. Avari, educational advising services associate. They were quite interested in Ohio Wesleyan and, in particular, in the current global initiatives at OWU. They indicated that students from India would be attracted to a campus with the diversity of OWU, and that these students would like the opportunity to join American students in other international experiences through travel-learning courses. The majority of the students with whom USIEF works have interest in either engineering or business. We discussed the importance of the liberal arts in preparation for leadership in these sectors and in developing capacities for entrepreneurial activity. We talked about Ohio Wesleyan’s many strengths, including in the sciences and in economics.

We were reminded of the important role played by extended families in assisting students from India with higher education. We were told that families from India often make great sacrifices in order to provide for their children the opportunity of a college education. The depth of financial commitment by the extended family, and the accompanying acknowledgement of the value of a college education, was striking. As a way to communicate with families of prospective students, it was suggested that we consider making a brief video featuring current and former Indian students at OWU, and perhaps parents of one or two students from India, and that we make the video available to prospective students and families in India. Our friends at USIEF were thrilled to learn that Anand Philip, a native of India who graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 2000, now serves on the OWU Board of Trustees.

Tonight we host OWU alumni and parents of current and former OWU students. It is good to make connections with Battling Bishops around the world.

Melissa, Craig Ullom, and I arrived in Mumbai last night after a 14-hour flight from Newark. Our preparation for the trip included readings, video conferences with representatives from LSR, and insights shared with others who have explored India and who are interested in partnerships among colleges and universities in our respective countries.

In a video conference with our delegation a month or so ago, LSR’s Principal Gopinath offered two pieces of advice for first time travelers to India. First, she noted that India is a land of paradox and nuance and that “for everything that is true about India, the opposite is true.” Second, she suggested that the best way to experience the rich texture of India is by suspending all Western assumptions of time and space. While our introduction to India at this point consists of nothing more than a taxi ride from the airport to Taj Land’s End, where we are staying, I can see already the wisdom of her counsel.

Today’s schedule includes a presentation to counselors at the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) this afternoon and a reception this evening with OWU alumni and parents of current and former OWU students from Mumbai.  USIEF has been instrumental in directing students from India to OWU.  You can learn more about USIEF at http://www.usief.org.in/About-USIEF.aspx .

Our student delegation departs from campus at noon today and from Port Columbus around 2:30. Various members of the delegation have been skyping with LSR students this week in preparation for assignments they will complete in small groups during our time together at LSR. Already we are seeing the benefits of technology in preparing us for this time together.

Rock

This photograph was taken in 2011 by Ohio Wesleyan students during an OWU Theory-to-Practice grant-funded trip to study children's welfare in Kolkata, India. From March 9-18, a delegation of OWU students will visit New Delhi to study the life of Mahatma Gandhi with students from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. (Photo courtesy of Addie Hemmen '12.)

Two years ago, Ohio Wesleyan University was selected by the Institute for International Education as one of 10 colleges and universities in the United States to participate in a new International Academic Partnership Program in India. The program is designed to foster partnerships among institutions of higher education in the world’s two largest democracies.

In November 2010, Darrell Albon, director of international and off campus programs, and Craig Ullom, vice president for student affairs, represented Ohio Wesleyan in the program’s inauguration. Since that time, we have actively explored potential partnerships.  Last fall, students from Ohio Wesleyan and students from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi participated in a series of video conferences as a prelude for forming a partnership between the two institutions.

In January, seven students were selected to represent Ohio Wesleyan in an inaugural experience at Lady Shri Ram College as we formalize a relationship between OWU and LSR.  OWU students will join a group of LSR students for a weeklong study of “Gandhi Today: Perspectives and Possibilities,” a curriculum developed specifically for this purpose.

Melissa and I have the privilege of leading this group of OWU students, along with Craig Ullom and Marin Leggat, assistant professor of theatre and dance.  In addition to our work with students at LSR, Melissa and I will visit Mumbai where we will host a reception for OWU alumni and prospective students and where I will meet with college counselors at the United States International Education Foundation (USIEF) office. We will participate in similar sessions in New Delhi, including my presentation on the liberal arts in the United States, which I will offer at the USIEF office.

In New Delhi, we also will join LSR students and faculty in visiting sites of interest to students of Gandhi, participating in religious services reflecting Gandhi’s philosophy, community service on the LSR campus and in New Delhi, and a series of sessions with topics including Gandhi, Ecology and Developmentality; Gandhi and Psychoanalysis; Peace and Reconciliation; Gandhi and the Ethics of Food; and Gandhi in the Popular Imagination. In preparation for the trip, students have read Gandhi’s autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, and Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule), along with numerous other essays suggested by the faculty at LSR.

Throughout our visit, I and other participants will post reflections and photos through which we hope to share our experience. We hope you will share this journey with us.

Rock