Click here to view the embedded video.

They will do a theatre workshop with noted alternative theatre director Parnab Mukherjee for the children of Charanagar, they will have an arts workshop with renown artist Pravin Mishra, teach English to underprivileged children and set up a micro credit initiative that was kickstarted by their peers in the previous exchange.

Continuing a longstanding relationship with the school community of MGIS and different communities of Ahmedabad, it is a pleasure to welcome them back a third time for yet another enriching intercultural experience.

Photo credit: Abida Desai

Their trip started with a great deal of sightseeing.

Their first visit was to Kangaroo Island, outside of Adelaide. This, according to Sharvik Chhajed, “was the highlight of the trip.” He said, “We got to see wallabies in their natural environment, an authentic honey farm and a eucalyptus farm, and a rainbow near the beach.”

Along with that they visited Haighs chocolate factory,

and then went to Tandanya, an aboriginal museum,


the also saw the Adelaide cricket stadium, the Adelaide  zoo, a cultural and music festival, a movie on the 5 seasons, Adelaide Central Library, South Australian Museum, and traveled in a ferry.

The trip ended with a display put on by the Indian students, which entailed showcasing Indian culture. The students set up stalls with traditional festive merchandise and handicrafts as seen below.

The programme ended with the students of Mercedes College getting a Garba lesson from the MGIS students:

Click here to view the embedded video.

By the student’s admission, the trip was eventful and fun but also an innovative look into life in another country, and a great learning experience!
Shortly a week after returning, the student’s planned a seminar for the MGIS students to display all they had experienced. Read about it here.

The exchange trip had been in collaboration with the Mercedes College, Adelaide, and the students put up the display as an informative depiction of all that they had learned and experienced on their trip.

The exhibition was from 10 to 11, and consisted of numerous activities such as movie screenings etc.

Watch this space for more information on our intercultural exchanges.

One of our own, Raghuveer Kathpalia was awarded a full scholarship, and departs for Nara, the capital of Nara Prefecture tomorrow, the 2nd of December. He will be staying with a host family for two weeks.

Raghuveer is the 6th MGIS student to be awarded an AFS scholarship. In the past, MGIS students have experienced USA and Brazil along with Japan. See details here

These intercultural programs provide, not only exposure to other cultures,but also their harmonious fusion. MGIS students prove once again, by example, that the belief that “only with deep insight into the ways of the world can you make a difference to it”, is a very apt one!

Raghuveer returns to India on the 15th of December.

All of the French students and teachers were put up with host families from MGIS, and over the past couple of weeks, have been involved in a number of interesting activities at the school that have exposed them to the different facets of life in India. They participated in garba-classes, and an art workshop with Mr. Toofan Refai, they learned about and celebrated holi; they visited the many heritage sites in the city, and also made a three-day trip to Zainabad.

At the same time however, these exchange programmes serve another very important purpose: of doing meaningful and beneficial work in assistance of the underprivileged .The French students were here especially to collaborate with MGIS on various community-service projects, and to set up a micro-credit programme for those in need.

The exchange programme culminated yesterday with a retrospective of sorts. grade 10/11 MGIS students put up stalls of the different activities that had taken place (tie & die, henna, block-printing, Indian games). While the French students expressed their own experiences of their time here through role-plays, songs, collages/visuals, and a short film.

Here’s to the success of another wonderful and enriching exchange, and to the hopes of many more in times to come.

Click here to read a student’s account of the opening day of the exchange

Click here to read related press article

The students enjoy lunch at the Natraani Cafe

Learning to use a Charkha

A visit to the city museam

MGIS and Lycee international students have dinner at Rajvadu

Celebrating holi on campus!

Block-printing stall on last day

A french student at the henna stall on the last day of the exhange programme

The students during their trip to Zainabad

Pics: Reema Shah

In April, 14 students and two teachers from MGIS went to France for a creative and cultural exchange programme. “We had a great time introducing Gandhiji and his philosophy of Ahimsa to French children from Class VI to XI, through interactive activities and a short film prepared by students,” says Minoo Joshi, a teacher who was a part of the exchange programme. The students who went to France elaborate on the warmth with which they were treated in the foreign land.

“The French people are really loving and their art is also impressive. Gandhiji is really respected there so the students were eager to learn more about his principles,” says Ahalya Gandhi who visited France.In February 2010, 15 students of Lycee International will come for two weeks to MGIS and collaborate on a series of community service projects and a micro-credit programme for the underprivileged. After this, another team from MGIS will visit France.
My friends Simon Behr, William Puyo and I have come down to work with the underprivileged in Kutch. We plan to start a micro-credit programme for them. Our other batchmates will arrive in February next year,” says Edward de Souchier, a visiting student from Lycée International.

Anju Musafir, the founder director of MGIS, explains the programme, saying, “Lycée International  is a very prestigious school in France. What’s special about this particular programme is that there is a lot of student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher interaction.”

She says that the students decide the projects well in advance and work on them together. “Schools in Gujarat are generally not the first choice when it comes to exchange programmes. This is a way of encouraging them to have many such cultural exchanges in Ahmedabad,” she adds.

The above article was published in the Ahmedabad Mirror on 21/7/2009

and then proceeded towards the activities prepared for them by the MGIS students of standard 10. There were interactive activity stalls of Indian food, music, art, dance and sports.

The French students and teachers enjoyed being a part of these activities. They relished the different flavours of the Indian street side food: Bhel & Pani Puri, and spontaneously shook a leg to some Bollywood songs. They also showed off their painting skills on the Indian diyas and dressed up in Indian clothes and jewellery.

We met these students and felt fresh vibes of energy. The students were also taught to write their names in our national language, Hindi and were introduced to traditional Indian games. They appreciated the diverse Indian culture and thoroughly enjoyed their first day.

- Harsimran Singh, Grade 10, MGIS

The exchange will involve students from grade nine to eleven, who will be going to Mombasa from February 15th to March 2nd. Whilst there, the students will collaborate with 10 students of the Aga Khan academy in putting together a theatre piece that deals with Diaspora experiances (Kenyans of Indian descent, and the Kenyan/Sidi community in India)

As a part of the project, during the months leading up to the exchange, the students will be involved in conducting pertitant research. The Kenyan students will go out and interview members of the indian community, and similarly, our students will go out into Ahmedabad (and possibley other parts of the state) in order to interact with the Sidi communities. All of this research will be documented and will form the basis of the brainstorming process when the two groups meet and begin work on their theatre production.

Apart from the cultural exchange, there is an important element of community and service to this visit as well. Being inclusive is a vital aspect of MGIS’s pedagogy, and thus it integrates 20% socio-economically underprivileged children in every class. Mecredes College students visited heir homes and interacted with them and their families.

The students of both schools  organized exhibition of their culture specific traditions such as rangoli, tie and dye, rugby, etc. There were also activities and performances to create intercultural awareness. There were several interactive sessions on Gandhian philosophy, comparative study of recycling and preserving resources, Heritage walk in the old city, excursions to local monuments and temples such as Adalaj, Gandhi Ashram and so forth. With their visit coinciding with Navartri, the Australians have, from the very onset, gotten a taste of Indian festivities and traditions; the colorful attires and accessories, the food, and most importantly Garba, a folk dance from Gujarat!

(please click on the fist picture to view slideshow)

Highlights of the exchange programme:

-Interactive sessions with grade 10 on the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi

-Presentations by grade 10 comparing methods and policies pertaining recycling of resources in India and Australia

- Navratri celebration in school with performances of garba, rass, and other folk dances of the state by MGIS students

- Indo-Australia day, a sort of cultural fair with activities and stalls, both Indian and Australian (tie and dye, rangoli, making boomerangs, rugby, food, block printing, henna etc.)

- The Heritage walk and excursions to the Gandhi Ashram and various historical temples and monuments of the city.

- Cultural exchange night (organized by the 10th graders)

- Four-day trip to Udaipur

Thoughts from students and teachers:

“The people here are a lot more religous, but I think they’re also really friendly. The food is also very different, it is tastier and more authentic, especially the tea! My experiance here so far has been extremely enjoyable, but it has also been spiritual and eye-opening”

Laurence Lacoon Williamson, Mercedes college student

“So far, I think India’s great, I don’t want to go home. The people are really friendly, and I’m fascinated by how people drive here, without the lanes and everything. I think the heat’s nice too! It’s just been really exciting, the navratri festival, and the excursions. I’m also really looking forward to Udaipur and the rest of our stay”

Alex Ryan, Mercedes college student

“I’m hosting two Australian students, and this is the second time I’m doing it, but it’s still been really great. I really like introducing them to the city and our culture. I’ve been taking them on Rickshaw rides… I also took them to a Gurdwara. I really cherish this opportunity to interact with people from another culture.”

Harsimran Kaur, MGIS student

“I’m really excited to be here, just immersed in a mix of cultures, with people free to express themselves and… make noise. I think, as a whole, my experience so far has just been extremely positive and intensely rewarding, and something I will never forget. This is probably one of the highlights of my life”

- Esther Lamb, Mercedes College Teacher

“We’ve been having educational exchange programmes with Mercedes College since 2004. This is actually the 5th exchange programme that I’ve been a part of. I think it is a wonderful amalgamation of both cultures with students brought together through sharing, collaborative teamwork and learning about each other. One of things I’ve realized is that, we are intrinsically the same as human beings. That’s really one of the most exciting facets of these exchange programmes, celebrating our differences as well as enjoying our similarities through a healthy platform of exchange “

Minoo Joshi, Middle Years Programme Coordinator, MGIS

“This is my second trip to MGIS, I appreciate India immensely. MGIS has been really welcoming, and every time I’m here there’s always something new to experience and look forward to. Also, I think it’s just wonderful watching the kids and my collegues, who are all here for the first time, interacting and living new experiences. The IB promotes the idea of holistic learning, and I think this is a living example of the same. Being immersed in an entirely new culture, and having the opportunity to learn more about it, interacting with new people promotes understanding, tolerance and empathy”

- Paul Wordsworth, Head of Middle School, Mercedes College

In April this summer, we commenced the first leg of our exchange programme with the prestigious Lycée International School of Saint Germain-en-Laye. Fourteen students from the tenth grade and three teachers embarked for a two week stay in Paris. During the course of their visit, the students were all hosted by French families, attended classes at Lycee International and were, in essence, exposed to the culture and people of a foreign country.

Of course, the host-families, students and teachers in France were unraveling our own culture in equal proportions; with our students holding interactive sessions introducing Gandhiji and his philosophy of Ahimsa, as well conducting presentations about India and  its many attributes and customs.

The seeds of this exchange programme were planted in October last year, when Anjou Musafir, Pascal Chazot and Minoo Joshi went to initiate discussions with the faculty of Lycee International regarding the prospect. Subsequently, a team from the American Section of the Lycée International led by Mr Brian, a trustee and former manager of Macintosh in Europe; Mr Sean Lynch, the director and two professors Ms. Terry and Mr. Scott came to visit us at Ahmedabad to finalize the terms of the exchange.

With the success of this first batch, both schools are keen on continuing the partnership and organizing more exchanges in time to come. Since 8 July 2009, three students and a teacher of the Lycée International have been here to set up a community service project and explore some tangible aspects of the next exchange programme. What is more, it has already been finalized that in February 2010, 15 students of Lycée International will come for two weeks to MGIS and collaborate on a series of community service projects and a micro-credit programme for the underprivileged.

Click here to read student  accounts of the trip

Click here to read a teacher’s account

View slide show:

Activities done with the school:

Our students had a busy schedule, organizing  activities and workshops for the students of Grade 4-12 of Lycée International in Paris

-    Presentation on Mahatma Gandhi with a movie & conflict resolution activities. They were organized for grade 9-12 so as to give them a feel of Gandhi and make them understand his philosophy.

- Introductory classes across the grade 4-8 about India where the students wrote their names in Hindi, danced Garba, solved a jigsaw puzzle of the map of India… and a surprise dance performance by Sakhi Ganeriwala and Vishal Pandit on “Jai Ho”.

-    Special classes for the younger children also to familiarize them about India. They learnt how to make rangoli, tie and die, henna tattoos etc.

-    Franco-Indian Night: It was a fusion show where French students and we performed. Sakhi Ganeriwala danced Kathak; Shrishti Bhandari danced Bharatnatyam; we had some bollywood performances by Sakhi Ganeriwala, Fowzia Hawa, and Mahi Baid; and in the end, a Garba performance by Mahi Baid, Vishal Pandit, Parin Mehta and Tanvi Karwal.

Student Account of one of the classes, in English (so that more readers can understand)

“As part of our French class, we ran the school café for one day by making food of our choice but communicating entirely in French. We researched existing French recipes, selected one and wrote our recipes (in French) and adapted them to the ingredients available in India. We then organized ourselves into three groups, each one making one dish.

One dish was for starters, one for the main course and another for the dessert to respect the different courses served on the table in France. Our starter turned out to be great, with sizzled cabbage at the base and tangy, lemony corn salad, topped with coriander. This was a very healthy dish and we ran out of stock, serving it to others as well as eating half of it ourselves. The main course was a baked dish. We had great expectations from it but it turned out to be a complete flop. The dish turned out to be completely bitter. Our dessert was another hit to the point that we, the cooks ate it all up, not leaving one morsel to sell in the café. It was a delicious combination of fritters covered in sweet and sour lemon sauce

This experience helped us bond as a group. We used and improved our communication skills, gained respect for our fellow classmates’ opinions.”

Tanvi Karwal and Yesha Sanghvi, Grade 10

In July 2002, Anjou went to Adelaide for an IB Workshop as she was selected to be a trainer for the MYP. There she met Anthony Coles, the dynamic Head of Middle School (Mercedes College, Adelaide- a reputed IB school in Australia offering both the MYP and the DP) and struck a cord. Shortly after her return to India, Sunaina Shah, Mauli Shah and Kabeer Kathpalia won the national website Designing competition organized by Schoolnet India Ltd. As part of the package, they won a paid trip abroad. This opportunity was converted into an educational exchange, and in February 2003 the three students along with one of our teachers, Tanwinder Kohli went to Australia. There Tanwinder participated in the school life of Mercedes College, conducted a couple of sessions while the kids attended school.

We extended our invitation to Mercedes and Anthony said that they would probably work out a visit in 2004. Anthony kept his promise and in March 2004, 18 students from Grade 9 along with three teachers visited our school. Since then, the exchange programme has been going on with a lot of enthousiasm from both sides, with each visit being reciprocated.
CLICK HERE READ THE ARTICLE ON THE WEBSITE DESIGNING COMPETITION
Another article regarding the schoolnet Web designing Competition.

Click here to read the article published in the IB World magazine regarding the exchange programme. The article is entitled “Building Communities across continents” p.17

Click on these links: ‘Newsletter 2004‘, ‘Newsletter 2005‘, ‘Newsletter 2007′ to view the Newsletters of Mercedes College regarding this exchange.
In 2005 and 2007 Australian students visited our school during the second half of the year.Below are a series of articles:
Click here to read related article.

Link, Link 2