8-12 October 2012

My apartment in Rajapalayam was located next to a cotton mill, where most of the mill managers live with their families. During the the course of the week I was looked after by two very generous managers, Mr Ramanan and Mr Veluchamy. I had coffee and dinner with their families often. The town has a long history of cotton growing and textile production. The mill is run by a family who also established the school, Sri Ramana Vidyalaya, in 2004.

I was at a private school with approximately 1500 students. Around half of the students are from rural areas and are the first generation in their families to receive an education. Like the students, I travelled to school on a big yellow bus every morning and afternoon.

Upon my arrival I met the Deputy Principal, Sudhar, and was given a tour of the school. The first thing that struck me was that all the students assemble and pray together each morning. It was quite something hear hundreds of students perform various chants. The school is very impressive and cannot believe it is only eight years old. I was told it was the best in the region for examinations and sports.

On the first day I had a meeting with all the teachers at the school so we discuss what lessons I could attend. It was a very formal affair. Every teacher stood up, introduced themselves and stated their experience and education. All were very highly educated with the majority having a Masters degree.

For one week I taught mainly English to a range of classes. I also taught a trigonometry class which was fun. I observed other classes such as Science, Computer Science and History. The student's ages ranged between five and seventeen years. I had to talk quite slowly as no one could understand my accent.

Every day I had a typical Indian breakfast in the factory canteen and a hot lunch was sent to the school. The nice Tamil lady who served me lunch at the school didn't understand any English like most of the locals. Each lunch time I tried hard to communicate when I was full up but she did not understand. I didn't wish to cause any offence so every lunch turned into an episode of Man versus Food, Indian style.

At the school I spent quite a bit of time in the Principal's office. Thankfully I wasn't there being disciplined. I had many fascinating discussions with Principal Chitradevi over coffee. We mainly discussed the differences in culture and the different educational challenges that exist in India. Principal Chitradevi is an incredible head of the school and what astounded me was how much counselling she did with students. Many students confide in her and she is possibly the most passionate teacher I have ever met.

After classes I joined the students for games in the playground. I played mostly Tennis. There would be quite a crowd when I walked on to the court and many of the students asked for my autograph before and after my matches. Felt like a Murray-Federer final everyday.

During the course of the week I met Gokul and Aishwarya, a married couple from the family that run the cotton mills. I had dinner with them one night which was a lot of fun. I sampled an Indian take on spaghetti Bolognese with lamb mince and a hefty amount of spice.

I learnt so much during my time at the school. The most interesting thing I learnt is the importance of religion in Indian culture. It permeates everything. Even the science classes. If science cannot provide an explanation as to why something happens, then God is responsible. Religion is not just for Sundays. It is a way of life in India.