Nürtingen

The world has become a small place. This is already almost a platitude. Young people are growing up into an almost boundless future. Nevertheless, school still has to prepare young people for the globalised world. Yesterday’s visit by the Indian editor Aditi Guha to the class 8d of the Max-Planck-Gymnasium (a grammar school) fitted perfectly into this concept.

Aditi Guha is enjoying her stay in Nürtingen. This is evident in every step she takes. And yesterday she was soon charmed by the Max-Planck-Gymnasium. The classical façade of the building already captivated her. In India, too, there are schools like this – a legacy of English colonialism.

Inside Adita Guha was warmly welcomed by head teacher Ulrike Zimmermann. And then she was entrusted to the care of Kristina Planer. Before the Easter holidays this teacher had already completed a project day as a so-called “integrative module” with a combination of the subjects geography, economics and social studies with her class 8d. The topics: child labour, India and a coalescence of both complexes.

Yesterday the beginning of a course module on globalisation was on the agenda. And this was conducted bilingually: social studies in English. Trainee teacher Sandra Klee was in charge of the 90-minute module. She introduced the pupils to the basic principles of globalisation.

Aditi Guha’s stay here in Germany is a wonderful example of the cultural aspects of globalisation. The peoples of both countries come closer. They do not simply trade with one another. They want to get to know each other better. The pupils in eighth grade were open-minded and interested. Their first impression of the much-travelled guest – very approachable. For Indians English is a kind of mother tongue: Aditi Guha’s newspaper, the “Times of India” from Calcutta, is also an English-language journal.

Aditi Guha told the pupils that in the past when she thought of Germany, she always thought of cars. No wonder, she drives a VW Polo. Although, of course, local public transport in the big Indian metropolises is far more extensive than here. Aditi Guha, herself mother of a 14-year-old son, also told the pupils how important the education of their children is to Indian parents. In Calcutta alone, she said, there are 50,000 schools – most of them private ones. Many young people go to the USA or the UK to study for they have no problem with the language there. Yet some also make their way to Germany. They return with a good education – finest cultural globalisation.

Aditi Guha also told them about Bollywood, the Indian Hollywood. And about her compatriots’ favourite sports – football and cricket are at the top of the list. Finally, she invited the pupils to visit her country at some point. And, of course, she added, she would be willing to provide contacts – this is globalisation as it lives and breathes.