Feasting on puran polis, these cultural
KASTURI DANGE

PUNE, NOV 21: These inquisitive kids roam around the city during the day and share a puran poli with their adopted families at night.

From Peru to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Belgium, they have all gathered here in Pune. No this is not an international convention on nuclear disarmament but some kids out here to find out what really India is all about.

Welcome to the Rotary student exchange programme.

``Namaste

,'' drawls the young voice with the unmistakable foreign accent. You turn around, and notice this six feet something youngster smiling down at you. What catches your eye is the rows and rows of badges that he is wearing on his navy blue blazer.

You then notice a group of them, wearing the identical blazers, with badges all over. The distinguishing point being that, no two badges are alike. The badges too are noticeable in their own way because of their shapes and sizes. There are cloth badges, metal ones and even one in the form of a miniature hat. Some are also having miniature flags of nations.

All of them, Katie Evans, Muriel Von Durme, Hugues Dusausoit, Ezequiel Gomes, Cristiano Siquinelli Silva and Randy Paredes, are on an exchange programme to India for a period of one year and all of them are here on a mission - to discover and understand the culture of India.

Katie, who lives with a family on Baner Road is from the United States and has been in India since July. She is studying arts at Symbiosis but, that, is ``just an excuse so that she has something to do in India.''

Learning Bharatnatyam, for which she has to travel to Kalyani Nagar, rangoli-making, mehendi classes and yoga classes along with Hindi, she has her hands full. ``I plan on learning Marathi, too,'' she smiles.

So does Muriel Von Durme, from Belgium, who has been in India for two months. A student of Wadia college where she is studying commerce, she says, ``Other than what Katie is learning, I am also learning Rajasthani folk dance.'' And proudly shows you the nose ring she is wearing.

You then switch attention to the lanky youngster you encountered earlier. He introduces himself as Hugues Dusanceit, from Belgium, and is staying at Parvati. ``My aim, right from the beginning was to come to India and discover it, its culture, the languages. And for that reason I am studying Indian philosophy.''

Does he know Marathi? ``Thoda, Thoda,'' he says, explaining that the family with whom he is staying are teaching him the same.

Like Katie and Muriel, Megan Smith who is from the United States, also learns mehendi making, rangoli and surprises you with a, ``Main Hindi bolti hoon.'' And then asks you a question, ``Kya tumhe Hindi aati hain?'' Responds Hugues, ``Nahin, par Marathi aata hain.''

``Hi,'' says another voice. You turn your attention to Cristiano Siquinelli Silva and his friend Ezequiel Gomes, both from Brazil, who have been in India for three months and find it very different.''

The difference, they find, is in the food, the people and even the poverty. ``Even the food is served very differently from home,'' states Cristiano thoughtfully.

All of them though, without a single exception, are enjoying the experience and are looking forward to a tour of South India next week.

What's with the badges, you ask. ``Whenever we visit a country under the Rotary programme, the students we meet there exchange their country's badges with us,'' smiles Katie. And then all of them begin showing you the badges they have and the countries they depict.

Away from their homes, happy to be mingling with others, these youngsters are busy with their classes and their goal, to understand Indian culture, and are enjoying every minute of it.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.