A tiny classroom captured my heart!
Recently we had visited the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village in Manipal. It is a museum that has reconstructed 24 heritage houses of Karnataka for preservation(similar to DakshinaChitra in Chennai). The whole place was a magical mix of intricate architecture, material culture and re-created shops from the 19th and 20th centuries. In between these palatial houses, there was one small room also preserved with the title - Basel Mission Elementary School. I was blown away seeing that. I commend the curators of the museum who have thoughtfully included a vintage mission school classroom as part of their museum.
Basel Mission was a Protestant Evangelical missionary organization from Germany that worked extensively in the Malabar coast since 1834( Karnataka, Kerala). The small classroom that was showcased in the museum is a beautiful testimony to the egalitarian nature of education that was brought in by these missionaries. The ripple effect of education introduced for all by the missionaries is well documented in Karnataka. Today, Manipal where the museum is situated is well known for its higher education institutions of repute. Though the missionaries main purpose was sharing the gospel of Jesus - they also toiled for social and economic issues - empowering people through education, healthcare and job training.
The simple classroom where all children could come and sit together and study is beautifully preserved. Small benches , one blackboard, anatomy models, interesting charts with a table and chair for the teacher . I could not help but travel back in time thinking about how the little kids must have felt. The charts that were displayed seemed to be originals from a real mission school - one German language chart was also present. There was also one chart displaying the Ajanta caves. To make these resources available for children and expand their thinking so many years ago is indeed an effort that is worth preserving for posterity.
As a Christian I cannot help but question myself- am I continuing to serve people today.
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