Mitraniketan

There’s a guy working the rubber trees below my third floor balcony this morning.  He has a chisel-like knife which he uses to re-cut a new slice through the bark on the edge of an already existing foot-foot and a half long arc, which releases and directs the flow of sap into a small cone-shaped black bowl hanging below.  I know nothing about how rubber is made (and not planning to go on-line to find out – in this place, I want to go directly to the source). But here is where it starts. The trees are relatively small, 6-10 inches in diameter, leaves with a beech-like shape, some dark green, some browning as if changing season. February starts the move into summer here.  Someone else is carrying 2 water jugs down the path.

Mitraniketan is a thriving community of some 500 people – 300 of them students in the children’s school , 70 or so in the “People’s College” (inspired by the Danish folkhighschool), and various workers and staff/teachers. Started in 1956 by a young man named K. Viswanathan (prounounced Vish’ – wan – a’ – ta). In 1953, he came to the States, starting at the Quaker conference center Pendle Hill (PA), and from there found his way to Arthur Morgan, the influential and inspiring leader of Antioch College in Yellow Spring OH. Yellow Springs and Antioch were in their heyday of forming community cooperatives and the “education for life,” or living-learning that is the Antioch way.  After almost a year in the States, he made his way to England to study community education programs there, and then to Denmark, learning about the folkhighschool.

The educational program of Mitraniketan has 4 main parts: the primary/secondary school, serving the 300 students from low-income, and otherwise struggling families; The “People’s College” (inspired by Grundtvig and the Danish folkhighschool) has about 70 students; then there is an Agricultural Technology Center – kind of like an ag center in the US – where area residents and farmers can get training, learn skills to become more self-reliant with such activities as growing mushrooms, fruits and other vegetables, livestock, and so on.  The Center staff also learn indigenous practices from the residents, and help to keep these alive; Finally the Technology Center supports skills and the business of pottery, iron-work, textiles, batik and other fabric work.

“Viswan” turns 85 today. He and his wife Sethu have welcomed us (seminar folks and the other visiting European volunteers) into his house, 2 round brick rooms (sleeping, kitchen) connected with an open dining area and adjoining round garden, for eating and occasional evening tea/conversation, all covered by coconut palm-thatched roofed. The “yard” is lined by stone walks and walls, and many potted plants. Out back is a small cooking hut.  I met Viswan in Denmark in the early 90s and it is a delight to be in his sweet and gentle presence again. He flatters me, saying how important it is that we are here; he is discouraged with that state of Mitraniketan. I laugh, both of us knowing the incredible impact he has had with 56 years of transforming formerly barren land into this community, teeming with learning, productivity, love, and people power. Of course money has always been and continues to be a problem.  Continuity of staffing is an issue - teachers come and go frequently. That seems to be the nature of “learning for life.”

Birthdays are generally a private family affair, in Kerala, and this morning, Viswan and Sethu visited a small temple about 20 or so kilometers away as they have done every year on his birthday for some time. It is a temple that in Viswan’s youth, ignored the caste system that would otherwise have excluded him, and he often spent time there to take advantage of the quiet for his studies. He joined our seminar group of 10 later in the afternoon. In the evening when we gathered in his house for our evening session, I had the honor, as AWE VP from North America to present him with a scarf, which we followed with a Danish birthday song and tea.  A bit out of Kerala birthday tradition!

A rubber-making update. As we walked back to our “guest house” today from our morning meeting, we encountered about 50 or more quarter to half inch thick, placemat size, translucent rubber mats laid out in the drive in the sun.  So the small “pancakes” that settle into the sap-collecting bowls somehow get melted into these mats. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out that happens next.

Speaking of trees, there seem to be over 20 varieties of bananas around here. We generally eat the small (4 inches or so) very sweet variety, but have also had even sweeter orangy ones. Reghu says he knows at least a dozen varieties by taste/shape. Pineapples, and of course, coconuts are plentiful. My only complaint is that it’s not mango season!!

Will do my best to get some pics loaded!