Ahana is an Indian teacher who arrived in France at the end of September 2023.
For several months, Ahana will not only be teaching English classes, but also discovering
the French landscapes and emblematic monuments that the pupils have introduced her to.
But before travelling in France, Ahana also presented her country with its customs and
traditions.
Her life, her tastes, her studies and her family
Ahana presented her daily life, her educational background and her family to the
students, who were very attentive and curious to learn more about her life. On the slide
she had prepared, the students discovered that she loved desserts and had two cats
named Teddy and Tobby. She also lives in a rather attractive 3-stages house with her
parents and grandparents. She explained to the students that this was a nuclear family.
She also explained that her mom was a housewife and that her father was retired and
used to work in a bank. Ahana also had a long and rather literary education in her country.
She began with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism at Amity Public School and went on to
do a Masters in English Literature at Jadawpur Private School. She finally became a
teacher for young children.
Her city, culture and traditions
Ahana lives in Calcutta, a city on the East coast of India. Calcutta was the former
capital of India, known as West Bengal, during British colonization between 1773 and
1911. Ahana also pointed out that it is one of the world’s largest cities, with almost 15
million inhabitants. In this city, there’s a huge mix of origins, populations and religions, and
that’s what makes it so rich. The two most widespread religions in Calcutta are Islam and
Hinduism. In India, there are over 22 official languages, but there is still a standardization
of languages, as all Indians speak English. However, Ahana is fluent in Bengali, an Indian
language spoken by over 234 million native Indians. Ahana also presented a typical dish of
her city : Roshogolla, a dessert made with sugar syrup and cottage cheese. In addition, she
showed some pictures of a famous festival called Navratri. It’s a religious festival where
Indians honor the goddess Durga, spending time with family and dining out with friends.
The differences between India and France
At her arrival in France, Ahana was surprised to see so few traffic jams and to feel
no pollution. She also noticed a striking difference : stores close very early in France,
compared with India, where some stores can stay open until very late at night. Vehicles
drive on the right, whereas in India people drive on the left, as in England. However, there
are similarities with France, such as the political system, because India is also a
democracy with a prime minister who changes every 4 years. Some students asked her if
cows were considered as sacred animal. She confirmed this and explained this was why
few Indians ate beef. According to her, in Evreux, and in France as a whole, there is less
public transport than in India, because cities are less crowded and probably less dense
than in India. According to her, there are a lot of buses, subways and trains, so the
transport systems are a bit like in France, but much bigger.
Timéo DURAND 1H