The Discover Pune field trip for DP Language Acquisition students was organized on 29th March 2023 after a long gap of almost 3 years.

The aim of this field trip was to explore some iconic places in Pune as well as, the connections Pune has to the target languages they are studying and then use these real-life experiences to make connections and express ideas in their respective target languages. The field trip served as a wonderful opportunity to extend learning of their target languages beyond classrooms and to identify real life connection between the unit they have studied i.e., Experiences and Human Ingenuity and the places they have visited.

Diya, Shaan, Zara, Ira, Kaavya – French Language Acquisition

On Wednesday, March 29th, we, the DP1 Language Acquisition students, went on a field trip in Pune to discover its history and to learn about a French organization within the city. Our first destination was Pataleshwar Caves on Jangali Maharaj Road in Shivajinagar. This temple was built in the 8th century during the Rashtrakuta period, making it one of Pune’s most historical monuments that is still in use today. It is of religious importance to Hindus and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Impressively, it was cut from one rock, showing very fine craftsmanship. It allowed us to learn about how the popularity of a monument and its significance affects how well maintained it is. For example, the temple is not very popular, but drainage systems were added to prevent flooding. Tambat ali was a great learning experience for each of us as we learned about the heritage and history of copper pots. By looking at the hard work done by each of the craftsmen, we really appreciated the creative copper pots which were created. The main purpose of this visit was to learn about how these pots shaped a little bit of our history and how they were a crucial object in many households. This allowed us to explore different themes in French, especially connected to human ingenuity where these copper pots have been an innovative change to how Indian households cooked food. After visiting Tambat Ali, our second to last destination was Kelkar Museum. Located on Bajirao Rd, we learnt that it contained the collection of Dr. Dinkar G. Kelkar, dedicated to the memory of his son, Raja. The main purpose of the visit was to explore, and learn about the several curios and artifacts, ranging from embroidered textiles to sculptures and antique copper vessels to the swords of the Peshwas, as well as instruments built in the 17, and 1800’s. This trip allowed us to learn about the process of how certain items, such as shields, swords, clothes, and even musical instruments have transformed and developed over time. After visiting the Kelkar Museum, we headed to lunch, followed by The Alliance Francaise. This place is an alliance of the French speaking community in Pune, based in Ghokalenagar. Here, we learnt a lot about different French speaking cultures that are present throughout the world. We watched a video on the different countries that speak French and learned that they are called “Francophonie” countries. After which, we took part in some small activities led by the teacher at the alliance. The first activity was a video on other French speaking countries other than France. The second activity was a card game where we had to present the country on our card in French, and talk about things like languages, currency, and their flag. We learned a lot about how diverse the French language is, even in a French speaking minority place like Pune. Overall, the entire visit was interactive for all of us, and we all got a chance to learn something new and unique. Most of the places that we visited were not known to us, which helped a lot as it gave us exposure to a new experience and situation that we normally wouldn’t experience. Visiting Pataleshwar caves taught us a lot about some of the culture in Pune, along with Tambat Ali. We got to see hands-on creation of copper products and see how people work so differently from us, allowing us to be more internationally, and culturally mindful. The Alliance Francaise was very important towards our understanding of French culture as students, and overall, this experience allowed for all of us to step out of our comfort zones.

Avaneesh – German Language Acquisition

On the 29th of March, the Language B students of DP1 went on a field trip to discover the city we live in. We went to explore the Pataleshwer caves and enrich ourselves with its history. We then took a detour to visit the Taambat ali, where we viewed the locals from Twashta Kasar community creating products using copper. For the last stop as a whole group, we stopped by the Kelkar Museum to become more knowledgeable about the antique artifacts of late Maharashtra, such as embroidered textiles and swords of the Peshwas. We then split into our separate language groups and conducted different activities in different places. The German B group went to the Department of Foreign Languages where the delightful members conducted activities for us, such as Pictionary, poem writing, and much more. This field trip is significant for the Language B subjects because the current unit is “Human Ingenuity” where we explore different inventions and discoveries made by humans. Hence this trip helped broaden our perspective and be able to educate ourselves about the discoveries and creations in our city itself. 

Ilaan – Hindi Language Acquisition

On March 29th, 2023, we visited multiple interesting places in Pune as part of our discover Pune language B field trip. We visited three locations: The Pataleshwar caves, Tambat Ali and the Raja Kelkar Museum. Visiting these places was very interesting and provided us with cultural context for many aspects of my own city, Pune. The insights gained from this experience were enriching, and I thoroughly appreciated learning about the culture. My takeaway from this experience was the lack of awareness for the cultural heritage of the city. I believe that these places should be acknowledged, so they can be better maintained and so that Pune can maintain its uniqueness.

After this, we segregated groups depending on the languages we were in. As the only Hindi student, I was initially confused and frustrated, I was not able to see how the last experience would connect to language. However, I believe that this experience taught me the value of language significantly. After hearing the story of how Mr. Sanjay Bhardwaj got heavily involved in literature and acting, I was inspired by the applications that language have. He explained that one should know a regional, a national, and an international language to reach communities, and I really resonated with this message. The entire trip was an enriching experience, and I now have renewed energy to actively pursue Hindi with an increased level of enthusiasm.