It is not widely known that the only Official (meaning officially supported by the Indian government) Casa de la India in Spain is in our region.
They host conferences, workshops, dance classes, concerts... any many more activities you can access here: http://www.casadelaindia.org/en
It is a very active cultural foundation and you can visit it with your students when the pandemic is over -in English or in Spanish-. It is worthwhile tour, I can assure you.
Escuela de la India
Intercultural educational program for diversity management
The Escuela de la India (India School) is an educational program that promotes intercultural dialogue and a meeting space based on the principle of equal opportunities and inclusion. It is inspired by the theory and practice of integral education advocated by Rabindranath Tagore, arduous champion of the dialogue between cultures and peoples. Tagore strived for a closer relationship between the Western civilizations and India, as he was convinced that East and West could cooperate.
Escuela de la India: open and intercultural
We propound that diversity can be a school in itself to educate for a more open and plural society.
Through the different activities that are proposed our school wants to be a place of learning, exchange, communication, and encounter with diverse realities. The idea of openness applied to our activities is understood as a positive attitude towards other ideas and cultures, ways of being and acting, in short, as an acceptance of change to promote innovation for peace, creativity and interculturality.
Curiosity and experimentation
The methodology we use, "learn by experimenting", allows participants to get in touch with the realities of India, facilitating encounters between people, a deeper knowledge of the culture and society of India in diversity, a space for the exploration and practice of such knowledge and values in an environment of respect and freedom. We propose a direct involvement of the participants and we introduce them to everyday life of India, the gastronomy and the various festivals, the different religions, customs, and traditions, etc., discussing interesting facts and any queries that may arise.
Art as an inclusive tool
The main meaning of all education is the enjoyment of life, the management of the mind and emotions and the cultivation of the body and relationships, the knowledge of our corporality, the advocacy of cooperation, relations and trust in others, and the development of our capabilities. Artistic education such as music, dance, painting, literature, etc., encourages participation, favors free and creative expression and furthers the acquisition of a set of socio-emotional competences for social harmony.
Our educational school is aware of the sociological changes and the need to manage educational and cultural activities with intelligence and creativity to strengthen social cohesion and promote the intercultural development of citizens.
Therefore, the Escuela de la India proposes the framework for each person to develop their potential and learn to relate, to raise their emotions, to interact with others and with the natural world.
Who is it targeted at?
- Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary and Higher Education students.
- Special education centers.
- Adult education programs.
- Teaching staff interested in intercultural education.
- Associations, foundations, institutions and civic centers.
- Other groups related to education, art and social action.
How does it function?
The team that directs the activities is composed of a group of experts from India and Spain with extensive experience in intercultural education. The Escuela de la India is a platform where professionals from different fields share their experience and knowledge in order to jointly design a program to achieve the objectives that they wish to address.
The School offers initial proposals of activities designed by the team, and these are flexible and open to be adapted to different contexts, spaces and groups.
The programs include intercultural seminars, guided tours and didactic exhibitions, intercultural didactic performances (dance, music and theater), workshops for encouraging reading through the arts, other artistic and didactic workshops, theme evenings for youth, encounters and debates, and collaborative projects with organizations, educational and sociocultural centers.
Objectives
The Casa de la India, India House, was constituted in Valladolid, Spain, on March 17th , 2003, as a cultural foundation and counts as its founding entities the Government of India, through the Indian Embassy in Spain, Valladolid City Council and the University of Valladolid.
Objectives
The aim of the Casa de la India is to cover the new cultural, social, academic, institutional and economic needs of the 21st century in the relations between India and Spain. It is, therefore, a platform for India to make itself known in Spain as regards its great economic, scientific-technological and cultural potential, to facilitate a greater exchange and dialogue between the nations of Spain and India and, similarly, to promote activities which may increase the presence of Spain in India.
The Casa de la India Foundation has as its general aim the establishment of a centre for the promotion and dissemination of Indian culture from its base in Valladolid, as well as the organisation of cultural, institutional and training activities for this end.
