My German Journey

My first encounter with German was in school back in 1998. A curious kid decided to learn a new foreign language and that is how a journey began, which continues till today. Let us walk through my story.

Having opted for ARTS in Junior College, I had enough time to focus on multiple activities outside mainstream academics, which led to a new exploratory series of experiences - my courses at Max Mueller Bhavan (Goethe Institute, Pune). During my 12th grade, I got an opportunity to bring my textbook knowledge to life by being able to travel to Germany through an exchange programme conducted by Fergusson College, Pune. The five weeks spent in the summers of 2004 with a German family developed in me a passion for the language, for the people and for the culture of this country. This exchange experience had an everlasting impression on me. I kept telling myself one trip to Germany was not enough. I had to go back to explore more, learn more, see more, feel more...

This quest to travel back made me participate in the Au-Pair program in Germany. This time I spent a full year with a native family, allowing me to strengthen my cultural insights and language knowledge through advanced studies in a local school. The real learning happened during this year - so intense, so culturally new, and yet so enriching and fulfilling!!!

I came back to join as a German teacher at Fergusson College Pune in 2007. This spark was sensed by a very qualified, humble, and dignified personality of the German Fraternity: Dr Savita Kelkar, who had back then invited me to join the college as a visiting faculty. That is how a curious student became a very involved teacher, dedicated to her work because she had time, because she knew no better than to do justice to this trust shown in her by her seniors. And she could do it all because she was backed by strong pillars of strength and support at home: her parents, her first ever teachers and her daughter.