Masala, Manners & Morning Assemblies: Inculcating Culture into Education (with a Bit of Personal Geography)

If there’s one thing life has taught me right after “Always carry extra safety pins on Annual Day” it’s that culture is not something we add to the classroom like a decoration.

Culture is the classroom.

I say this not because I read it in a teacher training manual, but because I’ve lived it.

I spent 18 years growing up in Saudi Arabia, where Arabic proverbs and Eid holidays were as natural as breathing. Then I moved to Bangalore, where "filter coffee" and "auto meter not working, madam" became a daily soundtrack.

Later, I taught in Indian schools in Dubai and Qatar, where my classroom resembled the entire South Asian subcontinent, with a little sprinkling of everything else from the Gulf.

By this point, I wasn’t just teaching with a lesson plan.

I was teaching with a passport.

The Indian School Abroad: Desi Heart, Global Soul

Teaching in Indian schools outside India is its own type of masala. The curriculum is CBSE, the bulletin boards are tricolour, the staffroom has chai debates about board exam moderation… and yet, the classrooms are multicultural mini-worlds.

One moment you’re explaining decimals, and the next you’re navigating three different pronunciations of "thirteen" each one adorable, all of them correct in their own way.

And let me tell you when children bring their own cultural identity into learning, the results are always heartwarming, sometimes hilarious, and occasionally spicy (especially when someone’s lunchbox leaks into their bag).

Culture Is Already in the Classroom (You Just Have to Notice It)

People often ask: “How do you include culture in teaching?”

I say: “You don’t include it. You just stop ignoring it.”

Culture is in:

• The way a child says “present ma’am” (with a shy nod or full-on Bollywood confidence)

• The food they bring (which smells better than my packed lunch, always)

• The examples they give when explaining a story (“Ma’am, like how my uncle drives in Kerala always over speed.”)

It’s in the parent emails (some long and dramatic, some short and emoji-filled), and in the school events where you go from teaching to organising an inter-house Garba competition with 24 hours’ notice.

Multicultural Classrooms = Maximum Learning (and Maximum Snacks)

In one Grade 4 class, once I saw a project called “My Culture, My Story.”

One child brought in a poster about Durga Puja. Another made a model of a mosque. One sweet boy made a PowerPoint about the three different kinds of biryani his family eats across generations.

By the end of the week:

• The students learnt empathy.

• I learnt three biryani recipes.

• And nobody even realised we were technically “doing Social Science.”

  
  

That’s the magic of multicultural learning.

It doesn’t need big budgets or special workshops. It just needs a teacher who says, “Yes, tell me about your tradition. Let's make it part of the class.”

How to Navigate the Cultural Kaleidoscope (Without Getting Dizzy)

1. Learn to Say Names Right – It’s not “Maha-deviya,” it’s “Mahādevī-ya.” Saying a student’s name correctly is the first sign of respect. And also the difference between being loved or being roasted in a meme later.

2. Celebrate Everything – Light diyas, hang lanterns, sing carols, and don’t forget Arabic Calligraphy Day! (It’s real. I Googled it.)

3. Use Local Examples in Global Lessons – When teaching English comprehension, bring in stories from multiple cultures.

4. Stay Curious, Not Cautious – If a child talks about a custom you don’t know, ask. Let them teach you. It builds confidence in them and keeps you young and mildly confused in a good way.

   
   

   Lessons I’ve Learnt (Besides Patience, of Course)

   • A child’s culture is not a distraction from the curriculum. It’s a gateway into it.

   • No matter which language they speak at home, every child understands kindness, humour, and fairness.

   • Culture in education isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about giving every student a seat at the table sometimes literally, especially during potluck day.

     
     

   Final Thoughts (And Maybe a Cup of Karak)

   
   

   In a world that is getting smaller by the scroll, culturally responsive classrooms are no longer optional they are essential.

   They prepare our children not just to pass exams, but to become thoughtful, open-minded humans who can sit next to anyone at a canteen table and say, “Hey, what’s that in your tiffin?”

   And honestly, if a child can learn to respect another’s festival, name, food, or language in a maths class that’s real education.

   So here’s to celebrating the loud, colourful, multilingual, sometimes confusing, and always enriching experience of culture in education.

   And to all my fellow teachers navigating it I see you, I salute you, and I hope your projector works on the first try today.