Visit To Belle-Vue Ashram - Library Dept

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies” George R. Martin

On 24th April 2015, Keats College Library Department organised a visit to the Belle-Vue Ashram with a view to a cultural bilateral sharing between the residents and the school’s students and staff members through story-telling. 16 students of Form I and Form II (mainstream and prevocational) and Form 4 A along with 6 staff members: Mr. Mungly-Deputy Rector of Keats College, Mrs. Korimbocus and Mr. Tayab of the Library Department, Mrs. Mohktee of the Administrative Department, Miss Khoodaruth of the English Department and Mr. Ramgoolam of the Prevocational Department, set out to initiate this much anticipated event.
The students first had the opportunity to serve lunch and to help the 18 residents to partake their meals-displaying a rare affinity which can only have been mutually beneficial to students and residents alike.
The story session then started with stories by the staff, students and residents-punctuated by word plays and jokes. Stories about life decades ago as well as popular stories from the Mauritian folklore were unravelled to the enthralled delight of the students. The latter were eager to offer tales from their repertory of stories read and heard from their contemporary storybooks to the great pleasure of their attentive audience.
The students and staff members left the Ashram at around 2.15 p.m with appeals to visit again soon and promises of new stories for the students. A transformed batch of students travelled back to school- the sheer joy of sharing and the trip into memory lane enlightened their minds as to the need to reconcile the past in order to pave the way to the future.
Upon its 50th anniversary Keats College has promoted the adage of “Honouring the Past and Shaping the Future”. During this visit, through the medium of storytelling, the students have indubitably paid homage to the past and accepted the burning flame of cultural heritage passed on to them; to nurture it and blow it anew with their contribution.

Article: Miss Nafidah Koodaruth
Images: Mr. Avish Ramgoolam