The course that focused on socio-cultural taboos passed way too quickly. We discussed a variety of fields plagued by taboos--education, people with disabilities, female genital mutilation (FGM), and taboos expressed in arts. I loved the discussions that emerged after the students had been introduced to the topics, either by listening to a story or an NPR interview. I think it helped that the students were all outside their home environment. They could thus discuss freely topics that they would have trouble bringing up--let alone analyzing and speaking up about--in the environment where they grew up. While speaking up about taboos could unleash a word war, the campus in Kerala is a neutral ground where all taboos are brought to light so they can be broken, where nobody's voice is silenced. Victor and I learned a great deal simply by letting others speak. With awe, I absorb the richness and wisdom that is at the core of human experiences.

We are now moving on to the second part of the course, i.e. ways of breaking taboos by stepping onto the paths of leadership (choosing a particular leadership style, bringing change, motivating others, etc). Today, we watched a set of plays in which the students enacted various leadership styles (My thoughts were with Jane, a wonderful ed leadership professor who introduced us to the concept. I should let her know how far it traveled).

Paths of leaders are complicated most of the time. Victor is fighting a fever since morning. He is somewhere in the land of dreams. I wish I could help him, but I'm afraid this battle he has to ensure alone. I can only watch how it unfolds.