Persian at the Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad
--Kamran Cross
Ever since coming back from Hyderabad, I've had a lot of people ask me about my program, and rather than type out all the details five times over, I figured that perhaps it would be easier to put up a basic description of my experiences and details of the program so that everyone can get the majority of their questions answered.
So, to start things off, I went to the Henry Martyn Institute to study Persian over the summer. Henry Martyn Institute is not strictly an academic institution. Their primary focus is inter-religious dialogue, awareness, and conflict resolution. They therefore offer a series of programs that range from courses of Islamic theology and law to peace-building activities. The language component of the Institute is relatively small as a result, which on the plus side means that you'll probably be the only student in the class. In addition, they offer summer programs in Arabic and Urdu, so this need not only be for those interested in Persian.
HMI is located in a small village south of Hyderabad called Shivarampally. It is very quiet and peaceful, if a bit isolated - considering the chaos and crowds that characterize the bulk of cities in India, this is not altogether a bad thing, and one can always take a 20-minute bus north to the city for all the urban excitement one could hope for. The complex is gorgeous - two large open-air structures that allow the wind to flow freely through the halls. Outside there are vegetable gardens that the students are encouraged (or required) to work, and a devotional hall (remember that this is a religious institution) where the students and staff meet (again, by requirement) every morning for prayers, discussion, and announcements. The religious thing put me off at first, but then I had forgotten that this is a multi-religious institution - we had some Christians, a few Hindus, and many Muslims on staff, and delegations of Jews and Buddhists came through during my time there. People usually share some aspect of their faith or some other general observation with everyone and then people privately pray in whatever way they want.
The instruction is, in some ways, intense, in that it's three hours per day, usually you and the teacher. However, Indians love their tea breaks and they help break up the class. As far as quality of instruction, I would not expect anything mind-blowing; the teachers are generally pretty traditional in their approach and don't expect to change their methodology for their students. They are also local - which makes a huge difference in your ability to pick up pronounciation and speaking skills. Indians have thick accents in both Arabic and Persian, to the extent that if you are beginning the language there, you will probably mispronounce about half the characters of the alphabet by the time you're done. However, if you're learning Urdu (which is a native language for many Hyderabadis), a better place could not be found. I was fortunate in that I already knew enough Persian to know how to properly pronounce the language and not have to learn any grammar from my teacher. However, this led to a new hurdle: my teacher didn't have any materials to give me that were appropriate for my level. We finally found a good solution. She found a collection of modern Persian short stories from Osmania University in Hyderabad, and every lesson we would read a story and translate it. I picked up a lot of vocab and improved my reading speed quite a lot that way, and I got a decent introductory survey of modern authors in the bargain. So it can be a successful program education-wise - just be prepared to be creative and unorthodox in your approach. Don't expect the structured methodology of a CASA or Middlebury.
Overall, I would say go elsewhere to study Arabic, given the plethora of programs that are run in Arabic-speaking countries. HMI is perfect for Urdu learners, and for Persian... well, we don't have much selection, so you might as well take what you can get if you can't get into Iran. Keep in mind, though, that you can probably get a better education at one of the many summer programs held in American Universities. Part of the reason to go is for living in India itself. Indians are friendly, warmhearted people, and there is so much to see and do you'll never feel at loose ends. In addition, it's a good country for those on student budgets to live in - by far the most costly expense is the plane ticket there.
So, to move on to the living arrangements: Generally, life is quite cheap. The total cost of the program (when I was there, it could easily have changed by now) was $500; room and board at the hostel was an extra $150. You could also find your own accommodation at the new apartment rises that are being built, but for just a summer's stay, I don't think it's worth the work. The hostel is very nice and it's a very calm, peaceful place to stay.
Funding. I did apply for a FLAS for this, mostly to cover the plane ticket. The nice thing about HMI is that it is much cheaper than US based programs, so I think that you're more likely to get some funding. If you have some money saved up, you can probably do it on your own: plan on around $1200 to travel there, the $650 for the program, and then... mm... well, whatever else you want to go travelling or buying stuff.
To read about the program, you can go to http://www.hmiindia.com/. The email addresses they give there are wrong, I think - I ended up emailing every address I could find until a message got through. Try emailing hmi_academics@yahoo.com for starters. When speaking with the coordinators, make sure to specify your needs with them and especially make sure that they have faculty lined up for your program. This is especially true for Persian. They have a regular Arabic instructor and everyone knows Urdu, but Persian is so rarely taught I think they have to wing it with their instructor every time they get a student.
So in short, I had a wonderful time there. My Persian did improve (although with the caveats I mentioned above) and I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to stay in Hyderabad, travel, and make friends. India, of course, is the home of unfathomably rich and complex cultures and histories, and I think I learned an enormous amount about a part of the world I never would have really exposed myself to. That, in the end, was the best gift of the program.