School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC)

The School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) was established in 1979 as a weekend school by Indian American parents to help their children learn and become familiar with their heritage. It is a non-profit, secular organization run by volunteers.

SILC was created when five former teachers of a St. Paul school called Bharat School decided to reorganize that institution as a non-profit organization. As immigrants from India, they shared the goal of immersing their children in Indian languages and culture in a secular, all-inclusive environment.

SILC is one of the oldest such institutions in North America and uniquely inclusive. Unlike many other ethnic schools in Minnesota and around the country, it is not associated with any religious, regional, or ethnic groups. The school, held September through June, originally met on Sundays at the Commonwealth Terrace on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, and for a short time in the St. Anthony Elementary school. It changed to Saturdays after it moved to Como High School in 1992.

Although language classes, electives, and other offerings have changed over the years, depending on student needs and volunteer availability, the school’s schedule has remained the same. The day starts at 10 a.m. with an invocation followed by language classes, a break for milk and cookies, and social studies (originally called General Knowledge), a class that teaches students about such topics as Indian festivals, geography, and history. The last session is an elective that allows students to choose from offerings such as dance, music, yoga, and cooking. After an assembly where students sing the national anthem of India, the school ends at 12:30 p.m.

SILC’s curriculum has evolved, too, with many activities added to enrich and supplement the language and culture classes. While yoga and dance have been mainstays, other classes such as the SILC Achievement Project (SAP) have helped students produce the books Indian Cooking and India-on-a-Page (a facts book on India) and discuss issues critical to growing up in dual cultures. Similarly, classes such as cooking, music, art, and even coding have been offered.

Extra-curricular activities such as field trips, visits from accomplished performers, speakers and special guests supplement the learning. SILC Mela, a social gathering as well as a fund-raiser, and Graduation Day (in June) are regular events that showcase the learning students have acquired over the year. Other celebrations, such as Indian festivals, are organized annually. In 1998, a pre-school was started to introduce children between the ages of three and five to their Indian heritage. Held once a month, it was a way to get younger students, particularly siblings, to attend SILC and become regular students.

Each year, a special committee publishes a yearbook that has become a repository of SILC’s thirty-nine years of history. As the internet and social media became mainstays in the 2000s, SILC established a website and used social media and blogs to publicize and connect with potential students. Over the years, its collection of books and memorabilia has grown into an extensive SILC library. A laptop computer purchased for the school has helped digitize many of the materials and is used by students to make presentations. SILC has also started publishing books on India in limited quantities through the participation and investment of a few SILC members.

Since its inception, SILC has participated in activities outside the regular school program, often with other organizations. It has regularly participated in the Festival of Nations, performing in the children’s program and organizing the cultural exhibits. It also participates in India Association of Minnesota (IAM’s) events, originally at the Independence Day Picnic and later in the IndiaFest (also called India Day).

SILC students have participated in events like the Asian Heritage Dragon Parade and the Flint Hills Children’s Festival, and with the Minnesota History Center and the Parents of Indian Children (PIC workshop). In 2003, SILC helped start and organize Camp Masala, a two-day residential program for children adopted from India. Often, SILC students are called on to participate in international festivals, at schools, and at events such as the Burnsville International Festival May Day Parade.