Pradnya Bivalkar
Origin: Pune, India
Location in Germany: Berlin
Profession: Senior Project Manager, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Berlin
Pradnya's first experience in Germany gave her a weird sense of déjà vu. When she walked into the Viktualienmarkt, the food market in Munich on her first trip in 2007, it looked like a Technicolor gastronomic wonderland of gourmet cheeses, meats and fresh produce. She was so used to seeing the same market in educational videos in her classroom as a German student at MMB, Pune. But now, it felt like she had walked into an upgraded version of the same video. “It was weird,” she recollects from her home in Berlin where she now lives. “There was no Deutsche Mark on price tags, and everything was so modern, it felt surreal.”
Pradnya’s entry into the German language and culture started fairly early when she started learning German at MMB Pune after school. This paved way for a Master’s in German Studies at Pune University. When she arrived in Tübingen for a four-month-long fellowship that would eventually turn into a PhD, she hadn’t lived elsewhere outside India for prolonged periods.
“I was pretty psyched to live in a dorm and go to uni. I had people from all parts of the world in my dorm and they were all friendly,” she recalls. She bonded with her dormmates over cooking Indian food, despite their curious looks over the hissing noise her pressure cooker made, an unusual sight in a quiet south German university town.
A Brush with the German Healthcare System
Pradnya, who arrived in Tübingen as part of a short-term fellowship in 2009, got to experience the German medical system first-hand. An unexpected medical emergency meant she had to be hospitalised and seek immediate treatment. “My professors corralled around me and helped me tide the health crisis, looking for ways to extend my fellowship, stay and funding. Even as I was missing a sense of community as my family was back in India, my colleagues helped me forge one,” she recounts. According to her, the experience also shattered her misconceptions about people being materialistic in a rich Western country like Germany because she thought there may not be a social structure like in India.As a student, the medical system supported her weather the health storm affordably. “I’m at the different end of the spectrum now and I appreciate that I’m contributing to the healthcare system because I have benefited from it,” she affirms.
How (not) to Speak German?
Her German knowledge opened worlds for her even though she says her language was mildly bookish in the beginning – she strived for grammatical perfection even in basic conversations using terms that she learnt from her textbooks, at the risk of sometimes sounding archaic. Her eloquence in the language eventually improved and her slide into the German society was overall smooth.Her German prowess may have landed her her first job too, she speculates. While Indians in the country are overwhelmingly in tech and related sectors, Pradnya’s interest in language, culture and international relations meant she is perfectly positioned to serve in cross-culture positions.
Culture Vulture or Karma Chameleon?
To this end, she became a Project Coordinator for a journalism grant program called Medienbotschafter hosted by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. “I think my PhD subject and the fact that I’m a first-generation immigrant in humanities gave me the advantage,” she says. The program was designed to tackle the stereotypical narrative of Germany and India in the media of both countries. As part of the job, Pradnya got to interact with journalists from India and Germany, design their orientation courses, take them around media houses in both countries and function as a bridge between two cultures. “It was to show India is not about snake-charmers and elephants in the streets,” she quips.
Pradnya says the work culture in Germany has taught her a lot to change her perspective on working life in general. “As an Indian, critical feedback is not something you grow up with. But in German workspaces, clear communication is practised even if it means critical assessment of your work,” she says.
Additionally, because of labour laws, there is a sense of security that you’re not easily replaceable. “I have been sensitised to realise that working for ten hours a day doesn’t necessarily mean you’re productive,” she adds. Pradnya thinks the German workplace can still be homogeneous and even though it’s being addressed upon, it’s still a long way before diversity is achieved.
Hosting in, not Eating out!
On that first trip to Munich back in 2007, Pradnya found it hard to eat out for lack of vegetarian options. “I ate sandwiches every day. Even a simple Margherita was hard to come by” she remembers. Things have changed. Now, living in Berlin, often called the vegan capital of Europe, Pradnya’s eating out woes are history.Over and above cooking Indian food and hosting friends over festivals like Diwali, living in Germany has also made her independent. “I’m trying to put myself out there. Intrepidity is a by-product of living in Germany, this summer I’m going to South Africa on my own,” she signs off.
Rapid Fire with Pradnya
The country’s reckoning with its political past has helped me put things in perspective in my own work. Living here has also taught me to be a lot more independent.
What advice would you give to someone who is planning to move to Germany for work or studies?
Come with an open mind and be acutely aware that life here is different and it can get some getting used to. It’s neither all hunky dory nor is it all difficult, the reality is somewhere in between.
What is your favourite German word?
I absolutely love the fact that you can put together words and make up a new word in German for example, Meer-Wasser-Entsalzungs-Anlage. My favourite words would be Zeitgeist and Zeitenwende – both encapsulate the values of our current times.
