Goethe Zentrum: A Bridge To The Culture Of Germany

Thiruvananthapuram: While having snacks at Café Berlin, an eatery at the courtyard of Goethe Zentrum, Mary Selna Seiquer, a native of Kasaragod, explained about her decision to migrate to Germany, her dream destination. Mary, a nurse, has her relatives working at Germany who have agreed to find a job for her. The only hurdle remains is to clear B2 level certificate course in German which led her to the capital city to attend classes at Goethe Zentrum that offers recognized German language course in the state.
Another student Vishnu V A, an MBA graduate from Thiruvananthapuram, has plans to do his higher studies – masters in supply chain management - in Germany. While the basic A1 and A2 courses are enough for masters, Vishnu has plans to clear the next level so that he could engage in part-time work there.

Mary and Vishnu are among the thousands who aim for a turning point by learning German at Goethe Zentrum, an institute managed by Indo-German Cultural Society. Located on Kerala University –Kunnukuzhy road, the centre is all set to celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 28.

By the time Goethe Zentrum completes a decade, it has the credit of taking more than 5,000 students and professionals to Germany. Despite several German-language centres mushrooming in various parts of the state, all students must write exams at the Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi centres of Goethe Zentrum, the only recognized German language learning centres in the state.

Goethe Zentrum director and honorary German consul Syed Ibrahim said that his relationship with the language began with his decision to do a postgraduate course in German in 1989 from the University of Kerala. Realising that options are only for graduate students to learn German in the state, Ibrahim, along with other passionate students and Lata Thampi, former head of the department of German at Kerala University, launched a German language learning centre in the city. However, the centre had to be wound up soon due to poor response. Ibrahim later turned to IT industry, leaving behind his passion for the language. “It was in 2007 that I was approached by the regional director of Goethe Institute with a plan to start a centre in the city. When I got the opportunity, I felt like going back to my ‘heimat’, which in German means a place one belongs to,” he said.

The Goethe Zentrum or Max Muller Bhavan in India, began functioning on November 28, 2008. From seven staff and 400 students in the first year, the institute now has 25 staff, including three German nationals, and 3,500 registered students in 2018 alone.

Germany being a few countries that offer free education for foreign students, the number of students choosing the country for higher education is on the rise. Medical professionals such as nurses and doctors, engineers and priests are the other groups which top in the list of professionals migrating to Germany.

Ibrahim said that the Institute acts as a linguistic and cultural bridge between Germany and Kerala. The institute hosts movie screenings, music performances, theatre programmes etc and all events offer free entry to the public.

Understanding the prominent role played by the institute, Germany declared it as the honorary consulate in October 2016 and appointed Ibrahim as honorary consul.

The centre plays a major role in bringing German footprints in the state. It has been instrumental in bringing German association for projects like Kochi water metro. It also plays a major role in bringing artists for the Biennale. At the time of recent floods, the Goethe Zentrum was able to coordinate the rescue of around 30 German nationals stranded in various parts of the state.