Jain Journal 1970 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 36

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JAIN JOURNAL
would be out of town till about the end of September. Through the Akademische Auslandsstelle (i.e., Institute for Foreign Students), of which the chairman at the time was Frau Helene Fera, a rich and very cultured elderly lady who belonged to the Social Democratic Party, I got into touch with the University and the Indisches Seminar. Frau Fera was a very kind-hearted person of liberal views and broad sympathies, and was particularly partial to Indian students (although I was the only Indian student at the University throughout my long stay in Hamburg). She took great interest in the welfare of foreign students and frequently entertained them. When the Nazis removed her later from her position at the Auslandsstelle—she had nothing but contempt for their absurd ideology--she opened a free German course in her own big house and maintained her close touch with foreign students as before.
That year Germany had a long summer (ending in August) which all north-European countries look forward to, the remaining months of the year being cold, wet or foggy with heavy snowfall in winter. In September it was autumn and Frau Fera led a large party of foreign students, American, British and continental, in an excursion by train organised by the Auslandsstelle, to the open country on the outskirts of the city where we saw the woods in all their golden autumnnal glory. The Auslandsstelle also organised a rapid course in German for beginners which was joined by all foreign students, and there were more visits to interesting places in and around the city. So we were gradually initiated to German life, helped also by invitations to groups of us at the houses of other Auslandsstelle associates of Frau Fera.
Towards the end of September Frau Fera, on my behalf, rang up Professor Schubring who lived in the suburbs—my knowledge of spoken German was as yet inadequate for carrying out a telephonic conversation-and he made an appointment for meeting me at the Seminar.
Prior to my meeting with him l familiarised myself with the precincts of the University, a vast complex with lawns around, consisting of big lecture theatres and small class rooms, long and wide corridors and stairs on several floors. The Seminars for different subjects were housed, if they had many students, in separate buildings situated away from the main University building but not very far from it. Each Seminar had its own class rooms, lecture halls, work rooms for advanced students, a small coffee room and an open-shelf library, very well stocked with books and journals not only in German but in other leading European languages as well, dealing with that particular branch of knowledge. Besides the Seminar libraries, there were also the University