Destination: India

Kalimpong

Located in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Kalimpong was once part of Sikkimese and Bhutanese territory, before it became part of British India in the 19th century. It was at the head of the ancient trade route to Tibet and still has the feel of a frontier town. Its market sells a mix of the exotic and the mundane, from fern shoots to plastic buckets. The Thongsa and Zangdopeiri monasteries in the Kalimpong are two important centers of Tibetan Buddhism. Kalimpong is still popular as a vacation spot for residents of Calcutta/Kolkatta who want to escape the summer heat.

To see more photos from Kalimpong, click here.

New Delhi

Delhi, the capital of India, is also its third largest city, with a population of about 14 million. Its strategic location along the north-south, east-west route has given it a focal position in Indian history, and many great empires have been ruled from here. The monuments and ruins of these are scattered throughout the city, often right next to modern high rise towers.

To see more photos from New Delhi, click here.

Agra

Agra was the seat of the imperial Mughal court during the 16th and 17th centuries before the capital was shifted to Delhi. The city, strategically located on the banks of the Yamuna river and along the Grand Trunk Road, attracted artisans from Persia and Central Asia who built luxurious forts, palaces, gardens and mausoleums. Of these, the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

To see more photos from Agra, click here.

 

Teaching, Learning, Living at the Gandhi Ashram
(Vivek Freitas, 08J)

On the 6th of January, 2007 twenty seven jet-lagged Colby students made the bumpy bus journey up the winding slopes of the Himalayan foothills to the small town of Kalimpong in North-East India. In many ways this ride became metaphoric for the next two and a half weeks of teaching and learning at the Gandhi Ashram School. Founded by the Jesuits, this school worked with Colby College to create a special "Winter Program" wherein Colby students would live with and teach Music and English to students ranging from the third to eleventh grade. The very real sense, for all parties concerned, of being part of a completely new experience made the atmosphere electric. Every person involved remained distinctly aware that they were both teacher and student, and each day was characterized by unexpected awakenings to the intricacies of rural student life coupled with the Ashram students' wonder at the peculiarities of the American college student-their teachers. Colby students found themselves in numerous baffling situations-most had to completely revamp their now visibly inappropriate course plans, a lot of them were laid bare by the tremendous passion for learning and almost incessant curiosity their students approached them with, but most stunning of all was the warmth and ease that seemed to envelope all these life changing experiences. Many opinions were shed, a lot of new things were taught, the road was most certainly not smooth and straight, but like that first bus journey that ended in the misty hills looking straight out onto the snow-capped Himalayas, the view at the end of the ride made it all worth while.

© 2007, Colby College, Waterville, ME
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