NHS held a study tour to India from February 7th to February 16th, and it proved to be one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Chaperoned and organized by NHS teachers Susan McConnell, Ryan Eberts, and Larry Saladin, the trip brought together 11 students spanning 11th to 12th grade, each of us eager to explore a culture vastly different than our own. I felt incredibly fortunate to have been one of them.
The plane ride from JFK International Airport in New York to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi was roughly 13 hours. I had attempted to sleep through it but ended up spending the majority of my time listening to music while watching the views of Greenland, Russia, and the Himalayas. I will never forget what it felt like to step off that plane, feeling gross and tired but still excited. We were greeted at the airport with smiles and hugs by two girls named Simmu and Swasti, who essentially became our “big sisters” throughout the trip. The bus ride from Delhi to Vrindavan was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before; the roads in India are so different from the roads in the United States, and there is something new to see at every corner.
Where we stayed for the majority of our days was VatsalyaGram, a non-profit, independent charity ashram located in Vrindavan. VatsalyaGram was founded by Didi Maa Sadhvi Ritambhara Ji in 1992 and has created a home for thousands of people, its main goal being to help underprivileged children and women. It’s a beautiful, large, gated community filled with schools, hospitals, homes, and temples. When we first arrived, we were greeted by a large crowd of mothers, who gave us all flower necklaces and bindis. We were taught the greeting “Namo Narayan,” which we were told means that you recognize that God is within the person you are greeting. Yogit and Rudra were the names of the two Indian teenage boys that stayed with the two American boys on the trip, and they became a crucial part of our group during our days there.
The next day, we were told to dress in all white. We ate breakfast, toured the campus of VatsalyaGram, and took many photos. A surprise celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, took place in the courtyard, and everyone got covered head-to-toe in colorful powder. We were all nearly unrecognizable by the end, all of our clothes, faces, and hair covered. We danced and sang for hours, and it was amazing to see everyone immerse themselves in the Indian culture so soon. The day ended with large games of truth or dare and musical chairs.
Over the course of the next few days, we visited the private girls’ school, the Hindi medium school, and the school for children with special needs, all within VatsalyaGram. We danced, sang, made art, ate food, prayed, and played games with the children we met, and we were all welcomed so openly and excitedly. A lot of the children we met were underprivileged or orphaned, and yet every single one of them constantly had a smile on their face.
“The trip we took to India was a magical experience that made me rethink the way I saw the world. The beauty of the Hindu culture, the kindness of its people, and the connections that we made as human beings cannot be overstated. There hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't thought about my experience there. The children and adults we met truly touched our hearts,” NHS social studies teacher Larry Saladin said.
One of my favorite nights was the carnival, when we all got to dress up in traditional Indian clothing (women wore sarees and men wore sherwanis) and ate Indian street food. We got beautiful henna, gave gifts to the mothers of VatsalyaGram, had an Easter egg hunt, took many photos, and danced.
We visited the Taj Mahal on February 13th, and it’s an indescribable feeling knowing your own two feet are on the ground of one of the seven wonders. There is no possible way of knowing what the Taj truly looks like through photos, as it is impossible to fully capture with a camera. It was one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen, and it was a very surreal experience.
On our last night there, all of the visitors from Newtown joined the girls' school in a large dance performance that showcased the combination of our American culture with their Indian culture. I wasn’t a part of the performance, but it was still amazing to see it all come together while watching from the crowd. The next morning, it felt like heartbreak to leave VatsalyaGram, knowing the lasting connections we had made with so many of the people who lived there.
“Going to India was a life-changing experience. It was not always comfortable, but that helped me grow so much as a person and expand my horizons further than I thought they could be pushed. I tried so many new things and learned so much about a beautiful country that is so often misrepresented and misunderstood,” NHS senior Audrey Srebotnik said.
After leaving the complex, it was our time to explore New Delhi. We first visited Akshardham, a Hindu temple, and it was huge and beautiful. We also went street shopping, ate butter chicken for dinner at a restaurant called “Have More,” and ended the day sleeping at The LaLiT, a 5 star hotel. The next day we saw the Red Fort and Gandhi’s home, getting to see where the leader slept and took his last steps. The last thing we did before we took our plane ride home was eat pizza and dance. Our flight departed at 2 AM, and we were all tired and antsy, but it was evident to see that most of us were sad to leave.
This experience has left me feeling both humbled and grateful for all that I have. I find that it’s extremely easy to forget that there is a world outside of what you already know, but traveling to a place so extremely different from anywhere I’ve ever been before changed that. The experiences I had and the people I met in India are now a part of me and are things I will carry with me forever; I feel both smarter and kinder than I did before I left, and will forever be grateful.
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