City tour

The trip began on April 17 when the students landed in Delhi,then went to Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid. They interacted with Timothy Roemer,US Ambassador to India,and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and visited Heritage School and Pathways World School in Gurgaon. Later the students visited Sri Ram orphanage at Haridwar,Dharamsala,and Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

Talking about the significance of the journey,sixty-four-year old Mailliard said,“This journey for each student was a significant one,where they came across different cultures,food,religion,values and social customs. When the students come to such a different culture as India,they become aware that there are many different ways to live and that within those differences there is a humanity that is common to all.”

For the students,it was an ‘amazing’ experience. Describing her first day in Chandni Chowk,seventeen-year-old Lily Connor said,“As soon as I entered its crowded lanes,I felt a bit uncomfortable,there was so much of commotion around. It was something that I hadn’t witnessed ever before. But,as I travelled around the place,I saw how welcoming the people were. Some of the kids came to shook our hands and asked for our names,they were so excited to meet us. Also,the place was so vibrant and full of life,there were different kinds of street food. It was an enriching experience.”

The students’ interaction at the two Gurgaon schools,helped them to find that in spite of the differences in the cultures and education systems of India and US,they had a lot of similarities in terms of their goals and what they liked doing.

The students have written about their experiences on the site http://www.santacruzlive.com/blogs/mtmadonna/. Mailliard is also working on a documentary about the transformation of education in which this journey will figure prominently. He will bring another group of students back to India in 2013.