India Sabbatical

Taare Zameen Par

2008-05-12T13:25:00.001+05:30

Singing in Hindi for the whole school!

Kurta and pajamas

2008-05-12T13:23:00.000+05:30

Tata C formers on their way to dinner in evening uniform.

Around Rajpur village

2008-05-04T22:04:00.003+05:30

Lunch at Llasa restaurant (yummy momos) and back to school in a shared Vikram.

Johnny at Tibetan Women's Handicraft Centre

2008-05-04T22:01:00.000+05:30

Tea with Promila

2008-05-04T22:00:00.000+05:30

Johnny and sadhu (holy man)

2008-05-04T21:58:00.000+05:30

Johnny at Sakya Centre Temple

2008-05-04T21:54:00.001+05:30

Tom's class

2008-05-01T20:56:00.003+05:30

Sahastradhara

2008-05-01T20:52:00.002+05:30

Trek to Shaker Falls

2008-04-30T19:00:00.002+05:30

Early morning walk with Sister, Bobbi senior, and Toral.

PT Gong Cup

2008-04-30T18:57:00.003+05:30

The Five Houses compete for best Physical Training squad, showing off all those hours of practice they've been doing 6:30 am. Jaipur House won with a unique triangle formation.

Tata House C Form Tutorial

2008-04-30T18:51:00.001+05:30

The gang at our house for snacks and at dinner in their kurta pajamas uniform.

Nagtibba

2008-04-08T20:11:00.002+05:30

Shepherd's shelter

2008-04-08T20:08:00.003+05:30

Trekking at mid-term

2008-04-08T20:06:00.002+05:30

Tea at the Das'

2008-04-08T19:55:00.001+05:30

Taj Mahal and Fatephur Sikri

2008-03-30T14:34:00.004+05:30

Ajmer: Mayo and Barefoot Colleges

2008-03-30T14:31:00.004+05:30

Tom with Principal of Mayo and our guide from Rajputana Discovery. Mayo is a prep school originally for the Princes of Rajput, who arrived with full staff and horses. Barefoot College is, in contrast, a place for villagers to learn from each other how to set up solar panels, harvest water, deal with social and health issues.

Raj of Binai

2008-03-30T14:29:00.003+05:30

Greeted with music, flowers, and sandalwood, we enjoyed a very special lunch at the home of the Raj. Delicious food surrounded by rugged hills, unspoiled village, ancient ruins, parakeets, and peacocks. Now open for homestay! Highly recommend.

Chittaurgarh

2008-03-30T14:27:00.003+05:30

30 km fort complex. Note goddess of smallpox.

Udaipur

2008-03-30T14:24:00.001+05:30

Highlight of our stay in Udaipur was trekking and lunch at Mountain Ridge with Piers and a tribal guide. Spectacular rural Udaipur.

Ranakpur

2008-03-30T14:21:00.002+05:30

Jain Temple of gorgeous marble carving near Udaipur. Spotlessly clean and soothing. Sandalwood and saffron mixture used in the shrines. Johnny counted 86 shrines, one of the biggest.

Jodphur

2008-03-30T14:18:00.002+05:30

Fort in Jodphur is beautifully restored. Also enjoyed a jeep safari to see craft villages of woodblock fabrics, pottery, dhurries. Woman pictured is Bishnoi, a tribe known for preserving nature.

Holi!

2008-03-30T14:16:00.000+05:30

Around Doon

2008-03-30T14:11:00.003+05:30

With the other Bobbi in HM garden, boys in Mussoorie, Holi (festival of mischief), and Johnny in his Doon School uniform.

Amber Fort elephant

2008-03-28T11:04:00.004+05:30

Tibetan monastery visit with Sister

2008-03-28T10:49:00.004+05:30

Sister Karma and me with the monk who let us into the very large shrine at a Buddhist seminary monastery in Dehradun, the beautiful Tibetan Library, a tribute to the Gods in the shrine (made entirely from sugar), one of many portraits of lamas at the shrine (this one western born, Lamas are reincarnations of Gods. There are many lamas, Dalai Lama being the highest. Sister's brother is a lama).

Delhi homestay

2008-03-27T10:57:00.001+05:30

With Major Chandrakant

Doon group

2008-02-15T12:13:00.001+05:30

Part of the Doon contingent to the village.

Goodbye Fatephur, hello HESCO

2008-02-15T12:06:00.003+05:30

Nargish says goodbye to spirited drummer, mother of seven, wonderful cook.
Next stop: HESCO model village. Dr. Anil Joshi, Man of the Year 2002: "....to develop an eco-friendly society in the Himalayan region.....making them active partner in overall development of the region."

Early morning in the village

2008-02-15T11:59:00.002+05:30

Offered chai everywhere we go, here out walking with the chief. Later, the chief reviews the women's passbook accounts, they've been micro-financed through HESCO's WISE initiative (Women Initiative for Self Employment). The children show off drawings on pads we've brought them.

Women drummers

2008-02-15T11:52:00.004+05:30

Village of nine untouchable families were adopted for rural development by Doon. Here we (9 women from Doon) had an evening of music and dance with the women. Magical.

Fatehphur Village rural development project

2008-02-11T15:00:00.000+05:30

Village school visits

2008-02-11T14:50:00.001+05:30

We stopped at two schools on the way to Fatephur. These schools have been adopted by Doon. One of the schools is mostly Muslim and a major success of the project is to have enrolled girls in school for the first time.

Tea Time

2008-02-08T18:18:00.001+05:30

"What a delectable tea time." Johnny really said that. Our dining room.

Claiborne on the tennis court

2008-02-07T16:20:00.001+05:30

Claiborne is Johnny's English teacher. Lucas from Germany is also on gap year.

Basketball scene

2008-02-07T16:17:00.000+05:30

Good players.

Cricket scene

2008-02-07T16:13:00.001+05:30

It's cricket season. House in background is a gift from the Maharajah of Jaipur.

English teachers in the MCR

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000+05:30

Intellectual Doon English teachers on tea break in the Masters Common Room.

Cactus Buddha

2008-02-07T14:50:00.000+05:30

This sculpture outside the Rose Bowl is one of 40 on campus, almost all by students.

Johnny and Pranjal

2008-02-02T19:22:00.000+05:30

Our friendly neighbor, a wicked good card player.

Doon Assembly

2008-02-02T19:06:00.000+05:30

Rosebowl was built by Doon students.

Headmaster congratulates the new school Captain, voted in on the first day of term.

Doon founder

2008-02-02T19:04:00.000+05:30

Tom and Johnny with the founder of Doon, Nishad Das' great-grandfather.

Doon School digs

2008-02-02T19:02:00.000+05:30

Johnny in front of our Doon School home for the term, the guesthouse.

Dehradun traffic

2008-02-02T10:47:00.000+05:30

Driving is on left side of the road, very chaotic and lots of horn blowing. Notice the movie theatre, one of three in town.

Suspension bridge in Rishikesh

2008-02-02T10:45:00.000+05:30

Only one hour from Dehradun but very different, big yoga/ashram scene.

Snake charmer in Rishikesh

2008-02-02T10:39:00.000+05:30

We're told they remove the venom glands.

KALYPSO ADVENTURE: Church Festival

2008-02-02T10:28:00.000+05:30

Procession at one of the many Catholic church and Hindu temple festivals we saw. This is near Mariari beach, our last homestay on our magical trip to Kerala, organized by Kalypso Adventures.

Beach bungalow

2008-02-02T10:24:00.000+05:30

Relaxing at Arrakkal homestay with Mini, Abi, Tom and Davis. Thanks for the playing cards Ms. Desrosiers class!

Stanley, driver and guide

2008-02-02T10:21:00.000+05:30

Johnny with fun Francis and reliable Stanley in front of our Toyota.

Tamil Nadu village

2008-01-28T10:17:00.000+05:30

Johnny of the Banyan

2008-01-28T10:11:00.000+05:30

Tamil Nadu goes Bollywood

2008-01-28T10:07:00.000+05:30

One of two sites on Prabhu's Banyan Tree plantation that has been a set for Bollywood films since the 50's.

Waterfall swimming

2008-01-28T10:05:00.000+05:30

Idyllic watering hole on the 4500 acre Banyan Tree homestay in Tamil Nadu.

Indira Gandhi National Park

2008-01-28T10:02:00.000+05:30

Saw the common animals: spotted deer, peacocks, macaque and langur monkeys, guar (wild boar), 4 bison. Razortail bird, with a long ribbon tail was amazing.

Wild elephants and tigers eluded us. Although we heard and smelled the elephants several times.

Munnar downtown and tea plantation

2008-01-28T09:58:00.000+05:30

We stayed at the Talayar Estate Bungalow. One of few tea estates not owned by Tata.

Johnny and the Gurka

2008-01-28T09:56:00.000+05:30

Our guard at Talayar. The empire hasn't quite died in Munnar.

Picking tea leaves

2008-01-28T09:53:00.000+05:30

At the Talayar tea plantation. We're bringing the leaves home for a cuppa with you.

Swarmed by students

2008-01-28T09:50:00.000+05:30

We made friends very easily.

Munnar school visit

2008-01-27T20:19:00.000+05:30

We approached from the tea plantation above it. Students playing Kabadi, an Olympic sport.

Kayaking on the Periyar

2008-01-27T20:17:00.000+05:30

Biking near the Ghats

2008-01-27T20:15:00.000+05:30

Swim at the dam

2008-01-27T20:12:00.000+05:30

Looks peaceful...on the Periyar River.

Johnny's elephant

2008-01-27T20:03:00.000+05:30

Birding at Thettakad

2008-01-27T14:18:00.000+05:30

Excellent guide at the sanctuary. Seen here with Alon from Melbourne. Lots of bright blue kingfisher, Malabar hornbill (endemic), mynah, frog-mouth (endemic), rufus, honey buzzards.

Hornbill Camp and Matthew's Rubber Plantation

2008-01-27T14:13:00.000+05:30

Tropical paradise

2008-01-27T14:00:00.000+05:30

Typical backwater village houses.

Tom goes marketing

2008-01-27T13:58:00.000+05:30

Tom ferried to a village to buy lobster prawns.

Johnny lounges on the houseboat

2008-01-27T13:56:00.000+05:30

Houseboat

2008-01-27T13:54:00.000+05:30

We embark on an overnight of luxury with a crew of 3 to attend 3 of us as we cruise the backwaters.

Coir factory

2008-01-27T13:50:00.001+05:30

Quick stop to see how coconut shells are made into rugs. At this cooperative in Communist Kerala, the government gets 97% and 300 workers get 3%.

We love this family

2008-01-27T13:43:00.000+05:30

Our first Kerala homestay, three nights in the backwaters. Kayaking, biking, visited local church and toured the multi-crop farm, fishing, swimming at the beach, drumming, dancing, singing, badminton, cards, and the most wonderful food with the most wonderful open-hearted and open-minded family, Shirley, Hormiss, Anne, Rose, Ria, Mumchi (apologies on spellings). Lovely 300 year old double courtyard home.

Anne catches perspot!

2008-01-27T13:38:00.000+05:30

Strolling the rice paddies

2008-01-27T13:37:00.000+05:30

Badminton with Anne and Rose

2008-01-27T13:35:00.000+05:30

At the beach

2008-01-27T13:34:00.000+05:30

Drumming

2008-01-27T13:29:00.000+05:30

Just testing

2007-12-26T06:27:00.000+05:30