Ten students take ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to India

Ten students from SWAHA Hindu College have returned from the trip of a lifetime after spending two weeks in India. During the visit, the students were accompanied by two teachers from the school, recently retired SWAHA Hindu College principal, Pundit Balram Persad, teacher Nalini Persad, as well as two parents, Deodath Juteram and his wife. After their journey to India from December 2-26, they admitted their return to Trinidad was tinged with a little sadness when they left their newfound friends behind in New Delhi.  “It was very hard saying goodbye,” SWAHA Hindu College teacher Nalini Persad said. “Everyone treated us warmly and the students built a bond with their Indian counterparts they stayed with in New Delhi.” The trip to India was part of a student cultural exchange programme organised by the SWAHA Hindu College, Sangre Grande as the school hosted 15 students from Delhi Public School (RK Puram, Delhi) India when they visited visited T&T in 2010.  One of the students who went on the trip, Akshay Khandoo, said the most memorable experiences for him was visiting historic sites such as the Ganga river, the Taj Mahal and the Akshardham Temple. “It was amazing,” Khandoo said. “All the different rides at the Akshardham Temple reminded me of a small Disney World. “I also had the privilege to meet the Chief Minister of New Delhi Sheila Dixit.”

 

He said some of the food was a little too spicy for him but one of his favourite dishes was paneer or Indian cottage cheese. Khandoo said the students felt right at home watching the familiar-looking faces staring back at them and if none of them opened their mouths to speak they could be mistaken for locals. “I really enjoyed my trip and I would definitely go back,” he said. Balram Persad said the students also had a wonderful time visiting Agra, Haridwar, Vrindavan, Mathura and India Gate. “It was very interesting, exciting, so historic and very informative,” he said. “The trip was an eye-opener for us coming from a small country where you can drive for one and a half hours and cover most of Trinidad. “In such a vast country like India, you can drive for six hours before reaching your destination.”  He said the Caroni river was like a canal compared to the Ganga, as it was so wide and the current was so strong, its water so cold, yet so refreshing. It was a bit tiring, however, as it took two days to reach the site. Persad said there were many contrasts between the T&T and Indian way of life.

 

He said the students saw the crowded streets, the deep spirituality of the people and they felt a level of safety while in India. “You could walk with any amount of money and nobody would even touch or tamper with you or look at you wrong,” Persad said. He said the downside was the unexpected poverty and squalor the students witnessed during their visit. What amazed them was the traffic chaos on the  streets, where drivers didn’t follow lanes and competed with elephants and cows on the road, yet there were no accidents. Persad said most vehicles in New Delhi ran on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), down to rickshaws, as a measure to reduce noise and environmental pollution. He said the streets were very noisy, with a cacophony of blaring horns because behind every vehicle was a sign saying “horn please.”  “What we will always remember is the hospitality of the students from the Delhi Public School, the teachers and the people themselves for opening up their hearts and homes to us in addition to the beauty of India. “It was a once in a lifetime experience for them.”