Kingswood Students Experience Cultural Visit To India

During the summer holidays, 19 students and 4 staff departed on a cultural trip to India.

In Dharamsala, an important hub of Tibetan Buddhism, the team enjoyed a wonderful array of activities, which included a the Tibetan Children’s Village (a home and school to orphaned children and refugees), a two-day renovation project at local schools and a trip to the Tibetan Parliament.

Students participated in English conversational classes, visited local co-operative groups, shared in a tour of The Dalai Lama’s Temple and, in a notable highlight, enjoyed a personal audience with His Holiness The 14^th Dalai Lama.

Speaking about his vision for a world built on compassion and love, His Holiness offered the audience a vision for education and emphasised the importance of the pursuit of equality, social justice and respect.

The students were then able to participate in a memorable question and answer session.

The second part of the journey included a visit to Amritsar and the Golden Temple; the spiritual heart of the Sikh faith.

Here, students and staff helped prepare Chapatis for over 10,000 visitors, and observed spiritual leaders reciting scriptures to pilgrims and other devotees.

The final leg of the trip brought the group to Delhi where they participated in a walking tour of Old Delhi, a visit to the Grand Mosque, and a powerful address from a de-radicalised Sufi Muslim, who now works at home and abroad to de-radicalise vulnerable people.

The journey concluded with visits to Agra, home of the iconic Taj Mahal, and The Love Care Foundation, an NGO that sponsors slum-dwelling children through schooling - a thought-provoking and inspiring end to the adventure.

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