NORTH INDIA TOUR

The students of JSSPS were given the unique opportunity of touring the North of India from the 9th of October

till the 17th of October 2013. The itinerary included Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, and Manali. The students

had had a fantastic experience. The following snap shots capture some magic moments of the trip….

9/10/2013

Our journey to Delhi began at 3.30 pm from school. It is now almost midnight and we are still at the airport! Due to a delay in our flight, our new departure time is 1 am as opposed to 7.30pm, as originally scheduled. However, this 5 and a 1/2 hour delay has not has not served as a set-back. Instead it has acted as a catalyst that has drawn our little Motley Crew closer to each other. McDonalds turned into a dining hall, while the boarding gate is simply a posh carpeted playing field. When we started this journey 8 hours ago we were 25 people off on journey. We shared the disappointment of a delayed flight, bonded over burgers and laughter and explored the Dubai Airport to our hearts content. As a result we are now 1 family off on adventure. Ready to take the good with the bad. As we wait to board our flight we are filled with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for all that is yet to come.

10/10/2013 We reached Delhi at 6.30 am this morning and boarded a bus headed towards Chandigarh. En Route to our hotel we stopped at an Eatery and had an authentic North Indian breakfast replete with Aloo Parathas, Fresh Yogurt, White Butter, Pickle and sandwiches. A hearty breakfast was a great way to start the day! We have now reached our hotel, ‘THE GOLDEN PALM HOTEL AND SPA’. After freshening up and eating lunch we plan to continue with the scheduled itinerary. We are looking forward to a trip to visit ROCK GARDEN AND SUKHNA LAKE. The visit to ROCK GARDENS was a unique experience. The creativity on display was a treat to observe. It was also wonderful to visit the open spaces of Rose Garden and spend a few moments amid nature. However it would have been better if there were actually Roses to be seen and enjoyed. SUKHNA LAKE was as beautiful as we had hoped it would be. The interesting amusement park rides made it a fun experience for those of us who were brave enough to try a few! Now that we have eaten a delicious dinner, which was a choice spread of both of both Indian and Chinese food. We are ready to rest and recharge so that we are at the top of our game for tomorrows activities.

11/10/2013

8.30 am: We have a good rest and have eaten a breakfast of North-Indian, South-Indian and Continental dishes washed down with Vanilla milkshakes or watermelon juice. We are now ready to move to our next destination.

Today we will be journeying to SHIMLA. 10.30 pm: We are now all gathered around a crackling camp-fire recalling the details of a long and fun-filled day. Today’s adventures began with a bus journey from Chandigarh to Shimla. Along the way we halted for a break to take in the scenic view. Shimla is breath-taking! The cool crisp weather just adds to the experience. Our hotel,

called Koti Resort has quaint little rooms, flowers in abundance and very tasty food. After a hot lunch we went to The Himalayan Nature Park at KURFI. The leopards, Tibetan wolves and Barking

deer were a special treat. Next on the agenda was a visit to CHRIST’S CHURCH SHIMLA & PRIYADARSHINI VIEWING POINT. The church was a magnificient structure and the viewing point turned all of Shimla into a

fairyland of twinkling lights. We then proceeded to take a quick round of the shops around Mall road. Tiny book stores and woolen garment stores were found in abundance.

All that walking made us hungry so after a quick snack we boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel and ate our dinner. Now as we all laugh, dance and warm ourselves up around our very own campfire it is clear to see that

as the days pass we are all growing closer and learning new things about each other.

13/10/2013 Today’s update has been written by Nandha Navaneethan of grade IX-C

We got our wake-up call at 6:00 a.m. As we got out of our beds and went

out to the balcony we were stunned by the beauty of the snow covered

mountains and the river beside our hotel.

We quickly got our delicious filling breakfast with the most weird salty

upma. The parathas were like heaven and the tea was hot to keep us

awake. We quickly took our anti-vomiting tablets and got set for our 2 and

a half hour trip to ROHTANG PASS.

On the way, we found ourselves in the middle of the amazing beauty of

Manali. Our first stop was at a little mountain store where we hired our

snow suits. After that we were prepared to take on the snow!! (We were

lucky enough to be visiting Rohtang on a day when there was snowfall.)

The snow ball fight which almost buried Subodh sir was extremely fun.

The girls seemed to have a good time building a snow man which was later

smashed with great joy by the boys. Overall it was a unique experience.

However, it left many feeling colder than they expected.

Later, on our way down we stopped at a rest house for hot noodles which

warmed us up for the rest of our journey back to the hotel.

Once we arrived at the hotel we got our lunch and prepared to leave once

again for our next adventure. We moved onto the Tibetan Monastery

where we saw A Buddhist temple which looked ancient and beautiful.

Next we went to the Himachal Pradesh Art and Culture Museum, where

we found old artifacts which were very amusing to all. It consisted of

materials in the day to day life of the Himachal people, like utensils for

cooking, jewellery, style of clothing, etc.

We at last went to the ancient Hadimba temple which was the most

extraordinary place we had visited. We entered the temple through a really

small door; the idol was placed below a flat rock. We had to bend down

and pray to God. The prasadam also was really good.

We then returned to the hotel to have hot tea and masala fries. Then after

fifteen minutes we went the discotheque where we had a lot of fun.

After shaking and dancing like crazy people we got really hungry. We then

went to the dinning room for our scrumptious food.

It was a very long and interesting day were we all made many memories. I

just can’t wait for tomorrow and I hope that we have a lot of fun as we did

today.

14/10/2013

Today will be a day that most of us will treasure for

years to come. Memories have been made. Milestones

have been achieved and each of us had experiences that

have enriched us.

The morning began with a hot breakfast while admiring

the sun-kissed mountains from the dining hall at the

hotel. We began the day with WHITE WATER

RAFTING.

The weather played along. The sun shone brightly as

three rafts packed with students meandered their way

through the rippling waters of the Beas. The sound of the

water and the sheer thrill of being in the raft made

everyone squeal with delight. After coming out of the

raft and changing into dry clothes we travelled to a

shawl factory. Here we were able to view the process by

which woolen shawls are woven in Manali. The weaver

explained the different types of wool that are used. We

were even given the opportunity to purchase shawls

made of Yak, Lamb, Angoora and Pashmina wool. Next

we returned to the hotel for lunch.

After we had eaten and rested for half an hour we left for

Solang Valley in order to avail of the adventure sports on

offer. Some of us rode Quad Bikes, Some went Zorbing,

Others went Para-gliding, All of us had a blast!! With

our adrenalin pumping and our spirits high we returned

to the hotel for a high tea of Samosas, Jalebis and Milk.

We are now preparing for a Camp Fire and then dinner.

We have an early start tomorrow and so all of us are

planning to get a good night’s rest.

15/10/2013

We had a very early start this morning. As our bags were already loaded onto the vehicles last night, most of us simply brushed our teeth and boarded the bus! We had a dry breakfast of fruits and sandwiches on the bus itself. The route down to Chandigarh took us ten hours. After yesterdays adventure sports most of us were tired and so we took this opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest. We stopped at Pinjore garden at 6 pm. Here we got a chance to rejuvenate our senses by taking in the beautiful scenery and fountains in the garden. We then moved onto the hotel where we freshened up and had dinner at 8. Tomorrow we move onto Delhi.

16/10/2013 Our journey has almost come to an end. Today we travelled from Chandigarh to Delhi. The journey took us approximately six hours. We stopped at the Mangla Dhaba and had a North Indian Meal for lunch. Once we reached Delhi we visited the Red Fort. A knowledgeable guide took us to the main areas of the Fort and explained each one in detail. The Diwani- Aam and The Diwani Khas along with the Moti Masjid were uniquely beautiful structures that were a delight to see. We then went on a grand drive towards the hotel where we were able to view Rajghat, India Gate, The Prime Minister’s Residence and the famous cricket stadium Firoze Shah Kotla. We are now about to eat dinner and then call it a night so that we are fresh for the last day of our tour.

For most of us this has been an experience of a lifetime. Many memories have been made that we will

treasure for years to come.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who made this tour possible.

First of all we would like to thank

Our C.E.O GURUSWAMI KALLOOR,

Our principal MRS. CHITRA SHARMA,

Our Vice principal MR. PARAMJIT ALHUWALIA

& all the other members of the senior management team for allowing us to participate in this tour.

All the parents who sent their children on this journey of a lifetime deserve a big Thank you. Your support

and partnership in the all round development of your children is greatly appreciated.

A huge debt of gratitude to KHUSHI HOLIDAYS PVT. LTD. For the excellent organization & execution

of this tour. A special mention must be made of VIJAY SIR & GOPAL SIR who was there to tend to every

request with a smile, and who worked 24/7 to ensure that we were comfortable.

Thank you also to the teachers who accompanied the students

MR. SUBODH DHYANI, MS. YASHVI PANJNANI AND MS. RIANNE SELWYN.

Last, but not the least thank you to all the students who were part of this tour. You have made us proud!!

PARENTS’ FEEDBACK

The kids had a FANTASTIC time and that is an understatement!! in fact their 'selfies' (a new terminology that I heard from them for pictures they have taken of themselves) was really interesting. It truly was an eye opener for us Parents, who still think our kids are so small. I wholeheartedly thank Mr. Ahluwalia, Ms. Rianne, Ms. Yashvi and of course not the least, your good self for making this such a memorable and safe trip for them and for us. Most of all, appreciate the regular updates we got and the patient answering of all the calls. Thank you all once again...thank you JSS. Best regards, Aruna

(Parent of Prerana Rao - Grade 6C)

Hi All, Wanted to thank you all for the wonderful India tour that was arranged by the school. Sanoja is full of stories from the fantastic trip. It was very nice of Subhod Sir to send the photos on the CD to all. Thanks to Paramjeet Sir and his team ie Shubhod Sir, Rianne Ma'am and Yasvi Ma'am for taking care of the kids and showing the beauty of India. I also appreciate the cost of the trip which was very low compared to the time and the tour itenary. Thanks again for all the efforts taken by the school for this wonderful trip... Regards, Saraswati

We would like to thank you very much for the North India Tour. Thank all the staff in taking many pains in organizing & making it happen. Seriously appreciate the efforts as it involved managing too many kids in such adverse conditions, taking care of the kids health & keeping their tempo in such a tight scheduled trip. It was really an adventurous & risk taking trip. Thanks a ton once again & looking forward to such trips. Warm Regards Radhakrishna. M

Father of Rithika. M, Grade - 7B

Thank you and other teachers for your hard work for making this tour a great success. As this was the first tour for our son we were tensed initially. But as promised everything was handled well and every student was very much comfortable and had good experience. Thank you all once again. Regards, Navaneethan