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The summer holidays are for visiting new places and making new friends, and for a party of 13 pupils and staff from King Edward’s School Witley this year was to be no exception. The team were heading for Northern India, and the State of Himachal Pradesh in order to trek in the Himalayas. The trip was in three phases, an initial trek to 4200m to visit Deo Tibba base camp, followed by a week on voluntary work at the Kailash Bodhi School outside of the town of Manali.
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The final part of the trip was a trek to 4400m, close to the Rohtang Pass, the old Silk Route connecting Northern India to China . This part of India experiences the monsoon at this time of year, but the locals were echoing views all over the world complaining that the climate was changing and that the rains were late in coming, with rainfall totals significantly down on long term averages. However the King Edward’s team capitalised on the good weather, and only had to wear waterproofs at the highest point of the treks.
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This area of the Himalayas is noted for its green vegetation, and the pupils trekked through fields of Himalayan flowers on both treks. At the Kailash Bodhi School the pupils were given the unenviable task of relaying the concrete of the small playground, which was unsafe after the winter. Three tonnes of sand, gravel and cement were moved by hand in woks, up a steep slope due to the lack of vehicular access. In the baking heat this became a labour of love and after three days the school had a new, much safer playground. The next stage of the project was to revamp the classrooms whilst the school children watched on in amazement at the lack of decorating and colour co-ordination skills shown by their English counterparts. At the end of the week the local pupils, children of Nepalese and Tibetan refugees, put on a display of traditional music and singing and gifts were exchanged.
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After finishing the arduous second trek in the mountains, the King Edward’s pupils returned to Delhi in order to travel to the city of Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and other monuments in the area, as part of their rest and relaxation before returning to the UK. The experience of visiting India is one which the pupils will never forget. Living and working with the local community, even for a short period of time, gave them an insight into a way of life which the ordinary tourist would not see, never mind experience. Negotiating the purchase of building materials, arranging transport, and employing local tradesmen, is not something the average 16 year old pupil does, never mind in a foreign country. Not to mention the new and improved bartering skills the team learnt along the way.
