Our last days in Varanasi were busy and included several interesting sites. We got to listen to Professor Vir Bhadra Mishra, founder of the Sankat Mochan Foundation. This is an organization devoted to preserving the "health" of the Ganges River, particularly by establishing a model for effective and appropriate sewage treatment. We were also treated to another sitar and sarangi concert. The sarangi is a traditional Indian instrument which is played with a bow (pic 1).
We also visited Sarnath, one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage centers. A large stupa has been built at the site believed to be where he gave his first sermon (pic 2). We were also able to visit a Buddhist temple that was located nearby (pic 3).
We also visited Sarnath, one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage centers. A large stupa has been built at the site believed to be where he gave his first sermon (pic 2). We were also able to visit a Buddhist temple that was located nearby (pic 3).
One of my favorite visits for this city was a trip to Ashadeep Vidyashram, loosely translated as Lamp of Hope School. This school is currently run by an American woman (pic 4) who has been living in India for years and is designed for students from a nearby slum to be able to attend without having to face high school fees, the need for a uniform, and being mistreated because of their caste. There are around 200 students at the school (pic 5), all of whom have illiterate parents. The school has nine teachers and currently it is accredited for grades K-5. She hopes to continue adding grades each year so that eventually, students could come there for their full 12 years. I left about 60 bookmarks that my students made for the principal to give as prizes, or hand out as she sees fit. It was fun watching the loving way she interacts with the students. They all stopped to give her a hug on their way home; it really does seem like a family, as she said.
We made a long drive into the countryside on Wednesday to visit a rural village, where you could see women working in the rice fields(pic 6). We had one more school visit on Thursday before taking a flight to Delhi. This one was quite a contrast from the school yesterday, as this private school has a 300-acre campus, a beautiful art room (pic 7) and pottery studio and nice, spacious classrooms. Pupil-teacher ratio is 8-1! From Delhi, on Friday, we will take a train to Agra and Jaipur. (I have just a few last fun pictures from Varanasi that I will post on a separate blog.)
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