India

Morning Calisthenics

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In school the children receive health check ups, nutritional testing, they brush their teeth upon arrival and departure and are given free lunches.

Yoga

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The children are given a sweater to wear when in class, are taught to strive to be the best they can be, and are encouraged to stay in school. There are aprx 750 children in these schools which were recently developed.

Where The Children Live

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In hopes of rounding up more children we went to a nearby neighborhood and through interpreters urged parents of children not in school to agree to try the program.

Where The Children Live

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Many of the fathers are richshaw (manual via pedal) drivers and construction workers

Shower System

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The cement cube (next to the blue tarps) is the shower for the more than 1000 families who live in this camp.

Receiving School Supplies

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that we brought

Gandhi Memorial

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The flame burns constantly in this park

Gandhi Memorial Park

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These teenage girls are in a federally sponsored "domestic school" for girls who dropped out of the standard public schools, wherein they are trained to become housekeepers

School For Traditional Music & Dance

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This elite program (children generally start at age 3) is in addition to standard school and it teaches classical Indian music and dance. I tremendously enjoyed hearing the students practice.

The "Red Fort"

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Lal Qil'ah is surrouned by a 1 1/2 mile long wall. This fort is the largest monument in Old Delhi (and is a UNESCO World Heritage site). It was constructed in 1639 by Emperor Shah Jahan (1 of the last moghuls). 3000 people once lived and worked inside of here. In 1857 the British Army captured it, slaughtered all the inhabitants, and converted it to the headquarters for the British Military.

Red Fort

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The Moghul rule officially began in 1526 with Babur (a descendant of Genghis Kahn) who invaded Punjab and declared himself emperor of India.

Amar Singh Gate Of The Agra Fort

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Prior to Babur, Muslim invasions (which drove the Roma people, more commonly known as "gypsies" to flee to eastern Europe) occurred as early as 1192 when Muhammad of Guar invaded. He overthrew the existing feudal Rajput rulers and established his own empire with the capital being in Delhi. Eventually his empire covered most of Northern and Central India. Gaur and his successores tried to establish the religion of Islam in India.

Agra Fort

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Built by Emperor Akbar in 1565.

Palace Inhabitant

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Monkeys such as this one roam freely amongst the forts, palaces, and sides of the road

Room In Which Shah Jahan Was Imprisoned

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he built the Taj Mahal and toward the final construction his son imprisoned him in this neighboring palace, he eventually died in this room, but was able to gaze out a window at the Taj Mahal that he built for his wife.

View Of The Taj Mahal

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from Shah Jahan's "cell"

Taj Mahal

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Emperor Shah Jahan, while in a grief-stricken funk, built it for his wife who had died during the birth of their 14th child.

Taj Mahal

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is made of white marble and there used to be precious and semi-precious gems pressed into the marble

River Behind Taj Mahal

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in the morning haze