The Delhi Tour was specially curated to create an exposure for the student council members and experience the working of the national capital of the country. The four-day tour consisted of various significant places which mesmerized the students throughout the trip.
The tour commenced with a long drive from Pune to Mumbai by road followed by an adventurous train journey from Mumbai to Delhi. The international students experienced the overnight train ride by Indian Railways from various states to reach Delhi.
Early in the morning, the team reached Delhi and visited the ‘World Book Festival’ at the Bharat Mandapam (nationally & internationally famous for its G20 Summit venue) in Paragati Maidan to experience a wide global collection of books with more than 300 domestics to global book stalls.
The students interacted with the chairman of the organization (National Book Trust of India) and the director on various topics particularly international literature and the significance of books for youth. A fresh feast of delicious taste from south India was served as lunch at the ‘Tamil Nadu Bhawan’ and left for the hotel to rest. Students enjoyed long walks and shopping at the Janpath market followed by dinner at the Afghan Food Centre experiencing the Afghani tasting cuisines.
The group also visited the recently renovated and inaugurated PM Museum having a trail of the past prime ministers of India and the history of the pre and post independent India. An AI generated self-pick PM letter along with the ‘selfie with your favourite PM’ was gifted to the students as a memory of the museum. The team then headed to the historic parliamentary building to understand the governing of the country followed by an evening walk at the ‘India Gate’ followed by a dinner to the north Indian restaurant and a quick walk at the famous ‘Sarojininagar Market’.
The next day commenced with a visit to the historic world UNESCO heritage site and one among 7 wonders of the world ‘Taj Mahal’ situated at Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The architectural structure and the history of the Mahal mesmerized the students after a long walk inside the palace. After having lunch at a revolving restaurant close by, the team headed back to Delhi followed by dinner at the famous food joint ‘Haldirams’ to explore the chaat corners of the north Indian regions.
On day four, the students decked up for the tour at the Ministry of External Affairs office for an interactive session with the IFS officers to explore more ideas on peaceful internationalization where the deputy director of law school Noida joined the team. After an interesting 2-hour discussion, the team visited ‘Maharashtra Sadan’ to taste Maharashtrian cuisine and headed to the airport for Pune.
The Delhi tour not only created a platform to experience and learn about the big cities of the country and explore the national capital but also created an opportunity to meet experts of various fields and experience the variation of culture, language, food, architecture of the diverse yet united India. The students took a suitcase of memories, smiles and experiences back home with a feeling of gratitude and contentment.
From the student’s diary
“We learnt a lot about the political and cultural history of India while enjoying the culture of
Delhi and its cuisine it had to offer. It was a worthy experience.”
-Srija Misra (she/her) Nigeria
