Day 6: Music and Dance

irst, we spent a whole day at Welham Girls' School. In order to get there, we first had to haggle over the price of an Auto Rickshaw. We finally got them down to 150 rupees, or ek sau pachass. When we boys arrived, we joined the Groton girls in the cooking activity, where we learned how to make puri and aloo (potato) curry. The process of making the food with the rest of the group was a wonderful bonding opportunity, and the food was delicious! Afterwards, we went to the dining area for a fruit break, where we talked to the Welham girls about our home and the amazing meal we'd just eaten. 

Following the fruit break, we had our folk dance activity. We learned Punjabi folk dances as well as interpretations of modern Bollywood songs, as well as a dance that served as a reference to an old snake charmer. It was a physically and mentally challenging experience, but the Groton students performed well, especially our dear Max Fan, who got a few compliments from our instructor. 

After dancing, we let our bodies rest with printmaking. Using natural objects such as leaves and sticks, we played with negative space and ink. After much ink was on our hands, we had fun finished projects. Lunch followed with more good conversation. 

Music followed lunch. We spent over an hour in the music classroom. The young, hip, and talented music teacher taught us a few hindi songs. We subsequently transitioned over to western songs. The teacher had us hop on some instruments. With Max's strong piano as a base, others could experiment. Tea, affectionately nicknamed Chai, picked up the drums while Tim fiddled with a bass guitar. The group then composed a brief song using the skills we had picked up. After concluding our visit with a few minutes of poorly-played basketball, the group moved onto its next adventure. 

Following our guide, Shantum, we explored the streets of downtown Dehradun. We visited the Paltan Bazaar—sights, smells, and noises flooded our senses in a wonderful adventure. We paid a visit to the Shree Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib, a Sikh gurdwara (temple) located downtown. The place was packed with people, mainly families, who were celebrating a festival in honor of a local Sikh guru. 

 

To end our day of excitement, we gathered in  the city's oldest sweets shop to share our impressions. The kindly proprietor welcomed us and encouraged us to sample the sweets while we articulated our thoughts. On our way out of the bazaar to the main road Ms. Lamont got her shoes restitched by a cobbler for the exorbitant price of fifty cents. We boys then took another auto rickshaw back to the Doon School, which was even more fun than the first ride: the nighttime air and the blazing lights of Dehradun made us feel like we were zooming through a scene from a movie—with a soundtrack of hundreds of car horns— something that we will never forget.