Mapless Mountaineering, Mhododendrons and Marathons

Mapless Mountaineering

So I'm using the term mountaineering in the title which might be somewhat hyperbolic, but hey, it's nice alliteration. Anyway, we did finally do some hardcore hiking over our quarter break holiday, and walked up the nearby mountain Nag Tibba (literally Serpent's Peak), which stands at 3022 metres or 9915 feet. Seeing we are already at about 6500 feet it still meant a pretty hefty climb.

On the Saturday morning at about 11am after a two hour drive to the road head, Kirsten and I, my friend Mark visiting from England, and our good friends the Snader family set off. The walk up was delightful, following a beautiful stream through sunny meadows before zig zagging across the stream through the forest. The final hour was a particularly steep section and we were all relieved to reach our campsite about 300 metres below the summit at about 5pm.

We set up our tents, lit the fire and cooked some Maggi noodles (never before have they tasted so good!). We looked at the stars as we sat around the fire, sang songs and played silly games. It reminded me that being out in the Great Outdoors is such fun.

The whole group in the forest just before the top SELF TIMER

The next morning we got up and finished the ascent, and did the final steep part in about an hour. We discovered a generous smattering of snow at the summit. It felt great to have finally made it to the top of Nag Tibba, after hearing so much about it over the last couple of years. The views of the snow peaks were stunning and seemed even closer than from Mussoorie.

After this our friends the Snaders went down the way we came up, but Kirsten, Mark and I decided to try and go down the other (south) side of the mountain. Unfortunately in India maps seem hard to come by, partly because of security fears in this region. Makes you appreciate good old Ordnance Survey!

We were using directions scribbled down on a piece of paper from a colleague, but when we got to the stagnant pond landmark, we tried to descend but ended up just khud climbing. We missed the correct path and ended up hiking a couple of hours along a seemingly endless ridge in boiling sunshine, with no sign of a path down.

Eventually with water supplies almost depleted we turned round and decided to go back down the north side. A fast hike in fading light followed, but we made it to a beautiful clearing by the stream where we could replenish our water supplies.

The next day we continued our descent which included an ice dip in the stream for Kirsten and me, a tribute to our brothers-in-law Marks Bradby and Oden who would have been in there like a shot! It was ABSOLUTELY FREEZING as you can probably tell from the photo below!

It ain't half cold Mum: taking a dip in the mountain stream MARK CROSSLEY

The other plus side of coming back this way was the hospitality we received at Srikot village, our starting point, when we returned. With three hours to kill before our taxi arrived, the whole village turned out to come and say hello. A local shopkeeper and his family gave us tea and rice and dal for lunch, before his son taught us (and thrashed us) at the Indian board game Carrom, and then read his English textbook to us at some length.

After this lovely afternoon our taxi finally arrived and we made our way back to Mussoorie, exhausted but exhilarated after a wonderful time in the Great Outdoors, which I realised is "what I'm all about" (I kept saying this all weekend!!). Well as long as I know I'll be back in my comfy bed after a few days!!

The view of the Himalayan snows from the top KIRSTEN BEAVAN

Ed, Kirsten and Mark at the top of Nag Tibba

Rhododendrons

The rhododendrons have come out all over the hillside as they do every springtime here in Mussoorie, they look absolutely beautiful, clusters of red in the forest glade. Although the temperature seems to have dropped a bit, the days are beautiful and sunny and just so fresh. Here are some snaps of the rhododendrons in bloom:

Rhododendrons in the trees up near Echo Point ED BEAVAN

Confetti like leaves on the road near South Hill ED BEAVAN

Tigers run wild at the Corbett Marathon

Last month a group of us went down to Corbett National Park, about 300km south east from here but still in Uttarakhand, to take part in the third annual Corbett Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K and 5K races.

It is a beautiful part of the state and we were able to do a safari on the Friday before the race. Sadly we didn't see a tiger, but saw several elephants, deer, peacocks and myriad other birdlife.

The race itself was fantastic, I did the 10K and finished fifth out of a field of 50 just outside my personal best in 57 minutes. We ran along a quiet forest road by the park with the odd monkey looking on, accompanied by birdsong.

Our inspirational PE teacher and organiser of the trip Steve Luukkonen won the full marathon by a country mile, a fantastic feat after he was forced to quit the race last  year due to extreme heat.

A good time was had by all the Woodstock Tigers and I hope to do the half marathon next year.

Read more and view a slideshow of photos here

All the Woodstock runners STEVE LUUKONNEN

An elephant spotted on safari PHOTO: STEVE LUUKONNEN

Chandigarh: The Milton Keynes of India

One of Chandigarh's many manicured roundabouts

After posting just twice this year I now find myself posting twice in a week! I'm becoming positively prolific!

Anyway, this post is about Chandigarh, a city five hours' drive from Mussoorie to the west. We went there last weekend to watch the cricket at the Punjab Cricket Association Ground at Mohali, just outside Chandigarh.

What's extraordinary about Chandigarh compared to every other city in India is that it's a planned city. As you cross the city you drive through different "sectors" over grassy, manicured roundabouts, with blocks of houses and flats and shops which make you feel like you're back in a planned city such as Milton Keynes or Welwyn Garden City in England.

A tree-lined street

It really is the most strange feeling, as it feels quite ordered, and almost makes you feel like you are not in India (however the bad driving and camels on the road soon remind you that you are!).

The city was built in the 1950s and designed by French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, and was a pet project of the first Indian Prime Minister Nehru. It was built after partition in 1947 when a new capital for the state of Punjab was required to replace Lahore, which became part of Pakistan. It is now a union territory and serves as the capital of both the states of Haryana and the Punjab.

It's definitely worth a visit just because it's so different. I'm going back to visit its famous rock garden which sadly I did not have time to see this time.

Don't get the hump! A camel on the road in Chandigarh.

A row of houses in Sector 27, or is it Sector 37?!

Meeting MS Dhoni's biggest fan at the cricket in Mohali

Thailand, Tendulkar and Tomes

Thailand

So finally, six weeks after our winter holiday in Thailand I am finally writing about it, apologies for the delay. Well, what can I say, it’s an amazing country, so much easier to travel round compared to India, mainly because you don’t get hassled every five seconds.

It is also clean, has beautiful countryside, lovely beaches and crystal clear sea…and the food is out of this world - so fresh and flavoursome.

Highlights included seeing the Death Railway at the Bridge Over the River Kwai, made famous by the film of the same name, the Erewan Waterfalls, New Year’s Eve in Bangkok - a bustling city full of energy - snorkelling centimetres from turtles off the west coast, and playing football golf in Ko Sumoi (!). It was great also to catch up with some old friends who are working in a church there.

It is little wonder Thailand is so popular with tourists (around 20 million came in 2012, the equivalent of the population of the country), apart from all of the above…everything is efficient, the roads are good, and it has all the creature comforts westerners can’t live without. There are 7 Eleven convenience stores on just about every street corner in urban areas!

For hardcore travellers India is much more demanding…people everywhere, trying to sell you something, help you, transport you, scam you…

This is not to say I don’t love my current country of residence. But “India is just soooo not Thailand”, as I posted on my Facebook page when we first arrived!

Tendulkar

Me and Mr T in the Woodstock gym

Unless you live under a rock in India, you will be aware Sachin Tendulkar is an extremely famous cricketer. Think of footballer David Beckham in England and then multiply it by about a million.

Tendulkar has idol status, he is literally worshipped here. India’s outstanding batsman of the last 15 years, he recently became the first cricketer to achieve 100 first class centuries.

So it was somewhat bizarre to be singing Christmas carols to him at a Christmas dinner party here in Mussoorie.

Mr Tendulkar was up here with his family for a holiday. He trained everyday in our school gym preparing for the next set of test matches, and I was lucky enough to join him in bowling to his son.

He seemed like a nice enough chap and was kind enough to pose for a photograph.

We chatted briefly and I asked him if he fancied coming over to play for my team Essex in England, but he said he had received offers to come to England but his body could not take the rigours of country cricket these days. He reminded me he was the first non-Yorkshireman to play for Yorkshire, and when I asked who he thought was the best current England player, said: “Well, he’s not actually English, but it’s the South African Kevin Pietersen.” Touche Sachin! 

He was certainly pushing his son very hard, who seemed to have some talent, so who knows, I may have bowled to a future Indian cricket star following in his father’s footsteps!

I saw him in action this weekend in Mohali during the third test versus Australia. Sadly he only posted 31 runs, but it was still an experience to see him bat, and the crowd reaction to him. Every time he nudged even a single the crowd would go wild as if he'd hit a six! He was overshadowed by debutant Shikar Dhawan who made 187 on his Test bow! Perhaps the next great Indian cricketer!

Sachin (right) exiting field at Mohali Test match versus Australia

Tomes

I have a massive pile of books on my bedside table but for I’m always so tired during term time I make little headway through them. During our holiday though I managed to get through four excellent books about India or by Indian authors.

Firstly I read Train to Pakistan which is a grisly novel based on the ethnic tensions that flared up in 1947 during the partition of India and Pakistan. I then moved onto All the Way to Heaven by Steve Alter, a Woodstock alumnus who still lives on the hillside. The book chronicles his upbringing as a Third Culture Kid, son of missionaries here in the 1950s and 60s. His childhood is very similar to my wife Kirsten’s upbringing here, and so many of the details, the flora, fauna and challenges faced by a white person who isn’t quite sure where they are from, made for a fascinating read.

I then read The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh which is an excellent historical novel of the history of Burma and India under colonialism in the late 19th and early 20th century. I then picked up Booker winning tome The God of Little Things by Arundhati Roy set in southern India, not a bad read but quite sad. And I am halfway through another Booker-winning book - The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, who is coming to the school in May as Writer-in-Residence.

Sadly the book I had hoped to read eluded me…my darling wife stole Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children at the beginning of the holiday!

Show's over folks: A diary of the staff musical at Woodstock

Howdi folks,

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. We had our long Winter break which saw us spend a lovely month in Thailand, before we returned to Mussoorie and were immediately plunged into rehearsing for the staff musical, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, which took over our lives for two weeks.

I played the role of Linus and below is a diary I wrote of the whole experience. Enjoy! Proper web post on India to follow soon, I promise.

A shot during the "Glee Club" scene, Ed (Linus) with blue blanket in the second row, Kirsten (Patty) second from left in front row PHOTO Nan Onkka

The Secret Diary of Linus

28 September 2012
Did my audition for the staff show…not sure how well it went. I sang Any Dream Will do from the musical Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat, using my dressing gown (a hand-me-down from former staff member Kathy Hoffmann) as my “multi-coloured coat”. Unfortunately as I went to throw it off it got tangled in my legs, causing much hilarity. Then in the dance audition I got annoyed and nearly gave up as my general lack of co-ordination led to frustration in the try-out. I wonder if I’ll get a part?!

9 October
I got a part! I will play Linus in the show, the kid with a security blanket from the Peanuts cartoon. Turns out my disastrous audition worked in my favour! We will start rehearsing in December, a week before the winter break. My wife Kirsten will play the part of Patty, so it’s fun to be in a production together. There are 16 of us in total in the cast, representing India, the US, the UK and New Zealand, with a good mix of teaching, residential and administrative staff involved.

1 December
Started rehearsals today, doing a read-through of the whole show. It’s very funny! All this week we’ll be practising the songs and our particular parts - I am a tenor.

20 January 2013, Ko Sumui, Thailand
Ran into Woodstock teachers Jessie Versluys and Sachi Angel in Ko Sumui today! Went for lunch with them and told them about our progress for the show. I have been trying to learn my part by listening to recordings I have made on my dictaphone, as I sunbathe. Really need to work on my blanket dance. I’m getting a bit nervous as our director and drama teacher at Woodstock, Bethany Okie (a professional actress), has very high standards, and I need to be ready to hit the ground running when we get back to Mussoorie.

26 January
Arrived back last night after catching the Mussoorie Express overnight train. Feeling pretty shattered but had a six-hour rehearsal today, “blocking” all the scenes, which means working out where you will be standing during the performance. Was pretty intense but it was good to see everyone.

Lucy (Meredith Dyson), Linus (Ed Beavan) and Patty (Kirsten Beavan) PHOTO: NAN ONKKA

28 January

Math teachers Zach Conrad and Paul Morrill and parent Craig Wiggins have started working on the set which is starting to take shape very quickly - they are master craftsmen. Meanwhile teachers Mike and Mary Ellen Pesavento and their two hardworking daughters Elizabeth and Juliana are working like Trojans on the lighting and sound, and various other technical aspects of the show. Judy Crider has stepped up to be stage manager which is great.

2 February
Just five days until our first performance, we have been rehearsing every evening after our staff training days. We did our first full run-through today which didn’t go too badly apart from a few people forgetting their cues. I have been having voice coaching lessons with English teacher Paul Roberts as I need to project my voice more to be heard. Bethany has given me free rein to improvise on the blanket dance as long as I just smile at the audience! I think I’ve nailed it now… It’s so bad it’s good!

6 February
Our final dress rehearsal went well. Behind the scenes lots of people are helping out with final set designs and props. Minda Philips, mother of SAGE student Maggie, has been a great help, while Elizabeth Pesavento has created an amazing bust of Beethoven for the Beethoven Day song. Director Bethany’s attention to detail is outstanding, she is working extremely long hours to finish everything off.

7 to 9 February
We did it! Two evening performances and one matinee on the Saturday afternoon were an absolute blast! It was such fun, and having the audience interaction added an extra dimension…happily everyone seemed to enjoy it! All the audiences were awesome, particularly the second night when they got up to dance during the finale – we all left the stage buzzing. It was interesting to see how different age groups reacted to different gags…obviously the younger kids enjoyed the slapstick moments more.

After the final show Dr Long and his wife Sue very generously hosted an aftershow party at their house. I was lucky enough to pick up the “biggest surprise” award, while Devan Landseidel picked up the “princess” award for his outstanding turn as Snoopy, and pianist Jessie Huang won “hero” award for the long hours put in learning the music and playing at every rehearsal, as well as being an outstanding accompanist for the actual performances.

Quite frankly everyone in the cast and all those who helped in any way deserve to be recognised. The show could not have happened without all the Woodstock community rallying round to help, and was a testament to the hard work of so many people here.

I would wholeheartedly encourage everyone, whether student or staff, to get involved in a drama performance if you get the chance. It’s an absolutely fantastic experience, and it will help you get to know colleagues much better.

So, who’s for a Woodstock production of Les Miserables next year?!

The final pose at the end of the show PHOTO: Nan Onkka

Absolutely bilkul: A year in India: Mussoorie, Modernisation and Movember

Absolutely bilkul: A year in India

Howdidy Doodily folks! Apologies for the radio silence on this blog for a while, it was a crazy last few weeks of semester, but now school is out things have calmed down a lot.

It’s lovely being up here just chilling in the run up to Christmas, enjoying the mountain environment and spending quality time with Kirsten. We were even able to sit out and sunbathe whilst reading this afternoon. It’s boiling hot in the winter sun, but when the sun goes in it’s freezing. We’ve also been enjoying the stunning sunsets from our house…the photo here does not really do it justice but hopefully gives you a flavour.

The view from our sofa at sunset, they have been stunning recently. PHOTO: KIRSTEN BEAVAN

So, unbelievably, we’ve almost completed our first year of marriage and of living in India together. It has flown by but as I said in the title, it’s been absolutely bilkul. For those of you without knowledge of Hindi, I should say bilkul means absolutely. Why then, you might ask, am I using this tautology: absolutely absolutely?

It all stems back to a funny story when I was in Delhi. I had learnt the Hindi expression, bilkul pagal, which means absolutely crazy, and tried to level it at a taxi driver who had sped me across Delhi like a madman before demanding an extra 200 rupees from the price agreed. Attempting to express my dissatisfaction during our altercation, I told him I thought he was absolutely bilkul. Needless to say my wife and Hindi speaking family members found this mistake hysterical, and now the expression has become common parlance in our household.

Mussoorie

I realise I have not written much about the town where we live and where Woodstock is located. Mussoorie is 175 miles north of Delhi in the foothills of the Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand (literally mountain region). It is about 7,000 feet up and nicknamed “Queen of the Hills”, and is a hill station where people come up to escape the heat of the plains. During the days of the Raj British soldiers came to convalesce. Local author and Woodstock alumnus Steve Alter has written an excellent piece about Mussoorie and its link with literature.

It is a six hour train journey from Delhi to Dehradun, and then an hour’s taxi ride up a hairpin mountain road (if you’ve not had car sickness before, you will here!).

It has changed a lot in the 20 years since Kirsten was here growing up, and she often points out new concrete developments which sadden her deeply. I guess that is a sign of India modernising (see more below), and inevitable in some ways.

Mussoorie from below PHOTO: CHESSY BEAVAN

It has numerous hotels and guest houses, and at weekends, particularly in holiday periods, it is flooded with tourists. It is a gateway to some great walking in the Himalayan foothills, although I’m not convinced local tourists ever get beyond the central attractions of the ferris wheel, horse rides and aquarium (containing Mussoorie’s only escalator)!

It still has a number of historic buildings such as St Paul’s Church and Christ Church, the Old Library, a wooden skating rink (the largest in India apparently), and a cemetery. We hope these will be preserved for the future.

It also has a cinema called Picture Palace which is now some sort of hideous 3D tourist attraction, and I'm told, a Clock Tower, although sadly I've never seen it as it was taken down some years ago because it was cracked, and has still not reappeared. I wait in hope...

Anyway, you should really come to see Mussoorie for yourself. As a taster, a Woodstock parent and fellow Brit David Berger has put up some great photos of the bazaar on his blog, so please take a look his photos, which really capture the everyday feel of the town brilliantly.

Mussoorie's ancient cemetery entrance PHOTO: KIRSTEN BEAVAN

There is also a great video about the school, the Himalayas and the recent mountain festival, which included the first Mussoorie half marathon which I took part in, available to watch here.

Modernisation

As I have alluded to above, we see signs of India rapidly modernising all around us: building work, everyone with mobile phones, shops selling domestic appliances, and huge numbers of cars on the road. This is all a far cry from 20 years ago when there was much less traffic and fewer technological advances.

In some ways it’s great that people are prospering and able to move up the social scale into a burgeoning middle class out of poverty, and this is a good thing.

However, one can’t help thinking this modernisation comes at a cost. We sometimes see adverts of TV where the whole western lifestyle is being sold as the best way forward. Although there are benefits to modern technology, it seems India is teetering on the brink of verging away from its roots founded in the family and spirituality.

If India were to abandon these foundations and go the same way as the west in chasing the material dream, this would be a tragedy. The results of this in the west have caused much unhappiness and loneliness as we have moved away from family and God and embraced a secular society. But part of me sees the juggernaut of materialism as unstoppable, not just here but everywhere across the world. Only time will tell how things will pan out.

Movember

In November we took part in the Movember moustache and beard-growing charity event, to raise money for a local children’s hospital to buy a number of wheelchairs. The event was embraced by the community and we ended up raising a huge 150,000 rupees, a phenomenal amount. There was a competition for the best moustache, and my effort ended up a half shaved, half moustachioed head, which sadly did not win! After shaving it off, I realised a number one shave was not the best haircut for winter, so I am living in my Tibetan woolly hat during these cold months.

Left, crazy sideburns for Movember; right, a shorn Ed cutting firewood by the bukari PHOTO: KIRSTEN BEAVAN

Merry Christmas

It just remains for us to wish you a very Merry Christmas wherever you are reading this. We hope you have a relaxing time and remember afresh the great news of Jesus’ birth this Christmas time. With all good wishes from Mussoorie, Ed and Kirsten.

PS My parents-in-law kindly subscribed us to the Guardian Weekly, which is an excellent read and keeps us in touch with world and UK affairs. I had a letter published in it recently, which you can read here.

PPS Wonderful to see England wrap up a test series win in the cricket recently. Sadly my schedule and long distances precluded me from attending any of the games, but I followed it closely on TV and was delighted we won a series for the first time in India in 28 years. Jai England! (Sorry Kathy H!).

Our official Christmas photo with Kirsten's Mum and Aunt PHOTO: SELF TIMER!

Delightful Delhi, becoming more "Indianised" and Mussoorie's Winterline

Listening to an awful audio guide at Qutub Minar

Delightful Delhi

I went down to Delhi a few weeks ago for some work meetings, and was able to "do a bit of tourism" in the Indian capital for the first time.

My first impressions of Delhi were not particularly positive, as I passed through it on the way up to Mussoorie. On my first trip to India last year I only travelled from the airport to New Delhi station, which is a harrowing experience for the most seasoned of travellers, as you negotiate your way through crazy traffic, and hundreds of people at the station being hassled and harangued. Delhi can be overwhelming at first, with its hustle and bustle, and people everywhere.


Taj Mahal-esque: Safdarjung's Tomb

However, it's fair to say that I pre-judged the capital, which has many magnificent historical monuments scattered around it. My first tourist stop was the amazing Qutub Minar, a UNESCO heritage site containing India's tallest minaret, with beautiful stone carvings, dating from the 12th century.

I also popped in to see Safdarjung's Tomb, a Taj Mahal-like masoleum built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style, which was absolutely deserted and an oasis of serenity in the middle of the busy city.

My host recommended the Hauz Kauz Village area, a trendy, bustling part of town with small alleyways of shops and cool cafes, which reminded me a bit of Brighton's Lanes area in the UK. I was able to pick up some nice presents in one of the many antique shops there.

Finally I went and looked at India Gate, the impressive monument at the heart of the city which sits on Delhi's equivalent of the Champs Elysees, which winds its way down to the Parliament buildings.

Inspired by Paris' Arc de Triomphe, it was designed by British architect Sir Edwin Luytens and built in the early 1930s. It is India's national monument and also known as the All India War Memorial, commemorating the 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost thier lives in World War I and the third Anglo Afghan War in 1919.

The inscription on it reads: "To the dead of the Indian armies who fell honoured in France and Flanders, Mesopotamia and Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli and elsewhere in the near and the far-east, and in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afghan war."


The inscription on India Gate commemorating Indian soldiers who died in WWI and Afghanistan

It is very poignant and an important memorial and reminder of these Indian troops who sacrficed their lives fighting for the British Raj, an aspect of 20th century history which shamefully seems to have been airbrushed from most British classrooms, certainly from personal experience.

Arc de Triomphe-esque: India Gate

A view of a three wheeler from a three wheeler

I travelled around Delhi in auto rickshaws, the green and yellow three wheeled vehicles which are ubiquitous in the capital. Unfortunately being white you are always charged a foreigner's rate, often two or three times what a local would be charged for a ride, which means you are constantly haggling with the drivers to get a reasonable rate. It can get a bit wearing, and annoying, but then on the other hand I guess we can afford to pay a bit more than most people. Throwing in a bit of Hindi can help with negotiations (don't laugh Mark Bradby donyervard!).

I also used the impressive Delhi Metro system (map here for all you fellow public transport geeks), which is cheap as chips (ten rupees a journey), and far more clean and efficient than London's creaking system. It even has air conditioning! Sadly I didn't make it to my favourite station this time, Dwarka Sector 21.


Pristine and clean: The Delhi Metro

I'm glad I've got to see more of the capital and look forward to exploring more of its many monuments in future trips.

Becoming more "Indianised"

Mussoorie really feels like home now, I'm pleased to say. On this theme, I received a birthday card from my aunt the other week, which contained a rhyme in which she said I was becoming more "Indianised", which I think is true. How do I know this?

i) I no longer double take when I see a man driving a scooter with a broken arm / lorries driving towards me on the wrong side of the road with the horn blaring / taxi drivers overtaking on a blind bend / or when I see whole families including a new-born baby riding on a single motorbike
ii) I say certain words with an Indian accent eg no (although I've yet to adopt the famous head wobble!)

Mussoorie's wonderful Winterline

Last week temperatures really dropped and it seems winter has arrived in earnest. During the winter months, a beautiful phenomenon occurs here in Mussoorie, called the Winterline (see photo below), a false horizon in the west when the sun sets, creating stunning orange and mauve hues. Apparently it only occurs here and in certain parts of Switzerland.

The view from our house looks west so we see this amazing scene every night...yet another reason for you to come and visit us if you're ever passing through this neck of the woods.

Many thanks to my colleague and neighbour Owen Fidler for the excellent photo below.

Wonderful Winterline: the view from our house at sunset PHOTO: OWEN FIDLER

Amritsar

Watching the sun set on the Golden Temple. Photo: Kirsten Beavan

Amritsar: home of the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh

We have just had our quarter break holiday, and we were lucky enough to be able to go to Amritsar in the Punjab region in the north west of India, which borders Pakistan.

The city is much like many other Indian cities; a buzzing, busy metropolis with hooting rickshaws, cars, hawkers and tourists vying for space in crowded streets.

Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple, the Sikh Gurdwara considered holy by adherents of the religion, housing the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. It was fascinating to watch many Sikhs bathe in the water around the temple, and made us realise how important the theme of cleansing is to so many of the major world religions.

The queue to see the holy book was huge, so we gave that a miss, but enjoyed watching the sun set on the temple giving us a variety of golden hues to view.

In 1984 the temple was stormed as part of Operation Blue Star by the army on the orders of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after Sikh extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale took sanctuary there. This act was perceived as sacrilege by many Sikhs and led to assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards six months later.

Unproud Brit: Ed in Jallianwala Bagh in front of bullet pocked wall

Talking of Gandhis and shootings, we also went to the nearby Jallianwala Bagh Park. It was strange, as soon as I walked into the park it felt vaguely familiar, and then I read it featured prominently in the film Gandhi, and I realised I remembered it from the film. I was only about five when I saw it, but it had quite a profound impact on me, and I have vivid memories of it. I remember being really upset that this "good guy" Gandhi had been shot.

Somewhat unfortunately I was wearing a Union Jack T shirt in the park. This was not a place I felt proud to be British, as this was where on 13 April 1919 British forces opened fire on about 20,000 people in the park who were taking part in a public meeting there. This had followed a time of unrest in the city after an anti-British strike, encouraged by Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful resistence campaign.

It is estimated around 400 people died in the massacre ordered by British army chief Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer, who feared a major insurrection. You can still see bullet holes on the walls, and the martyrs well, which people jumped into to escape the shooting, but ended up drowning in.

In the museum there are photos and a letter from a group of Christians who are descended from the British soldiers involved in the massacre. Back in the 90s they came to repent in the park for the atrocities of their forefathers and seek forgiveness. This apology was accepted by the people of Amritsar which I found profoundly moving.

The park is lovely now and a memorial to this dreadful chapter in the history of the British Raj. Many Indian visitors there asked me for a photo with them, and we sat and enjoyed the peace watching squirrels and birds.

Bordering on the ridiculous?

We also drove up to Atari to the Indian/Pakistani border to watch the daily border closing ceremony. This was a truly bizarre experience, with crowds of Indian and Pakistanis seated in grandstands on either side of the border, watching soldiers marching up to the border line, like strutting peacocks, in a highly choreographed display.

It was like something from the Ministry of Silly Walks from Monty Python, the Indian soldiers actually touched their heads with their boots they raised them so high.

We were on the Indian side where people shouted "Hindustan Zindabad" ("Long Live India") while the Pakistanis were shouting Pak-is-tan.

It was interesting to observe the women on the Pakistan side all had their heads covered in Islamic garb...Kirsten got some great snaps of this (see below).

The Pakistani side, all the women with heads covered. Photo: KB

Although the atmosphere did not seem particularly hostile, it was hard to know what to make of this experience.

With relations between the two countries extremely low, one wonders how helpful this event is in improving Indo-Pakistani relations, and if they could do something more constructive instead?

There is a brusque handshake between the soldiers from both sides after the flags are lowered, but, continuing on a Monty Python theme, Michael Palin, when he visited as part of his travel programme, described the ceremony as "carefully coreographed contempt", which seems to sum it up well.

It's a shame there is not an opportunity for interaction between the people from both countries, as surely they have more in common through their shared history and humanity than what divides them.

Malls are cool, right?

I was delighted our hotel was right by a huge shopping mall. I have not been in such a cathedral of commercialism for almost a year...and I couldn't wait to get in there.

However, after our second trip there, I realised the local shopping experience we have here in the bazaar in Mussoorie is far superior.

One major problem was we got smothered by sales assistants in every shop we entered. Unfortunately, the stand offish "less is more" sales approach does not exist here, and meant the novely of the mall soon wore off.

But the mall's very existence, with shops including French Connection and Tommy Hilfiger, is testament to India's massive strides economically in the past 20 years. You couldn't even get imported food in India 20 years ago, Kirsten told me.


Lights, camera, action - message to my Dad

Finally, if you've forgotten what we look and sound like, here is a brief video we recorded for my Dad who was celebrating his 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood back in the UK, including a couple of outakes, Ed getting emotional and Kirsten holding the fort! Congratulations Dad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3BB386VeDM

Arriving home in an Ambassador taxi, another relic of the British, with schoolgirl looking on. Pic: Kirsten Marian Beavan