Academic Travel

Our students go on three kinds of trips:

1. Short trips, usually day trips, to destinations within 70-150 kilometres (50-100 miles), such as Jaunpur, Allahabad, Chunar, Sarnath, etc. These trips are headed by a faculty member and a NIRMAN mentor. Students visit spots of unmatched historical and political importance and experience a place different to their everyday lives.

2. Longer trips, to destinations that require a 2-5 day stopover, such as Khajuraho, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mussoorie, Calcutta, Darjeeling, etc. These trips are led by a NIRMAN mentor and occasionally a faculty member. The aim is to broaden the student’s vision of India by exposing her to a different site, and to to supplement her training in Indian History and Anthropology with in-depth interaction with the content of her study.

3. Independent travel. Depending on the length of coursework in India, students may have time off for independent travel. NIRMAN staff helps them make all the arrangements and keeps a watch on them from afar, but leaves students to plan their own destination and details of travel, stay and activities.