We are now taking reservations for our inaugural trip and firming up plans for lectures and workshops. So far three travelers are booked and we will assemble information needed to confirm hotel and air reservations.
Our group, although small at this time, looks to be simpatico and fun.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
India Journey with Grace Inc.
It seems like a very long road from deciding to start our company until now. As of today the web site is up and running, we have new business cards, our itinerary is fabulous and looks it, and our brochures give a good idea of what we are about.
Today we were scheduled to briefly thank the Prebytery of Long Island for their support of our India trip of 2010 when we represented PCUSA at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Church of North India. It was during that trip that the idea of India Journey with Grace was conceived. We have much to be thankful for.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way; lawyers, accountants, travel insurance specialists, contacts in India, and most especially web designers Richard and Phoebe Maddrell of Vitalis UK, and Joani Madarash of Access Linx.
I do hope to get many visitors to our website, IndiaJourneywithGrace.com
Our first trip is scheduled from October 14th through the 30th, 2011. It is not too late to sign up.
Today we were scheduled to briefly thank the Prebytery of Long Island for their support of our India trip of 2010 when we represented PCUSA at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Church of North India. It was during that trip that the idea of India Journey with Grace was conceived. We have much to be thankful for.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way; lawyers, accountants, travel insurance specialists, contacts in India, and most especially web designers Richard and Phoebe Maddrell of Vitalis UK, and Joani Madarash of Access Linx.
I do hope to get many visitors to our website, IndiaJourneywithGrace.com
Our first trip is scheduled from October 14th through the 30th, 2011. It is not too late to sign up.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Why India?
Margaret Cook and I are partners in this venture; each of us bringing our extensive backgrounds and love of India to India Journey with Grace Inc. Our website is under construction, meetings have been held with lawyers, accountants and bankers and we are well on our way to putting into place those unique experiences that will make ours an experience to be treasured.
We get a lot of different reactions when we talk to people about going to India. The range from "I would never go to India." to "When do we leave?"
So why India?
India is REALLY different - culture, food, history, religions, customs- it stretches the mind.
Elephants walking along a road with trucks, buses, bicycles, rickshaws, tuk tuks, donkeys, cows, cars and motorbikes give new meaning to the word "traffic".
Women working in fields, besides rivers and on construction sites wearing colorful saris and moving with grace and ease gives a different slant on women's liberation.
Worshipers in temples, mosques and churches expressing their faith in the ultimate goodness of God in unique ways.
Food prepared with a palette of herbs and spices to delight your senses.
Music and dance from a tradition stretching back thousands of years and colorful Bollywood movies reflecting the challenges faced by modern Indians.
Beauty all around, in people, in crafts, in architecture, in the land.
And yes, there is poverty - not always hidden and sometimes in juxtaposition to great wealth. And there is often an acceptance of the vicissitudes of life that makes it seem less onerous. There is injustice and a fight for the rights of all people. Struggles we as Americans can relate to.
So why India?
When I am in India I smile outside and inside.
Maybe you would too.
We get a lot of different reactions when we talk to people about going to India. The range from "I would never go to India." to "When do we leave?"
So why India?
India is REALLY different - culture, food, history, religions, customs- it stretches the mind.
Elephants walking along a road with trucks, buses, bicycles, rickshaws, tuk tuks, donkeys, cows, cars and motorbikes give new meaning to the word "traffic".
Women working in fields, besides rivers and on construction sites wearing colorful saris and moving with grace and ease gives a different slant on women's liberation.
Worshipers in temples, mosques and churches expressing their faith in the ultimate goodness of God in unique ways.
Food prepared with a palette of herbs and spices to delight your senses.
Music and dance from a tradition stretching back thousands of years and colorful Bollywood movies reflecting the challenges faced by modern Indians.
Beauty all around, in people, in crafts, in architecture, in the land.
And yes, there is poverty - not always hidden and sometimes in juxtaposition to great wealth. And there is often an acceptance of the vicissitudes of life that makes it seem less onerous. There is injustice and a fight for the rights of all people. Struggles we as Americans can relate to.
So why India?
When I am in India I smile outside and inside.
Maybe you would too.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
India Journey with Grace goes Corporate
Toward the end of our trip I had one of those Aha! moments and I knew what I needed to do. I want to keep bringing people to India to share my own passion and hopefully infect them. I believe that peacemaking happens one person at a time and that by meeting the unfamiliar, understanding and acceptance are likely to follow.
India Journey with Grace is being incorporated so we (Margaret Cook and I) can bring more people to India in a responsible, safe and fun way.
Yesterday was a banner day in the life of our baby company. With the help of Attys Joseph Sforrazza and Edward Frey, an old friend and husband of a high school girlfriend, we now have our EIN# and URL reservations. And lots of work to do.
Our October, 2011 trip is planned for October 14 to return on the 30th. We are working on the itinerary and expect it to include New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Darjeeling and a Tiger Park. We are planning encounters with Indian culture which will punctuate our days.
India Journey with Grace is being incorporated so we (Margaret Cook and I) can bring more people to India in a responsible, safe and fun way.
Yesterday was a banner day in the life of our baby company. With the help of Attys Joseph Sforrazza and Edward Frey, an old friend and husband of a high school girlfriend, we now have our EIN# and URL reservations. And lots of work to do.
Our October, 2011 trip is planned for October 14 to return on the 30th. We are working on the itinerary and expect it to include New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Darjeeling and a Tiger Park. We are planning encounters with Indian culture which will punctuate our days.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Reflecting
Our trip was so rich, meeting new friends and renewing old ones, representing the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), our Synod, Presbytery and congregation, learning more about the Church of North India, visiting schools, hospitals, an orphanage, participating in worship, and visiting sites historical, beautiful, religious.
All of which was tempered with good food, great shopping and the fun of one another's company.
The people we met, each in their own way, presented to us the face of Christ. Their faith and desire to be an embodiment of Christian ideals touched us all. We were successful in that we met the goals we had initially set forth:
To strengthen ties between PCUSA and the Church of North India (CNI), especially during this time of transition to a new General Secretary, Alwin Maseh.
To show solidarity, support and increased vigilance among Christians during a time of persecution.
To develop a greater understanding of the political challenges faced by Indian Christians and by Dalit Christians in particular.
To further our own understanding of the religions in India.
To reach out to all who are interested at home to share what we have learned, seen and felt and to develop ways to further support our brothers and sisters.
We have been enriched far beyond any contributions we may have made during our time in India. As much as people appreciated our interest and support, they touched our hearts and strengthened our faith in a loving God who answers prayer. I was particularly interested in the many references to the role of missionaries in the establishment of the church. People we met were quick to acknowledge the foundations of medical care and education they established. The gift of Christianity, a religion that espouses the equality and worth of all humankind was welcomed by downtrodden and excluded people. Of course things are never as clean as that; and we heard about injustices perpetrated long ago that continue today as well as current problems with evangelicals.
Preparations are underway for a presentation at the Smithtown Church on January 23, 2011. We will use the sermon time at both services, host the fellowship hour, and invite folks to stay after the 11:00 service for further sharing. This will serve as the prototype for further presentations. We have been invited by the Long Island Council of Churches and expect to present at a meeting of the Presbytery of Long Island. We will also share our impressions with fellow members of the India Mission Network of PCUSA.
Perhaps most exciting of all is that I have started exploratory conversations with an eye toward establishing a 501C3 not for profit, India Journey with Grace. The mission of the foundation will be to increase educational and cultural awareness between Americans and Indians through future visits. I do plan to host a trip in October of 2011 and invite you to learn more about that. If you have an interest in coming with me, I can be contacted at gsimonette@verizon.net
And for now a heartfelt Namaste to each of you.
All of which was tempered with good food, great shopping and the fun of one another's company.
The people we met, each in their own way, presented to us the face of Christ. Their faith and desire to be an embodiment of Christian ideals touched us all. We were successful in that we met the goals we had initially set forth:
To strengthen ties between PCUSA and the Church of North India (CNI), especially during this time of transition to a new General Secretary, Alwin Maseh.
To show solidarity, support and increased vigilance among Christians during a time of persecution.
To develop a greater understanding of the political challenges faced by Indian Christians and by Dalit Christians in particular.
To further our own understanding of the religions in India.
To reach out to all who are interested at home to share what we have learned, seen and felt and to develop ways to further support our brothers and sisters.
We have been enriched far beyond any contributions we may have made during our time in India. As much as people appreciated our interest and support, they touched our hearts and strengthened our faith in a loving God who answers prayer. I was particularly interested in the many references to the role of missionaries in the establishment of the church. People we met were quick to acknowledge the foundations of medical care and education they established. The gift of Christianity, a religion that espouses the equality and worth of all humankind was welcomed by downtrodden and excluded people. Of course things are never as clean as that; and we heard about injustices perpetrated long ago that continue today as well as current problems with evangelicals.
Preparations are underway for a presentation at the Smithtown Church on January 23, 2011. We will use the sermon time at both services, host the fellowship hour, and invite folks to stay after the 11:00 service for further sharing. This will serve as the prototype for further presentations. We have been invited by the Long Island Council of Churches and expect to present at a meeting of the Presbytery of Long Island. We will also share our impressions with fellow members of the India Mission Network of PCUSA.
Perhaps most exciting of all is that I have started exploratory conversations with an eye toward establishing a 501C3 not for profit, India Journey with Grace. The mission of the foundation will be to increase educational and cultural awareness between Americans and Indians through future visits. I do plan to host a trip in October of 2011 and invite you to learn more about that. If you have an interest in coming with me, I can be contacted at gsimonette@verizon.net
And for now a heartfelt Namaste to each of you.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Last Days in Delhi
It seemed as if we had meeting upon meeting with the General Secretary of CNI to discuss our future mission involvement in India. Finally it was agreed that we would continue to work with the partners with whom we have historical relationships in the Etah area. We were assured that we should require reciept of information regarding use of funds, financial recordsn mission statements, etc prior to releasing any funds.
On Tues., our first full day back in Delhi, Lois and I went to visit Birjees Kidwai, a good family friend who lives in Delhi. She and my mother were close friends from their Isabella Thoburn College days in Lucknow. Her daughter, Shaanza Mehta and I are also good friends. The feelings of warmth and closeness with one another and with my mother were palpable. Lois and I got to see family pictures and learn more about the family history. Birjees' grandfather did not allow his daughters to be kept in Purdah and ensured they were well educated. Her father also treated his daughters that way so that each one grew to be a well educated and distinguished person in her own right. She took us to lunch at the Indian International Club, which was a treat. Lois and I would never have known such a lovely place existed without her.
Our friend Santosh George who had arranged for our cell phones arranged a tour for us of the Sikh Gurudwallah in Delhi. At last I have a sense of Sikhism and what it is all about. Besides going into the temple we were able to visit the kitchens where they prepare lunch for thousands of people every day. We were there in time to watch part of the serving, and decided not to stay for lunch but to go and do other things.
On two mornings we got out early enough to actually walk. We visited the Nehru Gardens and Lodi Gardens, both beautiful in their own right. Lodi is graced with beautiful old buildings in addition to more elaborate plantings. There were quite a few folks out in both places jogging and walking and meditating.
Through a friend of Lois we visited the American School where she and her husband Andy worked. What a haven of loveliness and order. I wished I had a more privileged birth so I could have enjoyed going to school in such a place. And they have a cafe with real coffee, a little gift shop and free WiFi. Obama will be visiting there this week.
Denise, the friend of the friend, accompanied us to the orphanage operated by Mother Theresa's Sisters of Mercy. The children are well cared for and enjoy plenty of interaction with their caregivers. The first group of little ones we met burst into tears at the sight of so many strange white faces. According to Denise it is important for them to see new faces even if they get upset. Most of the children with the help of staff were subsequently able to overcome their fears and interact with us.
Sushma Ramishwamy, Communications Director for CNI whom Jimmy and I had met on our last visit, invited us to dinner for our last night together. We all hit it off immediately; she and Margaret bonded over Sushma's connections with Bollywood movie stars. We went to Karem's; very famous and listed in all the guide books. It is in Old Delhi, crowded and exciting at night as it is in the day time. Only with more of an air of mystery. Dinner was a meatfest starring goat in several forms. Very yummy and kheer for dessert. Afterward she took us to a shop to get some rose water and then a stop at a sweet shop and finally a stop for paan. I was the only one game enough to try it. It was in a form that was sweet and fibrous and I did have a few little tastes of it. Not enough to feel any effects; clearly an acquired taste.
India, too, is an acquired taste. One that is well worth the effort. I am already thinking about the next trip in October 2011 and hope many friends old and new will be able to join me.
On our very last day we visited the B'hai Lotus Temple. It is an architectural wonder, shaped like a lotus blossom which looks an awful lot like an artichoke. But of course it is the lotus that has meaning in India. The temple is designed to express the B'hai belief in the oneness of all religions and is visited by throngs of people every day. The crowds are managed well, even to the storage and return of shoes. And again, learning took place.
Our last "tourist" stop was one of the most meaningful to me. Birla House where Ghandi spent his last days is now a musuem dedicated to him. It is well cared for and thoughtfully displays art in his memory along with the room he stayed in. His last steps to the garden prayer meeting before he was assassinated are laid out and the story of his life and the birth of an independent nations are well told.
On Tues., our first full day back in Delhi, Lois and I went to visit Birjees Kidwai, a good family friend who lives in Delhi. She and my mother were close friends from their Isabella Thoburn College days in Lucknow. Her daughter, Shaanza Mehta and I are also good friends. The feelings of warmth and closeness with one another and with my mother were palpable. Lois and I got to see family pictures and learn more about the family history. Birjees' grandfather did not allow his daughters to be kept in Purdah and ensured they were well educated. Her father also treated his daughters that way so that each one grew to be a well educated and distinguished person in her own right. She took us to lunch at the Indian International Club, which was a treat. Lois and I would never have known such a lovely place existed without her. 
On two mornings we got out early enough to actually walk. We visited the Nehru Gardens and Lodi Gardens, both beautiful in their own right. Lodi is graced with beautiful old buildings in addition to more elaborate plantings. There were quite a few folks out in both places jogging and walking and meditating.
Through a friend of Lois we visited the American School where she and her husband Andy worked. What a haven of loveliness and order. I wished I had a more privileged birth so I could have enjoyed going to school in such a place. And they have a cafe with real coffee, a little gift shop and free WiFi. Obama will be visiting there this week.
Denise, the friend of the friend, accompanied us to the orphanage operated by Mother Theresa's Sisters of Mercy. The children are well cared for and enjoy plenty of interaction with their caregivers. The first group of little ones we met burst into tears at the sight of so many strange white faces. According to Denise it is important for them to see new faces even if they get upset. Most of the children with the help of staff were subsequently able to overcome their fears and interact with us.
Sushma Ramishwamy, Communications Director for CNI whom Jimmy and I had met on our last visit, invited us to dinner for our last night together. We all hit it off immediately; she and Margaret bonded over Sushma's connections with Bollywood movie stars. We went to Karem's; very famous and listed in all the guide books. It is in Old Delhi, crowded and exciting at night as it is in the day time. Only with more of an air of mystery. Dinner was a meatfest starring goat in several forms. Very yummy and kheer for dessert. Afterward she took us to a shop to get some rose water and then a stop at a sweet shop and finally a stop for paan. I was the only one game enough to try it. It was in a form that was sweet and fibrous and I did have a few little tastes of it. Not enough to feel any effects; clearly an acquired taste.India, too, is an acquired taste. One that is well worth the effort. I am already thinking about the next trip in October 2011 and hope many friends old and new will be able to join me.
On our very last day we visited the B'hai Lotus Temple. It is an architectural wonder, shaped like a lotus blossom which looks an awful lot like an artichoke. But of course it is the lotus that has meaning in India. The temple is designed to express the B'hai belief in the oneness of all religions and is visited by throngs of people every day. The crowds are managed well, even to the storage and return of shoes. And again, learning took place.
Our last "tourist" stop was one of the most meaningful to me. Birla House where Ghandi spent his last days is now a musuem dedicated to him. It is well cared for and thoughtfully displays art in his memory along with the room he stayed in. His last steps to the garden prayer meeting before he was assassinated are laid out and the story of his life and the birth of an independent nations are well told.
Fame
 |
| Scottish Followers |
Knowing how thrilled I was to meet people from Scotland who actually found and read the blog, I can't imagine what it must be like to be a published author with legions of fans.
They were on the way to Kalimpong and staying at the Komfort Inn. Hopefully they will like it as much as we did.
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