The MYP 4 students visited “Udaipur” the scenic city of lakes and “Kumbhalgarh” the impressive historic fort in the state of Rajasthan from 5th to 9th February. The trip included several activities focusing on the history, art, traditional music and dance forms of Rajasthan. It was inspiring to walk along the massive walls of Kumbhalgarh fort, which are the second longest in Asia and listen to the heroic tales of the kings of Mewar who fought valiantly against the Mughals and the British.
When we visited Haldighati, the site of the actual battle, the next day, history seemed to come to life. At the Chaitri rose fields, the scene of the epic battle between Maharana Pratap and the Mughal forces, one student made an interesting observation: He said that it was ironic that the battlefield which is called “Rakt Talai” or the pond of blood should now be the place where of thousands of roses of a rare species should bloom.
Another highlight of the trip was the service activity and it was nice to see the MBIS students participating with such enthusiasm and interacting so well with the students from the local school. Language was no longer a barrier and both sets of students communicated so well with each other.
Shalaka Walimbe
Field Trip Student Reflections:
Shreya Margale:
From the fifth of February till ninth, MYP 4 visited Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh, part of the Mewar regions of Rajasthan.The trip encompassed service learning as well as touring some of the most famous forts{Kumbhalgarh fort} and palaces{City Palace-comprising of the Monsoon, Winter and Summer Palace. Looking back at the trip, I feel that it was an important experience, to learn about the culture and diversity of Rajasthan. This trip also gave us all a chance to connect with each other at a different level, as a result of living in close quarters for a majority of a week, and also due to the fact that we spent a majority of our travelling in the bus. This was tiring, however was fun because of the company of our friends and the talks that resulted.The school that we visited in Kumbhalgarh, gave us a lot to take back home, like gratitude for what we have, and immense respect for the teachers and principal for their efforts in running the school. The students of this school, followed a very particular schedule, starting with morning prayers, reading newspapers and then moving onto classes. It was very interesting to see a school so diverse from our own, an experience we will treasure for a long time. Kumbhalgarh fort proved to be as magnificent as we anticipated, its massive walls looming over us. The empowered walls posed a deep philosophical question: What are the walls that we build around us? What is it that we keep out, and what is it that we ferociously protect inside us? These questions led to a very dynamic reflection in our sketchbook/journal, in which we documented every aspect of our trip. Haldighati and Chetak Memorial proved to be equally inspiring, the tale of the horse Chetak truly inspiring all to be brave and pious. As sweet as the rosewater that we tasted at the Chaitri Roses,even better were the handicrafts and paintings we saw at Shilpgram, a sector dedicated to the arts of people form four different states, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. As an art student it was riveting to see the artists paint on cloth, printing on that paper with unbelievable precision. For me, the highlight of the trip was the city Palace, a massive fortress, that lives up to all its glory, With it brightly painted windows and facades, intricately decorated pillars,and lavish rooms of the kings and queens that came before, the City Palace truly captured the gist of Rajasthani culture. Seeing the culture in Rajasthan and learning about their history was truly fascinating, and I’m sure we all came back with their stories and folktales embedded into our minds.
Sneh Deshpande-
What does it really mean ‘to appreciate intercultural understanding’? Essentially, field trips in the International Baccalaureate are oriented towards an opportunity to explore and appreciate regions globally, while associating these explorations to various subjects. Moreover, they provide the entire class with an occasion to secure friendships and construct relationships with your peers – which will
be reminisced throughout one’s life. During our field trip, the entire class experienced overwhelming curiosity regarding the intense history of Udaipur and its Mewar region as well as appreciation of the culture preserved in this region of India. We learnt about the life of the revolutionary leader, Maharana Pratap Singh, understanding how a man’s life can be driven through loyalty, humility, and dedication. Traversing the City Palace exposed us to Udaipur’s rich history consequent to its independence. Reviewing the Battle of Haldighati allowed our class to further compare our studies in school, in order to derive creative ideas for our Interdisciplinary Studies which involved the appreciation of Udaipur’s art and culture. In my perspective, appreciating intercultural understanding may not be subjected towards simply reviewing a region’s history. To truly appreciate intercultural understanding would be to peruse over the struggles, the choices made by people through the stories told to us by our ancestors.
Shreya Joshi:
The MYP 4 field trip was quite a different one this year for me personally. It was full of new experiences, the building of stronger bonds and memories. Another important aspect of the trip has been the understanding of the Rajasthani culture which signifies so much to locals of the state. By going to different places which were each evidence of a part of the culture, it appealed to me as an interesting cultural understanding. Maintaining a sketchbook for an original book as well as an original cartoon was another thing that was new, yet quite eventful. It meant that I had to notice the surrounding and pay attention to things which could inspire me in the sense of events or ideas. Overall it was a trip of ups and downs. But we went through it all together. The trip has taught me loads and has given me loads to reflect upon.
Qavalina Andrade:
This field trip was definitely one that I am going to remember. While it started off like most other field trips, I didn’t realise I would learn so much and strengthen my friendships. On the second day we visited a government-run school for Service. This experience was very humbling as the students there were extremely driven and eager to participate in the activities we had planned. Their excitement definitely motivated me to interact and try to engage in a conversation with some of the students. Later that afternoon we visited the Kumbhalgarh fort. We learnt a lot about the history of this amazing fort and walked around. What I found the most interesting about this fort was the wall which was 36 km long. The next day, we passed through a mountain pass where the famous battle of Haldighati was fought. After that, we visited a museum dedicated to a horse that helped one of the Kings of Udaipur – Maharana Pratap win the battle of Haldighati. After lunch, we visited a rose farm and saw the instruments that were used to distil roses to make different products like Rosewater and Gulkand which is a sort of rose preserve. In the evening we watched some folk dances and traditional Udaipuri art which were mainly miniature paintings. The next morning we visited the City Palace in Udaipur. The palace showcased some amazing architecture, which was influenced by Europe and China. I thought that it was nice how the royal family had opened the doors for a large part of the palace to the public, while they still resided in one side of it. From outside the palace, the three other palaces of Udaipur could be seen, and each palace was named after a different season, with the City Palace also being known as the Summer Palace. Later we went to a puppet show and some traditional dances. The most interesting of them was a man who balanced 9 pots on his head and also danced on broken glass. The next day we travelled back home. This field trip has been really informative and I learnt a lot not only about the Udaipur Culture but also about my friends, teachers and myself.