Destination
India
Dates
January 13-27, 2013; 15 days / 14 nights
Description/Itinerary
The rich literature of India is the portal of discovery for this extraordinary tour to India, which culminates at the Jaipur Literature Festival in Rajasthan.
Discover India through the eyes of curators Kevin McGrath, a leading Sanskrit and Classics scholar and poet at Harvard University and Himali Singh Soin, an emerging young Indian art critic and poet.
The title ‘India in Mind’ is inspired by the eponymous book, written by Pankaj Mishra, which captures the intent of this journey:
“Ever since Herodotus reported that it was home to gold-digging ants, travellers have been intrigued by India in all its beguiling complexity…
India in Mind reveals a place that evokes, in the traveller, reactions ranging from fear and perplexity to astonishment and wonder and is a marvel of sympathy, sensitivity, and perception.”
Below each day is a title of a literary text that we think would well influence your understanding of the corresponding landscape and culture in which we are traveling. However, these are by no means mandatory, feel free to read just about anything (we’ve added a larger selection of books at the end of this document). Our discussions will be open ended: they can span from readings, a discussion of a whole book or a chapter, or even a single sentence.
Please click here to view the full itinerary.
Leaders
Kevin McGrath was born in southern China in 1951 and was educated in England and Scotland; he has lived and worked in France, Greece, and India. Presently he is an associate of the Department of South Asian Studies and poet in residence at Lowell House, Harvard University. Publications include, Fame (1995), Lioness (1998), Maleas (2002), The Sanskrit Hero (2004), Flyer (2005), Comedia (2008), Stri (2009), Jaya (2011), Supernature and Eroica, (2012), Heroic Krsna, (2013), and Raja Yudhisthira (forthcoming 2014). McGrath lives in Cambridge, MA with his family.
Himali Singh Soin is a poet who finds inspiration in miniature things, in traveling to the source, plotting revolutions, and gluing things together. She writes for ArtForum, CNNGo, Bomb, Art&The City, ArtSlant, ArtIndia and TAKE on Art amongst others. Her poems on art are published in various Indian and international journals of poetry. She curates contemporary art as a means of telling stories in three dimensions.
Activities
Rates
Cost per person: $8500; Single supplement: $2000
Designed by Elevate Destinations – a philanthropic travel company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
For additional information, please contact Elevate Destinations at info@elevatedestinations.com.