Students will go on several excursions that directly or indirectly complemented the academic aspects of the program. These include:

1. A day of sightseeing in Mysore and its vicinity in your first week there, to give students a sense of the place where they will be staying for two months.
2. A long weekend trip to the Nilgiri hills for an animal safari, trekking and bird-watching (http://www.jungleretreat.com/). 
3. A day trip to see a hospital that combines both allopathic and tribal medicine and serves a tribal community. You will also visit the school for tribal children set up by the same organization some distance from the hospital. For more details on the hospital, school and organization, please see http://www.svym.org. Internship opportunities are also available here.
4. A weekend trip to the world famous temples of Belur and Halebid, and to visit the monolithic statue of Gomateshvara (one of the tallest in the world) at Sharvanabelagola. (For more on these sites, please see http://www.indiantemples.com/karnataka.html.)
5. A half day trip to see an organic farm just outside of Mysore.
6. A half day trip to see how a women's self-help organization called Shaktidhama.
7. A day trip to visit one of the largest Tibetian Buddhist settlements and monasteries outside of Tibet (in Bylekuppe).
8. A half day trip to visit the INFOSYS campus, a world class information technology Center (http://www.infosys.com/).
9. A possible weekend  trip to Srirangapatnam and Bangalore.
10. A week long trip to Northern Karnataka where we visited various archaeological sites including those at Badami,  Aihole,  Patadakal, Bijapur and the UNESCO world heritage city of Hampi. (For more on these sites, please see http://www.indiantemples.com/karnataka.html and http://www.hampi.in/monuments.htm.)

Please note that the program is group oriented and very full. This, in addition to reasons concerning security, make it implausible for students to anticipate opportunities for independent travel.

Several extracurricular activities in Mysore are also included in the program, which might include:

1. An evening of Carnatic or Hindustani Classical Music.
2. A Bharatnatyam lecture-cum-dance recital with Vidushi Smt. Kripa Phadke.
3. A folk leather puppet show by the Nagamangala Troupe.
4. A play reading in which the students participated along with the author, Vijay Padaki.
5. Screening of several movies including Gandhi and Corporation, followed by discussion.
6. A tour of the Sri Jayachamaraja Art Gallery.

In addition, students participated in several optional extracurricular activities such as early morning yoga, tabla (Indian drum) classes, Bharatnatyam dance classes, and an intensive weekend retreat on meditation and spirituality.

Excursion Photographs

Student Photographs

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