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This fiddle camp and fiddle tour is sponsored by HIMALAYAS FIDDLE ADVENTURES INC., a non-profit Public Benefit Corporation, and is not designed for private gain of any person. The specific purpose of this Corporation is to promote the learning of fiddling styles and music and the promotion of traditional music to the general public. To assist in education of those wishing to teach, or learn to play the fiddle, in its various international styles and techniques. There are numerous styles of music, and teachers being brought together in this planned adventure in Darjeeling India. These include styles from America, Scotland and India.
The following information describes the background of the individuals involved with the creation of this Adventure, followed by information on the trip. This adventure will include - fiddle classes, public concerts, impromptu music workshops and cross cultural musical sessions within India in the Darjeeling and Rajasthan areas.
About Nirmal Mondol. Nirmal was born in Kolkata, in the province of West Bengal, India. He grew up in a Methodist parsonage, came to the U.S. to study engineering, and finished out his working career with 32 years at the U.S. Air Force laboratories at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
An oportunity to satisfy a lifetime yearning to play the violin/fiddle finally came after retirement. Exposure to a series of inspiring performers and teachers opened up the haunting beauty and soulfulness of Celtic music, and how easily it touches the inner chords of other nationalities. Music is an international language, in today's multi-national, multi-cultural world. It cuts through language barriers, bringing Excitement, Joy, Hope or Comfort to those who seek it. HFA offers another doorway into the immense realm of folk music, Ancient, Recent and Contemporary, presented by experienced teachers/performers from three different continents, in an exotic setting that has been the cross roads of many nations for centuries.
Greg Freitas of Petaluma, California is a long-time friend of Nirmal's and of Scottish fiddling who found the concept of bringing Scottish music to the Himalayas instantly fascinating. With some background in creating resonant fiddle experiences of various sorts, Nirmal and Greg have created this Adventure which has enough people to proceed with it. We invite you to consider this Himalayan Fiddle Adventure and hope to see you in Darjeeling come October 2011.
Barbara McOwen has been involved with Scottish fiddling in California since the 70s and in Massachusetts since the 80s. Her first band was the Berkeley Scottish Players, and she currently leads Tullochgorum, a Scottish country dance band based in Boston. Barbara is also co-founder of the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club, the N.H. Strathspey & Reel Society, and the Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School. She has accompanied a half-dozen of Ken McFarland's dance tours - to Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, and Greece. She is currently teaching private fiddle students of all ages and editing a two-volume series on the fiddle music of Highland fiddler Aonghas Grant; Volume 1 was released October 2010.
The organizers Greg and Nirmal are contributing their time and effort to present this trip to the musical community, and every effort has been made to keep the cost affordable. Any surplus funds from the trip will support the Grants and Scholarship programs of Himalayas Fiddle Adventures Inc. non-profit programs. These include supporting the learning and teaching of world fiddle music, Grants to school music programs for supporting the teaching of fiddle music, Scholarships to fiddle students, Grants for the learning of fiddle making, location and preservation of rare woods used in fiddle and cello making, presentation of fiddle music to the general public, and the location, preservation and distribution of fiddle tunes from around the world.
About India. Nirmal says, "India is the world's largest democracy. It's a land of many cultures and peoples, collected there for centuries, coming together over the passes, learning to live with each other, religions, Hindus, Muslims, Parsees. There are many subcultures that go along with them. There's a natural boundary to India. A beautiful basin for growing food. The Himalayas form a natural barrier to people moving freely into India, and every once in a while waves of invaders come in, driving the original people south, and into boats to the islands. It's a natural rhythm of waves. There have been some wise emperors from time to time, with a different religion and culture, who tried to assimilate the ideas togther. For example Akbar had three wives, one Christian, one Hindu, and one Moslem. All of them had equal standing and they are all buried along with him. That was his way of trying to unite the different cultures in India. There are not too many like him. I've been in America over 65 years, and it has been my dream to bring my American musical "family" to my home country. We'll be another invading wave, and we will bring some of the 5000-year-old culture and thought of India back with us when we return."
About Darjeeling. Darjeeling is an 1800s British hill station a quarter of the way up the Himalayan divide. It is of course the home of Darjeeling Tea. It is also a crossroads of religions and cultures, including Bengali, British, Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese and many others over the centuries, with a tradition of cooperation and cross-pollination. It is a stunningly beautiful place with the Kanchanjunga mountain range overlooking the area like an ethereal snow-capped stone wall. Some of the features in and around Darjeeling are the Toy Train (highest steam locomotive in the world), various buddhist monasteries such as the Ghoom Monastery and the Dhirdham Temple (structurally a replica of the famous Pashupatinath temple of Kathmandu, Nepal), tea estates and tastings, the Himalayan Zoological Park and Snow Leopard Breeding Centre, Lloyds botanical gardens, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, trekking in the mountains (at various levels of challenge), Tiger Hill and sunrise over Mount Everest, and nearby villages, waterfalls. Many of these sites will be able to be visited during 1/2 , and full day excursions as a part of available non class time activities.
About Elevation. The Himalayas are the highest peaks in the world and also the newest mountain range, as the Indian subcontinent continues its movement northward into the Chinese basin. Mount Everest tops out at 29,035 feet (8850 meters) and growing, at the rate of several millimeters per year. Darjeeling is at 7,000 feet, which is the same elevation as Flagstaff, Arizona, and a bit higher than Denver, the Mile High City. Some care should be taken at first to avoid over-exertion in the thinner air, but most people will adjust easily and fairly quickly.
About Languages and Place Names. India has many languages and dialects, old and new. Some prevalent ones are Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and English. Hindi is the official language of India and uses either the Devanagari alphabet, which is an alphabetic script written from left to right, or the Arabic script (same as closely-related Urdu, the language of Pakistan), which is written from right to left. The ancient language is Sanskrit. English is commonly spoken. Some place names have older and newer transliterations into English: for example, Mumbai is formerly known as Bombay, and Kolkata is formerly known as Calcutta.
About the Fiddle Program. We will offer classes with world-renowned violin/fiddle teachers of three nationalities - Scottish, American and Indian. There will be 2 or 3 hour-plus class periods per day, taught consecutively (one class at a time) to the whole group. These will be taught at an intermediate level; those above and below that level are welcome but shouldn't divert the class from the intermediate level too much. Beginners and non-players are most welcome to audit. There will be review sessions and jam sessions at various levels led by the teachers and others. There will be two classes per day most days, altering in the morning or the afternoon, and an excursion in the other part of the day. Two days will allow for full day excursions.
About Delhi and the Golden Triangle. Old Delhi is a section of the outskirts of New Delhi. Old Delhi has small windy streets, and New Delhi was built by the British with wide spacious streets and modern planning. The capital of India was moved by the British from Kolkata to New Delhi and it remains the capital today. We will be visiting such sites as Qutb Minar (built by Moguls), the mysterious Ashok Pillar (Iron Pillar, 2000 years old), the back medieval-like streets and bazaars of Old Delhi, the Red Fort (seat of the last emperor), and the shopping centers of New Delhi.
Together Delhi, Jaipur and Agra make up the "Golden Triangle." They form the sparkling and famous points of a triangle in northern central India, and there are interesting sites along the way as we travel from one to the other. We travel from Darjeeling to Delhi and spend two nights there seeing Old and New Delhi. We will travel second to Jaipur, the "pink city," for two nights, then Agra for one night. Agra is the home of the Taj Mahal. Near the Taj Mahal there are lots of little workshops with beautiful local-artisan-made pieces of all types. After a morning with this world-famous landmark, we travel back to the Delhi Airport in time for our evening flights home.
About Accommodations. We will be staying in local comfortable, clean hotels. Most have double beds or two singles, in-house restaurant, en-suite bathrooms, AC/heat, internet, and other amenities.
About the Weather. Fall is the best time for northern India. The heat and rains of the summer monsoons are over, and the temperature is often moderate and the skies are clear. October is Festival month, with festivals from various religions taking place. The streets come alive with a carnival-like atmosphere. Most facilities and vehicles will be air-conditioned, and conversely adequately heated. Nights can sometimes be cool.
About Meals. All breakfasts are included. All lunches and dinners are included during our stay in Darjeeling; otherwise some lunches and dinners are included according to our pre-published schedule. Northern Indian food is not necessarily spicy (hot) and can be adjusted to varying Western tastes. Nirmal and other members of the tour will be glad to help with ordering and eating the local cuisines. In many cases, Western, Chinese and other cuisines will be available. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian plates are available everywhere and some special diets can probably be accommodated.
About Travel. Flight - Travelers will make their own flight arrangements into and out of India. We are planning for arrivals into Kolkata any time of the day on Thursday October 6; many flights will arrive late in the evening. Travelers will be met at the airport and taken by taxi to the hotel. Travelers not going on the optional Golden Triangle Tour should arrange to fly out of Delhi on the evening of Thursday October 20th; most flights leave after 10 pm. Those going on the Golden Triangle Tour should arrange to fly out of Delhi on the evening of Tuesday October 26th. After making your reservations, you must send your flight details to us so that we may meet your flight upon arrival, and get you to the airport for your flight home.
Train - There will be one overnight train trip, from Kolkata to Siliguri (in the foothills). It leaves at 7:30 pm and arrives at 8:30 am. Train schedules are sometimes a little unreliable because of weather or other conditions. The sleeping cars have 4 beds (2 sets of bunk beds); we will try to arrange that cars be shared by other tour members but we can't guarantee all carmates. We will eat dinner about an hour before we board, and breakfast an hour or so after we disembark. We will bring some drinks and snack food with us for the evening.
Bus - We have two bus tours planned; the first is an all-day tour of Kolkata on our second day, the second is the optional 5-day tour of the Golden Triangle. These will be by chartered A/C (air-conditioned) bus, with a tour guide as well as a driver. There will be storage space under the bus, and more limited storage space on the bus.
About Scheduling. The tour will involve scheduled activities, music classes, excursions, and touring. Most of the scheduling will be specified in advance. There may be times when the schedule and activities may have to be altered due to circumstances beyond our control. If there is a necessary change in the activities and schedule, we reserve the right to make adjustments and substitutions according to the benefit of the whole group. Any changes will be announced in as far in advance as possible and we thank you for your cooperation.
About the Group. Mostly Scottish fiddlers from America. Non-musicians are welcome, and travelers from other countries are welcome.
About Health, Safety and Travel Tips. Fiddle Adventurers should be in reasonably good health and strength for this trip. Travelers should be able to carry all their own luggage and negotiate hills and stairs. We will require an Application Form (see below) and a Medical Form.
When traveling to other parts of the world, even to nearby places, many people's bodies need adjustment to different water and microbes. Americans are naturally cautious about travel to Mexico, China, Greece, as well as India. One learns to drink bottled water and bottled drinks, to brush teeth with bottled water, to skin the fruit, to wash hands frequently, to use mosquito repellant and to wear long sleeves and avoid dusk and dawn outdoors where the skin is exposed, and to avoid eating things that have had local fresh water added to them (such as many fruit juices). Sometimes care at the beginning of the trip can help acclimatization towards the end of the trip. Some people do experience a little upset to the digestive system; Indian doctors are adept in treating it and relief usually comes within 24 hours. Those going will receive additional information on health issues.
An excellent site all should review on Health, Safety, Common Hazards, Food and Eating can be found at: www.indax.com/health.html.
Mosquitoes can be found all over India and can carry numerous nasty diseases. We probably won't see too many, however, because of our itinerary and the time of the year. It's important to practice mosquito bite avoidance (dawn and dusk) It will be helpful to consult your doctor in advance, and do some reading up.
India has its share of pickpockets, petty theft and minor scams, but incidents of violence directed at travelers, and snatch and grab crimes like purse or camera snatching are rare. Travelers can be vulnerable because they are distracted by what they want to see. Be extra aware of your surroundings and of phones, cameras, handbags, wallets, violins, shopping bags which you may set around. Even if you're having a good time, don't forget your smarts.
Travel Insurance
Included:
About Payment. We are offering a full tour and two options, based on double occupancy:
Application deadline remains open until further notice with payment of applicable fees as noted on the application form. For the full camp and tour as of February 20, 2011, an application form and $2750 is due plus an additional $1750 for a total of $4500 by June 15, 2011. See the Application Form for camp and tour charges and current due dates. Full tour applications applications will take precedence over Tour only applications. All applications will be acknowledged. See Application form for remaining unpaid balance due dates and other terms.
About Advance Preparations. If you have a passport, check to see when it expires and get it renewed if necessary. If you don't have a passport, begin the process of getting one. A tourist travel visa is necessary for travel to India. Although no special shots are required at this time to get an INDIAN VISA, you should check with your doctor for recommended shots/vaccinations prior to going.
In the months ahead, consider trying Indian cuisines, and learning a bit more about aspects of this beautiful country that interest you - the history, the art, the language, the politics, religions, literature, geography, geology, Mount Everest. Read fiction / non-fiction books, movies about India and movies from India.
About HFA Inc. - Himalayas Fiddle Adventures Inc. was formed in 2010 to promote the learning of traditional styles and music and the promotion of fiddle music to the general public, and to assist in the education of those wishing to teach, or learn to play the fiddle, in its various international styles and techniques. It does this by sponsoring worldwide fiddle camps and outreach fiddle programs to the general public. Although these adventures are planned to be at, or just above, the break-even point, some unspent funds may remain at the end of these adventures. To the extent payments are made by participants which are above services and goods received, these amounts may be tax deductible. HFA Inc. is in the process of filing for a 501c3 exemption from IRS, and will keep all participants informed of this process. It is HFA Inc.'s intent to use remaining funds received from fiddle camp adventures, donations received from the public and any other sources of income to offer Scholarships/Grants to the public starting in 2012 or 2013. These include: Scholarships to schools and workshops offering traditional music classes and fiddle music, Scholarships to HFA world fiddle camps, Cultural visitation/masters awards for fiddle teachers and Special projects, Equipment and Research Grants related to Fiddle/cello making, and Schools. For additional information and to make donations, please contact: Himalayas Fiddle Adventures Inc., 620 B Street, Petaluma, Ca. 94952
Download the Itinerary Download the Application Form
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