9. Education in India

Despite growing investment in education, 25% of its population is still illiterate; only 15% of Indian students reach high school, and just 7%, of the 15% who make it to high school, graduate.
Just 5 yrs ago the Prime Minister had this to say:
Our university system is, in many parts, in a state of disrepair...In almost half the districts in the country, higher education enrollments are abysmally low, almost two-third of our universities and 90 per cent of our colleges are rated as below average on quality parameters... I am concerned that in many states university appointments, including that of vice-chancellors, have been politicized and have become subject to caste and communal considerations, there are complaints of favoritism and corruption.
— Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007

As of 2011, there are 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake of 582,000,^[7] plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty and concerns have been raised over the quality of education

8. Food and Drink

We will Go behind the scenes in Jaipur and meet the chef of a famous local restaurant serving Rajasthani cuisine.   We will explore local ingredients, spices, and herbs, and learn to make a special Indian dish.  Indrani shares some thoughts about what we might expect! 

7. Currency in India - Money Money Money

The exchange rate will mean lots of rupee bills to manage.  Bring some paperclips to keep the denominations separate. The modern rupee is subdivided into 100 Paise (singular paisa) though this division is now theoretical; as of 30 June 2011, coin denominations of less than 50 paise ceased to be legal tender. Bank notes are available in nominal values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 rupees

Cash is best for markets.  Leave your debit card at home, but you can bring a VISA or MC and your PIN number to use at the many ATM's  Use you credit card only at larger (air-conditioned) stores.
Currency converter can be found at  http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/asia/india/currency-india/index.htm

Holi Celebration

HOLI

Holi, the festival of color, is undoubtedly the most fun-filled and boisterous Hindu festival and one of the oldest among Hindu festivals. Draped in white, people throng the streets in large numbers and smear each other with bright hued powders and squirt colored water on one another through pichkaris (big syringe-like hand-pumps), irrespective of caste, color, race, sex, or social status; all these petty differences are temporarily relegated to the background and people enjoy a colorful rebellion. Every year Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March and glorifies good harvest and fertility of the land. It is also time for spring harvest. The new crop refills the stores in every household and perhaps such abundance accounts for the riotous merriment during Holi.

6. Souviners and Shopping

India is rich in luxurious textiles.  Silk pays a big role in textiles that range from the glorious silken sari's to the beautifly woven silken rugs.  Garments may be elaborately embroidered over hand stamped patterns that have been passed down through the ages.  Pashima's are a must for the fashion minded!