Our trip to Ludhiana was a very interesting experience.

It started off with the long and bumpy drive from Delhi to Ludhiana in a car that I am sure had to have its shock absorbers replaced after the journey.  After stopping a few times along the way, and experiencing ethnic culture with drums and, entertainers dressed in traditional costumes (at rest stops), we reached the city. Turns out the part we had reached, was the old part of the city. To say it was crowded, is putting it mildly.  There were people everywhere! Traffic was interspersed with hawkers on carts selling fruits and vegetables, toys, clothes, and flowers practically on the road.  You dodged them in your car, as you did the stray cows and dogs and other animals, roaming the streets along with bicycles and rickshaws.  It was chaotic and surreal.

We asked a few different people for directions to our hotel.  They had never heard of it! One man even said it doesn’t exist.  He had been in the city for the last 20 years and never heard of such hotel.  We decided to call the last hotel we stayed in for help.  They told us where to go and we finally found the hotel.  It was a hard hotel to miss.  It was huge! We were thankful to finally find the place and we were excited to see Harvest International School the next day.

Our experience at Harvest International School was the exact opposite of our experience getting into the city.  The campus is beautiful! It is set in an authentic Punjabi Village that is cleaner and friendlier than I imagined.  The campus is set inside and has a lot of land.

The entrance doubles up as a little amphitheater and, the seats have every nation’s name carved out reminiscent of it’s own International nature.  Dorms are extremely comfortable and one would feel like as if s/he were in a kids room at home in the US.   The halls are decorated with tennis legends and their history.

The school is a tennis academy and a boarding school.  The entire campus has Wi-Fi and their own generators.   Tennis is taught for four-six hours a day with such intensity, as is the rigorous academic curriculum.  Teachers have put lessons on electronic format so that if students are competing they don’t fall behind in their studies.  They are nourished with organic vegetables and fruits, grown in their own gardens.

They follow the Cambridge standards and most of the teachers in the school have taught internationally. The school is very small, but growing.  There are less than 65 students and it is in its first few years as an institution.  The founders of the school are dedicated to the students as well as the facilities.  There is no doubt in my mind that one day this will be a premiere tennis academy in the world. For now, it seems like a well-kept secret.

The teachers here were enthusiastic about exchanging ideas.  One teacher had even worked out formulas using ancient Hindu scripture.   He was confident a student using his math techniques would be able to solve any problem.   He took the fear factor away from the subject and, made it accessible.  We hope to share his know how with the eKWIP community.  Another teacher had taught at a Public School in New York and was bringing her international training to another level.

It was easy to feel a sense of dedication to the Education field.  The Director, who started the school, had experienced living in a disciplined boarding school growing up.    With an excellent work ethic, he and his wife have created an environment where students can be assured of a quality education.

Naina Boveja
Executive Director
Coalition for International Initiatives