Mumbai, July 17: Back home in the United States, David Beare teaches Indian history to secondary school students, but everything he knows about India he learnt from books. Until Tuesday. Admiring artworks in the Jehangir Art Gallery, Beare has finally made it to the country he always dreamed of visiting. ‘‘We were supposed to make this trip last year,’’ he says. But after 9/11, plans had to be shelved.
Beare is one of a group of 16 American educators on a five-week visit to India, including a two-day visit to Mumbai, to learn about Indian culture under the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program.

‘‘We have a packed itinerary with our focus on visiting the different galleries and museums in the city,’’ says Dr Cynthia Rekdal, executive director of the Washington State Association for MultiCultural Education and leader of the group. The group plans to incorporate what they learn on the trip into their curricula once they return. Meetings with eminent personalities such as renowned vocalist and social activist Neela Bhagwat and artist Shakuntala Kulkarni have also been planned.
For most of the group’s members, who include a senior museum educator and a secondary school teacher, this is their first visit to India. Dr Rekdal says their trip to Delhi will include interactions with school students as well as a visit to the Indian Institute of Technology either in Delhi or Chennai. ‘‘A mix of east and west is what we are looking forward to,’’ she says.
Chennai, Mangalore, Madurai, Kolkata and Delhi are just some of the cities they will be visiting. For Sarah Loudon, this is her fourth visit to India. ‘‘I have a fair idea about Indian cuisine but tasting the regional varieties will be truly a unique experience,’’ she says.