India

India, the world's largest democracy and second most populous country - 1.1 billion people - is now the world’s seventh largest economy after a period of foreign rule and several decades during which its economy was virtually closed.

Goa in brief “ Variously known as "Pearl of the Orient" and a "Tourist Paradise", Goa is located on the west of India in the coastal belt known as Konkan. The magnificent scenic beauty and the architectural splendours of its temples, churches and old houses have made Goa a firm favourite with travellers around the world.Over the centuries various dynasties have ruled Goa. Rashtrakutas, Kadambas, Silaharas, Chalukyas, Bahamani Muslims and most famously the Portuguese have been rulers of Goa. Blessed as it is with natural harbours and wide rivers, Goawas the ideal base for the seafaring Portuguese, who arrived in 1510. They aimed to control the spice route from the east and had a strong desire to spread Christianity. Goa was liberated by the Indian Army from Portuguese colonisation on December 19, 1961. On May 30, 1987 Goa was conferred statehood and became the 25th state of the Indian Republic.

Panaji (Panjim) is the state capital located on the banks of the Mandovi river and Vasco, Margao, Mapusa and Ponda are the other major towns. Having been the meeting point of races, religions and cultures of East and West over the centuries, Goa has a multi-hued and distinctive lifestyle quite different from the rest of India. Hindu and Catholic communities make up almost the entire population with minority representation of Muslims and other religions. All the communities have mutual respect towards one another and this outlook has given Goa a long and an unbroken tradition of religious harmony.

The warm and tolerant nature of the Goans allows them to celebrate and enjoy the festivals of various religions such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Christmas, Easter and Id with equal enthusiasm.Along with English which is widely spoken all over Goa, Konkani and Marathi are the state languages. The national language Hindi is also well understood in most areas around the state.

Goan cuisine is a blend of different influences the Goans had to endure during the centuries. The staple food in Goa is fish and rice, both among the Hindus and the Catholics. Unlike the Christian food, the Hindu Goan food is not strongly influenced by the Portuguese cuisine.

Over the past three years, almost 60 students and staff have volunteered their services for three weeks during the summer holidays to work in Goa, India. This year participants worked in a range of activities which included teaching at the Seva Trust orphanages and the Jyoti school, helping to renovate the new boys’ home in Mapusa, inaugurating a shared children’s playground in Chimbel slum, developing I.T. opportunities at Aurora House and sharing perspectives regarding ‘Cultural Awareness’ at the Sunshine School in Old Goa. The team often worked in difficult monsoon conditions yet, as always, everyone maintained great spirits consistently raising the bar to set new targets. In 2006, SIS set the goal of re-housing almost 30 boys and girls from slum conditions in their ‘home’ at the Seva Trust Orphanage in Chimbel. Two years later, SIS led the way to help purchase, renovate and furnish ‘Aurora House’, a new, safe and permanent home for 24 girls.