I am venturing on my first trip to India. This will mainly be a historical tour. India’s history is quite extensive.  It dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation from BCE 3300.  Sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro bear testament to this.  However, my tour covers  more recent history.

I will be going to Kolkata initially, some 80 years after my father was there in his early 20s.  He had come from the then Malaya to study engineering at the University of Calcutta.  I am fascinated by the culture and history of Kolkata.  This was the seat of administration for the British East India Company.  As my pre-arranged tour guide had pointed out to me, a lot has changed in 80 years though many historical buildings and structures are still in place.  I will also make a 2-day trip to Murshidabad, the old capital of Bengal (pre-colonial period) and where the Nawab of Bengal resided.  On the way to Murshidabad, I will visit the place where the Battle of Plassey was fought.  This battle was a critical turning point in Indian history and the defeat of Nawab’s army by the British led to the British remaining in India for the next 200 years.

I will fly into Delhi after 6 days in Kolkata to go on another tour.  This time it is the First Indian War of Independence tour or what the British term the Indian Mutiny of 1857.  This tour will take me to Meerut, Kanpur and Lucknow to visit various sites involved in this rebellion.  Aside from this, I will tour Delhi which is rich in Mughal history. I will also visit Agra (Taj Mahal) and Amritsar (Golden Temple). From Amritsar I will make a trip to Wagah Border (the main land border crossing between India and Pakistan) to watch the Beating Retreat Ceremony at sunset.

I will fly back from Delhi via Singapore for a few days, where, in addition to recovering from India, I will visit friends and relatives.