Roaming Roemer

I had a successful two day visit to Jammu and Srinagar, where I met with the talented Chief Minister Abdullah, had a tour of Dal Lake and viewed the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority’s efforts to clean it, and toured the incredible historical and cultural sites of Hazratbal Mosque, Shankaracharya Temple, and the beautiful Chashm-e-Shahi gardens and Pari Mahal. The highlight of the trip was the visit to a premier K-12 school in Srinagar. Upon my arrival, I received a tour of the beautiful campus (with the backdrop of mountains in their school playground) and an entertaining greeting by the younger kids doing a dance and song routine from one of my favorite movies “3 Idiots.” Afterwards, I practiced my cricket and basketball skill with the students and had the opportunity to speak to students about the importance of education and community service. In my second visit to Jammu and Kashmir, I saw the beauty of the state, felt the warmth of the people, and was surrounded by the feeling of “Kashmiriyat.”

There are so many great celebrations and traditions in India. If I had to only select one, I might pick Holi to share with Americans. It encompasses all of what my family and I love about this great country – getting together with friends and families, having fun together, and giving back to one another. My family and I had the pleasure of spending Holi with Indian friends of ours in a Delhi neighborhood and then we hosted at Roosevelt House 32 kids from a local settlement. The kids are enrolled in an English language program that was started by my wife Sally and are being taught by many volunteers from the American Embassy School. Colors were “shared” with everyone so that by the end of the day we were all “colored” in purple, green, yellow, and red colors from head to toe!
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