Crimson Trains at Bajwa Mind Body Game Center, Works with Children from Chandigarh

Photo courtesy of Chris Smith.

The top-ranked Harvard women's squash team is traveling to India for an 11-day training and service trip. Members of the team will post regular blog entries on GoCrimson.com during their trip over the next few weeks.

Blog Post by Vidya Rajan ’13 on Jan. 5
Blog Post by Alexandra Zindman '11 on Jan. 8
Blog Post by Cece Cortes '12 on Jan. 9
Blog Post by Vidya Rajan '13 on Jan. 10
Blog Post by Katherine O'Donnell '10 on Jan. 11
Blog Post by Johanna Snyder '10 on Jan. 12
Blog Post by Bethan Williams '11 on Jan. 14
Map of Harvard Destinations During Trip to India
Photo Gallery of Harvard Women's Squash in India

Blog post by Johanna Snyder '10 and Katherine O'Donnell '10

Our first full day in Chandigarh exceeded our already high expectations. We started the day with an intense training session at the Bajwa Mind Body Game Center that opened in August 2009. The facility has a singles court and a doubles court as well as a yoga studio and fitness center.

After our squash session we paid a visit to the city center where we met a tailor to be fitted for our special Indian outfits. The shop was alive with color with so many different fabrics and designs. A few of the girls purchased one of a kind Indian dresses to take back with them.

The highlight of the day was working with the kids from Chandigarh in the afternoon. About 20 local children ranging from ages 8-15 came for their daily after school squash practice. Though there was a language barrier we were able to bridge the gap through squash, games and yoga, including a fun game called "Animal Crackers" and learning the "macarena." This was such a great opportunity for us to really connect with the local children and culture and the entire team is looking forward to working with these children for the next two days.