India Programs

Minds Abroad is a US-based organization that conducts study abroad programs in China and India for both individual students and also customized faculty-led groups from college and universities across the US and Europe. As an integral part of our faculty-led study abroad programs, participants travel to various places of cultural and historical interest for language and culture immersion. Our programs are a blend of morning classes, afternoon volunteering and language exchange sessions, evening cultural activities, and weekend excursions to sites of academic interest. Minds Abroad takes care of all arrangements- ranging from in-country orientation, to accommodations, meals, travel excursions and chaperoning. For faculty-led groups, teachers can travel for free.

Our programs can begin anytime during the year and our philosophy is about 'learning by doing'. In addition to classes, we identify volunteering opportunities for interested participants at local non-profit organizations in both Kunming and Kolkata with which we have collaborated.

In India, our programs are based in Kolkata, the country’s cultural capital. Kolkata in eastern India and is only a 2.5 hrs flight from Kunming. In India we arrange for volunteering placements in both Kolkata and Itanagar (capital of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India).

 Our service learning projects in India (Kolkata and Itanagar) focus on a number of areas including community development, health care and peer impact for disadvantaged women and children.  For these programs we collaborate with many local and international NGOs that we have developed partnerships with over the years. The majority of our volunteers are placed with organizations serving urban destitutes, orphaned or homeless children and disadvantaged women.

As an integral part of our programs in India, students will explore major metropolitan cities like Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi and Kolkata. They will also visit the untouched Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh in India’s Northeast with its untouched landscaped, tribal villages and Buddhist monasteries in places like Bomdila and Ziro. A major attraction along this circuit is the renowned Kaziranga jungle safari, one of India’s largest national parks cum wildlife sanctuaries.