Sunday, January 19, 2014

A Moment that will stick with me forever . . . reflections on India

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Home for 10 days now, and back on the road in New York for the weekend with a group of KSB and PG singers preparing for Mandela: A Life in Song, Mr. Fisher's play, which is being presented at the Actors' Chapel on Monday. While rehearsals proceed, including the boys teaching the girls some South African repertoire, there's some time to post some more pictures and what the tour choir reports as the moment(s) from India that will stick with them forever.








Michael Paolini A moment that will stick with me from the India tour is my ride on the rickshaw. It is one thing to see a country and its people from the windows of a tour bus, but it’s completely different to see it racing through traffic with only a few metal rods between you and the street. Riding the rickshaw was so amazing because I felt like I was truly part of everything that was going on around me. I will never forget turning the corner off of the main drag onto a tiny street packed with people, carts, and other rickshaws. I didn’t think there was any way we would be able to pass through it all, but we did, albeit slowly. The other most memorable part of my rickshaw ride was standing on the back of it at night. There is no better way to see New Delhi than to ride through the streets on a rickshaw. 









Trey Parker -  Our concert tour to India is my second tour with KSB and it is certainly my favorite. My favorite moment through the whole tour was the rickshaw ride through the old city, I truly got to see India somewhat like a local and see how beautiful India is first hand. With the abundance of people in the streets and the many different cultures that India has to offer being displayed in the streets as we rode by added to the unforgettable experience. This trip to India is something that I will look back on and think about how blessed I was to be apart of something that was an amazing adventure for the beginning to the end.










Jesse Kahn - For me its impossible to isolate a single moment to say it will stay with me forever. It varies on so much. However thinking of the tour as a whole I think one thing that will stay with me forever is the bonding that happened between singers and sections. I know that for the Bass 2’s by the end of tour we weren’t just singing better, but we were merging our voices better, I guess that's how I would say it. When it comes down to a single moment definitely for me was the rickshaw ride through the old city is something that will stay with me forever. Still I don't feel like I can say that the rickshaw ride is the one moment that will stay with me. Singing across the river from the Taj Mahal, and seeing the Taj in person were also some of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I guess really for me, the whole tour is a moment that will stay with me forever. I remember during this tour I would often think back to the South Africa tour and the Norway tour, and it honestly amazes me that they were so long ago because it feels like it was yesterday. I try and take Fitz’s advice to heart and just spend the whole tour in the moment, observing and taking everything in, so when I think of moments that I will remember forever, I will think of the whole tour, and all the amazing experiences that I had within it.






Jelani Wheeler - I think the whole trip was amazing, but if there were two things that will stick with me forever, they would be the Taj Mahal and the devastating poverty. I’ll remember the Taj Mahal forever because of it’s breath taking beauty and powerful presence in our world today. The poverty of India will forever be in my mind because I got to see how fortunate and blessed I am with my wonderful parents. I also realized that I have to learn to be grateful for the little things that seem like basic necessities to us.





Jelani McFadden - My favorite tour moment was when we were in New Dehli and we had performed for the homeless boys. This is my favorite tour moment because the only thing that mattered was for the boys to have fun with us. They looked very happy when we all did "gangnam" style together because everyone knows that song and dance.,so I thought it was cool because everyone on the rooftop was having fun.







Peter Subramanian: The first time I laid eyes on the Taj Mahal was on our first shopping trip. I had a rough idea of where it was in relation to our bus, but trees and houses blocked most of my view. All of a sudden, a space appeared between the trees and houses and I caught a glimpse of a massive round dome in the far-off haze. My heart jumped. Suddenly, the idea of the Taj became more real than its innumerable representations and cameos on books, movies, and television. The moment I will never forget is when I first say the Taj Mahal. Even though I saw it from behind, it blew away all of my expectations. It stood totally unmoving and unrelenting in a way that no other building in the world could. It was sealed in time and space, in perfect union with its surroundings.





Jason Navon  - My favorite memory from India was the trip to the Taj Mahal, a place that no pictures can do justice. The visit took my breath away, and while it wasn't the most exciting visit, it was the most memorable place I have ever been in my life.



Dan York - My favorite tour moment was being able to sing an Islamic and Hindu piece together with the Taj Mahal as a background.  Maybe it was just because of all of Mr. Fisher’s talks about “moments” and how much we should cherish them, but this short experience was almost surreal for me.  Just seeing the Taj Mahal is something that I dreamt about doing, but being there with the choir that I loved and missed was truly one of the most incredible moments of my life, and one that I’m sure I will remember for the rest of my life.






Avery Jamison - The moment that impacted me the most was definitely our concert at Gandhi’s Smirti and our walkthrough through the museum afterwards. Not until that moment did I truly understand the message that Mahatma Gandhi was trying to dispense to the people of India. Also, the concert was very heartwarming and I enjoyed learning more about his legacy and how his work and message has impacted not just the people of India, but also the country itself. Lastly, I feel as though I have become closer with a lot of the fellow choristers I was already friends with and also have made new friends in the process. I am glad I was able to share these memories and moments with my fellow choristers. This tour of London and India was fantastic and I hope to come back as an alumnus for future tours. I wish the choir all the best in the future!



Daniel Lugano - I know everyone else has probably said this too, but a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life is singing at Gandhi Smirti, probably because of how nervous I was. After all, you can mess up in front of hundreds of people and it’s possible that no one will notice, but if you mess up singing in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, it doesn’t matter if no one notices, that stays with you forever; you will always be the guy who messed up singing for Gandhi. Fortunately that didn’t happen this time around.






Patrick Flynn- There were so many, it’s kinda hard to choose just one. At the Gandhi Smriti, we sang: Lead, Kindly Light, Zikr, Ramkali, Prayer of the Children, and Tour Hymn. Each song took on new meaning as we sang it for the great man, and each one fit perfectly. While we sang, I looked around, imagining this place as it was seventy years ago, the last place Gandhi ever saw. As we finished Tour Hymn, the sun began to set, and the temperature began to drop. Arun and Tushar thanked us for the experience, which seemed backwards to me. Tushar said it was the most spiritual moment he had ever had at Gandhi Smriti, even having gone hundreds of times. Only one among many, this was one moment from tour that I will never forget.




Chris Abate: With this being my first tour during my time with KSB, I wasn’t really sure what I should expect from it, like how I should feel during it or when I would feel like I was really on tour. Everybody always talks about South Africa and they reminisce about the fantastic things that happened there, and I just couldn't wait to be able to talk about the incredible things we did and say, “I did that”. I think the moment I thought to myself, “whoa, I’m on tour with KSB, and I’m in India” was during the rickshaw ride through the Old City on New Year’s Eve. During that rickshaw ride, I felt like I was finally experiencing the Indian culture how I think it should be exposed to you. A lot of tourists might go to India and do the regular stuff: Taj Mahal, traditional Indian Restaurants, buy a scarf or something. However this showed me the reality and the culture of India and it just felt real, and I think it’s something that only KSB can give me. I’ll never forget the wave of emotions that hit me over the course of the rickshaw ride. Honestly, it’s not just this moment that will stay with me my entire life. The day at Gandhi Smriti, the Taj Mahal, the zip line, and the concert where the audience actually sang back to us are all moments that will without a doubt stay with me as long as I live, but don’t think all of those moments would be as special if it weren’t for that moment of realization of how absolutely breathtaking everything that I was experiencing was. I’m just incredibly grateful that KSB is able to provide moments of exhilaration and understanding like these.






Tom Flynn - 
 Day Three, at the ISKCON Temple, I had left the singing and dancing to go use whatever toilet there was before we left.  It smelled awful, it was dark, and there were some puddles on the ground of things I’d rather not remember. I had finished my business, and I was standing outside the room, waiting for a fellow singer to finish his. Before me stood a man 
I had never seen before drying himself after using the showers. Over his shoulder was a towel, and wrapped around his waist was another. He was fitting a sandal on his foot when he noticed some white guy wearing a green shirt standing across from him.  He looked at me and simply said “Hare Krishna!” Not knowing what to do, I namaste’d him and mumbled “Hare Krishna” back. We smiled at each other. I had been in India for three hours and I already had a cultural experience. This was only the beginning.






Kevin Pauperowicz-I feel that the one moment that really stuck out as an important moment was one I experienced by myself. It was when our bus was driving to the Taj Mahal our first time to see the sunset. Before we had crossed the bridge into the lower class section, I looked up at one of the buildings only to see a little girl, roughly no more than 3 years old, and her father sitting on an open stone window. I felt bad about knowing that this girl will have to grow up in this poverty struck environment, but then I noticed the both of them laughing, basking in the glory of each other’s presence. This one sight made me realize that people like these, the poor or lower class, still have their hope to hold on to. In this instance, it was this father’s aspiration for his daughter to have a better life. This gave me an ideal and it is the same thought that that father had for his daughter: to become a better person and develop a larger sense of humanity.



Theo Hansel - My favorite moment on tour was walking through the museum at Gandhi's Smriti. I think it was really amazing to be learning all about this man in the posters, then realize that he likely stood on that exact spot at some point. I also felt that the museum was very well curated (except for the outcast views wing), and I learned a lot about myself and my own philosophy from reading about Gandhi's.






Quentin McKnight - A moment that will stay with me for the rest my life is the day that we took the rickshaw ride into the spice market. On that day I experienced what I felt to be the real india. My mom told me about all the people and cars and commotion. And until that day it was always just a story but on that day that story came to life. See countless amounts of people. While on the rickshaw having people not even a foot away from me. I felt like I was in my own mind, having adhd, it never stopping not having any destination just moving. Every thing looking like it was disorganized, but really in its on way it was organized, everyone new the drill every one was used to the commotion. And the reason I really will remember it is because that was the day I fell in love with India.



Malcolm Van Kleunen - When Mr. Fisher talked about the crowds of Old Delhi I didn't quite believe him. I thought that I’d been in crowded places before. What could be worse then trying to find a spot on the mall for Obamas inaugural speech? I thought Wrong. It wasn't quite the amount of people that astounded me, but rather the skill with which each person navigated their way through crowds of motorcycles, bikes, and rickshaws. My rickshaw driver seemed to know exactly how big his rickshaw was and exactly how to wheedle it into the smallest gap between two other vehicles. The pure skill and expertise, with which these people waded through what would have been a complete standstill in the US, amazed me more then anything else on tour.





Ben Williams I came into this tour from a bit of a unique position. I have only been in KSB for 2 years, and have never been on tour before. I had no idea what to expect from India, having heard many varying opinions of the country. I was extremely surprised to find that it was very happily surprised to find that it is an amazing country full of life and spirituality. The contrasts that were present everywhere we went blew me away. Looking around, you could see a five star hotel standing next to a small group of shacks and street vendors. These extreme contrasts gave me a new appreciation for life in the world, and particularly my own life. All that being said, I have to say that my favorite part of this tour was our time at Ghandi Smriti. This is where Ghandi lived for the last 144 days of his life, and also where he was assassinated. I felt a particular connection to this place because of the nature of it. The grounds were gorgeous with gardens and trees everywhere. There were beautiful birds and monkeys all around us, and the serenity of this monumental location simply cannot be matched. I was able to really connect to my spiritual self because of the supreme serenity and impact of the location’s importance. For my first and last tour with KSB, it was more than I ever could have dreamed, and will be an experience I cherish for the rest of my life.






Tremayne Bundy - is seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World. To be honest, I nearly cried at the first sight of the Taj Mahal. There is no way to explain the beauty that man-made structure beholds. It is a beauty that requires no words or explanation. I couldn’t think of anything as majestic as the building. All I could do is just stare and let my imagination run wild.








Brett LeClair - My favorite moment on tour was our concert at the International Center. Not only did the concert go very well, but the venue was packed with people who came to hear us, and Tushar gave a speech about how honored he was to have spent some time with us. And just as we were leaving the venue, they audience called us back in to sing us a well known Indian hymn, which was a very warm welcome from the community of New Delhi.









Colman Cumberland – is when we finished singing at Gandhi Smirti (the site of Bapu’s assassination) with Arun and Tushar and we all dispersed silently -- and really, we were silent, perhaps a first for KSB. But I looked up into the sky and Gandhi Smirti was directly under the only blue I could see. It was like our voices had drawn the circle wide around the site of Gandhi’s assassination.












Ciaran Rasch -  A moment that will stay with me forever is when we got to go to Gandhi Smirti with the grandson and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Arun and Tushar. It was incredible to be able to stand there right at the place where Bapu was shot and sing. It was beautiful; we sang an Islamic chant and a Hindi song and Bapu’s favorite hymn; Lead Kindly Light. I was in amazement the whole time we were there. I was so honored to be able to be there and honor that amazing man and I was really in a whole different calm, serene place standing there in the middle of a beautiful garden and singing. At one point I just closed my eyes and listened to the amazing sounds around me, song and birds chirping. I will never forget this wonderful moment and will carry it through the rest of my life. Thank you.



Josiah Harmar: The impoverished conditions in which multitudes of Indians live impressed upon me the wastefulness of material consumption. When we went to the roof of the Salaam Balak trust, before we had all arrived, a few of the boys invited me to play a board game with them. I had to flick a checker-piece and try to get other pieces into the holes in the four corners of the square board. I was terrible, but the boys’ rapt fascination with such a simple game, and, more generally, their liveliness and friendliness despite their poverty emphasized to me how unnecessary material goods are to achieving happiness.








Max Hoenig - I’m surely not alone in saying that there were many great moments that I will take away from this tour. The rickshaw ride was an incredible, dense experience of constant stimulation. Sitting on the cool marble base of the Taj Mahal with Josiah, quietly looking up at the unmoving beauty was by contrast extraordinarily calm and refreshing. It’s quite hard to choose just one outstanding snapshot. But sometimes, it’s just the little moments that you really remember. I had so many of these in our final concert. From the moment we walked on stage, I saw the overflowing audience and could immediately feel the spark from the crowd. The confusion looking for Arun and Tushar is vivid in my mind. Many of the people who had come to see us clearly had no clue that they would be in the audience. Yet we had sung many times for them. There was something else that happened that night. The energy from the choir was remarkable and unlike any other concert I can recall. This was due partly to the recording, the full house, Arun & Tushar, but most of all it was because of our passion. We were all there, and knew it. We all cared that night, and put ourselves into each and every moment. The audience knew it too, and their outpouring of support and admiration and love was beautiful at the end. Moments like that can truly create bonds across seemingly insurmountable barriers and make me proud to be one small part of something so powerful.



Max Halperin -  This entire tour was life-changing. It was the kind of thing that someone simply can’t forget, no matter how hard they try. In my opinion, the two greatest things on this tour was 1) the Taj Mahal and 2) Gandhi Smriti. The Taj Mahal is considered to be the most beautiful and most famous building in the world, so stepping inside it and touching its walls was almost unreal. Singing at Gandhi Smriti, at 5:17 pm, the exact time when Mahatma Gandhi was killed, had a very sentimental feeling, because we got to meet and connect with Mahatma’s grandson, Arun, and great-grandson, Tushar. These two things, along with the rest of the tour, will remain in my memory for decades.








Avery Mitchell After seven years in the choir I finally came to realize that my time with KSB was coming to an end. Of all the tours that I have traveled on, this one was a little more special. I was sitting down eating my final dinner with Fitz and we both discussed how fast the time in the choir goes by, but not just the time in the choir but time itself and it made me realize that these seven years went by in a flash! It’s hard to say what my favorite moment on this tour was because they were all special. I would say my favorite moment was at the senior dinner on the last night of tour and realizing all the amazing opportunities that KSB has given me and the bonds and friendships that I have made over the years.








Pedro Ramos - An experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life… is the rickshaw rides through the streets of the old city in Delhi. India is so unlike any other country I’ve traveled to with KSB, which is why I will remember many of the moments. On a trip where I saw the Taj Mahal, two red forts, and countless other architectural beauties, I still find the street life to be the most fascinating. There are seemingly no driving laws, honks are used for recreation and lanes are merely guidelines. In the rickshaw, we rode down a narrow alleyway choked full of people going about their shopping. We hit other bikes and people many times and no fuss was made about it, which is very different from the U.S. where a small nick can sometimes bring about a lawsuit. I find that the most interesting thing on trips is experience the culture and the people of the country. India’s culture is so rich and different from anything I have ever witnessed, and the rickshaw ride was the perfect way to enter into the thick of it.



Noah Shipley -  Taking a rickshaw ride through the old city was an absolutely awesome experience in that it was literally awe-inspiring. I think I saw more people in a couple hours than I do in a week in the United States. Everywhere I looked, I saw people. I saw people trying to vend, to drive, to beg, and each one was an individual. Sometimes, I need a reminder that my life is not the only one being lived, that there are countless important lives all around me. Thinking on it, seeing all those people brings me back to South Africa, my first tour. In both South Africa and India, I saw abject poverty, but I also saw joy, and people living their lives. They were leading lives that might be considered impoverished by someone from a different background, but their lives are as full of meaning and normalcy as mine. It was a humbling experience, and reminded me of the importance of empathy, and at least paying attention to others. 




Jeffrey Soffer: Definitely the sixth day. That day, we traveled through the small streets on the bicycle rickshaws through Old Delhi. We paired up and found a driver and, despite our their inability to stick together, we somehow kept ending up at the same place. We stopped off at Gandhi’s ashes, where we sang “Lead, Kindly Light.” It was a very peaceful place and it heavily contrasted the crowded Delhi streets. In order to get to our next stop, we all wandered around aimlessly looking for our drivers. (This happened every time we wanted to go somewhere). Our rickshaws brought us through the tiny streets, with a heavy variety in each of stores, ranging from high-end glass-framed jewelry stores to the open-air spice markets. Fisher told us that a shop owner would allow us to see the view of the city from his roof. We entered the spice market and climbed these skinny stairs until we appeared at a perfect view of the city, the beautiful sunset and a New-Years parade, filled with the Indians carrying lanterns to light the streets. There, we sang for a little boy on the roof, who thought that he had found his own personal spot for the parade and we were on our way. All of us found our drivers and, after spending time in the Delhi traffic, we returned to the buses.







Nick Van Meter: I think the whole trip has changed my mindset and my approach to cultural exchanges. As I get older, I realize a lot of it’s about the risks we take when interacting with other people, places, and things. Sitting on the back of the rickshaw at night with the horns of surrounding traffic blaring and the lights of Delhi ablaze is a feeling that I will never forget. It was quite a liberating feeling, weaving through traffic, nearly running red lights, and shouting out to other guys around as a man who spoke nearly no English drove two of us around a city we barely knew. While it may not have been the Taj Mahal or the Neemrana of our trip to India, which were both stunning and life changing places, it provided a thrill that I can never forget. 








Ricardo Frasso Jaramillo After Saturday night’s concert, the culminating musical experience of the trip, I was approached by a man named Subhash Verma. Completely astounded by the concert, he began to explain just how our music had affected him. He told me about the time he spent in America, and about his life principle: the idea that we are all one people, and that ones true identity can be found only through human connection and collaboration. It’s funny- I think at times the choir may have a very specific idea of what it wants to convey or give to the audience, but in the end, the value of any musical experience is the intersection between the music and the listener’s life. I always know the music, but rarely do I get a taste of the full intersection. After we exchanged contact information, Subhash recited a poem to me about community and humanity. I have always felt that the best part of tour is the musical interaction we are able to have with people. These interactions serve as a reminder of how similar people are, and of how music can be a vehicle for understanding, even with a complete stranger like Subhash.









Ryan Doyle India tour was my last tour with KSB. It was probably the best tour I’ve had, mostly because of the impact we had on India and the impact that India had on me. The most memorable moment on this tour for me was seeing the boys at the Salaam Balaak Trust and seeing their faces when we started singing. The smiles on their faces meant more to me than any of the higher profile concerts we’ve ever done. I feel like we really made an impact on those boys and really bonded with them. Seeing the conditions they had to live in really opened my eyes, and to make them happy and seeing them laugh despite everything really made me realize what a difference we can make through music and how important it is to reach out to those in need.










Adam Butz-Weidner -  is when it felt like a community event as what seamed like a hundred people stood and laughed on the roof of the Salaam Baalak Trust. There were smiles on every boys face, both Indian and American. We sang for them, they danced for us. It was the same earth, yet different worlds unifying; expressing the fundamental human unity that stuck with me. What really happened was a bunch of poor, homeless kids gave us a priceless gift of, while we made them rich also for one afternoon. We were both rich; rich with humanity.





Jamaar Julal - My most memorable moment in India has to be our concert/dance off at Salaam Baalak Trust because it was fun but it was also amazing to see these boys, who don't have it as well off as we do, enjoying themselves so much just from the music and dancing. Also being the number one dancer in KSB is very nice too (even if it was rigged).




Jack Gorman - A moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life is the rickshaw  ride through the streets of old Delhi.




Thomas Bertolino - Joining the choir in 8th grade I don’t think I fully understood what I was getting myself into. The choir has afforded me opportunities that I would have never dreamed of experiencing. After 10 adventurous days of immersing myself into a completely different culture, it is hard to pick a single moment that I can say I enjoyed most. Yet as this is the task I am faced with, I would have to say that the Rickshaw ride through Old Delhi was the moment of tour that I realized the world is an extremely unique place. The chaos in the streets with people, dogs, bikes, mopeds, pedal rickshaws, electric rickshaws, cars, cows, and trucks is an everyday occurrence for Indians, yet for me it was the ride of a lifetime; it was truly my biggest cultural shock and cultivating moment of the trip. I was on the fence about going on tour and I can honestly say that I am extremely happy that I did. It is a trip that I will never forget!



Eric Bertolino -  As all trips with KSB, it was a trip of a lifetime and something no one that took part in it will forget. Comparing tour to tour is always a difficult thing to do because all of them are great in there own distinct way, but this tour was probably my favorite of them all. Like all tours, the India trip provided all of us with memories that will last a lifetime, but on this trip I feel as if I connected with my fellow choristers more than ever before. I do not know a specific reason as to why, but I felt more at home in the KSB family over these past fourteen days than the rest of the time I spent in the choir. We all truly connected in ways we previously have not which is one of many reasons why this trip was so successful.     











Jesse Lazrus - Among all of the amazing moments we had on tour such as seeing the Taj Mahal, rick-shawing through Old Delhi, and singing at 5:17 at the Ghandi smriti, I would have to say my absolute favorite memory of tour has to be the bonding. Especially between the bass two's. Having our own room not only improved our relationship, but also our sound and performance.






Laurie Harbeson - My favorite memory.hmmm...that's a tough one! So many incredible memories! The crazy rickshaw rides that reminded me of an Indiana jones movie, Gandhi Smriti, Neemrana, the Taj and hanging with the Gandhis to name a few. I have to say  that the best part is being with the incredible group of boys (really amazing!) and the fabulous group of chaps/staff! It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of tour! Thank you to all , I love you all!! Namaste!!!!




Matt Misiano - Something that will stay with me forever from India, is sitting down with Arun Ghandi; talking about the work and life lessons his grandfather had taught him. He had shared many memories of Ghandi and of the things they would do together, it was chilling to say the least. 





Tom Kroszner:
The impressions India left me with on this tour are indelible in my mind. I will never forget pretty much all of New Year’s Eve Day, when I had my first true experience with the never-ending New Delhi traffic. I had the greatest time sitting in my rickshaw weaving in and out of motorcycles, cows, and dense crowds of people in tiny alleyways through the old city with my driver Sakeel. I was astounded at how the chaos of people and traffic never ended in a crash, and it felt like there was some kind of magic that made it all work somehow. I felt so alive in that mass of humanity that I just wanted to shout out of pure happiness. I was a part of the India I had always heard of, and fully embraced the endless energy that flowed through those streets.





Ryan Breen: It seems impossible to choose a favorite memory from a trip full of countless memorable moments. Living in India, if only for a brief time, was an experience that I will never forget, and has given me perspective on the blessing, and the privilege that I enjoy every day in the United States. My favorite memory would absolutely have to be the rickshaw ride through the Delhi bizarre with Tom Kroszner. Not only was it full of sights, and sounds, and a kind of bustling electricity that I’ve never even imagined, but it was a moment of pure joy, and camaraderie with one of my closest friends. With a stupid grin stuck to my face the entire time, I truly felt alive, not stuck inside the bubble of a car, but at one with the people around me. Tom and me smiled from ear to ear for probably an entire hour, and I was truly happy. It was so pure, and so joyful. I want to remember that feeling forever, and never forget the satisfaction that simplicity, and true friendship can bring.









Jack Schmieg - I will always the remember looking at the old city from the roof of the spice market. We had an amazing view of the city and the New Years parade below. When I thought it could not be any more amazing, I heard the Islamic call to prayer from a near by mosque. The beautiful music mixed with the unforgettable view will forever be ingrained in my memory.

Ann Schmieg - I have too many favorite memories to write about here. From actually being at the Taj Mahal to the crazy rickshaw ride through old Delhi. Steve, as always, planned a tour full of memories that will last a lifetime. But as a chap, my real tour memories include those things that happen when you travel with a group of remarkable young men. How about that moment when the boys broke into a Hari Krishna chant on the bus to Agra during the Eagles game, or comforting the sick boys and sharing with them good wishes from their well friends or, perhaps most memorably, those times when they broke into song - like in old Delhi? Or just chatting with the guys while they shopped and offering suggestions on their purchases for their families. I totally love touring with KSB and am grateful to experience the world through the eyes and ears of these amazing young men.











Mike Reitz
...is the moment when we all sang at Gandhi Smriti. Even better than that was when the birds flew overhead and sang, right as we finished. And the way Arun and Tushar stood with us was pretty awesome too. Just following the footsteps that Gandhi took at the end of his life was a really cool experience. And it was really weird thinking that most people will never get to experience the things we did that night. That night was definitely one of my favorite ones of tour. It was up there with secret pizza on the last night.






Erik Robinson My favorite moment on tour was when we went on top of the building after the parade in Delhi. That is the moment when I realized how amazing going on tour was. We got so many great opportunities on tour and experienced so many different amazing things that I will never forget. I wanna thank KSB for giving me some of the best experiences of my life and for giving me brothers that will be there for me, for as long as I live. This tour in India was amazing!









John Preine - The tour as a whole was very interesting, but the two things that impacted me the most were the Gandhi Smriti and the place where Gandhi’s ashes are buried. They impacted me because we sang at both places and had no response, only the birds flying overhead. There was a true feeling of serenity in both places. The reason why Gandhi Smriti impacted me was because it was where Gandhi was assassinated and also because we were singing for Gandhi’s relations, Arun and Tushar. The reason Gandhi’s burial sight impacted me is because it is his last resting place. In all the tour was a great success for KSB.




Chap Groups at the Red Fort in Agra!













Special Thanks to all of the adults traveling with us!

Joe Gorman, Andrea Saah, Al Saah, Deb Erdman, Marlis Kraft, Mark Kahn, Julia Rasch, Alexis Paolini, Theresa Bertolino, Ann Schmieg, Linda Deis, Laurie Harbeson 






























































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