Chandigarh – how far can we plan?
Chandigarh, capital of two states (Haryana and the Punjab), is a planned city – designed by Le Corbusier, no less, in the 1950s. St John’s College, Chandigarh, shares this inheritance…
Mt Abu – the forest finds friends
St Mary’s High School, Mt Abu, in Rajasthan, is one of the most beautiful sites for a school in the world, between a deep lake and forested hills (also a…
Challakere – a new city on red sand
Sunflowers and ground-nuts (peanuts, to some of us), still waiting for the rains in their sandy furrows, have brought an economic boom to Challakere. Surrounded by villages where people are…
Vasai – room to move
On the north-east edge of Mumbai, where the seven islands underlying the city merge with the rest of the state of Maharashtra, St Augustine’s High School, Vasai Road, finds itself…
Dadar – between the cemetery and the city
As you arrive at Mumbai Airport, you are greeted by a mural depicting, amongst many aspects of Mumbai, a pair of house crows. It is a fitting tribute to some…
Human Rights and Climate Change
I attended the Human Rights Council session on “Human Rights and Climate Change” recently. The session took the form of a short input from a range of experts on different…
Saving the Black Robin – Auckland, May 28 – 30, 2009
New Zealanders once brought the black robin, the world’s rarest bird, back from the brink of extinction. There were only six birds left – the only black robins left in…
Oceans and Islands – Brisbane (Province Centre), May 20 – 23, 2009
Oceania, as a Province, is about linking islands and oceans (East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines). It is fascinating to watch how a province renews itself,…
Assisi – Where We Begin (May 12 – 16, 2009)
For Saints Francis and Clare, this little town clinging to the flanks of a rugged ridge overlooking the Umbrian plains was where it all began. Casting off their old ways…
Big Doings in the Big Apple – New York, May 2 – 10, 2009
New York is famous for its ‘buzz’. Brian Bond and I spent a week there, not sampling the lifestyle but visiting the warren of offices, centres, meeting rooms, and halls…