Summer/Winter Camps

3rd Frehindi Village Séjour – 2014 starts 3rd January 2014

Frehindi Village is an unique place situated on top of the Himalayas where the native French and Indians meet to share language and culture. Frehindi Village is a people to people initiative which seeks to connect the French & Indians in a lifelong journey of discovery & friendship.

The 1st fully developed site is nestled on a hill top at Gangachaur near Bhataliya on Nanital-Mukteshwar road, 45 km from famous tourist place Nanital & surrounded by a magnificent oak and rhododendron forest. This site of Village Frehindi brings you a breathtaking view (380 km.) of Garhwal, Kumaon & Nepal snow ranges which include BANDAR POONCH, CHAUKHAMBA, NEEL KANTH, TRISHUL, NANDADEVI, PANCHACHULI, Mt. API, NAMPA to name a few.

At Frehindi village we stay with the family of the “Bishts” who own the orchards on which our site is situated & whose hospitality is more about their true warmth & passion for furthering the cause of Indo-French Friendship. The weather is cool & relaxed during the summer season as the orchards of the “Bishts” are laden with Apples, Plums, Peaches, Pears, Chestnuts, Alpine Flora, Ferns, Hanging Moss, and exotic species of wild flowers. In winters the days a surprisingly warm and ideal for a walk in the Forrest , treks or simply cycling your way through the quite & calm roads with a dash of sparkling snow adorning the roofs & trees around a clear sky with beautiful Himalayan range view.

Surrounded by a magnificent oak and rhododendron forest, Village Frehindi brings you a breathtaking view (380 km.) of Garhwal, Kumaon & Nepal snow ranges which include BANDAR POONCH, CHAUKHAMBA, NEEL KANTH, TRISHUL, NANDADEVI, PANCHACHULI,Mt.API,NAMPA to name a few.

The Idea of Village Frehindi:

The Idea of Frehindivillage was there in the mind of Mr. Haru Mehra, the founder of Le Frehindi since childhood. Being a native of the Hills himself Mr. Haru was amazed by the number of French people who used to visit the hills when he was a child. In fact the language French was initiated to Mr. Mehra when he was just 5 years old by a group of French tourists who used to come each year to visit the caves of Doonagiri which is about 80 KM from Frehindi village which happens to be the native place of the grandparents of Mr. Mehra.

After working for over 15 years in India & abroad Mr. Mehra Started working on Frehindi village and Le Frehindi concept in 2008.

The idea is to offer a relaxed atmosphere to the Indo-French community to interact, share and learn – away from the hustle bustle of the Metros.

The French & native Indians benefit from each other in the following way at Village Frehindi:

The French learn Hindi or English or any of the 21 languages spoken in India.
The Indians improve their French from natives of Francophone countries.
The French learn yoga from French Speaking Indian volunteers or a local guru.
The French & Indians stay in the ancient Houses build by local Villagers using the local material of wood, mud and rocks.
The French understands the local culture and traditions aided by their French-speaking Indian Friends including many stories & tales from ancient India which are still part of the culture of the locals at Frehindi Village.
Several Indo-French excursions. Cycling trips & treks are planned around the Village Mountains, fields, temples & markets with the help of local villagers.
The French & Indians participate in many voluntary work aimed to help local school students pick up important skills like languages, computers etc or help adults with their daily routine work like managing their animals, colleting fodder & fire woods, plucking fruits & harvesting.
Frehindi Village is organizing its 3rd annual “Frehindi Village” sejour and we welcome all Indians and native French to participate in this 3 day event.

Program Details:
(Starts Friday the 3rd January 2014 – Monday the 6th January 2014 )

Pl find the following Itinerary :

Friday the 3rd January 2014:
· 5.45 am : Boarding the Train Shatabdi Express from Anand Vihar Railways Terminal from Delhi.

· 7.30 am : Breakfast & Tea in the Train.
· 11.15 am : Arrival of Shatabdi at Kathgodam Railway station in the foothills of Himalayas and boarding Jeeps for climbing mountains.
· 12.15 pm : Stopping for local tea at a local shop at Bhimtal ( The lake of Bhima – named after a famous mythological character of Mahabharata), a beautiful lake on our way up the hills of Mukteshwar.
· 2 pm : Checking in at Frehindi Village followed by delicious Lunch.
· 3 pm – 6 pm free time to look around and rest and tea and snacks at 6 pm.
· 7 pm – Briefing about next day followed by Dinner.
· Antakshri ( A spoken parlor game on Bollywood songs ) around Angethi ( bonfire ) for those night owls.

Saturday the 4th January 2014:

· 8 am – Break Fast
· 10 am – 1 pm – Work shop on “La Cuisine du Monde Francophone” by Native french teachers (De la Belgique, de la France, du Maroc, d’Afrique, d’Algérie, et de la Tunisie)
· 1pm – 2 pm – Lunch
· 2 pm – 6 pm – Frehindi Village visit guided tour by Native Indians & tea in the evening at the house of a local villager.
· 6 pm – 8 pm : Wine Tasting & paring of food(Veg. & Non-Veg. ) Workshop by Col Joe ( By Colonel Ravi Joshi, leading wine sommelier of India ).
· 8 pm: Dinner & Cultural evening with local Kumaoni dance troupe “Harda” around Bonfire & Barbeque.

Sunday the 5th January 2014:

· 5 am – 6 am – Beautiful early morning Sunrise view from Machaan for early risers.
· 8 am – Break Fast
· 9 am – Jeep Safari leading to Adventure activities at Chauli Ki Jali : A fascinating rocky cliff behind the Mukteshwar temple. Leaning on the edge of the cliff you can have a view of your lifetime of the surroundings valley below and the far off peaks. This place will be used for our used for rock climbing and rappelling adventure activities for all dare devils in the group under supervision of experts.
· 12.30 pm : Visit 400 year old Muktershwar Temple of Shiva to meet an English priest who never speaks and talks only in gestures.
· 2 pm – Back for lunch and rest and free time to explore the Orchid for photo shoots etc
· 5 pm – Hot Tea with Pakodas ( Indian snack )
· 8 pm – Dinner and early retirement to bed for an early morning wake up.

Monday the 6th January 2014:

· 4.45 am – Wake up to watch the Sunrise for those who missed it on previous occasions.
· 6 am : Onwards Journey towards Kathgodam Railway station with packed breakfast.
· 8.15 am : Reach Kathgodam Railway station to catch Uttkarsh Sampark Kranti ( AC chair Car ) for Old Delhi Railway station.
* 3.15 pm: Tour terminates. Reach Old Delhi Railway Station. Metro and other modes of transport available for onward journey

All inclusive Registrations Fees for Indians nationals (triple sharing): Rs.7250/- (Seven Thousand two hundred & fifty only).

All inclusive Registration Fees for Kids (Age 7 – 16 years): Rs.3500/- ( Three thousand Five hundred Only ).

All inclusive Registrations Fees for French nationals (double sharing): 200 Euro (Two Hundred Euros).

All inclusive Registration Fees for Kids (Age 7 – 16 years) : 100 Euro (One hundred Euros Only ).

To Pay Online and to know more about Frehindi Village visit www.frehindivillage.com

Merci et Bien Cordialement.

Team Frehindi

Author: Haru MEHRA

Namasté / Bonjour / Hello, I am Harbinder Singh MEHRA ( Haru ), the President, author & principal blogger & trainer for the LAF's project Inde-Contemporaine under the patronage of the Indian Embassy in Paris. Apart from that, I am also the CEO of Paris & Lyon based Le Frehindi which is an Indo-French organisation licensed by ATOUT-France with associate offices in New Delhi, Mumbai & Dubai in the Middle East. Something about LAF ( L'Association Frehindi ) : The objective of the L'Association Frehindi ( English ) To promote global understanding with special focus on youth of France & Francophone countries with the youth from Indian subcontinent by showcasing a contemporary aspect of both regions in areas of cultural & linguistic integration, appreciating of heritage & getting to know the importance of natural wellbeing via online & offline activities such as workshops, fairs, events, meet-ups, counselling sessions, intercultural workshops in partnerships/collaborations with local institutions, cultural organisations, embassies & companies in both the regions. The association seeks to work in the following areas : I. Events/fairs/conferences/workshops under the patronage of the Indian Embassy in France. 1)To celebrate & promote contemporary India & France with today's youth. 2)To let discover the traditional historic Indo-French strengths, economic opportunities & partnership possibilities. 3)To promote arts & artists from either region. 4) To jointly host events & fairs every year in France, Francophone countries & the Indian subcontinent to promote friendship/partnerships between different regions linking the general population with a special focus on youth. II. Alps-Himalayas Project 1) To increase cultural & economic affinity of youth & businesses between Rhone-Alps & Himalayas regions of India, Bhutan & Nepal. 2) To conduct & promote joint Indo-French expeditions & excursions. 3) To help the tribals & locals in Himalayan regions to preserve the environment by sustainable means. III. Intercultural Activités 1) To conduct linguistic-based inter cultural activités with the help of virtual tours & offline sessions between youth & teachers for both French, Hindi & various other regional languages. 2) To conduct sessions / classes on inter-cultural understanding, ways of doing business, dances & letting discover the rich heritage. 3) To conduct fundraising activities for all such cultural & heritage discovery exchanges. IV. Indo-French youth club : 1) To help the Indian students coming to France to integrate culturally, logistically & linguistically by providing pre & post landing counselling workshops & vice-versa for French students going to the Indian subcontinent. 2) To help the youth discover skill development programs, internships & recruitment opportunities available in all the regions. 3) To work in partnership with local SME'S for supporting & training of the youth of India & France. 4) To enable students & teachers in France to help online & offline the underprivileged children in the Indian subcontinent by imparting training based on languages & soft skill development. 5) To conduct Indo-french youth camps in all Francophone regions with a special focus on Rhone-Alps regions, Himalayas & Auroville in Pondicherry. V. Promoting Natural Wellbeing & boosting immunity naturally : 1) The association will seek to promote the benefits of Yoga & Ayurveda in France among youth & conduct awareness sessions with experts from India & Srilanka. 2) The association will celebrate World Yoga Day & World Ayurveda day by conducting events & workshops for the youth. 3) The association will produce both online & offline content like blogs, books, broachers etc to Promote yoga & Ayurveda. 4) The association will work closely with Bio-shops to promote vegan & vegetarian food among the youth. Come be a part of the LAF growing team & become ambassadors for the Indian subcontinent & its ability to take modernity with traditional values and ethos. Write to us at haru@frehindi.com. All the best. Harbinder Singh MEHRA, President, L'Association Frehindi Lyon VILLETTE GARE IMMEUBLE LE BONNEL 20 rue de la Villette 69003 Lyon Tel : +330601360996