FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 29, 2005  
Contact: Shirley Melikian Armbruster
(559) 278-5292 or (559) 593-1815

Travel study program to India 

The Division of Continuing and Global Education, California State University, Fresno is offering the travel study program, “Art & Culture of Northern India” from Dec. 26, 2005, to    Jan. 14, 2006.

The program will offer students the opportunity to learn about the sculpture, architecture, painting, archeology, history, religions and culture of the largest democratic country in the world. Prior to departure, participants will be invited to attend one of several educational and informative orientation seminars. The first will be July 20 from 7-9 p.m. in the River Meeting Room of the Woodward Park Regional Library. Three units of academic credit are available.

The price of $3,995 per person includes all air fares and inland transport, first class hotels (double occupancy), meals in hotels and restaurants, entrance fees to monuments and local English-speaking guides.

Joan and Brijesh Sharma are directing the study tour. Joan Sharma, an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Design at Fresno State, holds a BFA degree in painting from Temple University's Tyler School of Art and a master's degree in painting from Indiana University. She first visited India in 1989 and has made subsequent trips to various regions of India.

Brijesh Sharma was born in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal. After earning a bachelor’s degree from St. John's College in Agra, he studied for the Government of Uttar Pradesh Tourist Guide License in Lucknow and the Government of India Tourist Guide License in Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan. He has guided and escorted numerous tourist groups and speaks fluent English, Hindi and German.

For details of the tour visit  www.csufresno.edu/ExtendedEd/travel.html#india.   

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