?Mind-blowing? a real eye opener? thought provoking? were just some of the phrases used by the members of the annual Fullbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, travelling across India before culminating their trip in Calcutta from July 28 to 31.

The purpose is to provide the US educators with a broader insight into Indian cultural heritage, specifically focussing on the defining role and status of women in India.

Sponsored by the US department of education, the seminar explored the cultural, social, religious and historical issues defining the position of women in India, their economic and political participation and the problems faced by them in society.

?Tradition still plays a big role in a modern Indian woman?s life,? said Jamie Capuzza from Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio. ?Even professional women are under pressure to marry and bear children. The degree of emancipation has increased, but the demands of society are still immense.?

The programme was divided into two parts. The five-day academic programme in New Delhi involved formal lectures, interviews and discussions with prominent scholars of women?s studies and public personalities. The field visits exposed the participants to the different local issues related to women. They travelled to Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kochi, Pune, Varanasi and Hyderabad before Calcutta.

Scott Menscher from Brooklyn, New York, said: ?Our stay in Calcutta has been extraordinary. The school of women?s studies in Jadavpur University has been doing a wonderful job. The tours of Kumartuli and Kalighat were superb. Bengali women are much more independent and emancipated than their counterparts in many parts of the country.?

The group of 16 college and high school educators admitted to a few preconceived notions. The absence of elephants on the roads surprised some, and the growth in telecommunications amazed them.