River rafting and trekking in the Himalayan foothills keep students busy during midterm breaks, and the emphasis on physical fitness is evident on the playing fields, where an intense competitiveness prevails in basketball, soccer, karate, kickboxing, and skateboard practice. Lights go out at 10 p.m., and there is usually no problem getting the youngsters to sleep. The grind is relieved by occasional care packages from home. Television is limited to weekends. But even regimented Miri Piri cannot abolish goofing-off altogether.
Some students still listen to rap music with violent lyrics or experiment with drugs and alcohol.
For most of the students, the biggest challenge is being perceived as different wherever they go. Back home, people stare at us because of our turbans. You get taken out of mainstream society for eight months of the year, then shot back into it during vacations. We're secure in our beliefs here, but then, when you go back, it's a real test. Others seem destined for a more Indian identity.