From One Question to a Kellogg Tradition: The Story of the Kellogg India Trek

India has consistently been one of the largest international cohorts at Kellogg. Yet, for the longest time, there was no India Trek.

It is somewhat surprising when you think about it. For years, students travelled across the world during spring break, seeking experiences that would take them beyond classrooms and case discussions. And yet, a country as vast, dynamic, and culturally layered as India did not have a dedicated trek of its own.

Then, in 2023, one student asked a simple question:

Why not?

The question came from Ninaad (MBA '23), but it quickly became a question that stayed with the Kellogg Student Association Council (KSAC).

Because India is not simply another destination on a map.

It is a country that evokes excitement and curiosity in equal measure. For many, it is a place they have always wanted to experience, but one that can also feel overwhelming from a distance. Every region has a different identity, every city seems to tell a different story, and every experience challenges preconceived notions of what India is supposed to be.

The more the idea was discussed, the more obvious it became that India wasn't a destination that could be explained in a brochure or understood through social media highlights. It was a place that had to be experienced firsthand.

To bring that idea to life, KSAC partnered with WizTrek, which became the on-ground backbone of the experience. Together, they set out to create something that would feel seamless and thoughtfully curated while still preserving the sense of discovery that makes India unlike anywhere else in the world.

At the time, nobody knew that a single question would eventually become one of Kellogg's most anticipated spring break experiences.

Why India Felt Like the Missing Piece

There are very few countries that contain so many different worlds within a single journey.

A week in India can take you from financial districts and historic monuments to royal cities, tranquil landscapes, bustling markets, and centuries-old traditions that continue to shape modern life. Every destination feels distinct, and every experience offers a completely different perspective on the country.

That diversity is precisely what makes India such a powerful setting for immersive learning.

Experiential education often works best when students are placed in environments that encourage curiosity and challenge assumptions. India naturally does both. It asks visitors to embrace complexity, navigate unfamiliar situations, and engage with ideas and perspectives that may be entirely different from their own.

For a community like Kellogg, where learning frequently extends beyond classrooms and case studies, the absence of an India Trek had always seemed like a missing piece.

The opportunity wasn't simply about creating another international trip.

It was about creating a shared experience.

An experience that would allow students to encounter India not as spectators, but as participants.

The First Trek and the Discovery of a Shared Experience

When the first Kellogg India Trek took place in March 2023, it quickly became evident that this wasn't simply another spring break itinerary.

Participants found themselves standing before the Taj Mahal, attempting to comprehend its scale and symmetry. Even after seeing countless photographs, many discovered that the monument felt entirely different in person. Its beauty was undeniable, but what left an even deeper impression was the realisation that some places can only truly be understood by experiencing them firsthand.

The journey then unfolded across cities and landscapes that seemed to reveal entirely different versions of India.

In Jaipur, participants encountered a city where history remains deeply woven into everyday life. Forts and palaces offered glimpses into the country's rich past, while local communities and artistic traditions demonstrated that heritage is not something frozen in time but something that continues to evolve through people and stories.

In Kerala, the pace shifted completely. The backwaters offered a sense of stillness and reflection that contrasted sharply with the energy of India's cities. The experience reminded participants that India cannot be described through a single narrative because every region possesses its own rhythm and identity.

And then there was Mumbai.

Often described as the New York of India, Mumbai introduced participants to a city where heritage and ambition coexist with remarkable ease. Historic buildings stand alongside modern skylines, and every street seems to move with an unmistakable sense of purpose and possibility.

By the end of the trek, participants had experienced something difficult to define yet impossible to ignore.

They had discovered that India was not one experience.

It was many experiences, existing simultaneously.

And somehow, that complexity became one of the journey's greatest strengths.

The Moments That Became Stories

When participants look back on the India Trek, they certainly remember the destinations.

But more often than not, they talk about the moments that happened in between.

A Bollywood dance workshop, for example, usually began with hesitation. Most participants walked in not expecting to dance to a 90s Bollywood song. Yet within minutes, hesitation gave way to laughter, and eventually everyone found themselves fully committed to the choreography.

The cooking sessions became another unexpected highlight. What initially seemed like a simple cultural activity evolved into an introduction to flavours and ingredients that many students had never experienced before. Discussions about spices somehow turned into conversations about traditions and why food has such an extraordinary ability to connect people.

Then there were the local markets.

Participants frequently arrived intending to buy a few souvenirs and found themselves leaving with bags filled with saffron, cardamom, sweets, pickles, and far more than they had originally planned to purchase.

And then some experiences felt both surreal and grounding at the same time.

Feeding and painting elephants became one of those moments. For many participants, it was unlike anything they had ever done before. The experience felt joyful, unexpected, and impossible to fully describe until they experienced it themselves.

These moments rarely appeared as the defining parts of the itinerary.

Yet they often became the stories people continued telling long after the trip ended.

Because while destinations are remembered, it is usually the shared experiences in between that leave the deepest impressions.

How Holi Became the Heart of the India Trek

Every India Trek has experiences that participants continue talking about long after they return home.

But over time, one experience became almost synonymous with the trek itself.

Holi.

What began as a festive inclusion in the itinerary gradually evolved into something much larger. Year after year, participants arrive having heard stories about Holi from previous cohorts, and year after year, they leave understanding exactly why everyone talks about it.

Because Holi isn't something you simply witness.

It's something you surrender to.

The colours arrive first. Then the music gets louder. Before long, everyone is dancing, laughing, and completely immersed in the moment. For a few hours, nothing else seems to exist. It doesn't matter that there is a schedule to follow or a bus waiting to leave for Agra. Time almost feels suspended.

For many participants, it is their first experience of Holi.

And perhaps that is what makes it unforgettable.

There is something incredibly freeing about celebrating a festival where the only expectation is to participate fully. By the end of it, people aren't talking about where they need to go next. They're talking about songs, colours, moments they didn't capture on their phones, and the feeling of not wanting the celebration to end.

Long after the trek is over, Holi remains one of its defining memories. It becomes the experience every incoming batch hears about, and every outgoing batch wishes they could relive.

Because somehow, in the middle of colours, music, and complete abandon, Holi turns into more than a celebration.

It becomes a feeling.

And for many participants, it becomes something they want to experience again and again.

A Tradition in the Making

Over the years, what started with a simple question has been carried forward by others.

Each cohort has contributed something of its own and added another layer to what the India Trek has become.

What began with twenty-five students in 2023 grew to more than sixty participants in the years that followed, transforming the trek into one of Kellogg's most sought-after spring break experiences.

But the significance of the India Trek cannot be measured by participation numbers alone.

Its impact lies in the moments that happen in between.

It lies in classmates becoming co-travellers and strangers becoming friends. It lies in stories that continue long after flights home have landed and classes have resumed. It lies in incoming students hearing about experiences from previous cohorts and looking forward to creating memories of their own.

Perhaps that is the most remarkable aspect of the Kellogg India Trek.

What began as an idea did not remain an experiment.

It became a shared experience.

And over time, that shared experience began to feel like something even more meaningful:

A tradition in the making.