CHENNAI: The sailors of the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet held a musical gala for the students of the Hope Foundation Nursery and Primary School at Kannagi Nagar on Sunday to celebrate Easter. They also planted saplings on the school campus at Kannagi Nagar. A rock and blues band made up of sailors played American songs and engaged with the children. In all, 25 American sailors of varying ethnicities from the three ships, including three women sailors, took part. Some dug holes in the ground in the humid Chennai summer to plant saplings along the campus walls of the school. They were joined by the chaplain of the USS Carl Vinson.The event also saw the participation of members of the US Consulate General in Chennai, including Consul General Jennifer McIntyre and Acting Public Affairs Officer Corinna Ybarra Arnold.“The idea is to get the sailors to see parts of southern India that are not on the tourist circuit, and engage with the people of this part of the country,” said a consulate official.The three ships are on a port call in Chennai on their way to take part in Exercise Malabar 2012, the multilateral naval exercises that have taken place in Indian waters since 1992. This year’s Malabar exercises will be held from April 9 to 16.
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