The Great Outdoors (The Hindu 9 May 1998)
Come summer vacations, and institutions, organisations and motivated individuals offer a host of exciting activities for children who wish to spend their holidays productively and enjoyably. There are nature camps and adventure camps, skills development camps and sports camps, all sounding very promising and thrilling. Nature lover and trekking enthusiast S Muthukrishnan, Principal, Jaigopal Garodia School, Anna Nagar, talks of the thrills of setting foot on unexplored territory. He has been organising treks for his school students under the aegis of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which confers the Bronze to deserving aspirants, since September 1996. A 4-day summer camp to the Western ghats, Kalakkad and Mundanthurai tiger reserve, is in the offing during the second half of April. "Children will have to be prepared to trek through rough patches and eat any available food. They have to follow jungle disciplines and be ready for any eventuality," he explains. Roughing it out instills confidence in them and develops the spirit of adventure. The route posed a challenge to the trekkers as it was a steep descent over rocks and boulders to caves situated 500 ft below and a steep climb up, using make-shift ladders and thick ropes to balance themselves. "We experienced the divine vibrations through nature," says Muthukrishnan.
For those who love the great outdoors and would like to make it a part of their lives, is a membership-based club called Wildertrails Adventure Club that offers adventure activities throughout the year. What more, it's not only for children but for whole families! "We want to encourage people to come for outings as families to strengthen family ties," says he. The aim of the club is to train and equip people to face the outdoors and bring home the need for conservation. The club offers two outings every month (day or overnight) on weekends and longer camps during the summer and winter vacations. Currently if offers trekking and camping and plans to get into aquatic and aerial sports in a phased manner. Three summer camps are being planned during end April and May. The first one is to the Nilgiri hills near Ooty, the second to Amaravathy hills near Munnar and the third to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala. Interested parties can contact 6442729.
On the anvil this summer, during the first week of May, is a Himalayan trekking expedition for higher secondary students of city schools. From base camp Kulu Manali a batch of 30 to 40 students will proceed to other camps. The 10-day camp is open to both children and parents. Says nature enthusiast Venkatraman of Exnora Naturalist Club. "The exposure is good for students and we are trying to look for volunteers to help us in our future environmental programmes." Among educational camps, Falcon Force, promoted by Erehwon India, promises to remove inherent weaknesses and inhibitions in children and through their development programmes, have a lasting impact on them. Started five years ago for children of ages 7 to 17, these camps are run by Erehwon facilitators, trained to focus on each child's specific needs. Lifeskills camps held in the summer aims at breaking inhibitions and building confidence through activities like camping out and night treks. Creativity and communication camps concentrates on generating ideas and solutions through activities that seem quite impossible at first. Values and Vision camp helps a child discover deepest values and helps career orientation. The first four camps act as spring boards for the Leadership camp. Five Lifeskills camps of five and seven day duration are slated to be held, beginning on 14th April and ending on 28th May. For registration contact 8587363.
Hemlatha Raghupathi, Precious Features Syndicate
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