A group of 14 Award participants from Korea had visited India for an adventure camp in Uroli. A day before leaving for the camp they were shown around Delhi by our Award team.
Adventures in Delhi - Siddharth Bhuyan, Award Intern
The Koreans were picked up by Shubda Hirawat, Award Intern and Arun Deoli, Programme Development Manager, from the Youth hostel in Saket.The Koreans were then taken to the HOHO(Hop-on-Hop-Off) centre in Connaught Place by the Delhi Metro. Once we boarded the HOHO bus, we headed to our first destination- Feroz Shah Kotla.Our Korean friends were thrilled by the pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C.
After a while of taking some photos and talking about India’s rich cultural heritage, we took off for our next destination of the day. The next stop on our map was the famous National Gallery of Modern Art. The National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery.It is the the best place to see Indian Contemporary Art. Our Korean delegates were fascinated to see the artworks of renowned artists, such as Rabindranath Tagore and Amrita Shergill. We then walked to India Gate- the national monument of India. The Korean team was really glad to have seen this very prominent landmark in Delhi,they enjoyed taking photos of the War memorial and the beautiful lawns encompassing India Gate.
After a long and tiring first half, we wanted our Korean friends to taste some spicy Indian cuisine in the nearby Pandara road market. The Korean team along with the Award team had authentic Indian food in a restaurant called “Havemore”.The ‘tandoori chicken’ was relished by everyone! The post-lunch plan was to show the Korean team a couple of places more before heading back to the Youth Hostel. We boarded the last HOHO bus and got off near the Lotus Temple. En-route to the Lotus Temple, we enjoyed the majestic Humayun’s tomb . The Lotus temple is a must-see for all foreign tourists. As with all other Baha’i’ Houses Of Worship, The Lotus temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction as emphasized in the Baha’i’ texts. We also participated in the silent prayer that happened in the central hall.
We winded up our 1st shuttle of the Delhi tour by taking some pictures and interacting with the Koreans beside the beautiful ponds of The Lotus Temple. We then left for the Youth hostel by Metro. The Koreans had quite an experience travelling by metro. Once we got down in Saket, the Award team then escorted them to the Youth Hostel by local conveyance.As the day came to an end, the Koreans showed their gratitude to the Award team by presenting us with souvenirs from Korea.
We winded up our 1st shuttle of the Delhi tour by taking some pictures and interacting with the Koreans beside the beautiful ponds of The Lotus Temple. We then left for the Youth hostel by Metro. The Koreans had quite an experience travelling by metro. Once we got down in Saket, the Award team then escorted them to the Youth Hostel by local conveyance.As the day came to an end, the Koreans showed their gratitude to the Award team by presenting us with souvenirs from Korea.
Adventure Camp in Uroli, organized by INME Learning- Inputs from Arun Deoli, Adarsh Saraff
INME Learning are Award India's Adventure Partner. Founded by alumni of XLRI, INSEAD and IIM, team inme has people with professional experience and trainingin Education, Behavioural Science, Armed Forces, and Corporate Management to Outdoor learning, Adventure Sports, Theatre and Music. Key members have over a decade of experience in designing and delivering outdoor based learning for children. About inme programs inme is an outdoor and adventure based learning program in a wilderness setting for children owned and run by India’s most experienced team of outdoor educationists. inme programs help open young minds to explore their infinite potential and build essential life skills. Parents of children who have participated in INME programs have consistently reported higherself-confidence, adaptability and heightened self-awareness in their children. With a short notice they organised a Camp for our Award Participants from Korea and India in Uroli, Uttarkhand. Nestled in the midst of a pine and oak forest near the village Uroli this beautiful campus is a perfect getaway at around 6000ft in the Kumaon Himalayas. It provides immense opportunities for short hikes, overnight treks and rock climbing sites. The campus has its own natural water source and is off a motorable dirt road. The main camp house provides indoor backup.
The group left by train from Delhi at 6 am on 10th August and arrived at the Kathgodam Station around noon. After a quick lunch enroute, everyone arrived at the INME Camp in Uroli around 5 pm. There was a brief introduction session and everyone picked their tents, relaxed for a bit and called it an early night after dinner.
The 6 am Wake up call on 11th followed by morning tea was refreshing and the warm up exercise worked up an appetite for breakfast. Before breakfast we were told about the action points for the day. Post breakfast, we packed up and engaged in the rock climbing activity. This helped all of us come out of our shells and engage actively in learning about the equipment, bouldering, spotting, long face climbing, abseiling. Following lunch, we did the stream crossing as part of the low ropes course and the Burma Bridge Activity. The day of activities came to an end and we relaxed over tea and had a Q&A session about the day.
The next morning, we played a group game after breakfast and left for the a 20km trek. En route to the Camping Place, we halted at village to understand the daily lives of villagers there. We arrived at the Shiva and Vishnu Hindu Temple a little after noon and then to our lunch site an hour later. We continued our trek and finally arrived at the Camping site for the night, set our tents up, gathered firewood and made ourselves comfortable for the night. The highlight of the evening were Performances by Indian and Korean Groups. We all went to bed with glad hearts of making new friends and experiencing new cultures. The next morning after warm up and breakfast, we left for the Target Jump Activity. This was the most amazing activity we had to jump from a tree 60ft high and touch our target in the air. We ate lunch and then packed to hike to our next camping for the night. We pitched our tents, ate an early dinner and challenged ourselves to be self-motivated with a cool moon-lit walk. We returned to Camp to a Bonfire and enjoyed talking to each other. Although, we were all glad to go into our sleeping bags for some hard earned rest. Next morning we engaged in a fun Leave no Trace activity as part of our breaking camp and returning to the main Uroli Camp. We ate some breakfast, did the Bubble Trouble Activity, took group photos and left the camp for the Kathgodam Train Station to return to Delhi.
Testimonials
The Award is a very good platform where one can really get to no oneself better and develop oneself mentally as well as physically for the world. It encourages self-discovery and growth and via the award one can render useful service to the society which is really essential in today's world. The physical recreation,skills and camps enhances one's personality and physical strength as well as boosting one's mental capability." - Adarsh Saraff, Gold Award Participant
'Fun and Enjoyment' was the best part about the Adventure Camp and the trip.We all enjoyed to the fullest. For me 'Target Jump' was an unforgettable experience. Trekking was most challenging as it was around 20km with full bags and stuff.The weather there was not stable as well and it was raining which was making the task more difficult. 'Youth Rules'..so always be Young.
- Arun Deoli, Development Manager
" The camp was the most unique and amazing experience I have had and I would first like to thank IAYP for the opportunity. The fact that the camp was a part of an international exchange program made it even better as I got to meet and learn from and about new people and their culture. Therefore, above all, the interaction with different people was one of the best parts of this camp.The first leg of the Indo-Korean exchange program took place in Uroli (Uttarakhand) at the INME (Infinite Me) Campus. Ten Indians and fourteen Koreans met at the Delhi station at the Delhi station to start off. Despite the language barrier, we soon broke the ice and worked together in all the activities undertaken.
When we arrived at the Inme campus, I was completely surprised. I had never expected such an amazing campus. On the first evening, there was an orientation walk around the campus and we were briefed on the camp rules and norms. Kamaal sir, the camp chief spoke to us and briefly told us about a few of the activities that we were going to do. He made us all feel very comfortable. We also played a few unique games like hand football. The next day, we had rock climbing, bouldering and rope knot session. This was followed by a rope challenge course in the evening consisting Tarzan swing, zip line, multivine, etc. All the challenge courses were real fun and true to their name, they were challenging.
The third day was a test of our endurance. From our campsite, we trekked to a local village, where we saw what the lifestyle of the people was like. We even had the opportunity to see a village house. After about 12km, we stopped to cook lunch. We did this on an open fire. It was really difficult to keep the fire burning because of the weather. From this spot, we trekked about 7km back to our campsite. All the trekking was done with our rucksacks. During the trek we had to deal with problems like leeches, rain and of course, the slippery stones. That evening the indo-cultural took place with the Koreans performing a traditional fan dance and the Indians singing a classical song and introducing them to the world of bollywood.
One of the most unique and exciting activities took place on the fourth day. It was called Target Jumping(TJ)., where one basically jumped from a height of 45ft, hit a bottle(the target) and went into free fall till stopped by the harness. We also had a night out in the wilderness. The night out site was 1.5km away from the INME campus. This time our rucksacks also had tents. We set up our own tents at the site and cooked dinner. This was followed by the moonlight walk. In this we trekked about two kilometers at night, under the moonlight in complete and utter silence, without using torches. We got to see nature from a different perspective which opened our eyes to nature’s beauty. The peace and quiet I felt during the trek is something I have never felt anywhere else. It was a priceless experience.
It is simply the most brilliant experience I have had.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so we were back on the train to Delhi, having had an adventurous and unique experience. The next leg of the exchange would involve the Indians going to Korea. We are really looking forward to that trip."
-Pranav Balakrishnan, Gold Award Participant
-Pranav Balakrishnan, Gold Award Participant
"The first leg of the indo-korea exchange programe was an amazing experience for me. I got to know so many new people and knowing and being friends with the koreans was the best part. They were very warm and helpful. The various activities which we did out of them some I have done before but bouldering and target jump was a new experience for me and maybe I will never get an opportunity to do it again. The best part of the camp was the last night-the night out. We were somewhere where we couldn't see anything except the beauty of the nature. The silent walk in which we walked by the help of moon light which actually kept me moved when it was over.This camp has made me a better person and I have learnt so many new things.Looking forward to the secong leg of this programe."
- Pratibha Goel, Gold Award Participant
- Shreya Budhia, Gold Award Participant