Take the challenge of the Zanskar Expedition 2012 with Himalayan River Runners- Special rates for Award family

A geographical extension of the southwestern end of the Tibetan plateau, Ladakh is often referred to as “Little Tibet”. Indeed, both geographically and culturally there is little difference. Few places on earth match the grandeur and sheer magnitude of the Zanskar in Ladakh, the trans- Himalayan region on India’s northern borders.

Himalayan River Runners, the Award's Adventure Partner are organizing their 11-day expedition to this high altitude lunar landscape. It is a “once-in-a lifetime” experience combining the best of adventure and cultural insight into the lifestyle of these Himalayan and Trans Himalayan communities from the predominantly Islamic communities of Kargil to the predominantly Buddhist communities of Zanskar and an insight into their shared lifestyle in these barren lands.

Fly into Leh and spend the next 3 days on a mountain drive from Leh via Kargil to their river put-in. Few mountain drives offer such varied landscape from high altitude desert to an in your face Himalayan close-ups of the Nun Kun massif (23,400ft ASL) as one drives right below its northern face and its hanging glaciers. The final road leg crosses the Pensi-la 14500 ft ASL, the highest point of the trip with the Durung Drung glacier below, a major source of the Zanskar.

The 6-day river journey, starting just 40 km below the glacial headwaters takes you through the Zanskar gorge sometimes referred to as the ‘Grand Canyon of Asia’. Big water Class 3 and 4 rapids, walks through orchards ripe with apricot, side-hikes to gravity-defying monasteries and an evening incantation with the monks, all add to the unique charm and adventure of our expedition to this rugged wilderness. The trip finally ends with a day in Leh. Exploring Leh’s bazaar and old town before you finally fly back to Delhi.

THE ITINERARY

Fixed date departures:

11th to 21st August (ex-Delhi) Trip -I

22nd Aug to 01st Sept (ex-Delhi) Trip -II

Day 01 (11th/22nd Aug)

Fly Delhi to Leh. A completely relaxed day letting your body acclimatize to the rarefied atmosphere. Overnight in Hotel Lha Rimo.

Day 02 (12th or 23rd Aug)

Drive Leh to Kargil with a visit enroute to Lamayuru Monastery and the Buddha statue at Mulbek. Overnight at hotel in Kargil.

Day 03 (13^th/24^th Aug)

The most spectacular drive filled with natural wonders. A drive to Ringdum Gompa (12,000 ft.). Few mountain drives get you this close to the Great Himalaya. The awesome mass of the Nun Kun massif over 7000m high with its hanging glacier across the road from us, dominating today’s journey. Overnight in the tented camp at Ringdum.

Day 04 (14^th /25^thAug)

The final road leg across the Pensi La at 14,500 ft ASL, surrounded by an awe inspiring arena of the Zanskar peaks. Below us is the Durung Drung glacier that feeds the Zanskar River. We drive on to camp 40 kms below the glacier at Remala village, our put-in point of the river trip. Overnight tented camp.

Day 05 (15th/26^th Aug)

Rafting expedition commences on the Doda river from Remala to Karsha covering approx 30 km. Class 2 rapids primarily; wide open valley surrounded by 6000 m Himalayan and Zanskar peaks. After settling into camp by 2 PM, take an hours hike up to the spectacular Kharsha Monastery for the evening incantations by the monks. Return back to camp for a relaxed dinner.

Day 06 (16^th/27^th Aug)

A relaxed start, the river journey continues past the confluence of the Doda with the Tsarap River, from where its called the Zanskar. Today’s rafting stretch is approximately 25 km. with primarily Class II & III rapids, passing by Zangla village the old capital of Zanskar. We end our days journey by lunch and camp near the village of Hanomil , just above the entrance of the Zanskar gorge. An afternoon hike to the nearby village for some local interaction and bonhomie rounds of a perfect day in this magnificent wilderness.

Day 07 (17^th/28^th Aug)

We depart early and enter the upper Zanskar gorge, completely dwarfed by the gigantic chasm walls, each turn bringing on amazing rock formations and colors. We soon come to ‘Major Surprise’ a newly formed class 5 rapid due to rockslide in recent years. Depending on the volume of water our guides take a decision to either run the rapid with an intrepid few, while most including the gear boats are portaged around the rapid. We continue on through the stunning gorge and exciting rapids finishing our day’s journey at Nyerak, the only camping site in the middle of the canyon. Take in the grandeur of this geological wonderland!

Day 08 (18^th/29^th Aug)

Layover Day. You have the option to just take it easy or go on a day long hike up this magnificent canyon first crossing the 25 ft span wooden Nyerak Bridge across one of the narrowest parts of the river. Up it is after that on the old trade route between Zanskar and Indus valleys, now a well known trekking route. This hike gives you a completely different perspective on the scale and geological formation of the gorge with stunning views as we climb higher above. We have a chance to interact with the hardy but cheerful locals as they trek between their habitations in this harsh and desolate lunarscape. We can visit the home of Tashi, an enterprising local of this region who weaves carpets and is a storehouse of local information. Later after a packed picnic lunch we descend back down to our river camp at Nyerak.

Day 09 (19th/30th Aug)

Action packed rafting day through the heart of the Zanskar Grand Canyon- 40 km of non-stop Class 3 and 4 whitewater, awe-inspiring rock formations and a stop for lunch at a gigantic cataract pouring out of a cliff face to an oasis below- paradise! We conclude our long days rafting at Lamaguru camp, the confluence of the Markha River with the Zanskar .

Day10 (20^th/31^st Aug)

We start early to raft the final leg of the Zanskar from Lamaguru to Nimu, covering approx 25 km to its confluence with the mighty Indus. Mostly Class 3 bouncy rapids including encountering the big water ‘Chilling’ rapid as the volume increases significantly after the Markha River has joined. Our raft trip ends at the confluence from where the river becomes the mighty Indus as it flows westward towards Pakistan and finally to the Arabian Sea. We drive back 40 km to Leh to check into our hotel to have lunch and take those much needed hot showers! Overnight at Lharimo Hotel.

Day 11 (21st Aug/01^st Sept)

Fly Leh /Del.

COSTS FOR AWARD PARTICIPANTS, AWARD HOLDERS:

1-5 paying pax : Rs.62750/-

Minimum 6 to 10 pax : Rs.59,000/-
11 pax & above : Rs.55,250/-
+ Single Supplement as and when applicable
+ 2.575% Govt. Service Tax

COST INCLUDES:

- Hotel Accommodation on twin share basis in Leh and Kargil.

- Tented and Rest house accommodation on twin share basis, enroute through the trip.

- Rafting and all specialised equipment.

- Meals throughout the trip.

COST EXCLUDES:

• INR Airfare Delhi / Leh / Delhi.
• Any expenditure of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls,etc.
• Alcoholic beverages
• Medical and/or Travel Insurance
• Any cost arising out of unforeseen circumstances such as landslides, bad weather and road conditions and any other circumstances beyond our control.

NOTE:

1. Himalayan River Runners reserve the right to modify and alter the itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control, such as weather and road conditions, condition on the river, etc. This right would be exercised in the best interest of your safety and well being.
2. Cost may change in case of a fuel hike or any other unprecedented hike. The cost is based on twin share accommodation for Srinagar & Leh and all points enroute as well as in tents. Should you be booking as a single person – the supplement will apply.
3. Himalayan River Runners will not be liable incase of delays on flights in the Delhi- Leh-Delhi sectors as well as for any delays due to bad weather etc.

The Football Link in association with FootballFirst India launches a year long social campaign "Football For Fun"

Award Sport Partner-FootballFirst India in association with The Football Link launched a year long campaign on 26th January 2012 – ‘Football For Fun’, a social initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle amongst children in New Delhi by getting them to play football in their neighborhood grounds. This campaign will be organized in association with FootballFirst Sports and Resident Welfare Associations (RWA).

The campaign kicked off during the Republic Day Celebrations in South Delhi at Mandakini Enclave (22^nd January), Nilgiri Apartments (22^nd January), Aravali Apartments (25^th January) and Greater Kailash II (26^th January). During these three days various mini tournaments were conducted at the RWA community grounds with over 400 children (both boys and girls) taking part in football games.

As part of this campaign, The Football Link plans to cover more than 50 different localities in a year across Delhi and organize football games, in a safe and fun environment, for more than 5000 children.

For more on FootballFirst India, their initiatives and events, visit http://www.footballfirstindia.com/

  

Award Partner-FootballFirst India's First International Football Festival a huge success!

FootballFirst Sports, in collaboration with the Bolton Wanderers Football club of England, organized a football festival, the first of its kind in India. The FootballFirst International Festival took place from 14th-20^th November at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Over a thousand children from more than 100 schools, over a hundred coaches, and 20 school football teams, from across the NCR participated in the week-long festival in which coaches from Bolton Wanderers Football Club ISS, England, conducted various coaching, skill building, and scouting activities.

The festival started with a seminar, "The Football Link" initiative that focused on Indian football coaches. Over 35 coaches from Delhi attended and interacted with the coaches from Bolton Wanderers. The aim of this initiative was to grow football awareness in India, as well as to connect football enthusiasts across the country and overseas to maximize the existing football potential in India.

In addition to the seminar, the festival hosted morning and evening coaching sessions every day of the week. During the morning sessions the Bolton coaches shared valuable Premier League coaching experience with school football teams and their coaches. The team coaching sessions included Game Strategies, Team Management, and Team Attacking and Defending Principles. During the evening sessions that followed, the Bolton coaches conducted individual skills sessions to help the participating children develop and improve their technical, tactical, physical and psychological football skills.

During the course of the festival, the top football talent across Delhi took skill evaluation tests. The Bolton coaches evaluated each player’s football skills based on international scouting techniques, and provided assessment and feedback on ways to build upon strengths and shortcomings. From this select group, 9 senior players and 7 junior players were invited by the English coaches to take part in the Grand Skills Test in England.

The Bolton coaches also spent a day scouting players from the Finals of the F³ (FootballFirst Futsal) tournament, the largest cage football tournament in India, with over a hundred teams competing over the course of 4 weeks to reach the finals.

The festival ended with a fiesta in which more than 150 children participated in various fun football drills in a carnival-like atmosphere. 30 children from the Salaam Balaak NGO also attended and had an opportunity to interact with the Bolton coaches and take part in the festivities. 

The Festival was a mega success and the feedback and response from the participating children, parents, coaches and schools was really good. The festival lived up to its spirit of creating a fun and interactive environment in which football coaches, parents and budding football players were able to experience an international perspective on football.

 

Physical Recreation Partner- FootballFirst India introduce Coaching Camp with International Coaches from England

FootballFirst trains young footballers in techniques and life skills associated with the exciting game of football. Our professional coaches motivate and tutor the footballers of tomorrow in a fun and active environment. We work with schools across India to deliver this exciting learning opportunity to boys and girls of all ages. 

They have partnered with the International Soccer School of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, England (BWFCISS) to give young footballers in India an opportunity to experience firsthand, world class coaches and the latest international coaching techniques and methodologies. Bolton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the English Premier League. 

In collaboration with BWFCISS we are organizing a Football Coaching Camp from the 17th of October to the 22nd of October. Highly experienced UEFA licensed coaches from England will come to India to coach and scout talented young footballers from schools across the NCR region. BWFCISS has been involved in various such football initiatives across the world including Australia, Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Iceland, Norway and US.

We invite all schools across NCR to nominate their top 11 football talent to take part in this Football Camp for free. The football coaches from the schools will also be invited to attend the training camp with the international coaches.

For more information:

Programme Coordinator: Dhruv Arora +91 99990 79889

Email: info@footballfirstindia.com

Website: www.footballfirstindia.com

Office: +91 11 40167043

53 Gold Awardees recognised at the 2011 Annual Gold Award Ceremony and Celebratory Events in Lok Kala Manch

The Annual Gold Celebrations 2011 Event at the Lok Kala Manch in New Delhi was attended by 53 Gold Awardees, their parents and family members, Award Leaders and special guests.

The Ceremony started at 12.30 pm with a Welcome address by National Director- Mr. Sandeep Dutt. 'Gold' is special to everyone, and it is the experiences while doing the Gold that defines lives of young people. The energy of our Gold Awardees was palpable and the experience sharing by our young leaders, truly showcased how the Award allows young people in India, irrespective of backgrounds and abilities, to truly engage and be 'equipped for life' through varied experiences. The experiences will stay on for life, what is important is to build on passions, engage in communities and stay young after the 'Gold'.

Our Chief Guest, Mr. Vikram Chandra- CEO, NDTV Networks graciously presented the Gold Awards to the 51 Awardees present and encouraged them to stay committed to doing their bit for their communities, particularly the environment.

Much appreciation to our Managing Trustee- Dr. Sanat Kaul for his presence and we are grateful to the Trustees of the Award Programme Foundation for their commitment to make this annual celebratory event open to all!

The Gold Award Holders that were recognised are as follows:

East Zone:-

1. Rahul Dutt- La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata
2. Anwesha Ghosh- Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata
3. Anushka Halder- South Point High School, Kolkata
4. Nikhil Jhanji- Birla High School for Boys, Kolkata
5. Ojas Patel- Birla High School for Boys, Kolkata
6. Anisha Jain- La Martiniere for Girls School, Kolkata
7. Naman Kaushal- Sainik School, Purulia

West Zone:-

1. Devavrat Pawar- The Scindia School, Gwalior
2. Vikram Bengani- The Scindia School, Gwalior
3. Siddharth Bansal- The Scindia School, Gwalior
4. OmKrishna Prasad Shah- The Scindia School, Gwalior
5. Rachit Dhammawat- The Scindia School, Gwalior
6. Siddharth Bansal- The Scindia School, Gwalior
   
7. Meet Bhagdev- The Galaxy School, Rajkot

North Zone:-

1. Jai Tegh Singh- Lawrence School, Sanawar
2. Shaleen Goel- Sawan Public School, Delhi
3. Sunita Yadav- Vidyadevi Jindal School, Hissar
4. Chinmaya Goyal- Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi
5. Gunjan Bansal- Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi
6. Jaimeet Gandhok- Vivek High School, Chandigarh
7. Deepak Sharma- Sawan Public School, Delhi
8. Ankur Dang- Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi
9. Sushruti Tripathi- Laxman Public School- Delhi

South Zone:-

1. G. Ranjitha- Bhaktavatsalam Vidyashram, Chennai
2. Arjun Ravindharan- Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai
3. N. Razal Mohamed- Crescent School, Chennai
4. Sneha Tarway- Good Shepherd International School, Ooty
5. V. Shreenath Krishnan- PSSB School, Chennai
6. Bheru Kothari- The Jain International School, Bangalore
7. Anupama Sundar- PSSB School, Chennai
8. Sanaya Irani- The International School, Bangalore

Open Awards Centre (includes YES Centres and India Special Projects):

1. Yash Vardhan Singhania- The Doon School, Dehradun
2. Saransh Seth- The Doon School, Dehradun
3. Prahlad Singh- The Doon School, Dehradun
4. Narayan Dev Parasar-Welham Boys' School, Dehradun
5. Rupa Mallick- Emmanuel Ministries, Kolkata
6. Rohit Mallick- Emmanuel Ministries, Kolkata
7. Rekha Mallick- Emmanuel Ministries, Kolkata
8. Jyoti Mallick- Emmanuel Ministries, Kolkata
9. Arjun Saha- Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy, Narendarpur
10. Raju Thapa- Salaam Balaak Trust
11. Prince- Salaam Balaak Trust
12. Ajay- Salaam Balaak Trust
13. Pooja Lakshmi- Salaam Balaak Trust
14. Kumari Yadav- Salaam Balaak Trust
15. Sonia- Salaam Balaak Trust
16. Amarjeet- Salaam Balaak Trust
17. Anish- Salaam Balaak Trust
18. Satender- Salaam Balaak Trust
19. Vijay- Salaam Balaak Trust
20. Zeya-Ul- Salaam Balaak Trust
21. Anil- Salaam Balaak Trust

Young people would not successfully complete their Award levels were it not for the encouragement and the leadership they get from Award Coordinators and Volunteers. The National Recognition Certificates formally recognised and appreciated the efforts of the following Adult Coordinators, who have successfully led young people in their areas:

1. Mrs. Menaka Gupta, East Zone Manager- 5 years
2. Mr. A.K Tiwari, Salaam Balaak Trust Award Coordinator- 5 years
3. Mr. Timothy Barretto- Emmanuel Ministries Award Leader- 5 years
4. Mr. Biswajit Ghosh- Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy Principal- 5 years
5. Mr. Chandan Majumder- Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys' Academy Award Leader- 5 years
6. Mr. SK Jha- Salaam Balaak Trust Award Leader- 5 years
7. Mr. Skand Bali- YES Centre Manager, The Doon School, Dehradun- 3 years

The Award family thanks each of our Gold Holder, Gold Volunteers and Award Leaders, their families for attending and making the 2011 Ceremony a true success.

Special note of appreciation to Samir Kuckreja- CEO, Nirulas' and his team at Nirulas' for hosting lunch post the Award Ceremony.

We look forward to making this Annual Event even bigger!

Bharti Enterprises and Foundation to partner with IAYP India

At a recent meeting with Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal- Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, the National team discussed opportunities to collaborate with the many initiatives of the Bharti Enterprises, one of India's largest business groups and Bharti Foundation- the social arm of the business giant. Mr Mittal, also Trustee of Award Programme Foundation and Co-Chairman of the Bharti Foundation, strongly believes that young people 'are' and 'will' lead social development in India and education is key to this growth.

'Equip for Life' with the Bharti Foundation:

Bharti Foundation implements education programs in primary and higher education to help both holistic and academic development of underprivileged children and youth across the rural pockets of India. All educational programs initiated by Bharti Foundation aim to make to a difference in the lives of thousands of underprivileged children and youth, allowing them to become employable citizens of the future and contribute to the economic growth of the community. The primary school program is designed to teach students to explore, question, reason and communicate effectively. This helps them connect with their own community and stay rooted to their local culture. The senior school program will train students in vocational skills to help them emerge as employable citizens and contribute to community development. [1] Know more about The Bharti Foundation.

This exciting partnership will allow young Awardees to connect with the Bharti Foundation 'Satya Bharti School Programme' reaching out to 237 villages with over 30,000 children [48% of which comprise of the girl child] in addition to empowering the young people in the Satya Bharti Schools through the Award Programme in the days to come.

Engage and Reward Young Employees at Bharti Enterprises:

The Award Programme fits into Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Resources Development Initiatives of companies. Bharti Enterprises has come a long way from 'humble beginnings' of a bicycle component manufacturer to a global business conglomerate made possible through the dynamic entrepreneurial leadership and professional leadership of their people.This combination of the ‘P-E Balance’ or the ‘Professional-Entrepreneurial Balance’ creates

a value system encompassing Entrepreneurship, Respect for All, Passion for Performance, Teamwork and Building Collaborative Partnerships. [2]

Through the Award Programme Bharti Enterprises hopes to give to their young employees a chance to build their expertise and create a rewarding work environment for them. We certainly look forward to working together!

[1] Philosophy of Bharti Group of Companies

[2] Work Culture at Bharti

Award e-learning Project to be showcased at the Global Learn Asia Pacific 2011

IAYP e-Training
The IAYP e-Learning project continues to generate interest and is to be presented at the Global Learn Asia Pacific 2011 – Global Conference on Learning and Technology. As the educational world becomes increasingly global, new ways to explore, learn and share knowledge are needed. The mission of the conference is to further the advancement and innovation in learning and technology. Tony Hughes will showcase the online Award Leader e-Training initiative during the event in Melbourne from 28th March to 1st April, ahead of presenting at the Regional Board Meeting in New Delhi.

- Source: Asia Pacific e-Newsletter

International Rugby Board in partnership with The International Award (IAYP)

International Rugby Board (IRB) & IAYP Partnership

Regional partnership links are progressing with the IRB and IAYP. In Oceania opportunities are being progressed for presentations on the Award at the Millenium Institute of Sport & Health North Shore, New Zealand in March and a regional workshop with Pacific representation in Fiji in November. In Asia, the regional team met with the Philippines Rugby Football Union in Manila with plans to participate in Award Leader Training in October. The Rugby World Cup 2011 will be held in New Zealand from 9th September to 23rd October 2011.

- Source: Asia Pacific e-Newsletter

UN Regional Consultation in Bangkok

Over 20 representatives from 10 Asia Pacific countries, including young people, will participate in a consultation session to discuss a proposed partnership project to establish The Network of Emerging Leaders in Asia and the Pacific (NELAP) with the UNESCAP Social Development Division. During the project, the IAA will mobilise prior Awardees in the target countries for inclusion as NELAP participants.

Mapping of UN Youth Related Programmes
The UN Asia-Pacific Interagency Group on Youth held its ninth session at the UN Centre in Bangkok on 11th February. An overview was presented by Mr Tendy Gunawan, an ILO enterprise specialist in mapping youth-related programmes of United Nations entities in Asia and the Pacific. He described youth trends in the region, and the meeting considered focusing with areas of the UN-IA group’s activity: poverty and inequality, education, employment and health. Work is also being undertaken on good practices relating to developing youth policies and a potential joint UN-IA group statement on youth policy.

- Matter from the Asia Pacific e-Newsletter

Explore Spiti, Contribute to Sustainable Development: Calling for Applications of Interest now!

Introducing Ecosphere and Spiti:

Gold Award Holders' Society of India and Ecosphere present a unique opportunity to Award participants to complete their adventurous journey and their residential project (Gold Level) in Spiti this summer. Contribute to reducing your carbon footprint and to the community by participating in the construction of a solar facility. This project promises to provide an interesting insight into Spitian life, culture and Buddhist heritage and provide an opportunity to be a part of the environment preservation initiative taken by the community.

Spiti is a home to some of the oldest Buddhist Monasteries and temples in the world. It is located at 4000 meters above sea level with trai

ls along some of the highest villages in the world. These villages have Rolling Meadows comprising of grazing pastures of the local livestock and hunting grounds of the snow leopard and the Himalayan wolf. Spiti has an interesting culture and the life of the people here is distinctive due to the cold- dry desert like landscape.

Ecosphere is a social enterprise which is a collaborative effort of the local community of Spiti and professionals from diverse backgrounds, with a wide spectrum of skills and experience, effectively spanning the bridge from the general to the niche. With focus to create sustainable livelihoods that are linked to nature and culture conservation, Ecosphere addresses the triple bottom-line of conservation, development and economies.
Your hosts will be the local people of Spiti, accommodating you in their homes to enhance the sojourn in Spiti. As you will traverse through many villages along the trail, you will experience and visit unique and ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples dating back to over a 1000 years encased in the legends and folklore. The home stay accommodation along the trail further enriches the experience by giving one an authentic understanding of the life and culture in a Spitian home.

To know more about Spiti and Ecosphere, do feel free to visit the website- www.spitiecosphere.com.

Trip Itinerary-
11th to 25th June (14 nights, 15 days)

DAY-1: A breath-taking journey from New Delhi to Manali (2050 meters above sea level), covering a distance of 550 km by an overnight bus. Manali is situated near the end of the valley on the National Highway leading to Leh. Its beautiful landscape is well defined by snow-capped peaks and clear water meanders which makes it a popular resort for adventure lovers.
DAY-2: Explore Manali, local sightseeing

DAY 3: The journey continues from Manali to Kaza(3600 meters), covering a distance of 212 kms by a public transport. Kaza is the only place in the Himalayas, which is connected by road throughout the year unlike certain places that get blocked due heavy snowfall.
DAY-4: Start the day at K

aza with a brief orientation and transfer to site for start of residential project.
DAYS 5, 6, 7,8: Solar Bathing facility building work at project site with interactions with local villagers, immersion of their customs, etc.
DAY-9,10, 11: Depart from Project site for expedition to the famous Key monastery (located on top of a
hill at an altitude of 4,166 meters (13,668 ft) above sea level), treks to nearby villages including Komic Village (Asia's highest village) and Dhankar Lake, among others.

DAY 12: Return to base in Kaza; stay overnight

DAY 13: Travel from Kaza to Manali by the means of public transport and halt over for the night.
DAY-14: Travel back from Manali to New Delhi.

More about the Project:

• This Project promises to be a fun, life changing experience!
  
• We welcome all Gold Award participants and Award Holders from across the world. 
• Total cost of the trip Rs 25,000/- all inclusive (excluding costs of travel to/out of Delhi prior to /after expedition) for minimum group of 18 people. Costs to decrease with increase in number of participants

Ask us for more information and the application form at ai@iayp.in or call us at +91 11 2649 7154 or at +91 888 234 1668.

Interview of Mr. Sandeep Dutt with Niket Jain

Niket: Your Biodata mentions your profession as brewing knowledge, what do you mean by that?

Mr. Sandeep: It’s very interesting. This always happens to be the first question that is asked of me in every interview. I always ask what is life. It is like a pot in which we put in and take out information. So essentially what we do in our life is create a knowledge base. Whether you study, teach or do anything else in life. This is the key and when I say brewing knowledge, it essentially means what we do everyday. It’s your job whether you are giving, taking or learning each moment you are brewing knowledge. This I feel is the most important thing to do as an entrepreneur.

Niket: Being a Doon School product do you think residential school students have an edge over day school students.

Mr. Sandeep: There is a very simple answer to that. A residential school gives an opportunity to a person to find himself, understand himself and see the world with an advantage which an average young child does not have. And as residential schools focus on real front, on the ground work and training or delivery, they are much better than the others. This is the way it helps the students to learn and lead ahead.

Niket : How did you discover your love for adventure, mountaineering in particular?

Mr. Sandeep: To me life is an adventure itself and is a journey with ups and downs which come in our way. I feel mountains personify a leader. They are high, strong and have value. They give a lot to us and take very little in return which is what a good leader does. And that is why in adventure, mountains have always played the role of a mystic. They symbolize the ultimate for an adventurer. Lot of challenge today is based on mountains. The height of a mountain helps us to reach personal heights as an individual.

Niket: You have won many awards. One of them is the ‘Himalayas Clean Prize. How do you try to create environmental awareness in people?

Mr. Sandeep: What is the most important thing when you talk about environment? You must accept that the only reality in life is the environment around you. To make this comfortable, you have to be in harmony with it. So when we say ‘keep clean’ it doesn’t really mean picking up a broom and ensuring there is no litter around. Litter is only the surface, it’s not the answer. Litter is just what is visible but there is so much more that defiles the environment. When we look at cleanliness we have to work out a way that we leave nature untouched and don’t disturb its pristine beauty. My philosophy of going to nature is just leaving it as it is. That’s what I mean by cleanliness. A very simple thing, when you put up a camp side please restore it to as close as possible. That’s just a small message about keeping a place clean.

Niket: Sir, can you tell us how you are associated with the Duke of Edinburgh awards?

Mr. Sandeep: Essentially, I see my role today as primarily to raise the profile of the awards programme. We have been in India for almost 48 years now. So my job is to promote the award authority, our first task is to promote. Our second task is to provide which means every young person who is of the age minimum 14 and maximum 25 should have access to the award program and third is to make the award more precious to young people. To make young people live the award and not just wear it.

 Kind courtesy Editor of The Review, Scindia School at Gwalior, India

National Director as Keynote Speaker at The Junior Regional Round Square Conference

4th February, Scindia School, Gwalior

Sandeep Dutt addressed young people at the Junior Regional Round Square Conference on 'Friends Everywhere' in the famous Scindia School, Gwalior as Keynote Speaker. His talk set the right tone for the conference and lifted the standard to a very high level. The delegates were inspired by his inputs emotionally and intellectually.

The Junior Regional Round Square Conference brings together young people from different schools together for discussion, planning and engaging in issues. Seeds of Peace- an organisation that takes on warring nations and makes their children work together, highlighted the need to promote 'friendship among young people' irrespective of any biases. This year's conference focussed on this issue and the young delegates came up with a comprehensive plan to overcome all barriers.

Sandeep's keynote address preceded the presentation by Seeds of Peace and highlighted how friends are of all ages, colour, sizes and culture. Few (less fortunate ones specially) do not get to taste friendships because the young people from better circumstances or backgrounds may avoid them for various reasons. It is imperative to reach out to them! There are very high profile people who sit lonely on the pinnacle of their achievements. People are in awe of such people as a result no one reaches out to them and they remain lonely.

The only way to move ahead with any learning is to build communication links and win hearts. Yes, as humans one needs to be compassionate and live in a community, the only way to live as a good society is to bind with the heart. We need to explore and find ways to reach out and build friends forever. The near future seems exciting, as the young people gather to find new friends and build on the strengths of the society.

He encouraged the young delegates to address the challenge and will need to find friends first, and then have them with you forever by looking at making connections with parents, teachers, peers, Seniors, People with challenges, Icons or Stars and finally 'Yourself as a friend'. True leaders are also great friends, how the President of US, or our great leaders connect with us and influence the destiny of millions, are indeed ways of literally befriending us. We have a picture of many individuals within us and consider them as friends and feel connected with them. Yes the 7 ways to above are not the end, but the beginning to help you think, and evolve as better friends.

“ To have a good friend. You have to be one. So be nice to one another. So you can be friends forever.”

Football First "Kickoff to a healthy lifestyle"- Introducing new Award Partners

Today's young people face a challenge of staying physically fit in an era where technology has taken over with Wiis, PlayStations and other virtual games. With the mission to build character and develop skills, by getting young people to be outside, getting dirty (literally) through football training, a team of four leaders comprising of seasoned professionals and footballers conceived FootballFirst.

Their individual, school and league coaching programmes provide young footballers a fun environment to learn important life-skills, improve their skills through intensive coaching and match plays. FootballFirst strongly believes that team sports like football allow young people to learn social skills, deal with challenges, encourages them to take leadership roles within society, are a fun way for them to learn values and lessons of life, and most importantly helo young people to be well-rounded, confident and active individuals. Studies have even shown that participating in team sports improve the learning capabilities and performance of young people in schools in addition to instilling a drive to succeed at all times.

Using the latest international techniques customised to fit Indian needs, their programmes span over 9 months of the year, providing 60 or 90-minute lessons 2-3 times a week. The groups are small to provide individual training and guidance and through a league system, they ensure that every young person gets playtime regardless of their skill-level. FootballFirst are committed to implementing a quality, healthy and pleasurable football programme for all young people through partnerships with schools and other organisation.

The FootballFirst team

• Chetan Mishra- an Economics/Engineering from Georgia Tech (USA), a footballer since a pre-teen and now pursuing International Coaching Course from Liverpool Football Club, England
• Jeyadev Parthasarthy- An entrepreneurial and senior corporate management specialist with over 20 years of experience in design, building and leading complex public and private organizations. Has played football for the Delhi Soccer League, Durand and DCM Cups.
  
• Bikram Singh Thockchom- With over 20 years of experience in Advertising and Sports
  Management, has managed Bhaichung Bhutia (current captain of the Indian football team) while
  working for IMG. As a qualified Youth Football Coach by AIFF (for youth up to 16 years) and India Advisor-Coerver Coaching India, he has has coached over 10,000 school level footballers in India and overseas.
  

- Information has been taken from the FootballFirst Booklet