Essays

Parents do not want their children to idle away their time at home. Instead, they want them to explore their hidden talents, brush up their skills and become more creative.

While most of the parents prefer their kids to join coaching for dance, music and painting classes, others want them to take up sports activities like skating, karate and swimming." My most loving father ran from pillar to post to get me a seat for the summer camp in some hi- school in the mega city. He always made it a point to take me with him.

As he presented me to the principals of different schools, one after the other, I felt small as if I were an animal for sale or some saleable commodity. But I knew my kind papa was only after my long term benefit.

We got the reply big "No" everywhere since every school was allowing only the students of its own school for the summer camp for which there was so much rush everywhere.

We wondered if our own school, though quite a good one but situated in a small town, could adapt itself to the changing milieu.

At last my father met the Principal of our school and the idea clicked. In fact to our surprise Ms. Jyoti Verma, the enlightened Principal of our school had already made the arrangements for the summer camp and only the announcement regarding the same was to be made on the day my father met her. The announcement was made with enhanced excitement.

Now, let me recall the summer camp itself, held in our school campus. I need not explain that though the participation was on voluntary basis, the response was tremendous. The students were advised to attend the camp wearing school uniform only, and they did as they had been advised to do.

In all, about 550 students participated in the summer camp. They were divided into five groups I, II, III, IV and V. Students of Group I were taught to learn painting, music and dance for two hours daily.

Games based on mathematics, English and painting were taught to students of Group II. Group III students learnt scanning of photographs and playing games using joi sticks.

Students of Group IV were taught surfing the Internet, slide presentation on power point and' the concept of making software. Group V students learnt windows XP and HTML. I was in this group.

Although different groups were taught certain basic concepts and made to participate in certain specific activities, yet there were certain common activities in which anybody and everybody could participate at the particular times and days meant for such activities.

Only one had to inform a day or so earlier, so that proper arrangements could be made for him or her along with others who had given their consent earlier.

Such activities included hobbies like art, vocal and instrumental music, giddha, bhangra, classical and kathakali dance, science, model making, making soft toys, casting, public speaking, etc.

There were certain activities which were done on daily basis. These included group discussion, mono-acting, histrionics, election, poetry recitation in English, Hindi and regional language, debates, declamation contests, paper reading, extempore public speaking, G.K. Quiz, etc.

For pre-primary wing students there were about two hour activities such as block printing, paper mache, collage making, puppet making, mask making, free hand painting and drawing, etc. These little kids were also taken to the crystal clear cool water shallow swimming pool with colourful sides as reflected in the ambrosial water.

The thing which left an undying mark upon my mind was the artificial snowing on the vast floor of our now made air-tight school hall were I with my friends even skated for a while. How our worthy school Principal had arranged it for us made me wonder.

Everybody was marvelled at her resourcefulness.  Neither my father nor I nor anybody in the house grudged the one thousand rupees we had to pay for the fifteen day camp. Our school, always first was first to arrange such a camp in

our town.