A week to remember in the emerald isles

This year, the students of grade 12 embarked on a 6-day journey to the gorgeous Andaman Islands, on their final Edutour at ABWA. They were mesmerized with their first glimpse of the island's turquoise beaches as they landed in the sleepy capital of Port Blair. They were introduced to the city's rich history through a guided tour and light-and-sound show at the Cellular Jail, where they learnt of the trials and tribulations of our nation's many freedom fighters who were imprisoned there.

The next day, they woke up bright and early and boarded a high-speed catamaran to the famed Havelock Island. After much anticipation, they finally arrived at the Barefoot Dive Centre for their first taste of this challenging activity. Fear, apprehension, excitement and joy were some of the myriad emotions the students experienced as they completed their dive skills session in the shallow waters and finally the actual scuba dive in the open seas! Smiles and stories followed aplenty as they eagerly shared all that they had discovered of the mysterious and spectacular underwater world. The dive set the tone for a wonderful two days spent on Havelock Island, during which they hiked through the dense rainforest leading to Elephant Beach, and then frolicked on the powdery white sands and clear waters of Radhanagar Beach.

The students left Havelock with a heavy heart, to continue their next leg of the journey at Port Blair. An interactive session at ANET (Andaman and Nicobar Environment Team) had the students learn about the numerous tribes and settlers that have inhabited these islands through the ages and they even met with members of different ethnic groups to learn about their culture, origins and contribution to the islands. Lunch in the rustic environs of the ANET centre was accompanied with stimulating conversations with the resident researchers who are studying a range of issues like the coral reefs, bull frogs, sea turtles, rainforests, etc.

The group then proceeded to spend the afternoon with the cheerful and energetic little children at the local school at Wandoor. They planted saplings in the school playground and enjoyed numerous team games with the little children. As they bid farewell to the smiling children, it was also time to bring an end to their exciting stay in the beautiful Andaman Islands.

The students of grade 4 and 5 visited Kochi, the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century onward. The students were informed briefly about the historical significance of the place while in the bus. They could view the Naval base and the dockyard along with the beautiful greenery and waterways Kochi is famous for. At the hotel they witnessed a Kathakali dance performance. On the second day students visited a village and learnt about the trees and plants grown, (coconut, spices) occupations, and local handicrafts. After lunch, in the early evening, they enjoyed an exciting performance of Kalariyapattu and a workshop with the artists. The next morning the students relaxed on a cruise on the backwaters. In the afternoon the students went to the Matencherry Palace and basked in the old world charm of the art and architecture. They shopped for souvenirs near the palace. Finally, on the last day the students and teachers spent time in preparing for departure. The journey back to Mumbai started!

Grade 6 went to the Natventure campsite at Bhillar in Panchgani, with the INME team of instructors and organizers. They were accompanied by 4 teachers: Ms. Aparna, Mr. Nishant, Ms. Dhwani and Mr. Marcellus. The group left in 3 buses at 6 a.m. on 22nd Jan and reached at about 1.30 p.m. (took breaks in the journey for breakfast too). The 3 days were full of activities and fun. There were team building activities like building an eco-structure, playing helter skelter games in the form of INME Olympics etc. The theme of initiative and confidence were well instilled in kids by involving them in activities like rope walking on the Burma bridge, zip-lining, ropes course, rock climbing, rappelling, caving and strawberry picking. There were detailed instructions and safety precautions given to the students before every activity. Students were made to develop a sense of responsibility, punctuality and will power through this kind of an edutour experience. They came back with fond memories and renewed belief in their capabilities as they overcame different kinds of challenges and emerged successful and refreshed after an enriching Edutour experience.

The Entire tour was well planned and executed over the 4 days by INME. The students engaged in various games and adventure activities. Wilderness trekking and River rafting were the highlights of the tour. The trainers were extremely experienced and helped maintaining discipline throughout the edu-tour.

All the meals served met the expectations of the students it was a mix of Indian and continental with special arrangements for the Jain kids.

Overall it was a wonderful tour and the students really enjoyed it.

The Grade 8 Edutour to Dugadda, Uttarakhand was a unique experience where students created several self-learning experiences around the theme of relationships. InMe’s outclass program curriculum was based on building a caring community, an environment in which students worked together, struggled collectively and supported each other. Through this program they understood that trust, conflict, commitment and accountability lead to achieving goals.

The InMe campsite is located on a small mountain overseeing a valley making it scenic and beautiful. The tents located at three levels and were self-sufficient and cozy. The activities designed for each day started with the ritual of waking up, powering up with some body, mind and voice stimulations; followed by tea and breakfast. The wholesome breakfast served with hot chocolate milk awakened all the senses, preparing the mind for an active and action packed day. The outdoor activities such as rappelling, rock-climbing and backpacking were challenging enough to drive each individual to create new experiences that were filled with struggle, exhilaration and group support; all of which are key to InMe’s philosophy. The skilled instructors knew well how much to push each person just so that they had rich personal realizations to share and pleasant memories to make of their trip. The powerful learning moments shared in the form of deep reflections by each student gave them unprecedented joy.

Learning to cope with harsh weather conditions, adjusting to the basic living arrangements, keeping up with the busy schedule without giving up, and staying emotionally strong and physically fit were some of the goals achieved by our students and teachers during this trip.

Our students learned to perform group activities with responsibility by being active, attentive, observant and enthusiastic. This was evident in the blindfold rock climbing challenge laid out by InMe.

Before the village visit, students made a note of the questions cooking up in their minds about life in a village in Uttarakhand. During the visit many students were shocked with the responses they gathered from the village head about their lifestyle. They realized how privileged they were as individuals to have access to not just basic needs but more and that too in abundance.

Overall, every Edutour at ABWA makes a conscious attempt to enrich the lives of the students outside classroom walls and face the real world with confidence, endurance and self-reliance.

STUDENTS’ RESPONSES

“On the 21st of January 2018, I was shaken awake before the crack of dawn, after which I buzzed with enthusiasm and anticipation. I don’t think I’d ever been that excited to be woken at 3am ever before.

We were leaving for our edutour, in Satpura, Central India. Upon arriving, we saw that our 5-star lodge was located right in the heart of a forest.

Over the course of four days, which flew by like the wind, we did a variety of activities such as trekking, making smokeless chulhas from scratch, going for three safaris and camping. It was an incredibly enjoyable trip. This edutour, like a couple of others we’ve experienced in the last few years, was an adventurous one. I truly believe that these are the best kind, as they push you out of your comfort zone and give you a taste of more than just staying in a hotel room, and I feel that this definitely enriches our work ethic as well as our ability to think outside the box. The memories I made this year will always be held dear to me.”

– Ishika Bhuskute 9B

The students of Grade 11 went to Rishikesh for the Edu Tour this year. The students accompanied by 6 teachers were led by Jungle Lore Student Expeditions. Due to the airport security measures with the Republic Day Celebrations in the offing, the students reached Uttarakhand in 3 batches. This gave the students enough time for bonding at the airport and the Jungle Lore Team to understand the dynamics within the groups.

The Grade 6 Edutour to Panchgani was indeed fun and adventurous with activities such as rock climbing, rapelling, caving, zip lining and rope course. Many of us hadn’t performed these activities before so we listened carefully to the techniques explained by the resource people, who took great care and made it 100% safe for us.

It was an equally exciting and unforgettable experience for many students as they scaled the 30 ft rock face with great difficulty using techniques told to them before climbing. The feeling of triumph on every face was indeed priceless.

Strawberry picking was another highlight of this trip where we picked fresh strawberries from a farm and ate them as we were picking them. The joy of examining the berries, gently picking them and tossing them into the mouth was another first for many of us. Living in tents with friends was also an experience that was unique to this trip.

The learnings from this Edutour are many, the most important being ‘exploration of self’ out of the comfort zone. We have all returned with a fresh and rich stock of new memories from this tour.

On the morning of 27th January 2016, a bunch of 7th grade were speedily hustled into two large buses. Some of us were still sleepy from the previous night’s last-minute packing. Others could barely sit still with excitement. But the bus rode on, and minus the few stops for eating and finding toilets, we got to Garudmachi within a few smooth hours.

On arrival, tired and hungry, we were greeted with lunch. After eating, we were shown our rooms. We wandered inside, in our groups of 3 and 4, and freshened up a little. Later that afternoon, we went outside for some invigorating icebreakers, team-building activities and in the evening, we were embraced with hot chocolate, tea and coffee. A couple of hours later, we went star-gazing. Everyone loved it, as the stars were breathtaking; they could leave you spellbound. We returned to the resort, ate our dinner and wearily trudged back to our rooms.

Day 2 started with a loud wake-up call, milk and then breakfast. We were all geared up for an adventurous day. We went rock-climbing, rappelling and even did a dynamic obstacle course. After getting back to the resort, completely fatigued, we were divided into 2 groups, one camping that night, and one camping the next. Camping was an unforgettable experience – setting up our tents, roasting marshmallows, cooking our dinner and late night conversations in our tents. It was on that note, that we ended our second day.

After getting back to the resort, safe and sound, the whole grade left for kayaking. It was absolutely thrilling. Some of us even made rafts and went rafting. Once back in the resort, we ate our lunch and headed back to our rooms for long showers. Following an afternoon of more team-building games, and courageously crossed the Burma Bridge, we said our goodbyes to the other camping group. While they camped, we had free time in the resort. Some played football outside, others played games inside their rooms. We roasted a few more marshmallows, had a hearty dinner and got back to our respective rooms.

Our final day began with breakfast and a bus drive. We were heading to our trekking destination. For a couple of hours we were just walking through forests, steep slopes, rocky areas and grassy land, until we reached the other side, where we boarded the bus and got back to the resort. After lunch and packing our bags, we were finally able to conclude our stay at Garudmachi. We hopped into the buses, and our long ride back home began. Little did we know that our journey was going to be 7 hours long! We stopped at McDonald’s for a while, carefully placing our orders and impatiently waiting for them to arrive. An hour and a half later, we were back in Mumbai. We walked through the school gates, flung our arms around our parents, and departed home with our suitcases, secretly wishing our stay at Garudmachi could have been a tad longer. But the memories and incredible events that happened over those 4 days will always be remembered and cherished.

The students of Grade 8 visited Dandeli in January 2016 as part of the EduTour. Their four day itinerary was carefully designed specifically for students with the objective of educating them about eco-tourism, Indian wildlife in Western Ghats, culture, and history, coupled with exploration and adventure activities.

Accompanied by their class teachers, the students were met by the tour operators, Jungle Lore, at the domestic airport in Mumbai from where students and teachers flew to Goa. From Goa the trip to Dandeli was a 6 hour busride away. Having arrived at their destination late into the night, the exhausted students made their way towards their beautifully laid out tents on the river front. Fully furnished with modern amenities, these tents were home to numerous bonding sessions between students of both sections of the class.

During the next few days the students went white water rafting in the Kali rapids, river crossing, canoeing and coracle riding. “I really enjoyed the rafting,” said one student, “I wish could have gone a second time.” In fact this seemed to be the general response to not just the rafting but the other outdoor activities, as well. The students enthusiastically trekked to the Cavala Caves, and the Syntheri Rock Falls. They were also fortunate enough to catch sight of a few rare birds and animals on the Jungle Safari. In the evenings they enjoyed campfires, and finally on the last day they learnt to build a tent of their own. It was with great reluctance that they finally returned home on Saturday evening. Said one student, “It was too short a trip! Why do we have to come back so soon?”

When asked if there were any improvements they felt could have been made, they responded with sincere honest feedback. “Bananas,” said one young lady. “They needed to have more bananas. I ate twelve in one go and they were delicious.”

Night safari & Morning safari spotting wild life.

– placing camera traps using logistics of movements and place.

–Camping: learning camp crafts of pitching tents, collecting dry fire wood, lighting camp fire, cooking at the camp site, star gazing, recognizing animal and bird calls, nature trails, trekking and bonfire bonding by singing and dancing.

–Community service at the village homes by installing smokeless chullahs by mixing sand and water, laying bricks and chimney and plastering with the mixture prepared.

–Community service at the school by playing games with school children and setting up toy library.

The students of Grade 10 visited Amritsar and Dalhousie for their educational tour from 27th January - 31st January 2016. The trip for five days was exhilarating and comparatively a long one. As we landed in Amritsar, the chilling weather was different and a change from the sweltering heat of Mumbai was a much awaited one at that moment! After an authentic and delicious Punjabi lunch at a hotel in Amritsar, we geared ourselves in warm clothing and took off to spectate the parade of pride at Wagah Border.

The flag lowering ceremony and closing of the gates was performed with fascinating pomp. Each and every one of us could feel the patriotic fervour amongst the crowd and in unison we enthusiastically cheered ‘Bharat Maata ki jai!’. We were amazed at seeing the tall soldiers in turbans march with their foot reaching up to their head. The brilliant focus, spirit and stature they maintained during the blustering parade was commendable. Before the ceremony began, the girls danced with a lot of zeal to the patriotic music and we were reluctant to leave the aura of nationalism and excitement. Intrigued, most of us were sceptically gazing at the Pakistani side and found it hard to believe that a few steps ahead would mean; that one would be in Pakistan!

Followed by some entertainment and a disco night, we departed for Dalhousie early next morning. Though, indeed it was an enjoyable five hour bus ride, the sharp turns of the ‘ghats’ got us fatigued and we wanted a light schedule for the rest of the day. Agreeing to our demands, the teachers took us to Mall road wherein we indulged in some shopping and satisfied our growling stomachs with smouldering momos. We trekked through the lush green mountains of Dalhousie and on our walk back to the hotel; we visited a beautiful Church and took in the tranquillity.

Dalhousie was certainly freezing (the temperature was below -3 degree Celsius) and each of us was covered in thick jackets and scarves all throughout. We were delighted to discover that this day; we would be excursing to the snow point for adrenaline-rushing adventure activities and there was a possibility that it would snow. Reaching the location, all of us were mind-blown and thrilled looking at the spectacular panorama. We were given the opportunity to zip-line across a short distance between two mountains peaked with snow. There was also rappelling down a steep majestic mountain which was quite challenging and only a few of us ended up doing it. Excitedly, the other bunch of us who did not do the activities were gathered around a bonfire in an eager wait for the snowfall. Unfortunately, it was not our day and it did not end up snowing. So without wasting time we proceeded to Khajjiar, the Switzerland of India to take pleasure of the natural beauty. We clicked loads of pictures in the exotic vast expanse of green meadows and had a great time lazing around.

Returning to the hotel, it was decided that we would be spending the rest of the day there. We had a blast playing table tennis, fuse ball and carom in the games room of the hotel. After the harsh cold of Dalhousie, Amritsar seemed warm and thus we headed back, to view the Golden Temple at night. The Golden Temple was a place of great beauty and sublime peacefulness. We were fortunate to visit this place of worship twice, at night and in the morning. The enchanting hymns chanted to the exquisite accompaniment of flutes, drums and stringed instruments induced a delicate yet powerful state of trance for us. We felt invigorated and much more cheerful. The last destination we toured during this bustling trip was Jallianwala Bagh. Glimpsing back into rich Indian history and understanding the sacrifices made, we headed off to the airport. We were all so attached to our last trip that none of us wanted to leave. We detested the fact that we would have to get back to our monotonous routine and start preparing for prelims. It was a memorable and certainly one of our best trips!