Children try to beat the heat at Bengal Rowing Club. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

It was a trip to remember for more than 300 students from several branches of Kendriya Vidyalaya in eastern India in the first week of May. The students, from Shillong to Asansol, went for a trek to Sandakphu.

The programme was organised by the West Bengal chapter of National Adventure Foundation (NAF), which has been organising adventure activities since 1979.

It was a week-long programme with six batches of more than 50 students. It started with trainees reporting at Maneybhanjan on May 6. Each group had to attend orientation classes. A guide was selected for each course. Students were taught to exist in harmony with nature and not to disturb it. The flag-off ceremony was held the following day at Maneybhanjan. The next stop, Megma, was 8 km from Maneybhanjan.

From Maneybhanjan, it is a moderate upward slope. After passing the first night at Megma, the trainees stayed at Tumling, a settlement along the Indo-Nepal border. There is a straight trail of 3 km to Tumling but the teams had to reach Tonglu (3,070 m) first, negotiating a steep route.

On the third day, the trekking team reached Singalila National Park and stayed overnight at Gouribans. On Day Five, the only relief during the four-and-a-half km climb to the final point was a tea-stall at Bikeybhanjan.

On the following day, the NAF team started climbing down another trail that enters a jungle of bamboo and rhododendron. The 12-km descent took the team to a hamlet called Gurdum at 7,500 ft.

The next day, the team descended 6 km through the forest to reach Srikhola. The teams organised a camp fire with great gusto for the graduation ceremony. The trip ended on May 20, with sweet memories for everyone.

Parag Banerjee

Talk it out

It was a wonderful time for theatre-lovers and aspiring actors. Sangeet Natak Academy Award-winner Usha Ganguli conducted a workshop on theatre from May 22 to 24 at Starmark. Around 25 children between 10 and 16 years attended the three-day workshop.

The workshop dealt with speech problems of children. According to Ganguli, a child can overcome these problems through exercises. “Speaking in front of the mirror is one way to overcome speech problems and shyness,” said Ganguli. Adisha Sarkar, a Class IV student of Calcutta International School, said: “The workshop helped us to learn different ways of active communication.” Priyanka Singhvi of Ashok Hall felt the same, recollecting that before the workshop she was too shy to interact with people. “Now I am confident while speaking in front of many people,” she said.

“This is the first time that I did a workshop on communication and speech problems. It was quite an experience to work with the children,” said Ganguli.

Abhisek Banerjee,
First yr, MA, Journalism and Mass Comm, Calcutta University

World of animation

Arena organised an animation symposium on the future prospects of animation on May 24. A brief discussion was held on the history of animation and digital techniques by Yusuf Bukhari, creative director, Art.Ery animation & Fx.

The speakers discussed the need for specialisation in animation and the future of the industry. Some acclaimed animation works were also screened.

Ramkumar Warrier, zonal head of Arena Animation, said it was important to bring together professionals from the animation community on a common platform to improve the future of the industry in India.

The Diary

A Poor Man’s Life

A poor man is one
Who always seems to have a short lifespan
He does not have any place to stay
And starves for food all night and day.
He does not have a bed or shelter,
But to him it does not matter.
He is a man who is very helpless,
But to him we are nasty, we couldn’t care less
If he falls ill,
Nobody gives him medicines.
If he asks or begs for anything,
Nobody bothers about him.
Poor people who are beggars are not greedy
So, on them we must have some mercy.
We can help them by serving them;
And thus we can serve God in turn
Famous people have done these things;
They did so to serve; not for their own benefit
So, always help each other and help the poor;
You might struggle,
But do not come to a halt.

Priyanka Bhattacharyya,
Class VI, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Whatsup

Career fest

The alumni association of St Xavier’s College, Calcutta, is organising a career fair in association with The Telegraph at the college auditorium on June 9 and 10. A counselling session will be organised. An exclusive interactive session on career in the media will be held on June 9, from 11am.