Summer camps have been a hit with school students in Patna this year. A few children even skipped annual visit to their grandparents’ place to take part in such activities. Smita Kumar finds out what drew the kids to the camps

Water down the blues

From Dubai to Patna, life has taken a summersault for Akanksha Shanker, a Class V student of Patna Central School. The eight-year-old, who returned to India only last year, does not miss her stay in Dubai though. She has been able to do in Patna what she could not in the Persian Gulf. “This vacation, I joined a summer camp at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. It was great fun. Not only did I learn to swim but also managed to beat the heat in the company of my friends,” said Akanksha.

Besides swimming, students also got the opportunity to learn martial arts, yoga and dance at the camp.

Akanksha feels at home again, thanks to the summer camp.

Step up the excitement

Vaishnavi Singh, a classmate of Akanksha, has more on her list of favourite activities at the camp. “Dancing, swimming and martial arts were my favourite activities at the camp. I enjoyed western and folk dances. Classical dance is enthralling and I practised it regularly. I also picked up a few martial art moves. It was the first time I joined a summer camp and the experience was exceptional. It’s enjoyable to learn new things and more so in groups,” she said.

When Vaishnavi’s friends return from their vacations, she can happily tell them she danced all summer.

Comedy circus on campus

Diksha, a Class VII of Radiant International School, polished her acting skills at a 12-day summer camp. She liked the Hindi drama at the camp. “I played the role of a class teacher and it was exciting. The drama was a laughter riot and I enjoyed it to the fullest.”

From student to class teacher, Diksha certainly had a gala time on stage.

Win awards and hearts

Class VIII student Vagisha S. Nath of Notre Dame Academy made new friends this summer. She took part in a nine-day summer camp organised by Tender Hearts International at its Rajendra Nagar wing. “It was a great experience. We learnt new things like skating, dancing, painting and swimming. For me, the best activities at the camp were swimming and skating. I also won the best swimmer, best skater awards and was declared the first runner-up in dancing. Another unforgettable experience was a group dance with friends. We performed the dance in front of our parents, they were very proud of us,” she said.

All those awards would make any parent proud of their wards. Best thing about Vagisha is she also got a pat on the back from teammates.

Get, set, go on 22 yards

Ayush Vats, a Class VI student of Radiant International School, is not missing the IPL action. The 12-year-old has been spending his vacation playing cricket and table tennis with his friends. A 12-day summer camp on the school premises was like an icing on the cricket cake of Ayush. “The best thing about the camp was that everyone got a chance to showcase their skills. I have been playing for years but at the camp I learnt the different aspects of the game.The excitement multiplied in the small-over matches,” he said.

For Avinash Raj of St Xavier’s High School, the best part of the summer camp was the table tennis sessions he regularly attended. The Class VI student said: “Sir (coach) explained everything to us in a very nice way. He told us that not everyone becomes a great player but one should always learn sports.”

For Shubham Kumar, Avinash’s classmate, the camp will be etched in his memory forever. He said: “We enjoyed cricket. Our coach taught us how to hold the bat to play the perfect shots. We were impressed by his knowledge and behaviour. He advised us to keep working hard but alerted us that not everyone becomes Dhoni (India captain) by playing cricket.”

Dhoni! Why not? Maybe these camps would sow the seed of exceptional talents in sports and arts in Bihar. Summer camps are here, success cannot be far away.

Last week’s question:

Name the sportsperson

Answer: Viswanathan Anand

The readers who gave the correct answer are:

Alankriti Jain
St Joseph's Convent High School

Aditi
Class VIII,
Chhapra Central School

Suyash Karn
Class IX C,
DAV Public School, Samastipur

Shubham Sambhav
Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Visakhapatnam

Gyanesh
Class IX C,
DAV Samastipur

Dipkona Roy
Class VIII ,
St Michael’s High School, Patna

Jyoti Rani
George Miner School, California, USA

Arnav Sinha
Class VII,
Don Bosco Academy

This week’s question:

In which year the next Transit of Venus will take place

Clue: A century away

Readers can send their answers to ttbihar@abp.in

Remember to mention your name, address, class, school and email id with the answers.