River rafting in progress in Dimna Lake. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, Dec. 20: Green bamboo lying scattered around Bhadudih village in Patamda might give an impression that they are to be used to repair huts. But a closer look reveals 18 participants of a raft-making competition pottering about with the bamboo.

The competition was organised by the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) at Dimna Lake today.

The participants tried their hand at making rafts with ropes and bamboos after ace mountaineer Bachenderi Pal, chief, adventure programmes, Tata Steel, gave the go-ahead signal.

According to Bachenderi, the raft-making competition is a new concept of the TSAF, which goes a long way in developing leadership qualities and team- building spirit among the participants.

?The entire programme of raft-making involves a lot of creativity,? she said.

She added that a lot of people from Tata Steel and other corporate houses were taking active interest in the event.

?We have planned to stretch this programme for common people, as it has helped us in many ways. Raft-making is all about experimental learning,? she said.

Shedding light on the logistics of the competition, Pal said bamboo and coir ropes are all that was required to make a raft.

?We record the timing and planning of the participants and the time they take to make a raft. The time they take to sail from one corner of the lake to the other is also taken into account,? Bachenderi said, adding that the contestants make the raft in small groups.

Bachenderi said the bamboo, ropes, tubes and oars are supplied by the TSAF.

?The participants are also required to dismantle the rafts after the competition. It is a competition laced with adventure and camaraderie,? she said.

Bachenderi added that one of the participants was from the Tata Steel?s marketing office in Calcutta.

Bachenderi, who earlier this year led a 10-member Indian women?s team on an expedition to Island Peak, said TSAF instructors were present throughout the competition.

?The instructors follow the contestants in their respective canoes. Contestants are provided with life jackets and inflated tubes during their stint in the water,? she added.

According to her, the participants enjoyed the competition and displayed eagerness to compete again. ?We have lined up a similar programme for the students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, in February next year. Apart from raft-making, the IIM students would also be involved in kayaking, trekking and rock climbing at three separate camp sites,? she added.

Bachenderi said the TSAF was trying to benchmark various programmes on the lines of Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuit Centre, New Zealand.

?I had been to New Zealand for a three-month outdoor educators? course in 2001. We are trying to benchmark our programmes on the lines of that outdoor pursuit centre,? she said.

She added that winning or losing was not the purpose of the raft-making competition.

?Of course, the winners gain confidence but winning is not everything,? she said, adding that she also chips in with her experience during the group discussion, which takes place after the competition.

The participants included Amal Kar (Calcutta), P.S. Raju, Yogesh Wahati, Avnish Kumar, Pramod Kumar, S.K. Prasad, Manjay Kumar, S.K. Jha, Jasumati, Radha Singh, Usha Bahen, Jushmi Tudu, SK Hembrom, S Bano and F. Hansda and BM Sandil ? all employees of Tata Steel.