Class 8 - Camp Viraatkhai, Chakrata in Uttarakhand
It was the day of the school camp. The one special day when instead of an alarm clock trying to speed the tedious process of waking us up, our whole batch woke up dot on time and reached the school before the designated time. Excited yet nervous about the weather, the buses were buzzing with the constant chatter of students throughout the long journey to our campsite in Viraatkhai, Chakrata in Uttarakhand.
As soon as we reached there, we were mesmerised by the beauty of the ambience around us. Seeing the wondrous mountains surrounding our little temporary home, we made up our minds to make the best of our trip there and not get bogged down by the tiring treks or the freezing weather.
We received a warm welcome by our instructors and immediately felt right at home. After settling down and getting accustomed to the ever-changing weather, we were all pumped up and ready to go for the various activities on the second day. From school and village visits to rock-climbing, tree jumaring and the rope courses; all of us came back weary and tired, but also happy after having learnt and tried out exciting activities.
The next day we were as energetic as ever, but the hail and rain spoiled our plans to do activities in the outdoor. But, we were treated to the lovely sight of mountains covered with hail and many indoor fun games - including a series of 10 games called Helter - Skelter. We played more indoor activities as the rain continued, and then moved to get ready for the much awaited Talent Night. The theme of the night seemed to be 'humour' as the girls dressed up in identical unicorn onesies to act like 'mad' people and the boys danced hilariously ( after one put makeup and dance in a sari!) making everyone crack up. We then went to sleep, knowing that it was our last night at this serene heaven. The next day, we all packed up and embarked on the journey back to Delhi. Amidst energetic chatter singing and laughter, we returned to Delhi with feelings mixed with sadness.
The camp duration was over and we wished that we had more time with our friends. The bittersweet memories of the trip were coupled with the undeniable happiness of reaching home, sweet home !!!
Kyra Dhar and Vaani Chopra