Manjeet sir came in smiling and asked what if we were taken 1000 km away from the city?
wooo hooo EVERYONE shouted. With questions the class was crowded. We were curious to know where we were going and questions were thrown from each corner of the class. When the class was over, all were discussing about where we are going and the only word from every corner was the word 'trip'. All were excited. Wishing that we could go on the excursion as early as possible.
Then, a week later we got a circular about the excursion in which it was written that we were going for an excursion to Kolad on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. Again the babble broke out. Many started to jump around the class and then everybody started planning about the trip and forgot whether parents would allow them to go.
When they went back home and asked the parents, many were allowed to go but some weren't so next day when all children came back to school and discussed who was coming and who was not coming there were around 6 to 10 children who weren't coming so we all children and Manjeet sir spoke to the parents and convinced them. Many still could not come. A lot of coaxing and cajoling later most were allowed. Sadly two of us weren't. :(
Finally, it was the day to leave for Kolad.
Oh my god!!!
Already seven o' clock!!!
I have to pack!!!
Mom where's my comb?!!!
Where's my haversack?!!!
We were very excited and kept our moms busy helping us shop, pack, making dinner for us...
When the time came to say bye to our parents we reached school and met our friends and started planning what we will do in the bus and telling what we had got. Class VI was already coming with us. At the last moment, Class IX had also joined the bandwagon! (So, in reality, the title should read "Famous 60 on a trip")
We enjoyed in the bus eating chips and snacks (There was enough to start our own wholesale shop) When night fell, we had dinner and looking out the windows we had lots of bumps in our heads.
8:30 onwards began a slew of horror stories. All the lights were switched off to add to the effect. Thomson sir and Manjeet sir told us many horror stories and then there was no stopping even the children. 12:00'o clock midnight we all were trying to sleep but some naughty kids (and the ghosts from the stories) didnt let us sleep.
Once again began the series of another set of horror stories. And this time when the 'naughty kids' tried to sleep, no one allowed them to sleep! It was great fun! Sleep didn't come before 3-4 am.
In the morning we reached Pune and took another bus. All were tired of continuous travelling but still had the energy to play something. Around 4 in the evening, the bus stopped at Kashid beach and everyone had a dip in the sea and enjoyed a lot. We had snacks and took the bus and reached our camp. We crossed river Kundalika by boat and reached the camp and saw the beauty of the camp and relaxed. We changed our clothes and then were told to go to the open area where a 'mallkhamb' presentation was given. Then we had dinner and went to our cottages and dormitory. All slept peacefully. Well, almost because we were still full of energy and couldn't help making the most of being on our own with our friends.
Second day morning we met our friends from Raipur who had arrived late in the night. After breakfast we were divided into groups and then there were a range of activities lined up. Karate in which we got to know animals attacking postures. We went for river trail and saw the mango plants. Rivercrossing was what we enjoyed the most. We wished to stay in water for all time but sadly we could not. Next was a live interaction with snakes. In the evening one group did team work activity and another helped the gardener pluck vegetables.
In the night, it was time for campfire. In nine groups we prepared presentations. We walked through the night to reach the campfire. The presentations were a lot of fun. And they also conveyed the message of unity and oneness. We also made new friends with children from Raipur.
We had to leave early the next morning so we got down to packing our things after having dinner. It being the last night at the camp, sleep didn't come easily. We were awake till late in the night and yet we were up early. (I am sure our parents will find it a little difficult to believe) by 8 in the morning we were all set to go!
We were feeling bad also because we had enjoyed a lot. Again we crossed Kundalika. We exchanged phone numbers with the Raipur IWS friends and sadly said goodbyee to them and went to the bus. The spirits revived again in the bus and we started playing antaakshri. Our next stop was the Pepsi bottling factory. We saw how Pepsi is made and bottled. We also got to relish the aerated drink!
Two hours of bus journey later, we reached Jhanjira fort. Amazingly, Jhanjira fort is surrounded by sea on all sides. We went there on a sail boat. All sixty of us fit into one boat and reached there after 15 mins. We got to know a lot about that fort. It is said that it had India's 3rd biggest cannon. We even saw it.
Back in the bus on our way to Pune we played antakshri. This time it was a grade VI vs grade VII challenge. There were some special rules like not insulting or teasing during the game. Both the teams were also allowed to help each other. Antaakshri continued for more than 4 hours. It was at 12 midnight that we reached Pune.
We changed our bus for Indore. Some slept and some didnt sleep for the whole night. We played games and had a lot of fun. Before reaching Indore we all sang songs together and were feeling really bad that the trip was coming to and end. We reached school at 7 pm, eager to meet our parents but also longing to go to the camp again. We said goodbyes to our friends and went back home narrating our adventures of the trip.
THE END
Click here to view pictures of our adventures.
Written by
Tushita Joshi and Urvashi Shriwas
Class VII
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