Work Camp at Rishikesh
Rishikesh – Uttarakhand (Meditation/Culture/Kids/) SPL–169
Hallow Everybody!
My name is Ranjit, Chief Documentation and Liaison Coordinator of FSL-India. Currently I am posted at Rishikesh for a very brief period to assist the Team Leader Mr. Balasubramanyam (popularly known as Bala) and the international volunteers of the camp. I am here to give you a brief snapshot about the work camp at Rishikesh.
As per the schedule the camp here begun on 2nd July with an informal inauguration held at Sri Sant Sewa Ashram. As on today 13 volunteers have arrived and 3 are expected to join the team shortly. While welcoming the international volunteers to India and to the camp at Rishikesh, Mr. Bala and I facilitated the work camp orientation with lots of fun activities. Self-introduction, introduction to FSL India, home rules, safety issues, week-end program and daily schedule introduction are primarily dealt with during the orientation. There was a special input on the significance of the camp via-a-vis Rishikesh which is located in the stiff foothills of the Himalayas. From time immemorial the place is known as a centre of pilgrimage and The Gateway to the Himalayas.
Indeed the volunteers are excited to witness the breathtaking scenic beauty of The Ganges and really looking forward to a good time ahead. Of course, they are so thrilled to participate in the camp. The volunteers will be participating in learning the basics of Yoga and Meditation during the work camp. Besides, following are some of the camp activities the volunteers will be engaged in during the next two-week program:
- Wall painting maximum days and educational drawing
- Promoting kitchen garden in the school and tree plantation
- Playground making and cleaning
- Making flash card for school (e.g. pictures of animals, fruits, vegetables, flowers etc.)
- Interact with students and teachers of MRS School and local people
- Visit cultural place, schools, colleges, interaction with youth and women group Henna class, local language class, yoga and meditation class and Indian family visit, participate in local function and festival
- Activities with Kids – teaching English, Mathematics and Health and Hygiene awareness through songs, art, games, painting etc.
Well, as for as the climatic condition is concerned, Rishikesh experiences extremely hot and humid weather. However, notwithstanding the weather condition, devotees in great multitude from far and wide pour in everyday for Ganga Matha Ki Darshan (to have a glimpse of Mother Ganga) and to take Holy Dip in The River Ganga with a symbolism of washing of their iniquities. As Guru Purnima starts from 4th July the influx of devotees will continue to multiply as this is the time for people to participate in Yoga, meditation and many such spiritual exercises.
We will keep you informed with updates on other developments later through our blog post. So please don’t miss out our next blog post about the Work Camp at Rishikesh which is unique as this is the first FSL-India work camp at in what they call as the HolyCityofIndia.
Ranjit Kumar Singh
Chief Documentation and Liaison Coordinator