Life After Gold

Arunish Singh, Gold Award Holder from Welham Boys' School, Dehra Dun sharing his experience during his Award Journey for all three levels.

Don't live life as it is meant to be lived.  Change its course to the harsh and the mildest of conditions and you will see the wonders of life! I have always been actively involved in all spheres of my school life. IAYP was one of them and I must say the experience has been very enriching. Even on having achieved the Gold Award of the International Award for Young People I do not feel content. I say so because during the past three years I have worked to achieve these three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards; I have been from the harshest climatic conditions during my Adventurous Journey trek to the harshest human conditions during my Service. The Skill and Physical Recreations were not something I was compelled to do. I was blessed to be in one of the nation's finest schools, Welham Boys' where all the criteria to be an Award holder of the IAYP did not make us take a harsh route.

The school trained us from the very beginning to be involved in all spheres of life primarily because it's a boarding school. Day boarders and people who are not a part of such institutes might have found it very difficult to achieve the IAYP standards. This Award gave me an objective to work upon. And still there is so much to learn and so much to conquer.

IAYP helps us embark on a journey of learning and discovery which takes us beyond the classroom. And indeed teaches us all the values and qualities of a gentleman and a good human being that we are meant to learn in a class. Our mentor Mr. Laxman Singh who introduced the IAYP to our school motivated us immensely. With his support we always worked beyond the time limit because he taught us on our journey to accomplish the Awards that the Award should not be our main objective; the learning will eventually help us shape our future and guide us through the storms of life. In the words of Mark Twain he taught us that "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover."