Rose
Goel, a Silver Award participant from Uttam School for Girls, Ghaziabad,
shares her experiences of the Adventurous Journey.
The IAYP Adventurous
/ Exploration journey was an eye opener for us that changed our perspective
towards life, culture, happiness, different nations and their uniqueness. Right
from planning and preparing for journey, learning team spirit, exploring
places, coordinating with mentors and friends, to moving out of comfort zone,
overcoming cultural barriers, understanding culture, people and people were
some of the things which this journey taught us and thus proved to be an
experiential workshop for us.
We were all
excited about our Adventurous Journey as we headed for our visit to Bhutan,
which came as a surprise during our summer vacations in 2016. From the
scorching hot weather of North India we reached Bhutan, a stunning Buddhist country
sandwiched between two political giants -- India and China. Our visit to the
country offered us a complete get away from our monotonous and stressful
lifestyle. It was an exploratory journey where we understood and witnessed what
makes the distinctive culture of a nation.
Bhutan, often
considered as an offbeat destination by many, surprises everyone with all that
it has to offer. Exemplified as one of the first countries that adopts the
concept of Gross National Happiness to measure its growth in terms of happiness
quotient, where people’s happiness comes first, and then comes money, was
interesting for us to take a note of.
It was encouraging to
observe that in spite of being a constitutional monarchy, the people were
extremely happy with the government and the king. That was evident from the
hospitality of the locals and the playfulness of their young children. Both the
rich and the poor enjoy equal status. Even the king of the country does not
live in a luxurious palace but a small cottage, just large enough to
accommodate his family. The love for The King and the Queen could be spotted
everywhere, from tiny frames in shops and houses, to large posters on the
roadsides. Unlike other countries, the people of Bhutan seemed to have been
less influenced by the west. Their love and respect for their nation, the king
and their culture generated reverence in our heart for the people and this
nation.
We found that it was
a place where the women were not born to be confined to houses but shoulder
equal responsibilities as menfolk, be it in big hotels, airports, roadside
shops, hospitals or other places. To see this status and regard for women was
inspiring for all of us.
Besides rich cultural
heritage, the country also boasts of its magical Himalayan kingdom, which is
full of greenery, with beautiful landscapes dotted with bright flapping prayers
flags and forests cloaked in clouds, thick with the scent of pine, garlanded
with peach blossoms and with a remarkable abundance of flora and fauna. This
all is a result of strong constitutional obligation and efforts made by the
people to preserve and protect the environment, where at least 60% of the land
is under forest cover. Added to this, is the fact that Bhutan is the only
country in the world that has been declared carbon negative. Like the
environment, the Bhutanese people also looked impeccable as they were always
dressed in their traditional attire -- Gho for men and Kira for women. They
wore it with pride and carried it with style. An important aspect that caught
our attention was the use of public transport by people and very few private
cars on the road, which resulted in smooth and well managed traffic.
Apart from gathering
all this knowledge and observations we also understood that Bhutan is
undoubtedly one of the most ethnic travel destinations where everything from
the layout of the building to the god figures in monasteries was dictated by
traditional Buddhist artworks. Religion pervaded all level of life in Bhutan,
resulting in peaceful temples, red robed monks, deities and legends.
Some of the best
places visited by us included the Buddha Dordenma Statue located in the
capital, Thimphu. A scenic fortress Monastery, Punakha Dzong is framed by the
confluence of two rivers and jacaranda trees in Punakha and the iconic Tiger
nest monastery with golden pinnacles at its rooftops in Paro.
It goes without saying
that the country was truly a slice of Himalayan heaven and was an eye opener
for all of us. We realized the importance of contentment in life, how to be happy
with simple things and be proud of one’s own culture and heritage. As a token
of regard for this visit, we took a pledge to do our duty to protect and
conserve the environment and save mother earth. We are extremely happy and
grateful to our school and IAYP for giving us this opportunity to have such a
wonderful learning experience. To appreciate and regard a nation as an outsider
and then to look and admire what makes our country unique and distinctive was
something that we all learnt.
Donation is an act of charity; it symbolises kindness and generosity on the part of the donor. Every year on Christmas and New Year’s, Uttam School for Girls hands out clothes and toys to students of Sewa Samarpan, a school for underprivileged children. Besides that, it organises workshops and programmes for these children while also supporting them financially.
This year as well, IAYP participants collected old toys and woollens from the students of all classes and then packed them neatly. Some participants, accompanied by a teacher, visited Sewa Samarpan and were elated on receiving positive responses from the students there. It was an immense pleasure seeing them feeling jubilant on receiving gifts. Contrasting our privilege with theirs, we felt our urge to do something for the underprivileged growing stronger. We concluded our visit by singing Christmas carols and getting photographs clicked with our new friends. Keeping up with the spirit of sharing, we also donated huge amounts of warm clothes to Eazy Hug, an initiative by Godrej to spread love and warmth this winter.
