On 11th August 2012, an exclusive tree plantation drive took place in Hoskote, a former project area of CSA, where we, the proud members of the CSA family, were given a chance to plant around 1000 saplings. The programme was organised by CSA in association with Chetana, a community-managed resource centre.
The most exciting feature about this drive was that it was arranged as a camp for us, the very sound of which enthralled us all. After receiving a ‘parental’ talk from Johny Joseph sir, we started our long-awaited journey, which brimmed with fun and frolic. At the end of the three-hour-journey, which passed by like minutes, we reached Yelchamanahalli, our destination.
Once we reached there, we had a brief interactive session with Mr Dominique. He engaged us in a number of ‘weird’ activities—which gave us a chance to meet and know one another—which later proved to be having a deep sense of clairvoyance in them. He made us think on the amount of time we spend self-reflecting, on the aspects that resemble our personality the most, and three good reasons for justifying the relation. This was followed by the story of ‘The Empty Cup’, of which he helped us find deeper meanings to.
These activities helped us understand ourselves better; it made us evolve into better human beings (well, maybe I went overboard, but we certainly did get a chance to search within ourselves). Later, we had fun watching Dhristi practice for the next day’s play, had a hearty dinner, and retired to bed.
The next day, all of us went to the villages destined to plant the saplings. The villagers had already dug out the pits for us to plant them (which was a little disappointing). We all did our assigned tasks, and had fun working with the children there. Nothing could have been more satisfying. After having a sumptuous lunch prepared by the villagers and a recap of events with Johnny sir, we returned.
The day had drifted away and we found ourselves travelling back to college. In the bus, I found myself pondering over what the trip had taught me. My stream of thoughts led me to three conclusions: be cheerful, be energetic and always have an open mind. Also, the trip had earned me a lot of friends.
–Suganya Velumani, I PME
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