Tweet‘FANTASY OF GRAND GANGA TOUR’
AAIPS had undertaken an excursion tour of the grand ganga for the AAIPS students, members and guests. It was a two days tour starting from onset of night of 1st of oct.2009 and we returned on the mid night of the 3rd of oct.2009.
The tour was full of fantasy, amusements, entertainments, songs, and other presentations by almost all the participants. On the evening/night of 1st oct. 2009, we assembled at Kamala Nagar AAIPS office and started our journey. All the participants joined the tour and we reached the Delhi –U.P. border around mid night. After completing the travel formalities we proceeded towards our destination.
Every body was vide awaken and in a cheerful mood as he was waiting for the time to bring out the heart for making the time more and more entertaining and pleasure some. There were Antakshari, singing of songs, quiz/puzzles, jokes, dance, acting and what not.
The entire programmes were of course guided /anchored by Anurag Aggarwal.
First of all there was antakshari competition between the occupants of the right hand seats and the occupants of the left hand seats in the bus. Later on there was the dance and music session which continued for late hours. The bus had the small tea halt in between the on words journey.
We reached our camp site at around 9.00 A.M. the camp name is “Wonder lost camp“, in grand ganga area which is around 25 K.M. from Rishikesh on highway to Badrinath. The camp site is on the edge of river ganga and we had to walk down about 1 K.M. the hill and rocky terrain, rough footsteps from the high location where the bus had the halt.
The camp site was very amazing. We were on the right side edge of the river ganga. There was sandy ground in a width of about 50 Meters. Small size elegant tents were erected having the capacity of 2 or 3 persons in each tent. All of us got refreshed there and took the breakfast.
Around 11.00 A.M. on 2-10 09, the entire team proceeded for Rafting in river ganga. The starting point was about 6 K.M. upstream of the camp site. All of us were accommodated in three Rafting boats. We sailed down and reached the camp site around 1.30 Noon. We had lunch at the camp site and after one hour we again proceeded for the downwards journey. It was a very fantastic journey, full of joy and adventure. We nine persons were rowing in one boat. We were required to follow the instructions of the guide.
There were over 10 raffles in the river course and crossing the raffle was really an adventurous, courageous, and dangerous game although every body was wearing the safety life jackets. The boats used to tilt up & down. Water waves used to enter in the boat (raft), and I was throwing out the filled water in the boat/raft. It was very adventurous scene and every body in the boat used to cry/scream when the boat used to encounter the high tide and fast flowing water in the river. While sailing down we reached a very interesting location and got down from the raft on the right bank of the river. It was the bathing site with shallow water and there is a warm water spring coming down from the hill side. There is also a hill of about 15Ft. height and the people used to jump from the height right in to the deep water of the river. It was really a fun time. Every body wanted to have a dip in river and enjoy. There was all amusement and pleasure everywhere. After an hour or so we all again boarded our boats and proceeded further downwards towards Rishikesh. There were several raffles again in the boat journey. Passing through raffles and rough water is really adventurous and exciting. The screaming and cries of the occupants of the boats shall always hound in the memories and provide pleasure.
Around 5.30 P.M. we reached the location on the river side near to the location of parking of our bus. We all traveled towards the Rishikesh city on the right hand side of Laxman Jhoola. Around 6.00 P.M. most of the persons went around in Rishikesh to see the temples and other holy sites and returned in the bus at 7.30 P.M.
Then we proceeded towards our camp site “Wonder Lost” which was about 25 K.M. from Rishikesh. Around 9.00 P.M. we reached in our camp. The location of the camp was around 1 K.M. down the hill with steep slope. It was a bit difficult to walk down & up the hill. After reaching the camp we had our full dinner.
After dinner it was again amusement and romantic atmosphere. The camp boys arranged for Bone-fire and placed cane chairs around. Every body assembled around the bone-fire. It was a pleasant weather and cool breeze was blowing. It was the dance on music session. Every body had the chance to perform. There was quiz competition, exploring competition, acting, play, musical chair game and lot more. The entire amusement went up to late mid night, till every body got exhausted.
Next day i.e. On 3-10-09 in the morning at 7 A.M. we woke up amid the river side musical sound of the early morning. The chorus by birds on the trees, cool breeze and flowing water of Ganges were making the atmosphere pleasant like any thing. After getting fresh and taking bath in the river, we got prepared for taking the breakfast. We all had the breakfast by 9.30 A.M. It was a good prepared breakfast.
Now in the eternity of items/activities, we had the items of rock climbing & rappelling along with songs, music, jokes and other amusements. We had to leave the camp site by 2.00 O’clock in the afternoon after the lunch. Many persons packed their luggage and climbed up to board the bus parked on the highway.
We reached the rock climbing site which was about 3 K.M. away. It was about 15 Ft. high rock, almost flat vertical in the front side. There were two ways to climb up the rock. One way was to climb from the vertical face of the rock by placing the feet in the cracks and fissures of the rock, and also placing the hands in the upper sides of the rock. Here the push is provided by one of the legs and further hold by the hands. It is a bit tedious and tiring method, but it has its own charm and pleasure. Who so ever has accomplished this task has the enhanced confidence and pleasure of success. The other way of climbing the rock was to walk down from the back side of the rock. On the top of the rock there was one game master who used to rap the rope on the body of the climbers to perform the activity of rapping, appropriately. Other safety precautions were also taken and all participants rappelled down the hill with feet on the rock face.
We spent several hours in the games. Others were busy in reciting poems, jokes, stories and their experiences. A few were busy in taking photo snaps of each other, group and general photos. The atmosphere was totally charged with humor. At around 1.00 P.M. we all proceeded towards our “Wonder Lost” camp site. The persons who did not have brought their luggage in the morning went down to bring their luggage. They also took their lunch down there. Rest of the persons remained in the bus parked on the highway and a request was sent to the persons who went down and the camp manager to send up the lunch in some packets for those persons who did not got down. The request of bring up the packed food was how ever not accepted by the camp manager due to some reasons.
Any how our bus proceeded for the back journey for Delhi & home. Bus halted for the lunch at a suitable restaurant in Haridwar. We all had the full lunch and now we were fully ready to proceed towards our back journey.
By this time the atmosphere was fully charged with enthusiasm. Every body was in a very high mood. Passing through Haridwar provided the religious fervor. The team leader sensed the mood and started an antakshari competition bhajans, geet, religious songs and other similar activities by making two groups in the bus. There were two rows of seats in the bus and the persons in each row formed the group. There was “left side group” and the “right side group”. The competition started by each group by Arties, and further the religious songs, geet, bhajans, shabad, guruvani, bhenta, ardas etc. were recited by each group. Proper marks were awarded to each group for their performances. Every person in group was associated in the songs, bhajans etc. and this also counted towards the marks awarded. More and more enthusiasm was there. In the puja and bhajans the participants mixed dramatics actions along with dances and different worship posses. The competition credibly became tougher & tougher and went for about one & half hour. The bus was completely engulfed in the fervor of religious songs and other activities. The passer biers on the highway were also attracted towards the songs, chorus etc. going on in the bus. Finally the competition ended in a tie. Every body was full of enthusiasm and high spirit. The leader praised very much the religious antakshari and termed it as the best performance.
It was going to be the midnight and the bus was moving fast towards Delhi. Light humor was still continuing in the bus. Finally after mid night we crossed in to Delhi and each one was carrying the sweet and pleasant memories of the trip. It was really a fantastic and pleasure some journey / tour, whose memories will be there for quite a long time.
—R.S.Verma
- Team member