Part 1

In the 80's the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme was a very popular activity , undertaken by both girls and boys, on the successful completion of which the students were awarded bronze, silver or gold pins. These challenges were taken up typically by students of classes IX, X, and XI. Sometimes if a student happened to enrol a bit late , they concluded the course, if they so desired , in Class XII.

The idea was to make the children develop their sense of adventure , a spirit of independence and cultivate the grit for endurance. The basic tasks towards this end were walking through rough terrain with their camping equipment in the form of a rucksack. They had to carry tents, folded and fastened, on their backs, carry rations to cook their own food with very basic pots and pans, carry some drinking water, a first aid kit, and a sturdy pair of walking shoes. A lot of planning had to go into it. With four to a tent, each group had to ensure they got on well with each other. The girls were accompanied by a lady staff member and the boys by a male teacher. Typically every group had some 10 to 12 students .

The endurance test was to walk for 30 kms in three days for those working towards their bronze award, 50 km for silver and 80 for gold. While it was not too difficult to find a staff member to accompany the bronze group, it was a challenge to locate a member who would accompany the girls for the longer distances. The alternative was that a senior member of the staff thought of trusting the girls and an elaborate plan was made where the staff would go in her own transport and the girls would come walking by a route close enough to the road. Meeting points were fixed and the staff member could then await the girls' arrival. The vehicle would wait at some pre-fixed vantage point and that way the 80 km distance could be covered . This was to be done in instalments over the 72 hours allotted , with the night being spent in the middle of a tea estate, where the children would pitch their tents, cook their supper and also feed the teacher. There was no proper power supply, so candles and some kerosene lamps were used for light, washing and cleaning were done using water from running streams and as for garbage, girls had to dig into the earth and bury them.

I was new to the school and was accompanying the senior staff member and on one such trip, which was my first, the girls were nowhere to be seen although we had waited at the appointed place for more than two hours. Soon night would fall and panic had set in. The estate managers of the area were alerted and the local police informed. People fanned out in no time at all and soon word arrived to say, yes, a group of girls were seen getting into one of the estate lorries and they were headed our way. It didn't make sense because the point where they hitched the ride was not too far away and by our reckoning they should have arrived at their destination.

Learning outcome:

• 1. During the formative years one has to be taught to work consciously towards honesty.
• 2. Children have to learn to have the upper hand in defeating temptation.
• 3. Teachers must always remember that for the children making mistakes is a big part of the learning curve.

Part 2

So when they did present themselves they were seen trudging across a potato field.The senior teacher was livid and wanted an explanation straightaway. It was obvious that the girls were well-prepared to face the onslaught.

'Where were you all this while?' asked the senior teacher.

'Do we have permission to sit down and talk?' said the leader of the group, sounding a bit edgy. Before she could get an answer, the girls all found suitable rocks to perch on.

'Now to answer your question, you've come here by a chauffer-driven car while we had to hop, skip and jump over ditches and holes and slushy grounds through the forest,' said the leader for a starter.

'You want me to believe your story?'

'It's God's own truth and if you don't believe us....'

The senior teacher cut in . ' You look too fresh to have done all that and , by the way, look at your footwear! I don't see any slush on it! ? Clearly, the investigation was going nowhere.

'That's because we came by a cabbage field and the farmer allowed us to wash.'That the teacher wasn't buying the story was obvious.

Silence. Soon broken by the leader's words, ' Well then, we must agree to disagree, shouldn't we ?' was the response of the cheeky brat.

The teacher lost her cool. Words just piled up. ' Do you want me to tell you what happened ? You hitch-hiked. You stopped a lorry and got a lift! You knew that was dangerous and yet you did it! '

Faced with facts, they couldn't deny any of it. No one had anything to say. Another 10 kms would have seen the end of the hiking. They would have reached Kodanadu Estate on their completion of their 80 km walk. We were going to spend the night there.

There was very little to cheer about that night and while we , the teachers, stayed in the Manager's residence , the girls had to pitch tents outside, in the garden area. The bonfire night went for a toss. The fun element and the bonhomie were nowhere to be seen. The next day was our return to school. We had made a full circle and if all had worked according to plan , the girls would have ensured they had earned their gold awards.

The senior teacher had other plans . With the permission of the HM, she hired a mini van and we all drove down to school in absolute silence.

The next day the girls were summoned and told without any words being minced that they had to forgo their award as the spirit of the exercise had been seriously infringed. What was the solution? After much discussion, it was decided that they had to repeat the exercise if they desired the award.

I was young enough and absolutely healthy. With the help of the senior teacher , I worked out another route and with some help from a couple of estate managers and officials of the hill development board, I ensured that the trip went off well in the second attempt. I walked all the way with them this time.

And so it was that for the next few years , as long as I was in Lawrence, I was the one who always accompanied the silver and gold award aspirants. The Nilgiris those days had still retained its pristine beauty and its natural freshness. Once we even ventured into Kerala's forests after travelling part of the way by bus. I can never forget the trouble from leeches in Neliampathi!

Learning outcomes:

• 1. Trust is a building block which must take strong roots.
• 2. Nature is a standing example of sincerity of purpose.
• 3. Teachers have to ensure that they support children in inculcating time-tested values in them so that they are prevented from straying.