Reliving Josh RYLA 2009

JOSH RYLA 2009 R.I. District # 3140 was held from the 27 th to 29th of November, 2009 at
JANIRS International Residential School, Hatne, Vikramgad. Vikramgad is a small village that’s located
on the Manor - Jawhar road, at about 21 km from Manor and 120 kms north of Mumbai. The
contingent for the RYLA consisting of around three hundred rotractors and twenty Rotarians
assembled at the designated meeting point in Andheri East by 7 a.m. on the first morning of the
Ryla. The journey to the venue which took three hours never seemed long as most of the rotractors
sang along the way while others enjoyed the scenic beauty of the highway and took the opportunity
to sleep making up for the early morning departure.

After reaching the venue the participants and rotractors entered the campus led by Mr Raju,
the director of Rotaract Club Boissar-Dahisar, mounted on the horse with a cowboy hat on and
cheered on by all the participants. The participants then assembled at the Vantage Point. There they
were introduced to their team of instructors for the RYLA headed by Mr Sunnil Mehra of the Rotary
club of Bombay Peer. The participants were informed about their respective accommodation
facilities and certain rules and regulations which were to be strictly followed at the camp. This was
followed by the inaugural ceremony at the conference hall where the various dignitaries wished
everyone the best for the fun filled days ahead of them.

The events started off with the “Interactive Session On Personality Development” whose
speaker was Mrs Pooja, a renowned counsellor from the city. Though such sessions may not be
expected at an adventure ryla but it was appreciated by all present as it provided some great tips
about one can groom oneself to become an effective leader.

After the fruitful session and a much awaited lunch everyone gathered at the assembly point
and queued up in their respective teams, and thus the first real interactions among the team
members took place. Then the instructors quickly mobilised the 12 teams to their respective events
guided by an event coordinator. Each team was handed their respective itinerary for the which was
to be followed strictly due to the time limitations. The events continued the next day after an early
morning Yoga session for which the participants somehow managed to turn for after a short night’s
sleep. All teams finished their 12 events by Saturday evening. The events consisted of both physical
activities which included Flying Fox, Valley Crossing, Rappelling, Jummering and Commando Bridge
and Birthday Boy and Ball Race in the pool. There were also events which required analytical skills
and team coordination like Acid River, Crossover, Australian Walk, Traffic Jam and Minefield. The
events in the pool and traffic jam became the particularly popular among the participants.

The tiring and exhilarating days of events were followed by fun filled and memorable
evenings. On the first evening the session after dinner consisted of an Extempore session in which
students took the centre stage to speak for a couple of minutes on various contemporary issues
related to youngsters. Whereas on Saturday evening a fashion show was staged. This was a
competition amongst the teams in which a couple nominated by each team walked the ramp
wrapped in clothes designed and assembled out of just four metres of white cloth based on a theme.
This cloth was provided to the teams in the evening and each team did a commendable job by
decorating it with colours and other props and were able to please the judges with fascinating
designs and interesting themes. After these sessions students danced and had a frolic time as the DJ
played popular Hindi, English and Marathi numbers. The final night also consisted of borne fire and
even the Rotarians present joined in the celebrations.

The final day at the camp was short but eventful. First task for the teams was to prepare a
skit based on their team characteristics and their bonding and decide on a team name and slogan.
This event really brought out the best of team spirit from all displayed the essence of each team.
Then all the participants gathered in the field to form a human RYLA formation on the field which
was captured on the cameras. The final event of the RYLA was a debate competition and the
participants had to speak on the topic “marriages are a dying institution”. The speakers presented
the interesting and evolving thoughts of the techno-age youngsters about an age old practice. The
day ended with thanks giving to the host of the RYLA and prize distribution felicitating the
outstanding performers over the three days.

The lunch was used as an opportunity by many to wish their newly made friends goodbye
and capture their memories in their cameras. After quickly packing up their stuff the participants got
into the busses to leave back for the city. As the busses crossed the gates, it was time to reluctantly
bid adieu to the beautiful campus which played host to the wonderful time that the group had. The
journey back was covered reliving the moments of Josh RYLA 2009 whose memories will last long in
everyone’s minds and hearts.