by Cleric Joyston Machado
LONAVLA, OCT 29, 2017: The curtain fell on GROMO 2017, the Don Bosco scouts and guides event, on October 28, with the 800 participants sharing their 
gratitude for the officials and coordinators of the mega-scouting event that stretched five days at Don Bosco, Lonavla.
The day began with Scout Own, the morning prayers for the scouts and guides which focused on the theme of thanksgiving. Father Glenford Lowe led the Valedictory function, honouring the scouts, guides, officials, scout masters and guide leaders.
The Chief Guest, Dr Amol Digambar Kalekar, vice president of India Scout and Guide fellowship Lonavala Guild, was present at the Valedictory ceremony. He said, "Scouting is not only for a school child, it continues even after you are an adult."
Father Lowe called upon the Vice Provincial of the Mumbai province of Salesians, Father Savio Silveira and the Chief Guest to hand over the BOSCOREE 2018 -2019 flag to the hosts - Don Bosco Nashik. Father Lowe reiterated the words of the Vice Provincial in asking all to prepare well for the BOSCOREE, which is slated to be held from December 30, 2018 to January 3, 2019.
The five-day mega scouts and guides camp in Lonavla brought together hundreds of campers from 23 Don Bosco institutions from the Mumbai province and tested their physical endurance and creativity. During the course of the camp, the youth took a gruelling endurance test by trekking up a mountain in the vicinity. Representatives from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh- of the province of Bombay joined forces to ignite a mega campfire.
Earlier in the camp, the campers displayed their talent and passion for knots and lashings. They used sticks and ropes to beautify the arena with projects like a monkey bridge, a pyramid tower, an arch tower and an hour-glass tower. The youth also learnt to zumba, with a professional dancer Nidhi Passi, a past pupil from Auxilium Convent- Lonavla, teaching them the finer aspects of the dance-form. 
The troop also used the event to connect with the divine, with Father Leon Rodrigues along with the help of brothers organising a session on 'God is love'. The session included an input on God's action in our life, 'What is love?' He stressed on how God works in people's life and how He shares His love through the people we encounter. The troop also participated in an all-religion prayer meeting, with scouts and guides from various religions leading prayers for the whole assembly and reminding each other that though we are many we are one body.
With GROMO 2017 drawing to a close, eyes of all campers will be trained on BOSCOREE 2018, an all India gathering of scouts and guides from Salesian schools.