Crescens Lemos sdb MATUNGA, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008: The students of Std. IX from Don Bosco, Matunga, enthusiastically embarked on their Social Service Excursion to the talukas of Jawahar and Mokhada. The entire class had been divided into two groups comprising three divisions each – the first group had its 
excursion on Thursday September 18, while the second group went the following Thursday, September 25. Each group, which was made up of approximately 160 students, was accompanied by six teachers. This Social Service Excursion had been planned and organized by the School Management team. The busses carrying the excited students left the school premises at 7:30 am, and after a three hours journey they arrived at ‘Jungle Camp’, the Don Bosco centre at Valvanda in Jawahar. Here, they received a briefing on the work being carried out in these two talukas by Don Bosco. These talukas are predominantly inhabited by backward tribal people and Don Bosco is actively involved in promoting educational and other developmental projects here. In fact, part of the funds collected by the Matunga students during the ‘Christmas Care-N-Share Panorama’ are being utilized for some of the projects in these villages. Each division then took off for a different village. While on September 18, the students went to three villages in the Jawahar taluka, namely, Valvanda, Sakhre and Dabosar, on September 25, they went to villages in the Mokhada taluka – Hirve, Gonde and Koch. The purpose was to meet the students in the village schools and also to see a bit of the v
illage life. In each of the villages, the schools warmly welcomed their visitors and put up a short programme for them. The Boscoites reciprocated by staging a few items themselves. The students then interacted with each other. The Boscoittes, perhaps for the first time, got an interesting, first hand knowledge of life on ‘the other side of the bridge’. When queried about what they thought about this excursion, one student quipped, “It was nice, we had fun while we learnt a lot.”
excursion on Thursday September 18, while the second group went the following Thursday, September 25. Each group, which was made up of approximately 160 students, was accompanied by six teachers. This Social Service Excursion had been planned and organized by the School Management team. The busses carrying the excited students left the school premises at 7:30 am, and after a three hours journey they arrived at ‘Jungle Camp’, the Don Bosco centre at Valvanda in Jawahar. Here, they received a briefing on the work being carried out in these two talukas by Don Bosco. These talukas are predominantly inhabited by backward tribal people and Don Bosco is actively involved in promoting educational and other developmental projects here. In fact, part of the funds collected by the Matunga students during the ‘Christmas Care-N-Share Panorama’ are being utilized for some of the projects in these villages. Each division then took off for a different village. While on September 18, the students went to three villages in the Jawahar taluka, namely, Valvanda, Sakhre and Dabosar, on September 25, they went to villages in the Mokhada taluka – Hirve, Gonde and Koch. The purpose was to meet the students in the village schools and also to see a bit of the v
illage life. In each of the villages, the schools warmly welcomed their visitors and put up a short programme for them. The Boscoites reciprocated by staging a few items themselves. The students then interacted with each other. The Boscoittes, perhaps for the first time, got an interesting, first hand knowledge of life on ‘the other side of the bridge’. When queried about what they thought about this excursion, one student quipped, “It was nice, we had fun while we learnt a lot.”