by Clerics Chris Ferreira and Joyston Machado
LONAVLA, OCT 26, 2017: Hundreds of scouts and guides present for the second day of GROMO 2017 – a Don Bosco scouts and guides meet – in
Lonavla, participated in adrenalin pumping activities like balancing on fragile yet firm suspension bridges, tyre webs, swinging planks, monkey crawls and learning to zumba on October 25.
In keeping with the scouting protocol, all campers rose early to the call of the bugle and proceeded for their exercises on the basketball court. For the catholic faithful, there was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Aspirantes' chapel. Scout Own – the morning prayers for the non-catholics, set the tone in an equal measure. 'Health' was the theme for the day and all activities were tailored in line with the theme.
'Cleanliness is next to Godliness,' has been the mantra in scouting circles, and in line with the adage, the daily rota and troop inspections were conducted by scout officials. A range of strenuous activities, throughout the day, helped the campers maintain their fitness and beat their fear of failure.
"I'm enjoying these nice, daring, adventurous tricks that create an aura befitting a forest. Thank You Don Bosco!" Riya Fernandes from Auxilium Convent, Wadala, said. Adarsh Singh, another participant added, "This is cool American school kind of learning. Hmm... its the best moment of my life experience."
Each of the 23 participating schools used music and drama to make presentations on the GROMO 2017 theme : Health, Holiness and Harmony. The creative display was judged by Don Bosco Lonavla alumni Sessy Gomes, Ravi Stephen and Patricia D'Souza. The best act gets a chance to repeat the performance at the grand finale on the last day of the camp.
Nidhi Passi, a past pupil from Auxilium Convent, also a zumba professional injected new vigour at noon by showcasing her skills. An elaborate physical display, with participants being divided into single and mixed groups, followed. A blend of pyramids, fire-ring jumps, yoga, lezim and acrobatics made the evening solemn.
"It is really wonderful to see scouts of such a tender age perform such elegant human feats. Don Bosco Kawant, Don Bosco Narukot and Bosco Boys Home, Borivli have been exemplary," Mark Pereira, the camp chief for GROMO 2017, said.
Sister Shobha D'Souza, in-charge of the late Sister Camila sub camp added, "The whole event is going in a fantastic way. What amazes me is that the children are giving their all – 100 percent. With the discipline in place, the camp has a smooth flow!"
As dusk fell on the camp, the 800 participants huddled together for prayer as it is rightly said, 'To end the day with the Lord is equally important just as to begin with the Lord!' The evening prayer was well developed to create a feeling of God in the camp.
