What a wonderful way of celebrating the birthday of a young one than taking the kids to an outbound that breaks the mindsets and then they relish pushing the boundaries…fearlessly, rélentlessly, ruthlessly….all with joy and merriment, once they discover what they are capable of !

Thanks to my Cousin Couple, Manu and Shweta, for broaching and inviting for such an idea to celebrate the young Tejas birthday along with brother Gokul and cousin sister Svwara ! Svwara has been to many such, but with cousins, a first, and the place and adventures completely new !

For me it was no different, as I am a regular at adventure trails and outbounds, a few times a year, along with

A. Students of institutional programs or
B. Organisational achievers or
C. Teachers and facilitators who are inspired to create exciting learning environments

Each gets awakened to what they are capable of. They get insights into their potential and they realize how little do they push themselves, while they have an ‘Oceanic’ potential !

Tejàs, Gokul and Svwara as usual, were delighted to meet, and this, a first at a venue of adventure, Aravalias, in the Manger valley, off Faridabad-Gurgaon express way last Sunday.

Nestled amongst the hillocks, just off the highway, very few would imagine such places exist at a stones-throw distance of Gurgaon and Delhi. Aravalias is only one of the many nestled in the valley.

After the initial hugs, kisses and huddled jumps these three, Tejas, Gokul and Svwara, discovered to their delight, the adventure trail in the sky, that was beckoning them to take up the challenge…

They rushed to explore, when the coach warned of the dangerous trail, asking them harnessed before they ventured to challenge…

The dangling adventure trail is at two levels, in the air, the first, about 5 feet above the ground, but full of challenges both in terms of footholds or handholds !  The more challenging second level is about 30 ft high !  Of course, no one would fancy falling from even 10 feet (as eyes guides the depth that we may fall) let alone 35 feet !

The harnessed kids were off, gingerly though, on to the first level. As they traversed between the first few stations, slowly balancing themselves, safeguarding against fall by holding the ropes tightly as their feet misses its intended position or the body sways due to the imperfectly held foothold, in the air, the mothers were excited while watching from the ‘prithvi’. Of course the daddy dears were capturing the excitement walking around, finding best angles !

And then, one of the mothers, Shweta, felt the intense urge to explore and rushed to have her own harness, and the other, Indira, followed !

Slowly, Manu too got moved by the excitement, though he is very careful about heights, (No wonder, as he adds two more feet to the fall, with his height ), yet he was challenged by the visual treat of adventurists, to challenge himself.

Yours truly’s first wife is photography, as every one, including Indira, says! He made sure the action is captured while goading each to take the next and next and next stretch of the adventure trail!

The kids where teasing each other about ones own achievement over others travails at the dangling hurdles they were surmounting, even while goading one another, Indira and Manu were pushing their boundaries sloooooooowly. Lo behold, Shweta found her calling for adventure and went on, from strength to strength.

Children were thrilled when they finished the trail at the first level, as at a few points on the trail there were trenches / gorges 15 feet deep below for rain water flow through the ravine, and that makes the height 25 feet! Children rushed to the second level, at feet over “Tyre” ladder laid, but were forbidden as the handholds are beyond reach and the footholds are very very tricky. They just had the thrill of doing “flying fox” from there to about 100m distance that brought them flying to Terra-firma!

And the mother Shweta, was flying further high ! She took to the second level, like a vulture soaring in the sky ! It was a treat to behold the spirited mother taking on one hurdle after another cautiously, yet firmly, determined to prove to herself what she can do !! And everyone from the ground cheering up! I can tell you, that 95 of 100 who will start on that trail shall cry for help, to be rescued at one challenge or other at 30 feet high!

And here, Shweta, made both the trails, look like a child’s play. In the end she was looking for the third level, even after pushing her boundaries that she never had explored!

“Dhar key Agey Jeet Hai”

After a few time “flying foxed” themselves, having forbidden from getting to the second level, these three musketeers, Tejas, Gokul and Svwara challenged themselves for a lark, to go on the first level trails once again, but without any harness, body bereft of any safety support. Though it is 10 feet high (eye level) from ground, without any harness? The ones who went with a lot of caution on the first occasion, were merrying around on those trails now, fearless, relentless, ruthless!!

Yours truly though it is time to capture the young ones from azure sky and headed to the second level trail to relish it with merriment!

Al this while both the grandmas were cracking jokes at the travails and tribulations of the adventurers and pulling their legs too, while cautioning them and supporting them, all aided and ignited by your’s truly !

It was funfilled day ! A day, let alone kids, certainly mother’s too will never forget having pushed their boundaries, and father’s made sure that the day is reminisced lifetime, by creating the visual treat, the video for eternity !

We are planning for many more such!

Do you dare to challenge yourself too? Just Do It!!