Author:

Ephin Monichan

• Student Experiences
• 25-02-2022

Who said digital detoxification in this modern age can’t be fruitful? Well, Unarvu - Rajagiri Rural Sensitization Camp, changed the mindset of us students. Shades of greens, mesmerising streams of clean river water and pops of orange and brown replace the blanket of brownish leaves that we knew during the summer. Off in the distance and all-around camp, the colours and textures of the forest become even more beautiful. Attapady known for his natural greenery was a perfect place for management students like us to experience the liveliness of people leaving aside the digital tensions.

The winter at Attapady was an intense experience for me. Even after attending 2 camps before, the combination of being in a new camp with the influence of COVID-19 presented complex challenges. I will surely reflect upon the lessons learned from the camp for the rest of my career, and though many elements of this pandemic-impacted season were unique, I continue to feel that the biggest takeaway from the camp was one that I had appreciated already for a very long time: nothing matters more at camp than a great student team and faculty, especially a camp’s general coordinator. As an initial part of the camp, we had only a vague idea of what the camp is, but when there was a complete understanding, we got to know that it was one of the best opportunities to nurture and explore ourselves. While we work on many aspects of camp preparation with a better feeling of preparedness in a world that has altered in many ways, I made up the choice of being the General Coordinator for the camp alongside my mates Anshidha, Ancy and Antony. The tasks were tedious at first as we were analysing the time which we had very less time for preparation. But our faculty had already prepared the basic outline which made our task feasible. 

There were many occasions which made the camp even more exhaustive but making it more fascinating. I still remember the first day in which we were received by our beloved pre-camper friends and made all the stage set for the team suitable for the camp experience. All of our friends had to adjust with the limitations present in Attapady, but I would say we were simply awesome in surpassing those limitations.

The aptitude that we had applied to this camp make it successful will help us make certain the rural camp will be everything we could hope for and more. We used our skills in planning, project and risk management, food and hospitality, cultural evenings and the endless tricks we have up our sleeves to create the sense of unending joy and spontaneity that we crave. Alongside of being in the camp with a group, I had much greater responsibility of handling the camp as a whole which I loved the most as I got to know each and every one much closer. The hospitality provided by the local people of the Attapady gave us the more strength to work for them and getting them the best facilities available to them. The ooru visit to the various hamlets and areas of Attapady showcased the true spirit of Attapady and we were welcome by the natives of those areas. This made our camp even more exciting as we got to know about the heritage and culture of Attapady.  We were analysed by various projects and at last we finalised with the projects – road construction at two places, building a house for Aneesh and his mother, who didn’t possess a house of their own. We were contented by Aneesh’s smile which we could see on the final day and that made the camp blossoming. The groups showcased why they weren’t just a group but each and every group worked as a team and brought in the synergy to work in any condition with any people. All of them had their special moments – like the jumping in river, the kitchen stories, dormitory stories, culturals, band performances, bus gossips etc., and the list goes on.

I relish the good times I had at camp that far outnumbered the rough ones, but the moments that felt scary or overwhelming at the time shaped my experience more than anything else. And this informs how I approach my work today as a camp leader. Everything I can remember was still, in and of itself, a positive element of my time at camp because it happened at our camp. All I could say is most of us were more responsible and socially sensitive. All should have a camp like this once in a lifetime and we give our utmost thanks to the whole Rajagiri family, faculty and all my beloved friends who made this happen in our college life.