Salaam Balak Trust Q2 2009

For an introduction to the work of the Salaam Balak Trust, please click here: Salaam Balak Trust

Report of the Annual Education Trip to Manali - 1st June 2009 to 7th June 2009

In two buses, 88 children from 6 different contact points in Delhi started their journey to Manali on 1st June. After an overnight journey, the whole group arrived the next afternoon to a welcoming shower of rain, a vast improvement from the stifling heat in Delhi, where temperatures were reaching 42 degrees. In contrast, the children would soon be surrounded by snow falls and glaciers.

The children started a sight-seeing tour the next day and the first destination was Manikaran, a religious site for Hindus and Sikhs which is about 30 miles from Manali: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manikaran. The area has a hot spring, which the children were encouraged to bathe in as it can be very therapeutic for skin diseases, which some of the children unfortunately suffer from. Lunch was taken at the Gurudwara (the Sikh temple) before visiting the marketplace in the afternoon. On the return journey to Manila, the children again had the opportunity to bathe in the slightly more turbulent waters of the Beas River - a less sedate experience than relaxing in a hot spring.

The following day, the group stayed a little closer to home, visiting Vashisht, a site where one of the Seven Great Sages of Hindu mythology practised austerities, a Hindu practise of self-discipline and denial, ranging from foregoing a meal to always standing, even to sleep. The group also went trekking in the surrounding area. In the evening, the group visited the Hadimba Temple, which was erected in 1553 and which is surrounded by parkland which the children could play in.

On 5th June, the children had the opportunity to visit the Solang valley. This is famous for its paragliding and other adventure sports but the children stuck to some more leisurely activities, with games of football, cricket and badminton.

SBT

August 2009