By Ambica KhadkaThis year, the Pestalozzi Camp was organised from 22 to 26 September in the picturesque city of Pokhara. As one of the POCT alumni, I had the opportunity to get directly and emotionally involved in the Camp. For the first time in the history of Pestalozzi Camps in Nepal, the alumni got together to fully organise and manage a Camp of this nature. As soon as hearing about the prospect of holding the Camp in Pokhara, I had felt immensely excited and enthusiastic about being part of this big event. The Camp was definitely something to look forward to, because after six long years, it was to bring together students, alumni and teachers from Sri Sitaram School, Doti and Budhanilkantha School. That objective was successfully achieved. The Camp provided, among other things, an incredible sense of unity, sharing and learning. It united 92 individuals, including 35 students from Budhanilkantha and about the same number from Doti, the alumni and two Pokhara-based PAHAD scholars, through a philosophy common to all – the Pestalozzi Head-Heart-Hands approach to education. The participants differed in terms of gender, age and social backgrounds, but they were united by similar feelings.
Planning for the Camp had started well in advance. The alumni met often at the Kathmandu office to discuss issues and delegate responsibilities, like preparing for different workshop activities and translating the papers to suit our context. We left for Pokhara on the morning of 22nd September.
Our campsite was the well-facilitated building belonging to Sonpal Tamu Society of Pokhara. The first night of the Camp was nostalgic for me; many old and new friends from Budhanilkantha had been reunited and were enjoying themselves. The next morning, we welcomed our friends from Doti, which multiplied our joy. Following their arrival, we commenced the Camp with the welcome programme. As our next activity, we made a small tour of the nearby places. The lanes we walked on felt familiar, almost like the ones in Kathmandu. It was not until we visited the gorgeous Fewa Lake, the exotic Devi’s Fall and the mysterious Gupteshwor Cave, that I experienced the real sense of being in Pokhara. Needless to say, we were all mesmerised by the beauty of these amazing natural features. Being a lover of nature, myself, I was totally enthralled by the serenity that these features executed. We also visited the International Mountain Museum, which had a wonderful display of world’s highest peaks and their climbers, as well as mountaineering outfits and tools. This museum was of particular interest to me because it showcased many geological specimens, relevant to my field of study.
The participants were divided into four groups, each group assisted by alumni, including myself. Workshop activities comprised sessions on Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’s History, Principles and Legacy, Future Circle and interesting teaching skills. As much as I enjoyed conducting them, I also learnt from these activities. Apart from these, we organised many other activities, such as the poetry writing competition, the postcard designing competition and the painting competition. In order to avoid disparity in these competitions, students from Doti were paired with those from Budhanilkantha. Despite the tight schedule, we managed to find ample time to enjoy ourselves. The ‘Deuda’ dance staged after dinner was remarkable. And what could have been more fascinating than watching the otherwise shy girls from Doti dance elegantly, as soon as the music would be turned on! Thanks to their energy, no one could resist dancing away to their melodious tunes!
One incident I will remember all my life was the heavy trek to Sarangkot, a hill station above Pokhara, which has a famous view tower overlooking the majestic Machapuchchhre and the breathtaking Annapurna Range. Though bad weather that day prevented us from enjoying mountain scenery, we were still able to admire, from Sarangkot, the spectacular bird’s eye view of the Pokhara valley, twinkling in evening lights. The trek that had started from Naudanda to Sarangkot and concluded in Bindyabasani Temple took us around 8 hours. The journey downhill from Sarangkot was never easy; we walked in pitch darkness, unaware of what would be lying ahead of us, until we finally reached Bindyabasini. Thanks to the boys from Doti that were walking with me, their melodious folk singing, humour and antics saved me from boredom and bodily pain. They taught me two of their songs, which I had learnt by repeating after them; the long hours in their company passed in a flash! I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious, but fabulous, cultural performances on the last night, and the Camp concluded with the prize distribution ceremony. All participants received certificates of participation.
However, the good times had to come to an end, leaving everyone unhappy and less cheerful. The feeling of sadness was even more evident on the faces of friends from Doti, proving how much they had enjoyed the Camp and had bonded with their counterparts from Budhanilkantha. No wonder, many wished for similar camps to be organised every year! Though life is all about meeting and parting, departure can still be very painful, or – at least – such was our experience. We attempted to
dilute the pain of departure by playing ‘dohori’ between Doti and Budhanilkantha; the competing teams sang one after another, songs of emotion, happiness, friendship, departure, love – each team trying to beat the opponent.
Overall, the Pestalozzi Camp 2006 was a grand success. It was historic in the sense that it marked the coming together of the Pestalozzi alumni in Nepal; its success must be attributed to their team effort. But had it not been for the painstaking labour of our Coordinator – himself an alumnus – Mr. Bhaba Bahadur Thami, this Camp would not have seen the light of the day. For their encouragement and support, thanks are due to PCBS Coordinator, Mr. D.K. Shrestha, Vice-Principal of Budhanilkantha School, Mr. T.L. Karna, his wife, PAHAD members, teachers from Doti, Principal of Budhanilkantha School, Mr. N.P. Sharma, and everyone else involved in this Camp, directly or indirectly. Most importantly, we give our very grateful thanks to the POCT Trustees for providing us with this opportunity and for making this Camp actually happen for us. We are now eagerly anticipating the next combined Camp in Doti.
