The Progressive School Vol 02 Issue 04

India and while many crib about the
situation, I see the positive side of it, such
that opportunities are open to the entire
ecosystem. Right from the organisers,
sponsors and participants, we all are
privileged that we do not have any legacy
to follow and that we can build it from
ground up with the best of methods and
equipment tried and tested worldwide.
While comparing the development of
adventure sports in other countries, the
roadblocks that we face today in India are
no different. These include:
• Acceptance
• Regulation
• Support from financial institutions
(Insurance, Banks)
• Importing specialised equipment.
• Training of instructors.
However, one unique roadblock for
India is inculcation of safety as a mindset,
but I am sure in times to come, after good
examples of best procedures are made
mandatory, we will overcome this too.
TPS: How do you think adventure
sports helps in developing an
individual’s profile and make him a
confident and contributive citizen of
the country.
Lt Col Verma (Retd): As we can see
that the five qualities mentioned above
as essential to pursue adventure sports
safely (Confidence to stand out among
your peers, Perseverance to follow up
on one’s dreams, Physical fitness, The
ability to focus, Hunger to learn more) also
happen to be the important qualities for
character building for a student.
Great things are done by breaking the
norm in a positive manner and adventure
activities can help build these habits.
Also, experiencing adventure activities
pushes the boundaries of your mental
strength and that confidence that, “I will
be fine” & fearlessness is very infectious
and invariably transcends into other life
decisions also.
TPS: What is your message to the
school community in nurturing
adventure sports?
Lt Col Verma (Retd): School days are
formative years for the mind and body
of the student, making it the ideal
stage to inculcate physical fitness and
fearlessness towards attempting new
physical and mental challenges.
Low level adventure activities
like Para Sailing (to remove fear of
heights), Scuba Diving (to remove fear of
water), trekking into difficult terrain (to
understand that we are one with nature)
can easily be organised for all classes
and not only limited for senior students.
No doubt that this will entail
additional financial and organisational
burden on the school and parents, but
I assure you that in the long run it will
pay back to the student, parents and the
school also.
With the rising economy, these days
a lot of corporates show keenness to
partner and sponsor school activities
and I feel that this sweet spot can well
be used by the school administration to
seek support and reduce the financial
burden in organising adventure activities
for children.
The only word of caution is Safety
which can be ensured by very closely
checking and verifying the antecedents
of the operator organising the adventure
sport for students.
If given an opportunity, I would be glad
to be of any help to guide the schools in
this regard or motivate the students to take
on personal challenges, both physical and
mental, because finally it is these qualities
that will see him through rough patches or
help achieve his/her potential.
22 THE PROGRESSIVE SCHOOL JUL-AUG-SEP 2018
www.progressiveschool.in