Adventures of Raghu - the joys of water!!!

“Raghu, Meera and Dev, all of you come out here into the driveway and lawn to help me with some washing!” shouted Raghu’s mother from the lawn outside Raghu's window. It was 4:30 in the afternoon and the three kids were lazing around in Raghu’s room, busy on the computer and playstation. Raghu and Meera ran outside with Dev trotting along behind them slowly. “I don’t know why aunt Megha always has to call us to do chores around the house when we’re busy playing” complained Dev to himself grumpily.

The picture that lay outside was different from what they had expected though.

There were 3 buckets of water with a little bit of soap water in them, sponges, some cleaning brushes, water guns which were laying around from Holi  and the water pipe was placed on the side. “What are we supposed to do?” asked Raghu from his mother. “I want you all to clean the cars, driveway, water the lawn and clean the windows of the house. I know you guys will love this because it’s all water work, but be careful not to waste water” said his mother as she walked into the house. "This is gonna be fun!" called out Meera as she went to pick up a bucket of soap water and sponge.

The three of them were immediately down to work. They all loved getting wet in water in the summer and just needed a reason. Raghu’s mother knew that and had found just the right way to get these kids outside, do some work and have fun!

Sponge in hands, Raghu got to work cleaning up his bike and scrubbing the two cars in the driveway with the soap water.

Meera began scrubbing the window panes outside the house, while Dev began watering the plants in the lawn with the water pipe. Every now and then Dev would sprinkle a little water on himself and laugh in the sheer joy of it!

Everyone was thoroughly busy and didn’t know how time flew by. “Hey Dev, I need the pipe now to wash off the soap from the cars!” called out Raghu.

“Coming!” said Dev as he turned the pipe towards the driveway, straight onto the car where Raghu was standing. Raghu was completely drenched and charging towards Dev. “I’m gonna get you guy!”  “Okay guys, Let’s first finish the work then we’ll play” called out Meera responsibly. Both boys laughing came back to the driveway and started cleaning the soap off the cars and bike with the water pipe, playing with the water as they did so!

“Now the window panes!” said Meera as she took the pipe and cleaned the soap off the window panes outside the house. As she was finishing, she didn’t notice, both Raghu and Dev steal up behind her with water guns in hands.

Shouting, running in the lawn, playing, screaming, laughing, all three of them took turns to get each other wet with the remaining soap water in the buckets and the water pipe.

A little later Raghu’s mother came outside with popsicles in bowls for the three kids.

“Okay kids you deserve this after all the work you’ve gotten done!” she said as she handed each of them a rainbow colored popsicle. “This was so much fun aunt Megha!” cried out Dev as he hugged his aunt. They all laughed and enjoyed their popsicles. What better way to spend a hot summer evening!

Adventures of Raghu - cooking pizza in a solar oven

It was a sunny summer afternoon. Raghu, Meera and Dev were chilling in Raghu’s room.

Meera was reading a book, Raghu was browsing the net for places to go camping, while Dev was busy gaming on playstation. Raghu had been back from his trip to the Himalayas with Uncle Seher two weeks back, after which Dev, Raghu’s cousin had come over to spend the summer vacation with him. Suddenly Dev jumped, “I got through! I got through Level 7, just one more level to go and I win the game!” shouted an ecstatic Dev. Raghu looked back at him from his computer with a rather uninterested expression and exclaimed - “Great going Dev! You’ve been at it for like 4 months now, it’s high time I say!” Meera laughed.

“Let’s eat something before I start again” said Dev “I’m starving!”. Dev was a chubby cute little fellow. He loved his playstation as much as he loved his food. “Okay guys, come on, let’s see what mother has made for lunch” said Raghu as all three of them went running downstairs to the kitchen. They were astonished to find an empty kitchen with veggies and food items lying on the kitchen counter. There was a note lying next to it which read – ‘Kids, I’ve had to rush to your dad’s office to help him some work, please make the pizzas in the oven. I’ve left all the items you need on the kitchen counter. Love, mom’

“Okay guys! Pizza time. Let’s get to work. “I’ll chop the veggies!” shouted Meera.

“I’ll put the pizza sauce on the pizzas" said Dev, “And I’ll start pre-heating the oven and get the pizza trays out” said Raghu. They all got to work. Raghu began to switch on the oven and pre-heat it, however the oven wasn't working. After 15 minutes of fiddling with it, Raghu called out - “The oven isn’t working guys, what should we do now?” Meera and Dev tried their own hands at getting it started, but it wouldn't work. “It’s like an oven outside” said a rather upset Dev who was feeling hot and sweaty, “ and yet the real oven isn’t working!!!”

“Come on Dev. Just relax, we’ll find a way” said Meera. For almost half an hour, they fiddled with the various switches, plugs, but the oven wouldn’t turn on. “Great, that’s it for our pizzas” said a dejected Raghu. “I don’t think so” smiled Meera. “What Dev said has just given me an idea. Raghu I know you have a pile of old pizza boxes, can you get me one of those. Also get me a ruler, aluminum foil, scissors, plastic wrap, black construction paper and a glue stick.”

“Sure Meera, but why?” said Raghu a little confused. “Just do what I say and bring everything to the terrace. We’re gonna make some pizza.” They took all the items and reached the terrace. It was afternoon and the sun was at its peak. “It’s burning!” said Raghu. “And that’s exactly what we need” said Meera. She got to work, creating a small solar oven from the pizza box, plastic, aluminum wrap and black construction paper.

Okay let’s leave it like this for about 15-20 minutes to heat up in the sun, then we’ll put our pizzas to get baked in it!”

"WOW! What a great idea!” shouted both Dev and Raghu in unison. The three waited for a while , then put in two small pizzas they had prepared with toppings into their solar oven. In the excitement, the three had forgotten about their hunger and were eager to see the final outcome. 20 minutes later, they opened the box to find melted cheese and a crispy pizzas. “Oh my god! This is awesome!” exclaimed Raghu. “Pizzas cooked in our very own solar oven! Now how cool is that!”

Solar Pizza Oven

Solar Pizza Oven

This is a great way to see how the sun's rays can be turned into thermal energy, useful in our daily lives to cook food among many other things. This activity should be done on a sunny day to ensure that the oven cooks at or above 200 degrees. Take caution! It functions like a real oven, so don't touch!

You will need:

a pizza box that has been cleaned out 

ruler

aluminum foil

scissors

plastic wrap

glue stick

black construction paper

1. Draw a one-inch border around the top of the pizza box. Cut along three sides, leaving the line along the back of the box uncut.

2. Form a flap by gently folding back the uncut line to form a crease.

3. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to fit on the inside of the flap. Smooth out any wrinkles and glue into place.

4. Measure a piece of plastic to fit over the opening you created by forming the flap. The plastic should be larger than the opening so that it can be taped to the underside of the box top. Be sure the plastic becomes a tightly sealed window so that the air cannot escape from the oven.

5. Cut another piece of aluminum foil to line the inside of the pizza box and carefully glue into place.

6. Cover the bottom with black construction paper and glue into place.

7. Close the pizza box top with the window, and prop open the flap with the ruler you used to measure before. (A wooden dowel or straw may be used as well.)

8. Adjust until the aluminum reflects the maximum sunlight through the window into the oven interior.

And enjoy your treats! Ovens will have to preheat about 30 minutes before cooking anything. You can heat up your pizza and ENJOY

Reference: http://solartownkids.com/index.php?p=activities

Adventures of Raghu - the trek with Uncle Seher (Part 2)

Uncle Seher put his sleeping bag next to Raghu and lay down to join him in gazing at the stars. Just as he lay down, Raghu jumped up pointing towards the sky – “Uncle look, a shooting star!! Did you see it??” Uncle Seher smiled – “Yes I did Raghu. It was absolutely fantastic! The wonders of nature!” Raghu lay back down. “We never get to see all these stars in the city uncle Seher. I guess we’re higher up in the mountains now, so maybe that’s why they’re more visible here” said Raghu thoughtfully. Uncle Seher laughed, “No Raghu that’s not the reason. It has to do with the Light pollution and smog in the city.

Here the air is clear and there are no street lights. That’s the reason we’re being able to view the fantastic spectrum of the night sky.” Raghu kept looking up.

“I had read about so many constellations before I came here uncle. But I find it hard to find them in the midst of these millions of stars” said Raghu. “Okay, let’s start with the big dipper,” started Uncle Seher. “Look for seven major stars: four in the bowl and three in the handle. The two stars on the outside of the bowl are called the pointer stars. They point to Polaris, a bright star that is also called the North Star because with it you can figure out which way is north.” Raghu looked hard, as his fingers started to outline the big dipper in the sky. “I found it Uncle! I found the big dipper and the north star” cried out Raghu in excitement. “Great, now you can use this to also find Ursa Minor or the little dipper.

You know Raghu, these star patterns called constellations helped people navigate on land and by sea as well as tell time, since they appear in different parts of the sky depending on the day and year.  You see this is because the stars don't move only the earth moves.”

Uncle quickly got up. “Raghu let’s have our meal now, it’s getting late.”  Raghu sat near the campfire chopping vegetables, while Uncle Seher took out the pots he had brought along with him and started boiling some rice. Within a little over half an hour, rice and vegetable dal soup was ready.

Uncle poured some in a bowl for Leela to eat and sat down with Raghu to enjoy the meal they all so well deserved.

After the meal, once all the food items had been cleaned away, Uncle, Raghu and Leela sat near the campfire as Uncle Seher started narrating a story. “Raghu do you know the legend of the Sarolsar lake?” “No uncle” said Raghu, his eyes lighting up with both fear and excitement. “So Raghu, this lake is many thousands of years old. It was actually much bigger then, and had many types of fish and plant life in it at that time. It was a thriving place back then…” Uncle Seher started narrating the story of how a being from deep in the forests had found its way here and had slowly taken over the entire lake.

He had shrunk the size of the lake, killed most of the animals and plants in the lake and had buried itself deep in the waters where it could not be seen. “That is why no one dare ventures into the lake.”

“And even today he comes out some nights and his wild call can be heard.” Raghu looked around rather cautiously, fear lurking in his eyes. He loved spooky stories, but this was a little too close to home to laugh about. He moved closer to Leela, at which point he didn’t realize Uncle Seher jump on him from the back. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” screamed Raghu as he ran as far as he could without looking back, Leela running and barking right behind him. Uncle Seher started laughing and screamed out -  “Boy you’re so gullible! Come back here! It’s time we get to bed….a long day of rock climbing awaits us tomorrow. I hope you’ve done your homework for it!”

Adventures of Raghu - the trek with Uncle Seher (Part 1)

“Wow!” shrieked Raghu as the low lying hills of the Himalayan range started giving way to the upper snow covered ranges. Raghu sat staring outside the window of the car as though lightening had struck him.

It was his first time ever in the Himalayas. His mouth wide open, Uncle Seher looked at the astounded Raghu and smiled. “So boy, welcome to the mighty Himalayas. Nowhere in the world would you have seen such majestic ranges. We’re now moving towards the Kullu district in Himachal where we’ll trek to Jalori pass and Sarolsar lake.” Leela barked in approval while Raghu’s eyes remained glued to the view outside.

It was the second week of May and Raghu was on his way to Jalori pass and Sarolsar Lake with Uncle Seher and his dog Leela, in the Himalayas as had been planned. (9th April 2014, Adventures of Raghu - Camping with Uncle Seher)

Raghu didn’t speak much until Uncle Seher stopped the car and prompted everyone to pick up their bags and move out of the car. “We’ll begin our trek on foot from here. There’s a small guest house just up the hill there Raghu. You have two hours to take a short rest, get ready, eat something and then we’re off.” Raghu stepped out of the car with his bag, took a deep breath as though trying to take in as much oxygen as his lungs would allow and began running, calling Leela to follow him. Leela was jumping in excitement as Raghu was dodging her. “You both need some rest now, you can play later!” called out Uncle Seher as he went to check into the guest house.

Two hours later Raghu was standing at the steps of the guest house with his rucksack. Uncle Seher had a much bigger rucksack as he was also carrying the tent. Leela had a small waist pack tied around her waist with dog biscuits. “Water bottle, food supplies, sweater, extra pair of socks and unders, sleeping bag, ropes? All set?” asked Uncle Seher. Raghu responded as he put his feet together in attention position and hand to his forehead “Yes Sir!” “Lovely, then let’s begin!!!” called back Uncle Seher.

So they set off for trekking towards Jalori pass.

Sarolsar lake was further about a 2 hour walk from there where they would spend the night camping. They passed steep mountains with narrow snow covered paths. Leela trudged along carefully as Raghu followed. There were snow covered peaks, cattle grazing on the sides, all varieties of flowers growing on the ground. They took their time to view the beauty around, had fun sliding down snow covered mountains as they walked along.

After a trek of 5 hours, around 4pm they reached the magical Sarolsar lake.

The water was crystal clear and the bright blue sky above was reflecting itself in the lake later. Raghu and Leela started running around to investigate the place and touch the lake water. Uncle Seher in the mean time started looking for an appropriate place to put up the tent. “Raghu get the pins to tie the tent ropes to.  Let’s also start collecting wooden sticks to make a campfire.” They got down to work and had a fire rolling by about 6pm. As darkness started setting in, Raghu put out his sleeping bag and lay down on it with Leela at his feet to view the night sky. Slowly millions of stars became visible in the sky above. “Could heaven really be anywhere else but here Leela?” said Raghu softly.

Adventures of Raghu - a glass of lemonade?

“Hey Meera, are you okay?” called out Raghu to Meera from the branch of the banyan tree. Raghu and Meera had decided to put a swing up on the banyan tree and had been working on it for about an hour outside.

Raghu was climbing the tree with the rope in his hand when he saw Meera sitting on the ground beside the tree looking tired and holding her head. “I don’t know Raghu. I feel dizzy and sort of sick in the stomach. I was fine just a while ago, not sure what happened.” Raghu jumped down from the branch to move closer to Meera. He touched Meera’s forehead – “I think you’re dehydrated. Come on let’s go inside and get you something cold to drink.” Both went inside the house where Raghu’s mother made both the children two glasses of cold lemonade. “It’s so hot outside and both of you decide to go out and put up a swing at this time! Really what should I do with both of you I wonder sometimes” cried out Raghu’s mother, worried at seeing Meera sick.

After they drank the lemonade and had rested for sometime, Meera got up and went running to Raghu – “I’m much better now Raghu. We can start putting up the swing again!” “If you both are planning to go outside again I want you both to take a big jar of lemonade with you and keep drinking it regularly to keep yourselves from dehydrating” called out Raghu’s mother.

Meera looked at Raghu - “I got dehydrated within just an hour of being outside Raghu, sometimes I wonder about those people that work outside and have to be outdoors the whole day. There’s not even clean hygienic water for them to drink sometimes.” “Yeah Meera. That’s true. Maybe we can give them our jug of lemonade!” joked Raghu to Meera.

Meera looked at Raghu seriously for a while and then answered back – “That’s a great idea Raghu!” “What idea?” said Raghu a little confused at missing his own discovery. “The idea of making lemonade for people who are outdoors. Why don’t we set up a lemonade stand near the colony park. There are many people that work outside and come there to rest. They can get a nice cool drink when they sit. They would feel refreshed and it would also ensure they’re adequately hydrated in this heat.” Raghu thought for a moment. “That is a good idea Meera, but how should we do it?”

“Let’s first go to the market and buy the items we need to make lemonade” said Meera as she rushed out the door. They bought 60 lemons, a big container of mineral water, ice cubes,sugar and 5 packets of paper cups “Mother has a water cooler at home that we can use to keep the lemonade cool. We also have pens and cardboard at home to make the sign for our stand. Let’s go!” said Raghu. Back home they prepared the lemonade, made the cardboard sign so that people would know they are selling lemonade. Within an hour, the table was set up in the shade just outside the park and they both sat waiting for their first customer.

People passing by started looking at this new arrangement, until a man that had been digging a tank in the colony nearby came upto Meera – “Can I please have one glass of lemonade?” Meera sprang up from her chair, absolutely excited to serve their first customer. “Yes sure” she said as she poured the cool lemonade into a paper cup. The man gulped it down thanked them and walked off. Two men were watching the scene on a nearby bench and also asked came to the stand to ask for the same. They smiled after the drink and thanked the kids. Slowly children, women, men were all coming over for the refreshing drink. It was so fulfilling to see each face light up after a glass of lemonade. Meera turned to Raghu at the end of the day – “This was the best thing I’ve ever done Raghu. Let’s do it regularly this summer.” “I’m in Meera, I’m totally in” called out Raghu happily.

Keep cool this summer!

Outdoor activity with kids - Make a compost pit

Last week Raghu and Meera decided to make a compost pit from vegetable scraps and dry leaves they had gathered. Today we bring to you an outdoor activity you can do with your children in your garden. Making compost will introduce kids to the natural cycle of growth and decay and should encourage them to become recyclers! 

An effective and environmentally friendly solution for turning yard waste and kitchen scraps into a beneficial soil additive, here are the steps to build a compost pit in the soil with kids -

1. Explain to the child what composting is in a fun and simple way. Let  them know - Composting, although managed by people, is a process entirely undertaken by small "critters" such as insects, fungus, and bacteria that will work in nearly any conditions.

2. Find a place in your lawn/backyard and dig the hole for your compost pit. Your compost hole should be about 1 foot (30 cm) deep. The area of the hole will be determined by the amount of organic matter you want to add.

     3. Chop your composting materials finely. Underground composting proceeds more slowly than above ground setups, and maximizing the surface area of your scraps is key to speeding the process. Aim for pieces of scraps no bigger than 2 or 3 inches (5 - 8 cm) in any dimension.

    4. Add the organic materials to the compost pit. Pile your food scraps and yard waste into the hole you dug to a depth of about 4 inches (10 cm).

Put in	Don’t use
Fruit and vegetable peelings Dead flowers and plants Grass cuttings and nettles Small branches and twigs Tea bags, coffee grounds and filter paper Shredded and scrunched paper and cardboard Egg shells Saw dust	Meat and fish Dairy products Processed foods such as pasta and bread Pet litter Large branches

  

    5. Cover your compost with soil. Once you have finished adding your organic scraps to the compost pit, you can refill it with the soil you removed.

    6. Keep the compost pit wet while it is decomposing. Underground compost decomposes slowly, because it doesn't have access to as much fresh oxygen as aboveground piles. To speed the process, ensure the area stays fairly wet. You can use a garden hose to wet it in the dry weather.

    7. Sow plants/vegetables above the compost after it has decomposed. A major benefit of underground composting is that you don't have to perform any extra steps to harvest the compost and amend your soil. The soil below is now perfect to create a vegetable garden on it!

Compost

May 5th - 11th 2014 International Compost Awareness Week ...
Let's Recycle and make some compost!

Adventures of Raghu - Nothing goes waste!

“There’s just so much to do for tomorrow’s puja that we’re having in the house! Raghu and Meera you both are busy learning to tie knots when I need your help in the house! Can you both please get here this minute!” cried out Raghu’s mother as she scurried to the kitchen to continue chopping the pumpkin. Raghu and Meera quickly left their ropes and came running to the kitchen. Meera was Raghu’s school friend and lived near his house. Raghu hardly spoke to girls, but Meera was different. She was fun, adventurous and was always up to exploring the outdoors with Raghu.

“Meera, can you please start piling up all the vegetable scraps in one place. Raghu, can you please go out and rake up all the dry leaves. Lunch is in the garden tomorrow afternoon and I need the garden to be clean” ordered Raghu’s mother to both the children.

“Aunty, should I help you cut the veggies?” asked Meera. “No dear, the veggies are over and I need to now go buy more vegetables from the market. It’s such a hassle really since it’s so far away!” called back Raghu’s mother as she grabbed the car keys and rushed off. Raghu’s house was on the outskirts of the main city and the vegetable market was almost 10 kms away.

Once the kitchen was clean, Meera walked out to the garden to be with Raghu. She sat on the bench as she watched Raghu gather a huge pile of dried leaves and grass on the side. Suddenly Meera called out - “Oh my god Raghu!” “What?” exclaimed Raghu. “I have a great idea!” said Meera. “Oh no, not more of your crazy ideas Meera. Last time you made me jump off the banyan tree into the lake and you know what happened after that!” laughed Raghu. “No Raghu. It’s different this time. Let’s make your mom a vegetable garden by first creating a compost pit! Just look at the piles of leaves and vegetable scraps, let’s put them to some use! It’ll be so much fun.”

Raghu stood silent for a moment. “I remember Mrs Vani, our science teacher talking about this, but I forget, what exactly is compost?” said Raghu. “Compost is the end product of decomposition of organic matter. It works like a fertilizer for plants. We can always look on the internet for instructions on how to get started to make compost and if we have any questions we’ll ask Mrs Vani at school.”

 ‘How to build a compost pit in your garden’ typed Meera on the computer. “Compost pits can be created by digging the soil in your garden. The hole needs to be anywhere between 4-8 feet. You can cover it with a board, and later when it’s ready you can plant vegetables on top of it.

It says the the microorganisms that decompose leaves and other plant parts need an even mix of green stuff such as kitchen veggie scraps, grass clippings and brown stuff such as dried leaves, sawdust and newspaper. They also need air and water to live and work. If you put all these together you get a compost! Yipeee!!!” said Meera. “I know just the perfect spot in the garden to make our vegetable garden.” called out Raghu as he ran outside to look for a spade.

Outdoor activities with kids - Storytelling around the campfire!

Sitting around the campfire at night is one of the most intimate parts of camping. It’s as though in those moments, all the people sitting around the campfire are connected to each other through an invisible thread of vulnerability and adventure. It is at this time that fed by the dancing flames, ones creative energy finds stimulation under the moon and stars. Use this time to connect with your children through stories that are engaging. They could be traditional tales, myths, legends or simply inspirational stories. If you involve the kids in the process in a fun way, they’ll never forget the story you told them!

We share with you one such inspirational story below -

“When I travelled to the Himalayas sometime back I met a man there who knew how to get many things done with very little resources. He had almost nothing to work with, but accomplished great things.
Whether the task was to build a fire underwater or stop a waterfall from falling, it seemed he could take care of it. I was so amazed to see the things he could do, I finally asked him how he did it.

He told me that a long time ago he had found a magical solution to nearly all challenges that came along. He said it was all contained in a single, ancient word that had mystic powers. When you understand the meaning of the word, it unleashes immense strength and abilities; it makes your mind more clear; it makes your imagination run wild with ideas.

Well, of course, I could hardly contain myself and I just had to know what this powerful magic word was. I pleaded with him to tell me and he finally agreed.

He said the word is, 'YAGODDAWANNA'. <ask the children to say it along with you>

In order to accomplish anything, whether it is small or big, easy or difficult, trivial or of utmost importance, in order to be successful, YOU’VE GOTTA WANT to do it. To earn good grades, you gotta wanna earn them. To become an champ you gotta wanna be one. The main reason people don't succeed at something is because they don't really want it bad enough. By really wanting something, you come up with ideas, make plans, and then do it.

Remember, to do something YaGoddaWanna do it. So next time you come upon a task that seems almost impossible, you gotta stop and tell yourself “YAGODDAWANNA” “

Here we give you a few ideas for storytelling in the outdoors –

Create your own story: let the kids tell you a story, or come up with your own to tell them. 

Visit myths and ancient stories from further back than you remember from your own childhood, maybe ones you learned about in a college class, or from a grandparent

Take a peek deeper into the civilizations the children are studying in school in their history classes, find a story from that culture and time to help make it real and tangible for them.

Look into your own family lineage, and heritage for stories and ancient traditions, old customs or practices and share them with your children.

Research tribal tales and stories to tell your children.

Ghost stories and other scary stories are always a favourite with the ambiance created by the campfire!

Adventures of Raghu - Camping with Uncle Seher

It was that time of year again! The days were getting longer and warmer with summer vacations fast approaching. Therefore, the only thing on Raghu’s mind was the camping expedition

planned with his Uncle Seher in the coming month.

Raghu was 11 now and since the age of 8, he had spent at least 2 weeks of every summer vacation bag packing in the outdoors with his uncle. They had visited Kodaikanal, Coorg and had even gone to Madhya Pradesh once. This time however, uncle had planned a trip to the Himalayas.

Raghu was thrilled! It was the first time ever he would be visiting the great Himalayas.He had read about them in his text books, heard stories about them from his uncle, seen documentaries on TV, but he had never actually been there. To top it all, travelling with Uncle Seher was really an adventure of its own.

They would just carry basic food items and camping equipment with Uncle always looking to take remote alternate routes. He told umpteen stories on the way and would talk about the flora and history of the place as you walked with him. There was always something to learn when he was around.

Raghu was looking out his window when the phone rang. “Hi Boy!” said Uncle Seher. “Hope you’re ready for the hills!” Raghu laughed back in excitement as Uncle Seher continued - “We’ll be heading to Jalori pass and Sarolsar Lake in the Himalayas the second week of May.

We’ll also do some rock climbing this time so I want you to begin learning some basic knots before we go. We will also be trekking long distances so I want you to start building your stamina. Start running and biking a few hours a day Raghu. We’ll take our own tents and food supplies and will camp each night. The routes I’ve planned are a little out of the way! Pack some swimming gear too. There are plenty of waterfalls on the way! You’ll be happy to know I’m getting Leela along this time Raghu.” Leela was Uncle Seher’s beloved Labrodar that he brought along on trips sometimes. Raghu screeched – “Leela!!!! This is like the icing on the cake. “

Raghu put down the phone and thought to himself - “I’ll start with the Figure of 8, Clove Hitch and bowline knots. I remember uncle once mentioning that they are the most commonly used knots in rock climbing.

Figure of eight knot

I’ll also take my telescope this year and learn to find the different constellations. I remember how we saw a million stars in the night sky when we went camping last year." Hiking shoes, bag pack, mosquito repellant, sleeping bag and woolen clothes lay all around Raghu’s room as he sat day dreaming of the adventure that awaited him.