Adventure on their New Year calendar

Adventure sports may just be the perfect solution to banish your child’s winter blues as we enter a new year.

These outdoor activities are gaining popularity with people opting to experience the thrills. Adventure camps for children that have been around for years are now being inundated with bookings for the vacations.

There’s a vast range of choices, from trekking, cycling, paragliding, kayaking to snorkeling, rafting, sailing and windsurfing. Anirudh Chaoji, director of an adventure club, says rafting camps in Rishikesh and scuba diving in Lakshwadeep are the most popular camps.

“Indian children are now more open to adventure than they were a few years ago,” he says.

Anita Malik, who runs a paragliding centre with her husband, says, “Children find it easier to learn and they’re wonderful to teach as they listen and pick up faster.” She takes the Young Eagles workshop, a two-day course to introduce children to flying and help them experience their first instructional tandem flight.

The winter batches are especially crowded since the conditions enable two sessions instead of a single one.

Most camps are also divided according to age so that younger children find activities suited to their level. The Inland Windsurfing and Sailing Academy (IWSA) has junior and senior categories and different water sports.

This winter will see them showcase their skills at a championship. Praveen VG, a member of the academy, says, “Children from all age groups coming from different parts of India will participate in the event.”

Another city-based company that conducts outdoor activities also has different instructional levels intimated to the counsellors while dealing with different age groups.

Instructor, Sameer Joshi, says he makes sure children learn about the identification and importance of various flora and fauna on their nature trails while for older children, group discussions play a big part in the learning process.

He adds that children also gain confidence, become more responsible and fearless and blossom into independent individuals.

Bhagyashree Joshi sent her son Arhant and her daughter Soumya to an adventure camp when they were young because she felt it was better for them to be outdoors than waste away their time in front of the television. They’ve been regulars since then.

Soumya says, “I was shy when I was young but the camps helped me become more outgoing and open since we interacted with so many people.” Her instructor Chaoji says once children overcome their fears, it reflects in their personal life and they’re not as scared of exams or studies. 

Adventure though is not only about children any more; it’s about ‘family time’. Sameer says, “We provide customised packages to families which prefer to spend the holidays exploring  national parks.” Adventure vacations also help in the bonding process.

Malik says, “Our family batches are popular as many people bring their children along to share the thrill of paragliding.”