Ten days NSS Camp at Pong Dam, Himachal Pradesh
10th - 19th October 2016
National Service Scheme, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Govt. of India organized Ten Days NSS Camp of Water Sports at Pong Dam, near Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh from 10th – 19th October, 2016. Six students Alia Anis (17014), Anand Thomas (17017), Chanakya Sethi (17039), Kashika Grover (17064), Kavita Kataria (17066), Nishant Kumar (17096) from Department of Computer Science and Engineering along with one faculty Mr. Dharamveer,Faculty in charge, NSS, Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon joined the camp. Many students from various institutes from different part of the country were present in the camp. Some of them were from Telegana, Shimla, Sikkim, Manali, Kangra.
Day 1
On the first day of the camp, the student’s registrations and all the other paper works were done. The students had their introduction with each other on that day. Students interacted with each other and got to know each other.
Day 2
The second day of the camp started. A whistle was blown sharp at 6 in the morning and all the students reported on the ground by 6:30 AM. Then there was an hour workout till 7:30 AM which included trekking, PT, stretching. After the workout part was over, students were given an area inside the campus which they have to clean for 30 minutes which is known as Shramdan in NSS which was under Swach Bharat by our Honbl. PM Shri. Narendra Modi ji.
After the morning workout part was over, next whistle was for breakfast at 8:15 AM.Then the next whistle was for the morning session of water sports at 9:30 AM in which the students were supposed to report in their swim wear. On the second day, students were provided with their life jackets and lifeboys. Three captains were chosen on that day for the entire camp. One was the overall captain, one was the mess in charge and one was the equipment incharge One students from Mandi group was chosen as overall Captain, Anand Thomas (DCE Student) was made the mess in charge and Nishant Kumar (DCE Student) was made the equipment in charge. After that, all the students with their lifejackets went to the dam where the water sports activities took place. On the second day of the camp, students learnt basics of swimming which included freestyle swimming. The morning session ended at 12:30 PM and the students returned back to their hostels to get freshen up. Then the whistle was heard for lunch and all the students had their lunch .Students have to again report for the evening session at 3:30 PM. In the evening session, the trainer told the students to do long distance swimming in freestyle which was taught to them in the morning session. In long distance swimming, students had to cross the dam from one end to the other end and come back to the same end from where they started. Then evening session ended at 5:30 PM.
Day 3
On the third day of the camp, students were taught about other strokes of swimming. They were taught the backstroke and the breaststroke. In the morning session, students learned the back stroke and in the evening session, they learned about the breaststroke. There was a lecture on Kayaking. In the lecture, the trainer over their told the students about kayaking. He taught the students about the parts of a kayak, how it pedal of a kayak is hold while kayaking, the way to sit in the kayak and how to tackle the kayak when there is a wave in the water.
Day 4
The students were supposed to report by 9:30 AM for the morning session. In the morning session, there was the practical session for kayaking about which lecture was delivered just a day before that day. Students learnt about kayaking and cannoning. Then in the evening session, again kayaking was in the schedule but this time it was long distance kayaking. After that the same schedule was followed as usual and the fourth day of the camp so ended.
Day 5
On the fifth day of the camp, sailing was in the schedule and in the morning session, sail rigging and rescue from sail boat was taught to the students. In the evening session of fifth day, students along with the trainers went on sailing. After the evening session got over, a cultural program was organized by Telangana and Shimla people as that was their last day in the camp. In the cultural program, students got to see their traditional dance of telangana and traditional dance of Himachal known asNati from Shimla people.
Day 6
In the morning session of sixth day, students were told to do sailing practice and they were also taught about the kayak rescue. In the evening session of sixth day, students were told to swim in the water without life jackets. Trainers were present there to help students and students started practicing without their life jackets. Dronacharya students served dinner to all the people present in the camp on sixth day.
Day 7
In the morning session of seventh day, students were taught how to jump in the water and how to dive in the water. Students practiced a lot on diving and finally almost all the students learnt how to dive in the water. In the evening session, students were taught breathing technique inside and outside the water and the butterfly stroke of swimming. Dronacharya students served lunch to all the NSS volunteers present in the camp.
Day 8
In the morning session, students were taught about rowing of boat and students went on boat rowing with their trainers and instructors. The evening session of eighth day was called off and the students went to the market in the evening on eight day of the camp. On the eighth day of the camp, there was a poster competition also in which different group of were supposed to make posters on cleanliness. Then in the evening, there was a cultural program as well in which students of Dronacharya prepared a skit on their experience at pong dam till that day.
Day 9
In the morning session of the camp, surfing was there in the schedule and students were taught how to balance on the surfing board while moving on the water. In the evening session, final practice was there without life jacket in which student were told to use every stroke along with breathing technique taught to them without life jackets. In the evening again a cultural program was organized for the students.
Day 10
In the morning session of the final day in the camp, students were supposed to clean all the boats and after they cleaned all the boats and all, every equipment were to be returned to the authority there. Then in the evening, closing ceremony was organized in which all the students were given certificates and all of them had a group photograph.
It was a great experience for all the students. They all learnt many things there from water sports to the time schedule as they had to wake up at 6 in the morning and without rest whole day they had to work. So those ten days were really enjoyable and students got a new experience.