Karnataka - Bangalore   

Watch out where you send your children

BANGALORE: Gone are the days when summer holidays were all about groggy afternoons, lazing around at home, catching up with your neighbourhood friends and celebrating the fact that the day just got a lot longer. Call it a sociological change or a matter of choice and lifestyle; as far as children are concerned, summer days are packed with activity and perhaps fun, and all thanks to the summer camp phenomenon.

At the risk of turning into another chore for these children, many parents continue to send their wards to these camps. Often the intake is high and parents complain that children come home unhappy. Defeating the purpose of creating a fun atmosphere, camps turn into a tightly structured experience.

Gully cricket and playground football is out of the question. So, if children want to sweat it out in the summer, then parents will have to sweat it out even more. Sports camps cost as much as Rs. 4,000 a month and personalised coaching will cost anywhere near Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 an hour. “Being part of such a camp, children may not be given the freedom to choose to not attend a camp because Rs. 300 an hour is not a joke. Kids have a mood swing and may not want to go but its only a matter of a few hours,” says Vishwa R., whose son learns martial arts and swimming

Opening a summer camp makes good business sense these days. Shruthi U., who works in a call centre says that she is sending her daughter to summer camps because she would be working an evening shift. “I would rather have spent the summer with her, but then this seems like something she would enjoy. The expense is a problem because her crèche which will be conducting the camp charges around Rs. 1,000 extra only for the summer,” she explains.

From Kalaripayattu to Yakshagana to the usual gamut of karate and art classes; the range on offer is wide. Wilderness camps which may be two-week-long can cost anywhere between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 8,000. Theatre movement, Taekwondo, simulated environment and theme play are the few things on offer at a popular summer camp for kids ages three to seven. Though the terminology is vague and seems too complex for tiny tots, the five-day-week will cost Rs. 1,600 and two weeks of the course are mandatory.

Though summer camps are generally for children, the more specific ones even cater to homemakers and the elderly. From German language course camps to acupuncture and fitness camps, there is a little bit of something for everyone.

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