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One day in the life of a...camping centre
Building team spirit
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SUDHIR SYAL goes camping at Tonekala and discovers the great outdoors
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VERDANT SURROUNDINGS The camping site
CITYSCAPE SUDHIR SYAL goes camping at Tonekala and discovers the great outdoors
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Anne Frank
"Camping for Character", this was the undying motto of one man, Major Wallace Forgie, a Canadian national who had come to the city to work with the Madras YMCA in the year 1927. Forgie, a retired Army Major who served in the World War I was an avid camper and outdoors man for whom camping took on a much larger meaning — it built character, team-sprit and confidence. "A good camper is a good human being," he would often say.
So when he didn't find a single camping facility in the entire city, he made the developing and nurturing of a camping site his own personal ambition. A full ten years later, with funding from his associates from Canada, he set up Camp Tonekala thus making his goal a reality.
As, I make the long journey towards the camping site, I am joined by the president of the Camp Tonekala Association, B.I. Chandhok, who helps me track its the history. "Tonekala co-incidentally in both Native-American Red-Indian dialect and Tamil translates to 'Not for self', this sums up the thinking behind the camp and those who run it." Chandhok goes on to tell me how the camp shifted from its initial location to its present one at Avadi in the year 1946, and also explains how the Camp Tonekala Association was formed.
"The death of William Forgie in 1968 and subsequent political pressures meant that by the early 1970s, all funding from Canada stopped. It was it at this stage that a number of Chennai citizens came together to form the 'Camp Tonekala Association' that and helps support the camp today." Most of the original members support the camp till today, the passion and earnest in Mr.Chandhok's voice is unmistakable, this year he completes 55 years of being associated with the camp and age certainly hasn't slowed him down.
After about 45 minutes of hectic travel through the hustle-bustle of the city, I finally reach the Camp and am greeted by a big board which announces, 'We love nature'— the slogan of the camp. Spread over 14 acres of open space with abundant greenery, the sound of birds chirping and fresh serene air, a city-dweller like me just can't couldn't help but feel completely out of place. K.S. Govindaraj, secretary of the association who took over as the head of the camp after the death of Maj. Forgie, has been awaiting for my arrival and tells he tells me about the functioning of the camp, "The camp plays host to over 7,000 campers every year who come as a part of various scout and cadet groups from schools and colleges. In the day, most campers spend their time taking part in sporting activities and motivational team building sessions while most of the evenings are spent around bonfires."
Swimming in the covered swimming pool is a major attraction at the camp, while some of the other attractions include at the camp are a natural lake, a play-ground and a number of bonfire sites. where the campers gather during the night. Around the three base sites where a total of 31 tents can be pitched, there are is a healthy vegetation of banyan, tamarind and neem trees which help add to the greenery.
Mr.Govindaraj is very clear on one stand, apart from camping equipment, first-aid and basic amenities, no other luxuries are allowed, in fact campers are even disallowed from going out of the camp to buy soft-drinks and other food-stuffs. Clearly, the *character building" legacy of the founder William Forgie continues, as Govindaraj tells us, "Our only objective is to promote camping as an activity which helps build character, discipline and self-esteem in students, this is only possible if they rough it out and experience the joy of nature and the outdoors first hand."
Camping is priced at a subsidised Rs. 5 per head per day, and the social objectives of the association are is also underlined by their conducting of vocational training in the form of tailoring and type-writing classes for the poor.
As my tour of Camp Tonekala comes to an end and as the sun sets, I speak to Hari, a Teachers" Training College student who has been camping at Tonekala for the last 2 days. He reflects, "More than the sporting activities or the feeling of being in the outdoors, it's the feeling of togetherness and bonding that a camp like this instils. I have gotten to know my classmates much better, and this is what I will take home." Clearly, for him, the camp has helped build and discover character in amongst his classmates. As the camp celebrates its 70th year anniversary on the 30th of March, there will be no prouder man than Maj. William Forgie whose mortal remains fittingly remain buried in the middle of the camp-site.
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How to get there
By road: After passing the Dunlop Factory on Ambattur road, turn left at the Dr. Ambedkar statue and travel 4 km to reach the camp.
By train: The nearest railway station is the Annanur Railway station. The Camp is a 10 min walk from the station.
How much it costs
Camping: Rs. 5 per person per day
Swimming: Rs. 15 for half-an-hour
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