Camp was nothing like what I thought it would be. I was expecting a lot of action, a lot of testing, trying and eye-opening experiences. But camp turned out to be more than that in many ways. Many vague ideas and incomplete thoughts turned into real, concrete knowledge for me. Swami M has a real special way of explaining and communicating which delivered to me in a most satisfying way. I fell in love with him and with spirituality all over again, and that was a pretty amazing feeling.

Leading activities was a relatively new experience for me, and I was intimidated, though excited. The camp group was a challenging bunch – sceptical and perceptive. I had to consciously tell myself not to give up, but try different ways to communicate the activities to everyone the best way I could. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t about me, or how good or bad I was at it, but about everyone benefiting from the activities and learn whatever they could.

Two of the things I loved best about camp were the self-reflection period where we had to go off and be alone in silent reflection and the meditation on Sunday morning. They were both very fulfilling in ways I cannot explain and hence, I won’t try to.

I also loved the Sunday session with Swamiji where I learnt a lot more about Hindu culture and got a lot of things cleared. Have I mentioned how much I love him?

I really enjoyed the night walk. I love nature, I love the dark, and I absolutely adore rain. So it was my three most favourite things all put together. It was beyond beautiful. This is possibly very embarrassing, but I was smiling to myself and talking to the trees in my head during the walk. I also skipped along a couple of metres just for the fun of it.

What I find really fascinating about these camps is the number of like-minded people you find whom you can connect to and learn from. I sincerely appreciate everyone who was there, adding to each other’s experiences. I hope everyone took away some form of inspiration from the camp as I did. Here’s a magic hug for each one of you! *hugggg*

A big thanks to Venu, Samyuktha and everyone else who helped organize the camp. It was amazing. I would like to encourage all you newbies to give Chyk class a shot and see how you like it. We have quite a lot of fun. Also, the concert on Sunday is going to be quite enjoyable. Prabhat is very talented and the bhajans on the list are very catchy and easy to follow, so if you have the time, do drop by.