An electrifying tour to Udaipur was organised to rejuvenate the students and to ease off from the recently concluded exams. It was held from October 5th to October 8th for the students of grades 9 and 10. The first day started with refreshment in the awesome hotel: “Valley View” in Udaipur after which we strolled out in this beautiful city of lakes.
We went for boating in the Pichola Lake, a beautiful, picturesque lake that is enveloped by some of the key structures of Udaipur. After the highly informative and full-of-fun ride, we visited the Maharana Pratap Memorial where we learnt more about the very inspiring life of Maharana Pratap. The stories of Chetak, his loyal horse, who lived and died for the Rana gave us goosebumps. As the evening proceeded and it got dark, we went forth to explore the city centre and trekked for about 2 km going through narrow streets and subways, eventually arriving at an eye-catching sight of the city of Udaipur with buildings and structures decorated with candles and lights. It seemed like a city of GOLD! Finally, upon returning back to our hotel, we had a delicious dinner and our day ended with already lots of memories of the city.
The next day, our curiosity was exploited in Chittaurgarh – the land of Bhakti and Shakti (the land of devotion and strength), about 100 km from Udaipur. After a “heavy” breakfast, we travelled and reached there by noon. We then explored through the ruins of places where some of the most inspiring events took place. In this historically significant Mewar part of Rajasthan, we saw for ourselves the place where Queen Padmini and the Rajput women performed “jauhar” symbolising the extent of their dedication towards their faith. We relived the sacrifice made by Panna Dai in order to save the infant Prince Udaisinh and we were touched by the life and devotion of Meerabai. We got to see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory), Meerabai Temple, Rana Pratap fort and the breathtaking views of the modern city which lay at the foothills. After lunch in the city, whilst our buses took us back to Udaipur, we continued marvelling in the glory of the city we had just witnessed. Upon returning to the hotel, we freshened up and got replenished with some tasty snacks and games. Swimming was great fun. And then again, came another very delicious dinner serving some awesome food. Everyone was charged up and looking forward to the Navratri celebration arranged in the hall within the hotel itself. After some time after dinner, we enjoyed garba in which all students and teachers danced with a lot of passion.
The final day of our trip began with our visit to the mesmerising, grand City Palace. It was built by 22 kings, one after the other and is an excellent masterpiece of architecture infused with strategy. We saw the well preserved rooms, gardens, clothes, jewellery and weapons used by the generations of the royal family. We witnessed first-hand the life style of the royal family. Everyone left the palace in awe and reached the hotel for lunch.
It was time then to bid farewell to this beautiful city of palaces and lakes and we started our return journey to school. One of the most remarkable things about this tour was the extent of meticulous planning and execution of our tour manager Mr Himanshu Goyal from Booking Station. Himanshu Sir was personally involved in every event and situation taking such care so as to provide us with the best possible experience.
This trip was indeed very adventurous and enthralling and surely one of the best trips we’ve ever been to. The experiences of this tour have left indelible footprints on the sands of time for us.
We went for boating in the Pichola Lake, a beautiful, picturesque lake that is enveloped by some of the key structures of Udaipur. After the highly informative and full-of-fun ride, we visited the Maharana Pratap Memorial where we learnt more about the very inspiring life of Maharana Pratap. The stories of Chetak, his loyal horse, who lived and died for the Rana gave us goosebumps. As the evening proceeded and it got dark, we went forth to explore the city centre and trekked for about 2 km going through narrow streets and subways, eventually arriving at an eye-catching sight of the city of Udaipur with buildings and structures decorated with candles and lights. It seemed like a city of GOLD! Finally, upon returning back to our hotel, we had a delicious dinner and our day ended with already lots of memories of the city.
The next day, our curiosity was exploited in Chittaurgarh – the land of Bhakti and Shakti (the land of devotion and strength), about 100 km from Udaipur. After a “heavy” breakfast, we travelled and reached there by noon. We then explored through the ruins of places where some of the most inspiring events took place. In this historically significant Mewar part of Rajasthan, we saw for ourselves the place where Queen Padmini and the Rajput women performed “jauhar” symbolising the extent of their dedication towards their faith. We relived the sacrifice made by Panna Dai in order to save the infant Prince Udaisinh and we were touched by the life and devotion of Meerabai. We got to see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory), Meerabai Temple, Rana Pratap fort and the breathtaking views of the modern city which lay at the foothills. After lunch in the city, whilst our buses took us back to Udaipur, we continued marvelling in the glory of the city we had just witnessed. Upon returning to the hotel, we freshened up and got replenished with some tasty snacks and games. Swimming was great fun. And then again, came another very delicious dinner serving some awesome food. Everyone was charged up and looking forward to the Navratri celebration arranged in the hall within the hotel itself. After some time after dinner, we enjoyed garba in which all students and teachers danced with a lot of passion.
The final day of our trip began with our visit to the mesmerising, grand City Palace. It was built by 22 kings, one after the other and is an excellent masterpiece of architecture infused with strategy. We saw the well preserved rooms, gardens, clothes, jewellery and weapons used by the generations of the royal family. We witnessed first-hand the life style of the royal family. Everyone left the palace in awe and reached the hotel for lunch.
It was time then to bid farewell to this beautiful city of palaces and lakes and we started our return journey to school. One of the most remarkable things about this tour was the extent of meticulous planning and execution of our tour manager Mr Himanshu Goyal from Booking Station. Himanshu Sir was personally involved in every event and situation taking such care so as to provide us with the best possible experience.
This trip was indeed very adventurous and enthralling and surely one of the best trips we’ve ever been to. The experiences of this tour have left indelible footprints on the sands of time for us.
Re-Lived by: Yaksh Badhiwala and Utkarsh Patel (Std 10)
1 comment:
Dear Students, Its great to know about your experiences. It was a pleasure for me to serve this wonderful institution.The perfect harmony between teachers and students was spectacular. You guys were full of energy. Always ready for outings and activities. Keep it up.. Wish you all the best.
Hmanshu Goyal
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