Scout Report 2010
Monday morning it was the 1st of March 2010, the morning it all began. Our first Scout meeting with all the authority leaders and our Scout Master., Mr. Suraj Tamang, and the resolution taken was not as far-sighted as it seems now, coming to the end of the year. I personally feel it is the best year of scouting at North Point as far as my tenure is concerned as the Troop Leader four years of leadership training and pulling out the hands from our pockets for service.
Just as the sowing of a seed so that it ultimately gives sweet fruits, our gearing up started 
when a hurdle, just of words at the moment, but yes, a hurdle was flung at us so that we would plunge for it. Scouts who think they can appear for the Rajya Puraskar Exams were to step up counting in all of their scouting skills and knowledge they possessed. We stepped forward and our flight landed us at the preparatory camp which took place at the Snow View Camp Site, Kurseong. It took real hard work and sincerity from our side and that from Mr. Suraj Tamang and Mrs. Helma Santiago to make us cross-over this obstacle. Three months of sweat brought out, five of us made ourselves eligible to receive the Rajya Puraskar Award at the Government House of Kolkata on 7th July 2010 by the luminary hands of the honourable Governor of West Bengal himself, His Excellency Mr. M. K. Narayanan.
Planting of saplings around our school campus was the next resolution taken at the Court of Honour Meeting. In thorough consultation with Fr. Minister, scouts were well equipped with necessary tools for plantation on 17th July. It was totally delightful for some of us who had never experienced gardening before and such an activity gave us all an incentive to plant more trees in future. Scouts were then vested with the badges to officially join the World Scouting Movement.
Scouts also marched along with hundreds of young and innovative minds of Darjeeling, ensuring that we are actively supporting the Traffic Safety Week organised by the Darjeeling Police, where some of our scouts were awarded for active participation in making slogan ply cards.
Senior Scout Leaders were invited by Jinglam and Testa Valley Scouts Unit to share Effective knowledge on mapping, estimation, signalling, pioneering and first-aid; we were honoured as being the first Rajya Puraskar receipent in the District Association in the entire history of scouting here on the hill of Darjeeling and the classes conducted us were appreciated by those scouts, it had been learning experience for us as well.
During school occasions such as Annual Sports Day, Rectors Day and Inter-School Athletics Meet, scouts were very courteous in rendering our services and the face of prepared North Point Scouts.
Good turn of scouts finally got its endowment and we got a chance to experience an overnight camp amidst of deathly stillness of the Dhotrey forest cover on 9th and 1th October. Plenty of activities were carried out where scouts learnt much more than just scouting. The warmth of air in the cold environment encircled all of us as one, and that rope, tying the knot of brotherhood was strengthened after hiking to Tonglu (3070 m.) and back where we could help each other as our own family members and also respect them as the same. Furthermore, we could marvel at the splendour of nature and turn it into snapshots. We then left the camp-site as clean as it was, because the motto for this camp was CAMP IS CLEAN
With my utmost thanking to our Scout Master for making the year 2010 a success for scouting, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Rev. Fr. Rector for his gracious consents to carry out all our activities effectively. Jamborees and gatherings are an educating step enriching us with experiences to BE PREPARED for the parts that life will meet out to us. Along these lines, scouts will be attending the National Jamboree to be held at Hyderabad this winter, during January. Also, to add to the charismatic venture of scouting, scouts will be attending the International Jamboree next year in late July too to represent India at Sweden and not to forget that Scouts from St. Joseph’s School represented India in the International Jamboree held at Chelmsford London in the year 2007.
I now end by reporting that students learn way too many things at North Point things, which I believe students cannot learn anywhere else in the world. Scouting at North Point is one of the effective ways of inculcating leadership and gentlemanliness in us included in the school co-curricular and extracurricular activities, for which St. Joseph’s Scouts Troop will always remain in force.
Ashwin Kanan
(Troop Leader)
