Tetra
Pak Ambassadors’ Felicitation Programme at Delhi
My heart skipped a beat when I saw a mail
from Pallavi Ma’am in which she told me that I had been invited for the Tetra
Pak Ambassadors’ Felicitation Programme at Delhi on 20th of April,
2012.the feeling was truly indescribable; so many thoughts crowded my mind all
at once – how would my family react when they come to know that I would soon be
going to Delhi? How proud my school would be of me!! I would get to boast of my
trip to all my friends at school!! But what excited me the most was the fact
that I would get to meet the friends I had made during the educational visit to
the Daman Ganga recycling unit at Vapi as part of the TERI-TETRAPAK SEARCH
programme.
Our train to Delhi was scheduled for 18th
April, 2012, at the Mumbai-Central station. The Rajdhani Express was the train
that would take us to our destination – New Delhi. We reached New Delhi at
about 5:30 pm the next day.
We were checked in at the Vishwa Yuvak
Kendra or the International Youth Centre at Chanakyapuri where we would be
staying for the next four days. The place had a very calm and serene ambience.
The beautiful lawns around the place put our much tired bodies in a state of
calm. The feeling truly is beyond the limitations of words.
The first day of our stay at Delhi is
something that I believe all of us are going to cherish in the years to come. We were eagerly waiting for this day for well over a month.
When you put a bunch of kids of the same age group in the same room, there is
bound to be a lot of commotion. And that’s exactly what happened!! We sat up
talking till 3:00am and got up at 5:30 am to get ready for the big day.
The felicitation programme was held on a
big scale. Dignitaries from TERI as well from TETRAPAK were invited to grace
the occasion. However, in my opinion, the most endearing and inspirational
personality at the event was Sir Robert Swan, a distinguished personality who
has dedicated his life to the Antarctic. He is the first person to have walked
both the South and North Poles. He has set up a company called 2041 which is
working to save the Antarctic.
After the conclusion of the programme we
were given medals and a certificate as a token of appreciation of the work
undertaken by us in order to spread the message on the usage of TetraPaks.
The next day, the students as well as the
teachers, went on a shopping spree to Lajpat Nagar, which is any shopaholic’s
delight.
The last day of our visit to Delhi,
reminded us of how the place is history come alive. We started the day by going
to the Baha’i temple, which is a lotus shaped temple of the followers of
Bahaullah. The place is open to people of other religions as well, but what
attracts most people to this place is the silence in which a troubled mind
finds solace. The feeling has to be experienced in order to understand the beauty of peace.
We then went to Rajghat, which is Mahatma
Gandhi’s Samadhi. The place is a beauty in itself. The lawns are maintained
very well. The place has a lot of visitors; most of them being foreigners.
The Red Fort was the most amazing part of
the visit. The fort houses the Mumtaz Mahal, the “Saawan” and “Bhaadon” gardens
and was by far the most spectacular part of the sight-seeing. The place is huge
and one should take out a minimum of five hours to absorb the beauty of the
place.
We gorged on some delicious Parathas at the
famous Parathewali Galli at Chandni Chowk.
Among the other places we visited was the
Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, and Connaught Place.
We also got the chance to travel in a
metro.
We left for Mumbai on the 21st
of April, 2012 and reached on 22nd April, 2012 at about 4:00 pm.
The visit to Delhi was something that I am
sure all of us are going to remember for really long time. I would like to
thank TERI for organizing this programme on such a large scale. I would also
like to thank my school principal, Sr. Sharmila Fernandes, our manager Rev. Fr.
Joaquim D’costa and my family for always encouraging me to do my best. But most
of all I would like to thank my teacher, Mrs. Nirmala Nair, who has always been
so supportive of me, because of whom I developed a liking towards the
protection of the environment, and who always inspires me with her kind and
helpful nature.
THANKYOU
BY RITHIKA KUMAR
TETRA PAK AMBASSADOR
SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL
VASHI
