HSC, SSC students replace backpacks with travel gear

THANE: After attending classes, tuitions and slogging for an entire year, SSC and

HSC

students across the lake-city have already begun preparing and gearing up for their much needed

vacation

.

Now that the board

exams

have finally ended, they have replaced their backpacks with travel itineraries and adventure gear and selfie-sticks.

While some have set their eyes on adventurous travel destinations on the coastal belt many have decided to visit hill stations to get away from the rising summer heat.

Ojas Sitapure (17), an HSC student who has planned a road trip with his friends said, “We were totally immersed in our notes, especially over the past few months and thought we should plan an unusual trip. My elder brother decided to help us out by taking my three friends and me for a coastal road trip which will include stops at the Velas turtle festival, Ganpati Pule beach, Tarkarli and finally the casinos in Goa. As the climate is expected to be warm there as well we may end up spending most of the time in the water at these beaches.”

“My friends and I love trekking, but we could not go for the winter star gazing and camping events as they clashed with our prelims and study period thereafter. We will be making the most of this time and joining various groups for the Kedarkanta, Bhandardara and Brakmatal treks. We may even go for the Pawna camp if possible,” said 18-year-old Shalini Thorat, a Khopat resident who just completed her HSC exams.

Although a few groups of students have planned eventful and adventurous trips like Sitapure and Thorat, a few have decided to take this time and spend it with family in a relaxing and cool hill station instead.

“I have been having study group sessions with my friends all through the year, and so we decided to take a

break

and spend some time with our families this summer. My father has booked a stay in a Himachal resort so we can all get a break from the heat and also get to spend some relaxing family time together,” said Angelica Pinto (15) a Manpada based SSC student. A few educational institutions and NGOs have also planned a similar trip for these students who have crossed their first big academic milestone, and have even begun helping them gear up for this vacation.

“Just like every year, we have organised a trip to Manali for a group of our 30 SSC students from April 7 to 20. This vacation amid the snow-capped Himalayas aims to push them to travel on their own, make new friends and prepare themselves for the life after school. We have begun morning exercise sessions so that they can quickly acclimatize to the hilly terrain,” said Surrendra Dighe, Jidnyasa Trust.