August 4th

Day 12: Racha at Camp

Hi, my name is Hasita Pola, and I was a participant in the 2023 Giggling Geckos camp. I am 17 years old and I am from Dallas TX.

Breakfast

Today, the Geckos awoke to discover that Ammagaru had once again created one of the most delectable, mouthwatering breakfast item in the history of mankind: Curd Idlis. Meticulously constructing, Geetika, Pravalika, Namita, Anshu, and Anvitha assisted Ammagaru in the assembly of this complex but absolutely delicious masterpiece. I savored every bite of these soft, pillowy clouds layered with shredded carrots, beetroots, and radish, drizzled with chutney, covered in a thick layer of curd, and adorned with crispy boondi, and spicy masala. I’m truly grateful to be able to experience Ammagaru’s culinary creations and am forever thankful to Ammagaru and the aunties for creating this delicacy for us! After I stuffed my stomach, I made my way to Babuji Hall to practice the dance since there was no yoga practice for the day.

Goodbyes

While Jahu Akka and Sruti Akka sat in GTR sifting through photos, Sphuruna, Smaran, and Neelima Aunty prepared for their departure. Although the goodbyes were filled with sorrows it was also a moment to recollect the precious memories we had together: Sphurana welcoming us on the first day, Smaran biking around the farm, Neelima aunty teaching us yoga, Sphuruna recounting the story of Nagapanchami, and all three fiercely playing Kho Kho. Each person brings something special to camp and without them camp would not be the same. I’m so grateful to have met them, and been able to create wonderful memories with them!

Talking with Dr. Vinay Uncle

Once we said our goodbyes I made my way to GTR to put a face to the Uncle who has been helping us through our sicknesses: Dr. Vinay Uncle. We spent the whole morning conversing and listening to his experience as a young teenager in Saipatham. As he recounted his time, I learned how he came to become a homeopathic doctor, his close relationship with Sruti Akka, and his adventures in Shirdi. As our group conversation with Dr.Vinay Uncle came to an end, he left us with a piece of advice.

Afterwards, some of the girls had private conversations with Dr.Vinay Uncle. In his discussion with Pravallika he emphasized the importance of being happy. He asked us to decide that today we would be happy and not to let anyone take our happiness away from us. He then went on to express the importance of exercise and yoga. Our time with Dr.Vinay Uncle was short-lived but he left us with an unforgettable experience and valuable advice.

Spa Time!

As the afternoon dawned, we prepared for Spa Day! We all changed into our pajamas, rearranged our beds, applied oil to our hair, covered our faces in rose powder masks and layed down to watch Julayi. During the movie, Keerthi and I had to grab something from the kitchen, so we confidently ran down the stairs when we ran into a problem: Our faces were covered in rose masks, we looked like beetroots! All the aunties were resting so there was no one in the kitchen, but Manmohan uncle was downstairs overseeing the construction of Kabir Hall. Sruti Akka saw our struggle and decided to call on Manmohan uncle so he could see our beetroot faces. But Keerthi and I attempted to cover our faces with our hands while running across the field to the kitchen. Fortunately, Manmohan uncle didn’t see our faces!

Keerthi and I returned to see the girls dancing to the Julayi theme song. Due to internet connectivity problems we had to stop our movie-watching, but during that brief time we danced and sang our hearts out. We spent the rest of the time talking about various topics ranging from Adivi Sesh to how we want to stay connected. During this conversation is where the idea of writing articles about camp came to fruition. Additionally, we wanted a way to stay updated on each other's lives so we decided to text our daily gratitude in a WhatsApp group chat reminiscent of gratitude circles at camp. Even though we are halfway across the world, we all feel connected to Harithachala while writing these blogs as we all look back on our time in Tiruvannamalai.

Rooftop Racha

The evening was coming to an end, as the geckos made their way to the rooftop to see the sun gracefully descend behind the mountains. The sunset was “SOOO PRETTYYY” exclaimed Geetika. On this day a historical moment took place on the rooftop, just as the American Revolution was a pivotal point in U.S History, the event that occurred on the rooftop on August 4th, 2023 will go down in the history of Giggling Geckos Camp 2. Unfortunately, what happens on the rooftop stays on the rooftop, so I’m forbidden from recounting this historical tale. However, I can tell you that we laughed hysterically for hours and created some of our fondest memories here. 

Bonfire S’mores

But today marks another milestone, Sruti Akka tried a s’more for the first time! We finally had the chance to light the bonfire and make s’mores. The uncles filled the pit with firewood and poured the fuel to start the fire. The aunties prepared all the ingredients while the girls assembled the marshmallows onto roasting sticks for everyone. The fire was immense while our roasting sticks were short in length. I would get close to fire and back away as soon as the fire got too unruly. Instead of painstakingly firing the marshmallows in a battle against the fire, Geetika, our fearless inhouse engineer, acquired a huge stick that had a hole for us to insert our roasting stick onto, and this way we could be a safe distance from the fire while still roasting our marshmallows. We ended our s’mores adventure in celebration with our one of a kind Shaky-Shaky dance.

Mucho Muchatlu

The fun didn’t end there though, the laughter and glee was heard throughout the night. The aunties had prepared fresh gorintaku (henna) paste to apply to our hands. Back in our dorm Lavanya aunty and Kavita aunty applied the gorintaku in various designs to our hands. Sruti Akka also visited and conversed with us until 1:30 am, and as Pravallika exclaimed “It felt soo good to talk to akka for soooo long!”

Today was another unforgettable day filled with excitement and joy. As camp comes to an end, each moment becomes more precious; The camaraderie among the geckos, the endless laughter, and the adventures I encountered, are memories that I will cherish for years to come.