One fine winter afternoon on the 26th of December 2002, near the shores of the Dumas Beach, came 72 flower buds, smiling and tilting their heads as they found their way, apprehensive and yet confident that they had made the correct decision…….

And this was the beginning of the three day long program with an inaugural session which was studded with dignitaries of District 3060 - DG Jatin Bhatt, DGE. Kulbandu Sharma, DGN Dr. Ashok Kapadia, RYLA chairman - Prakash Patel and Camp Coordinator - PP Jugal Shinglot. It was an unforgettable experience both - for the participants and me as the camp leader. The entire inaugural session was conducted by Rylarian Priyanka Mody and Mithila Jariwala who did an excellent job.

The arrangements made by Rotarian of the boarding and lodging committee were very good and it was indeed very satisfying to note that all our participants, adapted beautifully to the new surroundings and makeshift residence for the four days. Not a complaint, not a grumble but a smile on every face. What better could one ask for?

Going to the actual agenda, the various sessions conducted thru the days ranging from yoga, aerobics and exercises early morning lead by Dr Himanshu Pathak followed by breakfast. During the day there were two pre lunch sessions and two post lunch sessions. The school groups were broken into five different groups, comprising of two groups of girls and three groups of boys. Each group nominated their own team leader who maintained punctuality, mannerisms and cleanliness of room and motivation of the less active participants in their respective groups.

A variety of topics were covered such as Public speaking and leadership development by R Mahesh, positive attitude by PDG Himanshu Thakkar, personality development, body language by Dr. Mrs. Amrita Agrawal, grooming and table manners by Mr. Manoj Agrawal, drug abuse and aids awareness by Ann Aruna Thakkar and inmates of Parivartan, human relations by Rohit Marfatia, communication skills by Dhiren Tharnani, How to be a good citizen by Sashikant Shah and medical first aid treatment and management by Rtn. Dr. Sunil D’souza. Sessions were conducted by respective faculties and equally well received by the children. Most notable was the active interaction between the speaker and the audience which reflected the attentiveness and alertness of the children.

The best lass Rylarian award went to Miss Khushboo Patel and the best Lad Rylarian went to Vibin Nair sponsored by R.C Daman. Various awards were awarded in various categories too over and above the individual RYLA certificate awarded to each participant by PDG Prafull Bhatt at the valedictory ceremony.

There never was a dull moment at the camp. Come evening and we saw the children in different but lighter moods. There was an array of talent displayed on all the three entertainment evenings conducted by Ann. Maharukh Chichgar and Miss Pearl who brought out the best talents in all the children especially at the camp fire side nite.

Personally speaking, I was proud to be known as the ‘Daddy’ to all the children for these three days. Assisting me throughout day and night, how can I forget my right hands… Rtn. Preeti Jariwala, Rtn. Dr. Nitin Garg, Ann Manisha Gandhi and Ms. Anupama Solanki who put in their precious hours and energy to ensure that everything went off smoothly all thru. I would also like to make a special mention of Rtn. Mehul Shah for his invaluable service to this camp.

I was a witness literally, seeing these buds bloom in the three days and at the farewell, all I saw was fully bloomed flowers … a variety of them, in different colours, in different moods… and each of them LEADERS in their own right. Indeed the RYLA has been for me an experience of a lifetime and I would give anything to see it happen over and over again.

Rotary International has always recognized the need for development of young leaders in our many Rotary nations. To achieve this, R. I. has adopted the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Program to encourage and assist young people in the development of their leadership skills.

Under the general guidance of the R. I. RYLA committee, most of the 528 Rotary districts in the world sponsor this program, directed by a local district committee to adapt the RYLA program to suit local needs. Some districts conduct the program for high school age youth, others concentrate on the under 30 years old group, some conduct the program as a week-long retreat while others operate the program over a week-endperiod. Each program, however, is designed to provide lifetime leadership skills for young people, adapted to local needs.

To everyone who is or has participated as a Rotary leader in this program, "thank you." To everyone who is or has participated as RYLArian, "congratulations" and may you use your acquired skills to the betterment of our world. To everyone who would like to be a part of this exciting venture, "welcome". Today's leaders were yesterday's youth; Tomorrow's leaders are today's youth.