THE BEST OF HUBLI AND THE BEAUTY OF HAMPI

THE BEST OF HUBLI AND THE BEAUTY OF HAMPI

People choose various ways to be happy in their lives. Some need to sit alone and enjoy the moment while others love to travel across the world in search of happiness. I belong to the latter group of people who love to travel and explore. As part of our academic programme, our class got an opportunity to explore both Hubli and Hampi. The objective of the visit was to spend time with the rural school children in that area. Hubli, being the second largest city in the state of Karnataka is the nerve centre for North Karnataka region and the fastest growing city after its capital Bangalore. My friend’s family fortunately had a beautiful farm house there and were our gracious hosts. Their farm was in the outskirts of a little rural town. During our stay there, we cooked together and bonded over food, campfires, songs and exchanging narratives. The whole trip was a wonderful experience.

The main purpose of the trip was our visit to the school. We had the opportunity to interact with school children who amazed us with their discipline and active participation in the whole learning process. The manner in which the teachers and students greeted us completely overwhelmed us. Since the children were not used to visitors from outside, they were thrilled to have us there and followed us around almost as if we were from a different planet. Their eyes sparkled with joy at the sight of our faces. We then engaged the students at different classrooms teaching them and interacting with them. When it was time for us to leave the place, I walked away leaving half my heart there with the children. We were happy to learn that the children were equipped with suitable teaching aids for different academic levels. We also spoke to them about dedication, sincerity and the rewards of hard work. The children were indeed shining gems that will definitely light up the world soon.

Rural exposure at the Government School

The last day of our rural exposure found us high up in Matanga Hills, which is one of the best destinations in Hampi. It provides the best spot for an aerial view of Hampi. We reached there early in the morning so as to see the sun rise from the top of the hill and it took us atleast half an hour to climb up to the top. We were the first tourists of the day to reach the hilltop. We sat down and allowed the gentle breeze to caress us. The view from above was so sublime that it raised many philosophical and religious questions in our minds.  After the sunrise we all sat down to have breakfast together on the mountain top and a dog also joined us, making us wonder where it suddenly appeared from. With the beautiful sight of the sunrise as a backdrop we enjoyed the joys and camaraderie of friendship and wished the moment would never end.

Time played spoil sport and soon it was time to pack up and leave. We began our journey back, holding fast to a bunch of cherished memories.