11th National Boscoree comes to a close

Participants from 75 schools during the concluding day of the 11th National Boscoree that was held at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Dimapur. 
 
Dimapur, january 2 (MExN): The 11th National Boscoree 2010, at DBHSS, Dimapur, Nagaland, came to a close on January 2, 2011 with the three flags - National, Boscoree and Scouts and guides - honorably lowered down from the poles. It was a day of recognizing and acknowledging the people and place, values and messages leant and given. It was a day to pledge to carry forward the messages and ideals of Baden Powell, the father and founder of the Scouts and Guides Movement.
A press note issued by Tarcisius Toppo, Bosco Communications Dimapur informed that  Fr. (Dr.) James Poonthuruthil, the Salesian Provincial, Dimapur, at the valedictory function urged the participants to carry the wonderful inspirations and experiences they had at the Boscoree and be a beacon of light in their home environment. Quoting Robin S. Sharma’s book “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrrari” he said “Time slips through our hands like grains of sand never to return again. He also reminded that the Scouts and Guides movement is a wonderful platform and opportunity for young people to use the God-given time wisely. He stressed that only by living the principles and values of the movement can one achieve success in life. In a similar strain as the inspiring and unforgettable words inscribed in the epitaph of Kohima War cemetery, Nestor Guria SDB, Vice Provincial of the host province, reminded the scouts and guides that when they get back home, they should tell others of the beauty of human life seen and experiences in the North East.
The note also mentioned that the five long days of camping by scouts and guides saw a variety of competitive and adventurous activities. It included games, quiz, pioneering projects for coping with variety of life situations, display of arts, artifacts and traditional dances, activities leading to national integration and conflict resolution. The objective of scouts and guides movement as envisaged by two great legends Lord Baden Powell and Don Bosco is to “seize the boy’s/girl’s character in its red-hot stage of enthusiasm; and to weld it into the right shape and to encourage and develop its individuality so that the boy/girl may educate himself/herself to become a good man/woman and a valuable citizen for his/her country. The more than 2500 scouts and guides had this beautiful opportunity to interact with one another from different states of India and add yeast to their growth.
Present for the occasion included Fr. Dominic Sequiera, representing Youth Pastoral Department, Rome, Fr. Maria Charles, South Asian Delegate for DBYA, South Asian coordinator for Education and Culture and secretary to AIDBES, Guides and Guide captains, boscouts and scoutmasters, fathers, brothers, sisters and accompanying teachers and guardians.
 
A platform for promoting National Integration
The participants of Boscoree from almost 75 schools, coming from 18 states of India had a world of enriching experience by meeting their counterparts from varied backgrounds, languages, cultures, traditions and practices. The day of National Integration was preceded by an evening of folk songs and traditional dances of India, which brought to knowledge the thoughts and beliefs permeating the rich cultural heritage. The Boscouts and Guides, dressed themselves in the traditional dress other than their own, learnt songs from another tribe, learnt few phrases from another language, drew the map of the country, displayed tableau on historic events of the country and sang the National anthem to live the moment of unity, harmony and integration. The day was also marked by display of varieties of handicrafts and model villages which accounts for the vast expanse of life lived across the country.
The Boscoree Chief, P.X Francis SDB, LT(S) addressing the participants said that conflict resolution is a vital element in the process of national integration. Speaking on conflict resolution he stressed that needs, interests and concerns of the other has to be understood. He also pointed out that conflicts can be resolved through friendship, mutual understanding and openness to the other. He therefore, urged the participants to be proactive rather than reactive in the face of conflicts. Fr. Carolus the Vicar General of Kohima Diocese in his message at the Celebration of the Eucharist said, “we should know our identity and enrich the other”. Boscoree is a platform to exchange ideas, beliefs and practices and go back with large minds to accommodate a person who is not our own” said the Vicar.
Keeping in mind the aims and objectives of Scouting as explained by Lord Baden Powell, the father and founder of the scouts and guides movement - that of formation of character and sound health habits, training in handicrafts and acquiring useful skills, and the cultivation of proper spirit of service - the more than two thousand participants of the ongoing 11th National Boscoree re-lived the dreams of Baden Powell through various activities such as group dynamics, national integration activities, learning to work together, presentation of model village, handicrafts & exhibition, creative communication, choreography presentation etc.