Mumbai kids who signed up for summer course humiliated, traumatised

Last Sunday when around 90 students from Mumbai began a journey to the idyllic Panchgani to attend a private 21day lsquocommandorsquo training camp that promised to teach them personality development and survival skills they didnrsquot have the faintest idea of the horror lying ahead In just two days the participantsrsquo spirit was allegedly crushed by highhandedness threats mental trauma assault and humiliation Some of them allegedly contemplated running away or even suicide to escape the tormentThe private hostel where the children were accommodatedThree of the participants managed to make a short SOS call to their parents mdash their contact with the world outside was cut off by the organisers Punebased Marshal Cadet Foundation mdash and returned to Mumbai on Wednesday The fee for the 21day training camp was around Rs 18000 per participant but the only thing they got was a lesson in having their confidence brokenBroken wash basins with no taps at the campFirst starve themOf the three participants a 14yearold girl whorsquos been to hell and back told midday that the warning signs became apparent soon after they began their trip to Panchgani ldquoWhen our bus left around 6 am from Dadar we were told that we would reach our destination by 130 pm and would be served lunch But we drove for 12 hours without any food and were only allowed a couple of bathroom breaks We arrived at the camp hungry and tired Around 830 pm we were served cold and burnt rice and a thick gooey dal which had apparently been cooked for lunch and was not palatable at all We were forced to finish everything on our plates or face dire consequencesrdquo said the Std VIII student from the western suburbsThe bathroom where someone had defecated and children were told categorically to clean it themselvesThen assaultThe girl and her twin brother had reportedly been assured by the camp organisers at the time of enrolment that as per their religious beliefs they would be only served food devoid of onion and garlic But when they were provided food on arrival at the camp their request was disregardedA flier for the campldquoWe were instead given a lecture on the health benefits of eating onion and garlic I was hit with a cane I witnessed many children being openly abused and punished even when they were not at fault They cried through the nightrdquo alleged the brotherAfter the meal a short meeting of the participants was convened to familiarise them with the odd rules at the camp The twins were allegedly forbidden from communicating with each otherWhen the participants returned to their dormitories at a private establishment they realised that there werenrsquot enough beds for all ldquoOur coordinator incharge told us to join all the beds and five of us had to squeeze on a bed meant for two personsrdquo said the boyhumiliateTheir ordeal at the toilets sealed in their humiliation Someone had defecated in the bathing area ldquoWhen we complained about it we were simply told to clean up the poop ourselves The wash basin had broken sinks with no tapsrdquo said the boy and ignoreThe organisers were not equipped for the training either ldquoThey allegedly had just two horses to give riding lessons to 320 participantsrdquo said the boyAnother 14yearold participant alleged that he fractured his arm during the course of a routine exercise at the camp but was taken to a dispensary in a truck used to transport horses The floor of the truck he alleged was covered in dungldquoMy right hand was frozen stiff and I was in excruciating pain but I was mocked by the trainer in front of people saying I was overreacting and putting on a show to avoid the training schedulerdquoThe gravity of the boyrsquos injuries was noticed only by Dr Yogesh Kodkani who had gone to Panchgani to fetch his two children He happened to examine the injured child who too was returning home and diagnosed the problem as multiple subluxation mdash a partial dislocation of the bones If this condition is left untreated it could lead to further complications like growth of fibrosis in the muscle which could make treatment more challenginglsquoThey are just kidsrsquoThe boyrsquos father Sameer Shah questioned the coordinatorsrsquo handling of the situationldquoHow does mocking someone injured and in pain help build his confidence or prepare him for life At the end of the day the organisers should have remembered that they are just children who need compassion and carerdquo he saidKodkani said his two children have earned black belts in martial arts and have been trained in horse riding archery and rifle shooting at other boot camps ldquoThey are not the kind to run away from a challengerdquoKodkani like most parents learnt of the camp after reading a flyer and spent Rs 18400 per child on enrolment ldquoParents need to have a 24x7 access to their children but no mobile phones were allowed within the premises of the camprdquo he saidBack in the safety of their homes the children now joke that the only thing they learnt at the camp was how to survive on rotten rood and in unhygienic conditions