What an Interest!

This is a story about the Archery Workshop that took place at our school:

            After the Commonwealth Games recently held in Delhi, my mind, as with many others, found a new interest in archery. The idea of archery had long since exhilarated me, since I learned about Arjun’s precision with bow and arrow and until the recent use of them in AVATAR. I felt that I too should be given the privilege to learn this magnificent art.

            As if the teachers could read my mind, they set up an Archery workshop in out VIVA at Pune. They must have known that feelings for Archery would lift up because of the impressive performance on the Indians in the games. At the same time, I knew this opportunity was too great to miss. I leapt at it, ignoring what at that time seemed like a slightly high cost (Rs. 600) just to grant myself another path to journey on and master. It may have just been another outlandish idea to prove to my brother that I knew something he didn’t; but, all the same, I was very hopeful.

            Just one week later, I felt myself wallowing in self-pity. Most people around me were generating negative impulses; telling me that Archery will be a rip-off and it would be just a scheme to gain more money. They told me I would be using small, plastic bows to shoot equally small arrows into cheap targets. With so many negative beliefs around me, my mind finally decided that they must be right. I immediately plunged into the corrupting pool of self-pity and I was sure that I would have the worst time of my life on the 17, 18, and 19 of January. My only consolation was that a few of my friends would have to suffer with me, and, therefore, I would have some company. For each of the 112 people who opted for Archery, I had immense pity.

            Even today, I feel sorry; but do not get the wrong impression, my dear reader. I feel sorry for those who told me that Archery would be horrible---because they missed out on an extremely intriguing workshop. Plastic bows? Forget it. We got full size metal compound bows and equally large arrows with bodies of metal. Large targets and a brilliant teacher only added to the total score. Jokes were common and the workshop went in a very light hearted mood. We even had a competition at the end of the workshop, and the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place winners won their bow and a quiver of arrows. It was a worthy prize--and although I did not win, I still felt that the idea was very good.

            I had never thought it would be so easy to shoot with a compound bow. It had looked so sophisticated when archers were shooting at the games that I wondered if we were to ever use them at all. Yet again, I was surprised. On the first day itself, our class learned how to use them, and, before even half of the two hours were done, we were shooting gleefully, aiming at the bulls-eye on the target. The teachers made the entire practice easy and, still now, I can all too easily remember the exact posture that was considered proper.

            To everyone who inquired about my workshop, I proudly told them archery, and, at their sympathetic glances, I quickly informed them that it was extremely interesting and not unfair through any point of view. Slowly, the people of my school began to respect the practice, rather than look down on it as they practiced Robotics or Fencing.

            Please remember that I am not downgrading other workshops in the face of mine; I am merely trying to impress upon you how I felt about the workshop. As the last hour began to wane, I felt slightly disappointed; I felt that such a superb fun should not be cancelled with only six hours. This is my only suggestion to the school: please make the workshops longer!

            We received a slip about the workshop on the last day. It resembled a paper where you could write your comments on, except, instead of lines, it contained questions. At that time I was deeply interested in Archery and I knew I would do all I could to keep myself practicing. So it was a delight when I read:

            If there was an Archery camp in Pune, would you like to go for it?

            Yes.

            Rating of the workshop.

            5/5.

            Even today, I can only say:

            WHAT AN INTEREST!