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 There
have been many clubs and associations in Chennai to promote
friendship, sports, entertainment and public relations. But a few
clubs have fulfilled the deeply felt need of excitement and
adventure like the Wildertrails
Adventure Club. This club which is a division of Wildertrails
Private Limited was launched in April 1997 and it offers day trips
and overnight camps, thus promoting the adventurous spirit in every
individual by organising activities like camping, trekking, jungle
walks, cycling treks, coracle rides etc.
" The trips are
out-bound exercises for the interest groups," says Mr.Ashok
Candade, the Managing Director of the Company. Wildertrails is the
brain - child of Mr.Ashok who is a retired Army Officer who has had
specialised training in outdoor survival, terrestrial, aquatic and
aerial sports. His ideas, management skills, technical knowledge and
passion for adventure provide a solid base for the establishment and
for the growth of the club.
 The
‘out-bound exercises’, besides providing opportunity to visit
places, bring the interest groups together to face the challenges of
survival out in the wilderness, fostering self-reliance and bonding
within the group. Targeted at family groups, Wildertrails strongly
advocates participation of children and youngsters. " Children
really love the outdoors. It is a continuous learning process- to
learn the science of how to take care of yourself and they also
learn geography and history of the places they visit, says Mrs.
Kalyani Ashok who is a Naturalist herself, who helps her husband in
the functioning of the Club.
With its systematic
training programmes designed and conducted by specialists in the
field, the Clubs main aim is to train children and youngsters and to
equip them for outdoors, say the organisers.
In its three years of
existence Wildertrails has organised several day trips and overnight
camps on two weekends every month. During longer vacations the Club
organises long camps even up to the Himalayas. A look at some of
their outdoor activities reveals the real adventurous spirit of the
organisers. There were night walks, cycle trek, coracle ride, a
rendezvous at the Arcadian Jungle, a trek in the hills of Chenglepet
baring a cyclone warning and a jungle camp in which a leopard was
sighted in the dead of night. Just imagine this. When most of us,
Chenaiites welcomed the New Millennium from our drawing rooms,
Wildertrailers were up in the Nagari hills, just to ring in the
Millennium.
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They met the Millennium sunrise from the top of the
hill- the Nagari Nose, after a stiff climb. Wow! And the list goes
on! The club has never taken its members to the same location twice.
 The
day and weekend trips mostly cover places around Chennai. Maj. Ashok
does his homework well as a good trainer. He personally visits the
place he selects for the visit well before taking the group and
collects all details pertaining to the place. Always the members
move in a group, with children in the middle and stronger people in
the rear. Besides promoting friendship and group culture, this also
serves as a shield when they move in a group. The quarterly get
together parties organised by the Club help the members to shed
their inhibitions and they come together to meet the challenges in
the outdoors. The Club organises specialised itineraries for the
interest groups coming from abroad too.
There are two types
of membership. While the individual membership is Rs.1200/- per annum, it is Rs.2000/- for a family of
husband and wife and up to two children who are below 16 years.
Children above 16 need to become individual members. When one
becomes a member for one year the second year membership is offered
free. Members get a reasonable discount on outing charges, which
meet the expenses on food, transport and equipment usage during
participation. They will also receive a free Member’s Kit.
 The Corporate
Training Division of Wildertrails offers Out Bound Training /
Learning (OBT/OBL) for corporate houses since there is a growing
awareness and appreciation of the role of the outdoors in key areas
like leadership development, team building, motivation etc.
Wildertrails also organises adventure trips and educational field
trips for schools and educational institutions.
With the launch of
its corporate training and school programmes, the company aims
to bring the benefits of the outdoors to expending group of people,
mixing fun, adventure, training and learning. The Club has plans to
offer water and aerial sports in a phased manner. So, discover the
excitement of the great outdoors yourself!
Wildertrails can be
contacted by dialling 091 - 44 - 6442729.
R.Bharathi.
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