Report of Rover Hike: Tarapore

4th & 5th March 2006

The rovers of the Sethna’s Scouting Society embarked on an outing but with a difference.

This time the hike was decided to be taken on a bike. With the permission and blessings of our G.L.S. Capt. Lavji J. Mistry and under the able guidance of our rover leader Neville Mistry, the rovers of the troop began their hike to Tarapore on Saturday, the 4th of March from Sethna Agyari, Tardeo at 1400 hrs.

Attendees

Rover Leader Neville Mistry

Rover Hasnoor P. Daruwalla

Rover Homiar Hathiram

Rover Nazban N. Mistry

Rover Yazad P. Mistry

Rover Sharukh Patel

Rover Mehernosh A. Patel

After all of us gathered in the compound, we went to the Agyari to pray for a safe and enjoyable hike. We began our journey at 1545 hrs.

The following pairs were made for an enjoyable journey: –

Neville Mistry & Nazban N. Mistry

Sharukh Patel & Mehernosh A. Patel

Yazad P. Mistry & Hasnoor P. Daruwalla

Homiar Hathiram rode solo as many of us dropped out at the last minute.

With helmets on our heads and cellphones for communication we put our bikes in gear and went off. It was mutually decided that Sharukh will take the lead and Homiar will stay behind with the other two bikes in between for a safe ride. We took the road from Tardeo to Centaur Hotel through the Tulsi-Pipe road and met there to check that all was well and the bikes and their riders were well warmed up. We then proceeded towards our destination. There was a bit of traffic but to our good luck none of us were caught up in a traffic jam. Our bikes raced through the wind on the Western Express Highway until 1745 hrs. when we halted for a tea break. We had tea and biscuits and resumed our journey at 1800 hrs. We finally reached the Kawasji Mobed Parsi Dharamshala ( Est. 25/12/1947 ) at 1845 hrs. before it was dark.

On reaching our destination we unloaded our bikes and were welcomed by Mr Percy Bharda and his caring mother who were the care-takers and the managers of the place. We were shown into our rooms and we decided to take two of the six rooms available to us. We rearranged the beds to our comfort and unpacked for the night. We took a stroll in the township and on the beach at 2000 hr. for an hour before returning to the Dharamshala for our supper. Stargazing and ways to get new boys in our troop were discussed during that time.

One of the important events of the evening and even of the hike was that two long-lost brothers were united during that evening due to a series of co-incidences and they were none other than Homiar and Mehernosh. This was found to be surprising and amusing by one and all.

On our return to the Dharamshala we had a well-cooked meal comprising of fish cutlets, masoor dal and mutton curry along with onions and chapattis. After a well-cooked meal, we had a small gathering, wherein we entertained each other by talking about past scouting experiences.

The next morning Mehernosh woke us up at 0730 hrs. And after having a cup of tea we to a trip to the beach for some games. After getting warmed up with catching practice we had a friendly cricket match of five over with the local schoolboys. We decided to bat first after wining the toss. Yazad and Nazban opened our innings. Yazad scored four runs after which he was bowled during the first over. He then returned to the pavilion and Homiar took to the field. Homiar and Nazban displayed an exemplary performance with a series of fours and a six too. At the end of five overs our team scored fifty-five runs losing one wicket. All of us then took to the field and the field was set by Homiar as he was going to deliver the first over followed by Nazban, Hasnoor and Aniket. (Was one of the schoolboys in our team) Hasnoor took one wicket but proved to be and expensive bowler (25 runs in one over). We were defeated in four overs flat as our bowling was not as strong as our batting. We congratulated the local team for their good performance and returned to the Dharamshala for breakfast. We had scrambled eggs and mutton for breakfast along with chapattis, bread and butter. After breakfast there was a bath cum carom session. The fist match was played Yazad and Hasnoor in one team and Sharukh and Nazbaan in another team. The later pair being defeated, Yazad and Hasnoor played with Homiar and Mehernosh. Yazad and Hasnoor being defeated, the two long-lost brothers proved to be the victors of the day. We visited the Tarapore Dadgah at 1230 hrs. And thanked God for all his blessings and then returned to the Dharamshala. We had a photo session of all our boys which will be shortly posted on the Group’s website. We then had lunch comprising of mutton dhansak, fish cutlets and fried Boi fish along with onions and chapattis. We thanked aunty for a hearty and healthy meal, paid our bills and embarked on our return journey at 1445 hrs. At 1615 hrs, we halted for a tea break in a restaurant on the highway. After having tea, we resumed our home-word journey at 1630 hrs. We reached Captain Colony at 1800 hrs. All of us being safe and sound and thanked God for an enjoyable, safe and a traffic free journey. Thus the rover’s hike ended on a happy note. We all wished Homiar luck and happiness for his anticipated baby and all of us went home. Report filed by Mehernosh Patel. Edited and re-worded for grammatical consistency