TN govt school students taken on Wagah Border tour by BSF personnel

CHENNAI: On one of a kind trip, 13 government school students from five districts of Tamil Nadu were taken to Wagah Border, a boundary between India and Pakistan to acquaint students with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, guarding the country.

The seven-day border trip was planned and executed by retired and current BSF personnel along with government school teachers and members of Thyagam Potrum, a social welfare organisation.

The motive of the trip was solely to educate students about the lives of BSF personnel at the border and the day-to-day challenges faced by them.

“For this trip, students from Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Virudhunagar districts are selected on the basis of their personality, sense of commitment, and physical stamina. All of them had six online and face-to-face meetings once a week for the past two months,” said a BSF personnel.

“The cost of Rs 10,000 per student was contributed by retired BSF staff, government teachers and good Samaritans. A consent letter was procured from the parents of each student for the trip,” added the personnel.

Additionally, retired BSF officers, ex-military officers, scientists from various fields attended and highlighted students on the importance of this trip. Besides this, students collected more than 5,000 congratulatory letters written by students and public from TN to give it to BSF at the border.

The students started the trip on October 30 and returned on November 6, Sunday, visiting a slew of places during the trip. Students visited nine locations Attari–Wagah border, Jallianwala Bagh, a memorial, Hussainiwala border, Saragarhi Memorial among other prominent places.

Subsequently, post returning from the tour, a programme to welcome these students and share their cross-border travel experiences was held at Annai Velankanni Higher Secondary School, Saidapet on Sunday. Besides this, a travel essay book titled 'A Journey to the Border' written by the students was published compiling their experiences.

Meanwhile, a student said, ”This was definitely an experience we will cherish. It has opened our world view.”