"While the kids were in the water with me, (general secretary) Dinaz Jeejeebhoy, with a watchful eye, would blow her whistle every five minutes to make sure we took two steps back even though we were only in knee-deep water!” noted Gulnar Mehta, vice president of Calcutta’s Saklat Physical Culture Institute (SPCI). Sixteen of the 20 scouts, guides, cubs and bulbuls who make up SPCI spent Easter break (April 19-21, 2019) by the seaside at Hirak Jayanti Resort at Mandarmoni. The youngsters were accompanied by eight adults. A four-hour drive from the West Bengal capital, the camp included sessions on first aid and tying knots for the older children and folding clothes for the younger ones, wrote Kamal Wadia, wife of SPCI president Noshir, in an email to Parsiana.
Scouts, guides, cubs and bulbuls of Calcutta’s Saklat Physical Culture Institute: Easter weekend by the sea
"The best part of the excursion was the time spent on the beach, playing games, building sand castles… under the watchful eye of our life guard from Baywatch (Jeejeebhoy), noted Wadia. The reference to the American action comedy film and television series is a "bit of an inside joke.” explained Mehta.
A grandparent of one of the participants who saw the pictures of the event pleaded, "Next time take me too!” noted Kamal.
Established in 1933 with the objective of encouraging and developing the character and physical condition of the youth through gymnastics, swimming and scouting / guiding, in April 2009, SPCI became the first community body in Calcutta to welcome children of Parsi women married to non-Parsis as associates of the Institute (see "Covering Calcutta II,” Parsiana, December 21, 2017). Current office bearers, besides Noshir, Mehta and Jeejebhoy, are vice president Burjor Khambatta and honorary treasurer Khushmand Buchia.