Field Visit to Pyramid Valley International
Education nowadays has developed into something which targets the holistic development of learners. It is no longer restricted to within four walls of classrooms but has gone beyond it. Education outside of the classroom refers to teaching and learning in settings besides the classroom. It focuses on bringing learners outside and giving them educationally beneficial, entertaining, and demanding activities. The Ist PUC students of the Department of Humanities of JAIN College were taken on a field visit to Pyramid Valley International on 7th November 2022. The visit aimed to help students develop an understanding of the institution's underpinnings, learn how assimilation and accommodation become a part of the social process, introspect, analyse, and compare internal states of functioning to behaviour, and understand hunger as a primal state and the value of community service. Students were to conduct a survey to avail information, from which they would then cumulatively collect data, analyse it, and submit a 1000-word essay. Students were also asked to reflect on the entire experience and submit a self-reflection report.
After a 45-minute drive early in the morning, students and teachers strapped up for a 1.5-kilometre trek through a small village to reach the destination. Pyramid Valley International's 28-acre campus is located in a tranquil valley ringed by greenery and small hills. It hosts the world’s largest pyramid structure built solely for meditation. The entire campus is dotted with high-energy spots for meditation. On reaching the campus, students were divided into two teams for community service. One team cleaned cow sheds, while the other helped with harvesting crops. The experience left the students humbled and ignited in them the spirit to contribute to the better good of animals, the environment, and society. Then, students were led to the cafeteria, where they were briefed about the survey they had to conduct. They were to walk back to the village and collect data and information about employment, accommodation, settlement, etc. The survey intended to understand how the establishment of the organisation had impacted the livelihood and sustenance of the villagers. Students were also asked to record how they felt emotionally and physically while being involved in the task. It was through these activities that they were presented with a broader perspective of how in society, every action has a reaction and how is it through this process human being work and function too.
The students then gathered in the garden area where Mr. Himanshu, Head of E-Commerce and Merchandise, addressed the gathering and enumerated to the students the meaning of breath control and its importance. He explained how by controlling breathing, one can achieve stability and control thoughts, emotions, and actions. He then invited students to a 10-minute meditation session. The session was a successful one as students seemed to be slightly energised. Then, the students proceeded to the conference room, where Mr. Shankar from the Administration Office answered questions put forth by them about the campus and the pyramid.
The field visit was a unique experience for students and they could not stop talking about what they had seen, learnt, and experienced.