The lush green outdoors in Delhi along with the city’s proximity to the mountains is perfect for adrenaline junkies to indulge in various adventure sports. However, given the risk involved in such activities, it is important to be guided by someone who can implement appropriate safety measures. Keeping this in mind, Janakpuri resident Ajay Bhola and Sonam from Narela founded Adventureism in 2018.
Through their company—it is based in Janakpuri—Bhola and Sonam seeks to redefine people’s understanding of adventure. Directing special attention to safety, they organise thoughtfully-curated walks, treks, and hikes in and around Delhi. “We started Adventureism with the purpose of taking people out in nature and connecting them with their surroundings,” shares Bhola, who is trained in mountaineering backed by rock, river, and snow modules.
“Most people have a misconception about adventure with respect to safety. Our first priority at Adventureism is safety,” adds Sonam, a qualified mountaineer who is also an MBA graduate in tourism management. Over the last three years, Adventureism has organised several adventure programmes by
partnering with locals, schools, and corporates.
Teach them young
The workshops and programmes by Adventureism are devised primarily for young children. Their team of experienced trekkers and facilitators have helped regularly organise treks, hikes, and expeditions in the middle and lesser Himalayas. They focus on these geographical terrains in order to create awareness about ecology and the environment. Until 2019, Adventureism would put together similar programmes for students from a number of schools including Kasturi Ram International School (Narela) and Chinmaya Vidyalaya (Vasant Vihar). “We used to design the treks in a way that we would take the children through a couple of villages where they would be able to interact with the villagers and learn about their culture. There are a lot of things to learn in villages,” informs Bhola.
Another dedicated effort at connecting children with their surroundings are the weekend slacklining programmes they organise free of charge in a number of parks around Delhi. “It is both a sport and art. It helps improve stability, focus, and balance among children,” says Bhola.
Focus on local
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Adventureism has focused on organising local programmes such as heritage walks around forts (Tughlaqabad Fort, Red Fort, Old Fort, and more), monuments (Qutub Minar, Jantar Mantar) as well as baolis (Agrasen Ki Baoli, Rajon Ki Baoli, etc.). “When we mention wildlife sanctuary, most people don’t know of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary that is in Delhi. Many interesting animals have been seen here. This is why we started conducting a lot of local programmes in and around Delhi,” says Bhola.
The team also hosts regular bird-watching programmes at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary—they will be organising one tomorrow at 8 am. These nature walks specifically focused to learn about the avian and insect population, have garnered a great response from adults and children alike. “We throw questions at the children such as ‘Why do you think this bird is here?’ to make them understand various concepts about ecology,” concludes Bhola.