NAGPUR, Oct 5: ``Oars forward,'' goes the command from petty officer Thakur, prompting a bunch of trained cadets on board an assault boat to lean forward in perfect unison poised to tug the wooden oars.

The boat - sans weaponry, normally carried by armed forces personnel for executing a strike, and modified with sailing equipment - bursts ahead and moves steadily away from the shores of river Wainganga at Paoni, about 100 km from here, eyes set on its next destination.

These dare-devil adventurers are from the 4 (Mah) Naval Unit of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Their mission - to complete the 480-km-long `Golden Jubilee Sailing Expedition' to Sironcha, situated near the Godavari basin along the border of Andhra Pradesh.

Their aim - making a spirited bid for the Prime Minister's Rolling Trophy for the ``Most Enterprising Unit'' among 56 NCC battalions from Directorates all over the country.

While their task is all about adventure, courage, determination, endurance, team-spirit, navigation skills and a mode for taking a closer look at obscure lives and cultures, they have nobler aims, outside personal achievement these enterprising youths are spreading message of peace and harmony in the remote areas; two, enhancing awareness about job opportunities offered by the armed forces.

Flagged-off from Bapera near Tumsar on September 26 by the Chief Conservator of Forests, Kanwaljeet Singh, the 20-member expedition team, headed by Group Commander P S Raghuvanshi and Lieutenant Commander Bhaskar Bhandarkar, has already covered more than 220-km of distance up to Shivani in Gadchiroli district. Explains Commander Raghuvanshi, `The entire route covers a 350-km patch of river Wainganga from Bapera to Aashti where the confluence of rivers Wainganga and Wardha gives way to another 130-km patch of river Pranhita, up to Sironcha.' And even as under the leader's instructions, the sailors deftly negotiate through to reach Valni village after a 10 km battle with white water, the team of 13 boys and seven girls is preparing to take on more complex course, passing through the hostile and unfriendly terrains of the Naxal-infested Gadchiroli district.

The route passes through at least 37 reserved forests and dense jungles infested by wild animals including tigers, panthers, bisons and bears. It will also cover 29 confluences of small and big rivers, some of which are full of crocodiles.

A long patch of about 29 km near Markanda poses the most difficult phase of the expedition. The groundwork for the route filled with hazards included a fortnight-long padyatra along the entire stretch of the expedition, crossing river streams, nullahs, confluences, thick undergrowth, marshy patches and dense jungles. The pre-sailing activity also involved a detailed study of maps, charts and topographical sheets, procured from the Irrigation Department and the Survey of India.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.