Under Operation Yuva Jagruti, the 8th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles is organising a tour for students, including 12 girls from Doda and adjoining villages of Ghat, Banihal and Badarwa, to Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra and Ajmer. They may have seen it on television or read about it in books, but their excitement on seeing a squirrel scooting around or their bewilderment at water gushing out of a hand-pump is apparent. On the first stopover here, the students were struck by the wilderness of the Chhatbir Zoo, the aura of the Rose Garden, the glamour of Sector 17, Rock Garden and the serenity of the Sukhna Lake.

Never before had they seen wild animals at such close quarters. ``It was thrilling to actually see a lion or a crocodile just across the fence. But I liked elephants the best,'' said Tabassam, a Class VI student and the youngest in the group.

While the beauty and innovation of the gardens, the likes of which they had never seen or even imagined before, were well appreciated, Sector 17, as a Class XII student Parvinder Kaur put it, was ``simply too expensive''. However, they missed the much desired chance to enjoy their first-ever train ride due to the derailment at Chandimandir station. ``They are really happy about this excursion. Virtually every aspect of life here has something new or different for them,'' said Maj. Sandeep Tejpal, the liaison officer accompanying them. ``They are really inquisitive and questioning,'' he adds.

Maj. Tejpal's wife, Meenakshi, who is also accompanying the group, said that since militancy was on the wane in that area, the Army was taking up several social welfare projects. ``We have started a co-ed public school in Doda for the local children, which will also have a hostel,'' she said.

The students also highlighted the poor state of affairs in their native district. ``The teachers in schools there are very few, which affects us adversely,'' pointed out Class VIII student Parvez Ahemad. ``Electricity supply is very erratic and at places, non-existent,'' said Mustakh Ahmad.

Admiring the good condition of roads in this part of the country, Arshad Ahmad said that the roads in Doda were very bad and poorly maintained. ``We have to trek for miles through mountains to catch a bus,'' he rued.