Nicco Amusement Park, India - Travel Journal
Every time a customer books one of our vacations and opts in to our Trip for a Trip scheme, we organise a day trip for a disadvantaged young person somewhere around the world to see their local tourist sites, often for the first time.
Responsible Travel customers are helping disadvantaged children, many of which were former child labourers from the slums of Kolkata and could not imagine a life with fun and frolic but after their involvement with Tiljala Society for Human and Educational Development (Tiljala SHED) many such lives have been transformed and they are now going to school.
Tiljala SHED is grateful for supporting this trip for the children who have not ventured anywhere for the past two years because of COVID 19 restrictions.
Nicco Park is one of the best amusement parks in India. It is built in such a way that people from all age groups can enjoy the place.
As of August 2023, 332 children have now had the opportunity to visit Nicco Park as a result of the Trip For A Trip scheme.
Our latest trip to Nicco Park - Tuesday, 11th July 2023:
On Tuesday, 11th July 2023, 108 underprivileged children and 12 teachers from the slums and shanties of Kolkata visited the magical world of Wet-o-Wild (Nicco Park) which is located in the Bidhannagar Area close to Salt Lake and is one of the most popular amusement parks in Kolkata.
We wish to see more such trips in the coming months. Responsible Travel's Trip for a Trip is the most awaited trip in these communities and we hope it will continue to support these children with their trip for a trip program.
The children, along with their minders, are picked up at designated pickup points in two hired buses. They are all given breakfast with drinks.
The children enter the amusement park around 10 AM. A group photo is taken inside the park and then students are divided into groups of 20 for managing them effectively. Each group is headed by a teacher. There are a multitude of games and the children are spoilt for choice. Some activities might include:
After completing the various rides, the children were treated to a plate of scrumptious biryani and soft drinks. This dish is very popular in India and has always remained a favourite food among the children.
After taking a rest for half an hour, the children entered the water world to splash around in the large pool where they get to experience waves, stand under the waterfall named Niagara Falls and enjoy the water slides (which were so exciting our children took multiple slides down!).
It took us a while to get all our children out of water because they were having so much fun and they stayed there until the water parks closing time. The presence of a majority of girls in our team made this trip a unique one for all of us. This was a girl’s trip and it made them happy and refreshed their body and minds and away from the hustle and bustle of daily lives. A day with no worries for all these girls.
Keeping in mind that the children would feel hungry after they came out of the water, we had arranged snacks/refreshments for all the children and teachers before being driven home to their respective localities. The buses were filled with a chorus of songs by the girls which filled the air with excitement for all the children and was a brilliant symbol of a day of remembrance for these underprivileged children. For the majority of them, this was the first time they had ever visited a Water Park.
Feedback from some of the girls
"It was an amazing day for me and my peers." - Tahseen
"My first time in this place, a place for privileged kids. It is my lucky day that I’m here with my friends." - Kainat
"I m so happy, I can't express in words". - Ayesha
Feedback from the teachers:
"The children can’t stop talking about their day out at nicco park. The observations we have are that these are not just trips but a refresher and a booster in their daily life struggle. These trips energize them and help in the development of physical and mental health. For many these trips are just a day out but for many girls this was the first time and they saw a new world in front of them ready to explore with their friends.
"At Tiljala SHED, we believe change is possible. And education is not just about books but beyond that. These children needs a holistic education for the overall development of their mental and physical health. And such trips have helped them immensely and we will continue to run such trips frequently for their overall development.
"Thank you, Responsible Travel." - Shafkat Alam, Joint Secretary of Tiljala SHED
Many of the girls from our trip had worked as domestic servants in the past and a few of them were child labourers in their childhood. This was a new experience for them and trips like this just give them a push in their lives and reinvigorate the energy within them to fight their daily life struggle. Our teachers also had a small 10 mins session where they talked with the girls and motivated them to stand on their own feet and be independent in life.
For us every child is special. We want them all to succeed in life.
This unique program supported by Responsible Travel has no doubt helped all these children for their physical and mental wellbeing. Such events relieve them of the stress of their daily hardships. Tiljala SHED heartily thanks Responsible Travel for this unique program.
20th October 2022:
111 children and 14 staff members visited Nicco Amusement Water Park, India and had a memorable experience on the rides and the water park.
8th June 2022:
110 children and 10 staff members visited Nicco Amusement Water Park, India and had a fabulous time enjoying the rides and the water park.
Responsible Travel customers are helping disadvantaged children, many of which were former child labourers from the slums of Kolkata and could not imagine a life with fun and frolic but after their involvement with Tiljala Society for Human and Educational Development (Tiljala SHED) many such lives have been transformed and they are now going to school.
Tiljala SHED is grateful for supporting this trip for the children who have not ventured anywhere for the past two years because of COVID 19 restrictions.
Nicco Park is one of the best amusement parks in India. It is built in such a way that people from all age groups can enjoy the place.
As of August 2023, 332 children have now had the opportunity to visit Nicco Park as a result of the Trip For A Trip scheme.
On Tuesday, 11th July 2023, 108 underprivileged children and 12 teachers from the slums and shanties of Kolkata visited the magical world of Wet-o-Wild (Nicco Park) which is located in the Bidhannagar Area close to Salt Lake and is one of the most popular amusement parks in Kolkata.
We wish to see more such trips in the coming months. Responsible Travel's Trip for a Trip is the most awaited trip in these communities and we hope it will continue to support these children with their trip for a trip program.
Sample itinerary of a Nicco Amusement Water Park visit:
Diary of the day:The children, along with their minders, are picked up at designated pickup points in two hired buses. They are all given breakfast with drinks.
The children enter the amusement park around 10 AM. A group photo is taken inside the park and then students are divided into groups of 20 for managing them effectively. Each group is headed by a teacher. There are a multitude of games and the children are spoilt for choice. Some activities might include:
- Toy train ride which takes you round the periphery of the park, you get to see the park at ground level.
- Water chute where you sit on a vehicle and slide down a ramp at high speed. Most of our children took this ride.
- River cave ride where you sit in a boat and it takes you through a narrow dark tunnel where you'll witness scenes from the past to the present including moving models of ferocious dinosaurs, wild animals, mummies from ancient Egypt, space and many more locations that will take your breath away. The children enjoyed this ride very much.
- Cable car ride: this ride is very popular among children as they get to see the entire park from a height and it gives them a feeling of being in the mountains.
- Tilt-a- whirl: this ride is exhilarating for the children as they twirled around in a cup shaped vehicle at high speed.
- The cyclone ride: This is a thrilling roller coaster ride not meant for the faint hearted. Most of our brave children took this ride and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
After taking a rest for half an hour, the children entered the water world to splash around in the large pool where they get to experience waves, stand under the waterfall named Niagara Falls and enjoy the water slides (which were so exciting our children took multiple slides down!).
It took us a while to get all our children out of water because they were having so much fun and they stayed there until the water parks closing time. The presence of a majority of girls in our team made this trip a unique one for all of us. This was a girl’s trip and it made them happy and refreshed their body and minds and away from the hustle and bustle of daily lives. A day with no worries for all these girls.
Keeping in mind that the children would feel hungry after they came out of the water, we had arranged snacks/refreshments for all the children and teachers before being driven home to their respective localities. The buses were filled with a chorus of songs by the girls which filled the air with excitement for all the children and was a brilliant symbol of a day of remembrance for these underprivileged children. For the majority of them, this was the first time they had ever visited a Water Park.
Quotes from the day
“
"It was an amazing day for me and my peers." - Tahseen
"My first time in this place, a place for privileged kids. It is my lucky day that I’m here with my friends." - Kainat
"I m so happy, I can't express in words". - Ayesha
Feedback from the teachers:
"The children can’t stop talking about their day out at nicco park. The observations we have are that these are not just trips but a refresher and a booster in their daily life struggle. These trips energize them and help in the development of physical and mental health. For many these trips are just a day out but for many girls this was the first time and they saw a new world in front of them ready to explore with their friends.
"At Tiljala SHED, we believe change is possible. And education is not just about books but beyond that. These children needs a holistic education for the overall development of their mental and physical health. And such trips have helped them immensely and we will continue to run such trips frequently for their overall development.
"Thank you, Responsible Travel." - Shafkat Alam, Joint Secretary of Tiljala SHED
”
Impact:
Rarely do children who live in the city, and especially in a shanty, get to enter a waterbody like a beautiful swimming pool with so many fun rides. Floating on the water, swimming, thrashing about in the water - as they say, nothing is better than relaxing in a pool on a hot summer day.Many of the girls from our trip had worked as domestic servants in the past and a few of them were child labourers in their childhood. This was a new experience for them and trips like this just give them a push in their lives and reinvigorate the energy within them to fight their daily life struggle. Our teachers also had a small 10 mins session where they talked with the girls and motivated them to stand on their own feet and be independent in life.
For us every child is special. We want them all to succeed in life.
This unique program supported by Responsible Travel has no doubt helped all these children for their physical and mental wellbeing. Such events relieve them of the stress of their daily hardships. Tiljala SHED heartily thanks Responsible Travel for this unique program.
More about our partner organisation:
Tiljala Society for Human and Educational Development (Tiljala SHED) is a voluntary organisation committed to promote the interest of at-risk children, Reproductive and Child Health, Women Empowerment, Institutional Care for Children, Literacy, Microfinance and to accelerate the concept of global village. Our mission is to bring meaningful changes in the lives of the marginalized and vulnerable communities living in slums, shanties and pavements.Other trips that we have run to Nicco Amusement Water Park:
111 children and 14 staff members visited Nicco Amusement Water Park, India and had a memorable experience on the rides and the water park.
110 children and 10 staff members visited Nicco Amusement Water Park, India and had a fabulous time enjoying the rides and the water park.
More about Trip for a Trip
- Read more about Trip for a Trip and other trips we've run.
- If you've booked a vacation via Responsible Travel, claim your booking gift to join our Trip for a Trip scheme.
