I was standing on the banks of a river, with my hands on my hips and I was squinting. I stood observing what all the people in my group were doing. Every one was hustling around, shouting out to others to pass things, wiping sweat of their foreheads and working with concentration and determination. We were all in camp and were working on the task that had been set before us. Our mission was to cross the river and for that we had to make a bridge by securely tying bamboo sticks together. While some of us would be doing that the others had to find a place from where we could cross the river. They also had to set up boulders and rocks for us to place the bamboo on. We had our instructors to help us out but we took on the challenge of doing most of it ourselves. I sat on the rocks and started working on one bridge. I had Avi and Bharat to help me out. I wove the jute rope in and out of the bamboo. The scorched red marks on my calluses becoming profounder every time I tightened the rope. Bharat and I tirelessly worked, sweat was dripping and our hands were scarred. We were only two so we took some more time to finish the bridge than the others who had long before completed theirs. Finally we were done and we carried the bamboo in to the river where are fellow mates had set up the boulders. I could feel the pressure of the current on my legs that was pushing me back and I was shivering from the touch of the ice-cold water. Soon the bridges had been placed and we were ready to cross the river. We joked about how the bridge that Bharat and I made wouldn’t last and would collapse. But nobody doubted the fact that neither of the bridges would break. We had complete confidence in each other and were sure that nothing would go wrong. Some of us were afraid of the water or about jumping in but we all did the activity. After we used the bridge to cross a part of the river we would be tied to rope and we then had to jump into the river and be retrieved on the other side. The rope would be in the hands of our instructor and one of our friends. None of us doubted each other’s capability and willingly gave our lifelines in each other’s hands. There was ineffable trust that all of us shared. Each one of us came out of the water with a look of deep triumph and accomplishment. Our cheeks where flushed, we were soaked in water and were uncontrollably shivering but we had that feeling of floating and glowing that made our heart light.

A few days before this endeavor we had been given another task that was not quite as stimulating as the latter but I felt that it did play a very crucial role. At that time we weren’t exactly familiar with each other and the task required a lot of trust and cooperation. A rope had been tied to two poles. We weren’t allowed to touch the rope with any part of our body. Also it was two high to jump over or cross without touching and only two people in a team of 12 were allowed to go from beneath the rope. We got five minutes to plan and decide our strategy and method. We decided that picking everyone and then transporting them to the other side was our best bet. First one guy went over to the other side who was too heavy for any of us to lift up. It was total pandemonium; everyone was talking at the same time trying to overrule each other’s ideas. We didn’t listen to each other and our facial expressions clearly said that we thought that the others persons ideas were dreadful. We decided that we would pick Avi next as he was the lightest and the other person would easily be able to receive him. Our instructors were standing on the side their expression grim and disappointed. During the process two three people hesitated getting picked up. We were on a time limit and that took that a lot of our time up. Also due to our conflicts we almost dropped a person on their head. We completed our task but we were all left feeling unsatisfied and upset. As we felt we hadn’t done the task the way in which it was supposed to be done but we all were also slightly obdurate that we were right and the other person was wrong. We didn’t know each other and were blind to each other capabilities.

That night I recalled these events and thinking about what we had accomplished it dawned upon me that all this couldn’t have happened if we hadn’t had the kind of trust and belief in each other that we had had that day. We had totally believed in each other. I started strongly reflecting that nothing can be done without this bond of certainty. According to my perspective you need faith in every organization, team, group or wherever you have to work with other people to achieve a common goal. I compared the two days and starting noting that we were the same people, same number, and we hadn’t changed over night. So what could it be that suddenly made us so capable as a team and makes us effective? It was trust and faith.