As the mock drill unfolded at the Lotus Temple, a small group of young students looked triumphant.

For them, academics was not just about understanding disaster drills in textbooks. These students decided to actively undergo the training programme conducted by the Delhi Emergency Management Exercise (DEMEX) to participate in Tuesday's mock drill.

"We underwent intensive training by DEMEX from November 29 to December 2. We had to attend sessions wherein we got details about the different response agencies. Classes were held at Maulana Azad Medical College and we were provided training in nursing and medical assistance as well as civil defence," said Monu Kumar, a student of Government Sarvodaya Vidyalaya.

These children also attended the tabletop exercise conducted by the Delhi government on Monday at the Yamuna Sports Complex, where discussions were held regarding various disaster situations.

However, they also said that very few students took the initiative to participate in these activities since more often than not, disaster drills are not taken seriously.

"Very few students actually step out to participate in these activities because it doesn't really matter to them. We knew that there is a basic pattern that one must follow in case there is a disaster of any form. But it is always best to participate in such a drill to know what you really need to do," said Anil Kumar, another volunteer.

The volunteers and rescuers waited since morning for the drill to start.