Often sagas have a humble start. Take this school for instance. It started in a rented room adjacent to the Cooperative Society. Word of mouth and door-to-door campaigns by the school authorities helped to rope in students from across the city and slowly a new beginning was seen.

DAV Kapildev Public School, which is just 3 kms away from Ranchi railway station, was built on two acres of land donated by AG Cooperative Society. On September 17, 1993, Padma Shri G.P. Chopra, president DAV and CMC, inaugurated a new building and flagged off its journey. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Infra-talk

This branch of the DAV enjoys a present strength of more than 3,100 students and has classes till thePlus Two level that includes both science and commerce streams.

And it boasts of the best ? all the required facilities, modern technology in classrooms, educational aids, competent and dedicated team of teachers, it simply has what it takes. It also provides a library, computer training classes, laboratories, including a mathematics lab.

The school believes in providing a congenial setting for the development of children, as no child can survive in an environment that is insensitive and stifling. In order to establish a meaningful relationship between the school and parents, meetings are held on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Software saga

The school has decided to develop a software, which will help in deciding a time-table for the teachers, as otherwise assigning classes becomes a long and cumbersome process. At DAV Kapildev, there are 88 teachers. Normally four to five of them are involved in framing the timetable.

Principal believes: ?After the software is developed it will help us to decide which teacher will take a class at what time. In case a teacher is absent, those who are free can take the class. I can control the entire system while sitting in the office and I will be aware of which teacher is taking a particular class and at what time, which I am not so sure of now.?

Vedic values

The school imparts rich Vedic values as well as tenets of the modern competitive world. Thus there are the Internet-savvy students, who are equally at home reciting the ?slokas?.

The school has played a vital role in organising a vedic camp every year where thousands of students from DAV schools across the country join hands in a programme titled, ?character building camp?. The camp involves lessons in yoga, mantras, plus personality-building classes. Hawans are also a weekly feature of DAV. The process of a hawan, as the authorities believe, purifies the environment of the school.

DAV Kapildev takes purity of the mind and soul literally. In a bid to inculcate moral ideas in students, the school starts each working day with the morning assembly that includes recitation of Ved mantras, devotional songs, patriotic songs and thought for the day. Likewise Dharam Shiksha books are prescribed to educate the students in moral values.

But one cannot allege that the school ignores the present. DAV believes in organising numerous inter-house competitions every Saturday. During these meets the students get an opportunity to showcase their talent in various performing arts like music and dance that is otherwise neglected in the syllabus.

No dull days

As we know all work and no play is not good for any student. DAV plans picnics and educational tours for the students, too, keeping infotainment in mind. Students are taken to historical places, museums, factories, research institutions, where they are provided with first-hand information on the place. These outings and interactions do have a soothing effect on the mind, body and soul.

One of the most anticipated events in the school calender is the Inter-DAV Zonal Youth festival, between different DAV branches.

Students indulge in sports activities round the year, and their efforts and training are displayed during the annual sports day.

Absolute no-no

The school prohibits students from bringing electronic devices like mobiles, calculators, pagers and motorbikes because, it is believed, that school-life is not a time for such luxuries.

Instead, a child is exposed to hobbies such as reading, sketching, dancing, public-speaking and gardening, activities that bring discipline in life. Also consistent monitoring of every student enables the teacher to recognise the field in which a particular child can excel.

So, children with similar interests and inclinations are grouped together under the watchful eye of a teacher. Then experts are called in to train them in their chosen fields, be it yoga, martial arts or music.

fact file

Name: DAV Kapildev Public School, Ranchi

Address: New AG Cooperative Colony, Kadru, Ranchi

What is it: An English-medium, co-educational school affiliated to the CBSE Board and managed by DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi

Principal: M.K. Sinha

Session: April 1 to March 31

Special Feature: Five per cent seats are reserved for talented ST and SC students from weaker sections of the society