The roar of jubilation, a sense of ecstasy and, above all, the warmth of bonhomie set the tone for the finale of TTIS Challenge 2026.
The Champion of Champions School trophy was jointly lifted by The Heritage School and Griffins International School, Kharagpur. The Best Performer trophy went to Srija Banerjee of Ashok Hall Girls’ Higher Secondary School.
Narayana International School and Credmont International School present TTIS Challenge 2026, powered by JD Birla Institute, concluded on Saturday. The three-day festival, held at Nicco Park, had Orchids International School, Delhi Public School Ruby Park and JIS Group as knowledge partners.
Prizes were handed over by the Kakababu team led by actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, who plays the lead in the upcoming film Vijaynager’er Hirey.
“This is the best time of your life. You should enjoy, celebrate and spread love,” Prosenjit told the young audience. “For the last 40 years, whenever my film releases, it is a test for me,” the actor added, wishing the students luck for their upcoming annual exams.
Participants in the Band Competition at TTIS Challenge on Saturday. Picture by Sanat Kr Sinha
For Srija Banerjee, the honours went beyond the trophy. The Class XI student from Ashok Hall said she would carry back fond memories from the festival. “In other fests, rivalry predominates all other emotions. Here, I had students from other schools cheering me up,” she said.
Creativity took centre stage at the fashion parade, where students walked the ramp using leaves, jute and paper in their designs. Model Madhabilata Mitra, one of the judges, said she had been associated with the event for 16 years. “Each year, I see the bar rising. When we were children, we never got such an opportunity,” she said.
Co-judge and designer Abhisek Roy said that despite limited resources, students managed to innovate through “creativity and experimentation”. Contestant Amolika Dutta said participation itself was enriching. “We did our best, but there are others who perhaps worked more on detailing. We carry back ideas that we can use in future shows,” she said.
Rajive Kaul, founder and promoter of Nicco Park, sent greetings to all 2,100 students who took part in the festival. “Children are having fun. What else does a theme park want?” he said.
A sunlit day gave way to a chilly winter evening, but the enthusiasm never waned. The crowd came alive when DJ Akash took the stage. A new addition at the 20th edition of the TTIS Challenge was the Band Competition.
From Believer by Imagine Dragons to Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., students belted out chartbusters as the audience clamoured for more. “Here, the audience is not just school students but outsiders too,” said Tvarita Roy Chowdhury, lead vocalist from The Heritage School.
“This time, we didn’t feel left out because there was something or the other that we could participate in,” said Abhinandan Sengupta, a Class XI student of Delhi Public School Joka who played the keyboard.
For several schools, the baton had passed from seniors to juniors. “We have seen our seniors participating every year. It was our turn this time,” said Sanskriti Laik, a Class XI student of South Point High School who performed in the fusion dance round combining Bharatanatyam with jazz.
The dancers expressed pride in being among the finalists selected from 43 schools in the prelims. “You don’t always participate to win but to enjoy and make a mark,” said Class XI student Swapnaja Giri.
Not everyone went home with trophies, but many returned with new friendships. Class XI student Ayush Ghosh said the festival offered a rare chance to socialise beyond screens. “This kind of interaction is much more real, unlike social media, where a lot of what we see is made up and unreal,” said the Julien Day School Calcutta student.