Summary
Students from over 150 schools test their skills at the three-day TTIS Challenge 2026
The Spider Wheel kept spinning.
As it rose above the Nicco Park’s lake area, four students — Saaika Pandey, Riddhi Kumari, Spriha Singh (Class VIII) and Siddhi Bhalotia (Class IX) from Gems Akademia International School — leaned forward from their seats, clapping mid-air. No, not at the view, but at a group of performers for the X-Factor on the ground below. What had begun as a day out from their boarding school turned into something else entirely.
Over three days, the 20th edition of Narayana International School and Credmont International School present TTIS Challenge 2026, powered by J.D. Birla Institute, unfolded inside an amusement park that never shut its gates. Families arrived with picnic baskets. Teenagers queued for rides. Visitors enjoyed boat rides on the lake. And in the middle of it all, students wrote, sang, danced, painted and performed — not inside closed halls, but in the open, sharing space with motion, noise and curiosity.
The four students from Gems Akademia International School had planned to spend the day hopping from ride to ride. The Spider Wheel, positioned right beside the performance area, gave them a bird’s-eye view of the stage.
For many visitors, the encounter was accidental.
That unplanned participation became a pattern. Families slowed their steps. Ride queues thinned. Children tugged at their parents’ hands as performances gathered crowds.
Music from rides spilled into performance spaces. Announcements interrupted routines. A toy train whooshed past as students practised for the band performance. Instead of stopping, students adapted — raising voices, shifting timing, holding their ground.
“It’s very different from an indoor stage,” said Agniva Das, Class XI, from Narayana School, Sonarpur, who performed in a band event. “There are distractions everywhere. But that teaches you focus. You learn to perform no matter what’s happening around you.”
Across the grounds, students occupied every corner. Some rehearsed lines under trees. Others painted masks on their knees. Guitarists tuned instruments near the Lakeside Cafe.
Visitors watched, intrigued.
“I came here for a picnic with my family,” said Sanjoy Mondal, an IT professional from Behala, pointing to a half-open food basket beside him. “But once we stopped here, we forgot about eating. These children have so much confidence, especially performing with all this noise.”
Nearby, two women sat on a picnic mat that slowly turned into front-row seating. “Usually, amusement parks are about escaping routine,” said Madhumita Das, a home-maker from Salt Lake. “But these students are expressing ideas and emotions. It makes the outing feel richer.”
On the final day, January 17, even those who came specifically for the lake found themselves staying longer than planned.
A family of three — Anirban Ghosh, Ritu Sengupta and their eight-year-old son — were about to go on a boat ride for a relaxed Saturday outing. As their boat drifted near the lakeside stage, students from Julien Day School, Ganganagar, took the floor for a dance performance. “We were supposed to just finish the ride and leave,” said Ritu. “But we stayed right there. Watching them dance against the open sky and water was such a lovely sight.”
The family clapped from the boat, joining others along the railing as the performance ended.
For Ayush Poddar, a Class XII student from Aditya Academy Secondary School participating in the X-Factor category, the openness of the venue changed the experience entirely. “We have a different control in an indoor stage,” she said. “Here, sounds come from everywhere. But once you start performing, you stop noticing them. There’s a different kind of adrenaline.”
Children were among the most attentive spectators. Nine-year-old Ishita Pal tugged at her father’s sleeve as a mask-making participant added final touches.
“I want to colour them too,” she said. Her father laughed. “Next time.”
Another visitor had come all the way from Siliguri to enjoy rides.
“I think this is what learning should look like, not only confined to classrooms,” said Ankita Sarkar, a schoolteacher visiting with friends. “Even the visitors are learning — watching how confident these children are.”
Last updated on 22 Jan 2026
