Yeh dhai kilo ka haath jab uthta hai...” thundered Sunny Deol while Rajesh Khanna softly told his daughter: “Pushpa, I hate tears.”
It was Children Day’s celebration at St Francis Xavier School and the teachers appeared in a hilarious skit as various Bollywood stars. There was Gabbar Singh, Shotgun Sinha…
“It was a skit about a parents’ open house at their kids’ school,” said Nikhil Biswas, who played Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. “We teachers played filmy characters who had come to school to discuss our children’s situation in the pandemic.”
The audience, mostly online, broke into squeals of laughter as one Bollywood hero after another walked up and down to entertain them on their special day. The teachers said the skit was a homage to parents who have been a constant source of support for the school.
There was also a video presentation on the life of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on whose birth anniversary Children’s Day is celebrated. “The children later sent us their reactions through the school WhatsApp group. They loved the show and told us how they wished to be in school and watch it live,” said senior school teacher Sarbani Biswas. She was part of a trio that performed a diya dance to Sanskrit slokas. “Next year, hopefully!”
Officiating principal Anil Srivastava said the attempt was to lighten the mood of the children as everything around was still gloomy. “A show like this makes them happy, even if for a little while. After such tumultuous two years, we need something to smile about. That was our aim, to bring a smile on the lips of our children,” he said.
