Workshops to horse rides, from magic shows to competitions - it is going to be an eventful week for kids. On the occasion of the Children's Day, a series of events have been lined up by various organisations in both government and private schools. Priya Abraham and Anwesha Ambaly of The Telegraph take a look
Surabhi
The school and mass education department is ready with its annual children's festival called Surabhi 2015, which has been themed "Amey Sabbu Eka" (We are all equal). The three-day extravaganza will kick-start on Saturday with a cycle rally from the forest park to Unit-IX Boys' High School, the venue for the event.
The event will feature a number of events such as essay and slogan writing, song, dance and skit centred around themes such as elimination of classroom hunger, nutritional requirement, importance of hand washing, community participation etc. Students will take part in a series of competitions.
There will be 27 stalls and seven different workshops for the students. A Kala Utsav will also be organised by the Rashtriya Madhyammik Siksha Adhikar where a series of drama, dance, songs and so on will be organised. A special book exhibition for the children by the National Book Trust of India will be opened on the occasion.
"Only children books will be exhibited. There will be course books as well as fiction," said a senior official. This apart there will be a special stall to create awareness about mid-day meal. It will inform students and teachers on the health and hygiene aspects of the scheme, on ways and means to avoid mid-day meal mishaps and better community participation," Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority director Mahendra Kumar Mallick said.
About 3,000 students selected from various competitions in block and district level over a period of one month will be participating in the event. There are also plans to show educational movies in Hindi and Odia to the students and take them on a tour across the city.
Anjali
Anjali, the annual children's festival that is being hosted by Swabhiman and the state disability information and resource centre, will kick-off at the Adivasi Ground in Bhubaneswar from Saturday.
This year Anjali Children's Festival will be held from November 14 to November 18. As many as 600 children, along with 250 escorts, will take part in the camp this year. There will be participants from 17 states, 30 districts of Odisha and two international teams from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The Anjali Carnival will give a good start to the festival. The little ones taking part in the event will march from Ram Mandir Square to Adivasi Ground to spread the message of love and an inclusive world for all.
A special event called "Basket of Love" has been introduced this year where underprivileged children will be provided with gifts. Old clothes, toys etc. collected from various people will be cleaned and packed for the kids. As children leave camp, they will pick up a gift. Over 150 underprivileged kids will be a part of the initiative.
Popular Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra is the brand ambassador of the festival this year.
Also about 3,000 students from nearby schools will visit the camp. They will be sensitised about various issues relating to disability.
The theme for this year is "A world for all, overcoming barriers".
A four-day children's film festival, Bioscope, will be simultaneously conducted at Bhanja Kala Mandap in the morning. Films such as Baaja, Sixer, Karamati Coat and Puja Paien Phulatie will be screened on November 14, 15, 17 and 18, respectively.
A number of actors, social activists, sportspersons and administrators have been invited to interact with the children during the festival and add more gloss to the event.
