Calcutta, Nov. 26: A packed Science City auditorium today was brought to its feet not once, not twice, but seven times. No, they weren't watching a superhero film but there sure were superheroes galore on stage. At the 21st edition of The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence, presented by IIHM, the superheroes came in all hues - little ones in uniform to elderly ones in khadi kurta, bravehearts on wheelchair to indomitable ones on their hands and feet.

Metro tracked the moments when the never-say-die tales were greeted by spontaneous and sustained applause.

 

Standing Ovation 1

Half an hour into the awards ceremony, the audience at the Science City auditorium rose as one to honour Brother Brendan MacCarthaigh, educationist and founder of SERVE, who was inducted into The Telegraph Education Foundation Hall of Fame by Ashok S. Ganguly, the chairman of ABP Pvt Ltd.

"Over the years he came to be known not just as Brother Mac but as Mad Mac, because they said he was crazy; he was actually taking on the system. He is changing things in India and with his team has dedicated 52 years of his life to making the child happy," said Barry O'Brien, convener of the School Awards.

MacCarthaigh was pleased by the honour and the standing ovation but for him it meant something more. "It means that what we do in SERVE matters. That is what is most important to me," said Brother Mac, in trademark khadi kurta pyjama.

Standing Ovation 2

Minutes after Brother MacCarthaigh had walked off the stage, the auditorium was back on its feet. This time to applaud yet another towering figure into The Telegraph Education Foundation Hall of Fame - Sudha Kaul. The founder and vice-chairperson of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, someone Barry said can be described using two words, "wise" and "humble", has touched many lives in the 42 years since she founded IICP.

"This award is a very humbling experience. But my IICP colleagues and students, who are now like an extended family to me, deserve it as much as I do. I am proud of all of them," said Kaul.

Standing Ovation 3

When the audio-visual clip on Manoj Ghosh, a Dr Mrs NB O'Brien Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2003, was played out on the giant screen there was pin-drop silence in the auditorium. But when the 74-year-old mastermoshai was wheeled onto the stage he was greeted with deafening applause. With good reason. Despite losing the use of his lower limbs to meningitis at the age of eight, he not only finished his education but for 31 years as teacher and then headmaster of Chandpur Prathamik Vidyalay, in Barasat, he crawled 2.5km from his home to the school and was never late or absent.

Ghosh, also known as Ghoribabu because people in the village could set their watch to his journey to school every day, gave away some of the scholarships at The Telegraph School Awards on Saturday. And guess who were on their feet first? All the VIPs in school uniform.

Standing Ovation 4

Some of the loudest applause was for some of the youngest heroes. One such hero was Jagannath Mahara from Birbhum. Jagannath lost his father at an early age but his mother, who works as a domestic help, has become his inspiration and source of strength. He doesn't have arms, so Jagannath made his legs learn the work of his hands too. And though his family's monthly income is Rs 2,500, Jagannath has not let anything get in the way of his studies. He is now a BA Pass student at Suri college and his only aim is to finish his studies.

"I was touched by the standing ovation. This scholarship will help me pursue my higher studies and I thank The Telegraph School Awards for boosting my confidence. I dedicate this award to my mother, who has supported me throughout," said Jagannath, who received his award from Manoj Ghosh.

Standing Ovation 5

The fifth roar was reserved for Prabir Pal, a teacher at Chatra Prathamik Vidyalay, in Goghat, Hooghly, who also helps his students tend to the kitchen garden and grow vegetables using bio-fertilisers. He paints graffiti of famous people on the walls of the school and cleans the bathroom so that they can learn about hygiene. He has done all this for the last 18 years for free. And, he has done all this despite not being able to stand on his two feet. "It feels great to be part of such a prestigious event. All these children are fighters and I was moved by their stories," said the man who crawls 2km to school, and who, very fittingly, gave away The Surrendra Paul Memorial Award for Courage.

Standing Ovation 6

Most often the loudest applause at The Telegraph School Awards is reserved for the courage award recipients and the loudest among them today was for 16-year-old Dhruv Malhotra of The Akshar School. Dhruv suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a debilitating disease that turned him into a wheelchair user from childhood. The school considers him a star, his friends consider him the "most helpful" and the "most stylish", and he "comes to school waving to everyone as if high-fiveing the world". It was his incredible spirit, and his poignant poetry, read out on stage by Barry, that brought the audience to its feet.

"I had not expected this award. I am very happy to see the whole auditorium applauding my effort. But it was more emotional for me when my poem, Life on a Wheelchair, was read out aloud. That was a treat indeed," smiled Dhruv.

Standing Ovation 7

The final standing applause of the afternoon was for Parvati Jana, honoured for her courage at The Telegraph School Awards last year. Parvati was born without arms and her parents had initially tried to starve her to death. She refused to give up and went on to excel and win awards for making jute and straw craft with her two feet. Today, the Para Olympian gave away The Anand Paul Memorial Award for Social Service to Jagriti Public School and Chowringhee High School. Her on-stage demonstration of how having no hands is no handicap brought the auditorium down.

Last word: “The Telegraph School Awards is a movement that recognises unsung heroes, both students and teachers, and we are delighted to be a part of this,” said Suborno Bose, chief mentor and CEO of IIHM and the IndiSmart Group

Overheard: “If I had got my camera I would have definitely taken a panoramic shot of the atmosphere inside this auditorium and captured people’s faces here,” said Ritagnik Bhattacharya of Vivekananda Mission School Joka. Ritagnik was a joint winner in The Balrampur Chini Mills Award for Outstanding Talent in… photography!