Moubani Sorcar and (left) Koneenica Banerjee at a pre-Diwali bash hosted by St. James’ School’s Interact Club for the students of the evening school, Ekta. “I feel so blessed to be with these children today. I appreciate the school’s effort to put up such a fascinating event,” said Moubani, who celebrated her birthday that evening. Koneenica urged the kids to have fun. “This is the first time that I am attending Diwali Night at St. James’ and I am impressed with the positive atmosphere created by the school.” Principal T.H. Ireland (left) lauded the students for their effort. “Diwali Night has grown by leaps and bounds and it is all because of the efforts of the students. Each year, every batch tries to make it bigger and that is how it has grown into a grand event. Both students of James’ and Ekta look forward to this event every year.” Little Abdul Faisal was among the 250 students of Ekta who had an evening to remember. The boy and his friends jumped with joy on seeing the lion dance and enjoyed the fireworks show.

 

 

 

Apeejay School students take part in a silent procession for a safe Diwali. The march was part of a week-long programme to spread the message of love. “I wanted the children to realise how much pollution crackers cause. Diwali is about goodwill and bonding and spreading light, but the fun should remain within the decibel limit. Kids learn best when they spread the word around. So, I organised a walk from the school gate to Park Street police station. The children got to speak to passers-by and spread awareness about pollution,” principal Rita Chatterjee said.

Text by Chandreyee Ghose and Farah Khatoon; pictures by Arnab Mondal and Koushik Saha