It was the silver jubilee celebration of Hariyana Vidya Mandir and the school was determined to make it their grandest event yet. Given the huge number of students in the school, the venue chosen was the Science City auditorium and even then the function had to be divided into two days for the junior and senior segments.
The junior school celebrations were flagged off by a host of dignitaries and then it was over to the prizes. The hall cheered loudly as principal Nandini Sen received a lifetime achievement award and then students got prizes for academics and extra curricular activities.
Some former teachers had dropped by too. “I am returning to this school after almost 10 years and am delighted to see HVM touch new heights,” said Srirupa Kar, a former head teacher.
The cultural programmes then started with Essence of Education, a dance about educationists like Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and APJ Abdul Kalam. Glimpses of Bengal showcased colourful dances by students in costumes of various districts of the state. There was also a piece called Krishna Katha, on the anecdotes of the little makhan chor.
The highlight however was Vibgyor, where students performed to dances of the various moods represented by the seven colours of the rainbow.
The teachers, along with the principal, had a surprise item for the students, on the message of equality.
“I never thought I would get to perform for my school after graduating so it was very special when I was called upon to dance today,” said ex-student Sampurna Basak.
MESSAGE FROM OLD-TIMERS
The chief guest for the senior section’s function was Vipul Goel, Haryana minister of industries and commerce, environment and industrial training, and again, the event took a nostalgic turn when former teachers took the mic.
“I had started this school in 1992 with around 520 students. We had classes from upper kindergarten to Class V. And when I see how far the school has come today, I’m filled with pride. The credit goes to the teachers, guardians, students and well-wishers who have contributed in their own way,” said the founding principal Basudeb Bhattacharya.
The first stage performance was Inspiration from Haryana, which portrayed the multi-dimensional culture of the northern state . “This is my last year in school and my last performance with friends. Everyone doubted whether I could pull off this show what with the pre-boards knocking at the door, but I knew I had to do it,” smiled one of the performers, Sayanika Barua of Class XII.
Next was Navaras, where Shirin Anwar of Class X provided a glimpse of the nine human emotions. “The performance was a matter of minutes but it is the weeks of collective effort that make these shows memorable. We’ve been in a festive mood all through the rehearsals,” she smiled.
Following this was Ritu Shringar, which portrayed seasons and the various festivals held during that time. There was also a piece called War and Peace, which brought forth the harsh realities of man’s violent and destructive nature.
Not just participants, the volunteers also were just as excited. Shuvam Das, of Class XII was busy backstage, making sure nothing went wrong. “The annual programme is one of the best things about our school. All my classmates have come today. Some are performing, some volunteering, and some are prize recipients. All this running about doesn’t seem tiring when I am with my friends,” he said.
Following the school tradition, the final performance was by teachers. “The students practised for about a month and the teachers practised for just four days after school for an hour each,” said Sanyukta Sengupta, the teacher who choreographed all the dances. “But everything went off fine.”
Shrija Bose and Shreya Chatterjee
saltlake@abpmail.com
