August 15 is trebly special for Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education as besides being India’s Independence Day, it is also the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo and the school’s foundation day. It was on this day 36 years ago that the school’s BK Block campus was established.

This year, however, primary school students celebrated the special day at their CL Block campus, which houses their secondary school. Senior students will perform on a later date.

The chief guest this year was Anup Motilal, curator of New Town’s Rabindra Tirtha. The school’s secretary Sankar Banerjee delivered the welcome address and the Tricolour, the Mother’s flag and the school flag were hoisted.

The school newsletter Ascension, edited by vice-principal Nandita Chandra, was released and the primary and pre-primary students then took stage.

There was music, dance and skits. Students enacted the play Prudence, which was a retelling by The Mother of an episode from The Ramayana where king Dasaratha kills a man accidentally. “Initially I wasn’t selected but later I was very happy to learn I would be playing Rama,” smiled Joymalya Seal of Class IV. “It’s my first time on stage.”

Students of nursery to Class I put up a dance celebrating children’s power of imagination. It was directed by their teacher Susmita Nandi.

“Ma dressed me up but I applied the lipstick myself,” said Indrani Majumdar of Class I after dancing with her friends to the Tagore song Kothao amar hariye jawar nei mana.

There was a dance to a medley of songs like Chhotto chhotto paye, Taare Zameen Par and the title track of the film Posto, which brought to the fore issues such as children’s heavy school bags and the joy of sharing tiffin with friends.

“These children are ever ready to learn and practise. Their emotions are real and they didn’t require extra effort to express joy in sharing tiffin, for instance,” said Manjusha Baneejee, who had choreographed the act.

Kakoli Nandy directed the play Chichinge & Co. by playwright Radharaman Ghosh and left the audience in splits. Another play Swarg pe Hartal focussed on pollution.

For the final show, a choir sang Aye Watan from the film Raazi, ABBA’s I have a Dream and Surer ei jhor jhor jhorna, a Salil Chowdhury composition, among other yesteryear classics.

“Today’s show was the collective effort of 135 volunteers, 28 badge holders and all the staff members. It was like a carnival for us,” said head boy Tuhin Sur.

Principal Debleena Bhattacharya said that the show was an endeavour to inculcate in students the values of Aurobindo and the Mother. “In a world threatened by violence and hatred, these peaceful messages are what we need,” she said.

Pictures by Debasmita Bhattacharjee