The Girls? High School band performs at the Mela ground. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Oct. 2: A rainy day in town was transformed by the sight of school children in bright colour uniforms walking through the streets, playing popular marching tunes on their drums, flutes and bagpipes.

The school children were on their way to the Mela ground to participate in the first inter-school marching competition held here today.

The competition was organised by Sasonians Alumni Association, the alumni association of St Augustine School and was part of the school?s diamond jubilee celebrations. The organisers hope the competition will become an annual event, complimenting the Independence Day celebrations during which the bands, being hard-pressed for time, cannot perform elaborately.

The competition had evidently captured the imagination of the townspeople. A large crowd braved the rain and gathered to watch the bands progress from Town Hall to the Mela ground. At the ground, each band got 15 minutes to impress the judges.

The schools were judged according to musical performance, marching coordination and formation display. Girls? High School came first, followed by Scottish University Missionary Institute and Saptashree Gyanpeeth.