Delhi Public School, (Joka) South Calcutta

The students of Delhi Public School, (Joka) South Calcutta, celebrated the 9th International Yoga Day with fervour on June 21.

Swami Bodhisattva Vedanuragananda Maharaj from Ramakrishna Mission, the vice-principal and examination controller of Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, was the chief guest on the occasion.

The theme of this year was Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or one world and one family.

The programme commenced with a speech by principal Writuparna Chatterjee, where she stressed on how the power of yoga can bring out the energy stored within one’s body and mind.

The students presented an inaugural song followed by a yoga demonstration by Classes VI and VII.

They performed to the chanting of yoga sutras penned by ancient mystic Patanjali.

The programme concluded with a mass yoga presentation by students of Class VII followed by a vote of thanks by the head girl Suhita Desai of Class XII.

"This year the International Yoga Day was celebrated in the school with great fervour as we had Swami Bodhisattva Vedanuragananda Maharaj from Ramakrishna Mission as the chief guest. It was an enlightening session for all of us to learn from him the power of yoga - that unites the body, mind, thoughts and action - and be one with our selves, the nature and the whole world around us. A brief session on meditation by Swamiji was quite interesting. He made the students practice some simple techniques to reflect only on the positive thoughts for positive and constructive actions," said the principal.

Calcutta Public School, Barasat

Students of Calcutta Public School, Barasat, paid tribute to the bard on Rabindra Jayanti by organising a cultural programme at the school auditorium on May 10.

The programme started with Swapna Lahiri, chairperson of the school's trust, offering a floral tribute to the bard. Principal Abhilasha Das lit the inaugural lamp and the cultural programme got started.

Classes I and II began with dance performances to ever-popular songs such as Phule phule dhole dhole and Megher kole rod heseche. Children of Class III recited Bishom Bipotti, complete with the right voice modulation.

This was followed by a lovely medley of Tagore songs presented by both the students and teachers.

The students of Classes IV to VIII staged a beautiful dance to Ami chini go chini. As they danced the audience cheered. The drama club of the school brought alive several stories by Tagore through role play. The event came to an end with a dance performance by the students of Classes VI to VIII that was much appreciated.

"This year’s Rabindra Jayanti programme at Calcutta Public School, Barasat, was a vibrant celebration of the great poet’s incredibly versatile body of work. The performances by our students and teachers honoured every era of Tagore’s exceptional legacy, from his patriotic poetry to his romantic music. I congratulate all for the fabulous show," said the principal.

Indus Valley World School

Indus Valley World School (IVWS) organised its first-ever inter-school Bengali fest, Unmesh (a birth or awakening), on June 23.

It was a proud moment for the school when their Bengali fest got an overwhelming response from youngsters with 15 schools signing up for various events.

The participating schools included The Apeejay School, Park Street, B.D. Memorial Junior School, Birla High School,Mukundapur, Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, Garden High School, Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School, Mahadevi Birla World Academy and others.

Up for grabs were both workshops and competitive events. There were workshops on alpona (patterns and motifs) and elocution. The competitive events were Rabindrasangeet (vocals), Rabindra Nritya (dance), creative writing, painting inspired by music and a quiz on vocabulary and spelling.

All the participants put their best foot forward. After a burst of creativity, the host school came first followed by Garden High School and Birla High School, Mukundapur. IVWS handed over the trophy to Garden High School.

The chief guests, Manipuri dancer Bimbavati Devi and writer-art therapist Madhuja Banerjee were impressed with the students' enthusiasm.

"Our festival is meant to highlight Bengal so that the new generation experiences and imbibes the richness of the state," said principal Reshma Bhattacharya.

Sri Sri Academy

It was an important day in the Sri Sri Academy calendar as the school organised two events - student council investiture ceremony and the felicitation of the ICSE and ISCE toppers - on the same day on June 28.

The event began with 31 student council members marching up to the stage to the tunes of Sare jahan se accha and We shall overcome, played by the school’s inhouse marching band.

The students got their badges from founder-principal Suvina Shunglu and president of the managing committee Meenakshi Atal.

“The members of the student council must not only be responsible but accountable and committed to their duties in school, at all times”, said the newly installed principal, Gargi Banerjee. Founder-principal, Shunglu, on the other hand, spoke about her journey forward and that Sri Sri Academy is in very good hands.

Head boy Raghav Gourisaria and head girl Shreya Agarwal spoke about taking up the new roles.

The board toppers were felicitated by both the founder principal and the new one. The highest scorer for ICSE was Tejaswini Jaiswal with 99 per cent and for ISC it was Manya Agarwal with 98.6 per cent. The school band, Enigma performed in the end.