Apeejay fest toast to freedom

Fashion show, band competition, dance and debate are indispensable ingredients for any fest. But when Apeejay School hosted all this recently, they did it with a specific focus. They held it around Independence Day, named it Jai Hind Fest 3.0 and wove it around the thought “Without freedom, there is no creation”.

Ten schools had come to participate in the 10 events. The fest was inaugurated by Samit Guha, assistant professor of organic chemistry at Jadavpur University. Guha spoke to the students about eminent figures like Prafulla Chandra Roy, Jagadis Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda and Jamshedji Tata in the context of forging towards a liberated India.

Indigenous fashion

A fashion show titled Desi Vibes had the schools showcasing the unique identity of different states through their attire, and in some cases even showcasing some traditional practices.

The host school presented the gamchhas of Bankura, The Future Scholars’ Academy, Baduria, featured the culture of Mizoram and Bodhicharya Senior Secondary School of New Town offered insight into Tripura’s heritage.

But it was Aditya Academy Senior Secondary's portrayal of a Tamil marriage ceremony and an accompanying dance that stole the show, ultimately securing them the first prize.

“We were excited this morning to get dressed and put this up, and we were aiming for the top prize,” said Sneha Sarkar, a student of the school who is also a professional model.

Invention and innovation

The “Great Indian Inventions” was a video-making event. It had students creating short films on notable Indian inventions like the mathematical concept of zero or the roots of plastic surgery. Participants were instructed to use the Movie Maker software for their projects.

“I'm happy to see students getting a chance to showcase their creativity,” said Sayak Karmakar, an alumnus of Apeejay School and the judge of the event. Karmakar has worked as video editor at T-Series.

Another event “Local to Global” had teams making products out of indigenous items and marketing them. They presented homemade fruit juices, bags etc. The Aditya Academy team introduced a handcrafted bag made of jute, painted by student Swastika Bhattacharjee. “We sourced raw materials from markets and spent days and nights crafting this sustainable yet fashionable bag, that would be a perfect accessory in the upcoming Pujas,” Swastika said.

E-Biz-Ad encouraged entrepreneurship. Participants had to draw up business plans for an e-business, create a PowerPoint presentation and design an advertisement for it. Shalini Kumar and Shreyas Roy from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan introduced a method of trading that simplified company investments through an app. The top prize, however, went to Apeejay School for a travel app that Yash Sarawagi and Dirgh Agarwal proposed. They had even designed a dummy website for it.

A stamp-making session revolved around “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” or “One earth, one family, one future”. Students had to create stamps to symbolise India’s role as host nation for the upcoming G20 Summit, addressing issues such as income inequality and poverty eradication.

There was also a Band-emataram band contest, debate and a table tennis tournament. The recitation contest allowed students to recite in any Indian language.

“The objective of this fest was to unite children within a space that would facilitate the exchange of ideas and interaction,” said principal Anindita Banerjee. “We also wanted to channelise their creativity. The concept of independence fits in well in light of the upcoming G20 summit too.”