Gupi, Bagha and when students say bye with music

A.K. Ghosh Memorial School

The Primary section of A.K. Ghosh Memorial School celebrated their annual day at Madhusudan Mancha on March 22.

The chief guests were Rabindrasangeet exponents Srikant Acharya and Prabuddha Raha.

The programme began with the school choir performing two popular numbers — Ki ananda akashe batashe and We are the world.

Next, tots of Classes I and II dressed up as Ganeshas and performed on stage, to thunderous applause from the audience.

Children of KG2 presented Doodle dazzle, an energetic performance on several nursery rhymes. Even mothers performed with their Pre-primary children, a presentation that was much appreciated. This was followed by the felicitation of guests.

Gita Roy Choudhury, principal of the Primary section, gave an inspiring speech before the stage was set for the main attraction, a musical Gupi Baghar kirti based on the much-loved story by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury and later a film by Satyajit Ray.

The performance was staged by the students of Classes III, IV and V. The children had put in a lot of hard work and that showed on stage. Gupi, Bagha and the evil mantri and all other fantastic characters of the musical showcased superb acting skills.

The programme brought to the fore the creative talents of the children and led to a lot of teacher-student bonding and experiential learning.

"The overall development of a child involves stimulating all the five senses through various activities. This kind of programme gives the children a huge exposure and opportunity to showcase their talents. For the first time, we have involved the mothers of the Pre-primary children in the programme. They were so happy to perform alongside their children. Meeting parents only at PTMs is not enough. We need more involvement from them to build a healthy relationship all through," said principal Gita Roy Chaudhury.

Gokhale Memorial Girls' School

Students and teachers of Gokhale Memorial Girls' School hosted two heartfelt farewells for their beloved principal Indrani Mitra on March 20 and 28.

The first one was a special assembly that had students going up on stage and delivering speeches of gratitude towards their principal. Many emphasised on the profound impact Mitra had on their lives. Students recounted cherished memories and the lessons learnt through her.

Poems were recited and songs sung at the assembly. The students sang Fagun hawai impromptu. A video showcased on the occasion had messages from Mitra's schoolmates and teachers right from her days as a student of Gokhale Memorial Girls' School. Her colleagues, teachers and students also spoke of some cherished moments with the principal.

In her speech, Mitra appreciated the unwavering support and dedication shown by the school community. She also narrated some of her experiences as a student, teacher and finally as the principal of the institution. She reminded all the students, that irrespective of their career choice, they must be good human beings first.

The second farewell ceremony was hosted by the teachers and staff members of the school. The faculty presented songs such as Koto baar o bhebhechinu, Amar sakal raser dhara and Bose achi hey. There were speeches too.

Lastly, a few teachers of the school, who were once taught by Mitra, sang Chalte chalte mere yeh geet.

"I fall short of words to describe the warmth I am feeling in my heart. I want to thank everyone for arranging such a heartfelt farewell for me. Gokhale Memorial Girls' School will forever have a special place in my heart," said Mitra.

Shri Shikshayatan School

An excited batch of Upper Kindergarten (UKG) tots of Shri Shikshayatan School took part in their annual concert in February.

Miley Sur Mera Tumhara, as the event was called, had the children staging vibrant performances at the school's Bhuwalka Hall in the presence of their parents. The chief guest was sports mental toughness trainer Mrinal Chakraborty and the guest of honour was Rita Tandon, founder-principal of Miranda House Montessori School. Also present were principal Sangeeta Tandon and headmistress Poushali Mukherjee, among others.

The programme commenced with lamp-lighting by the dignitaries. The students went up on stage to present dances depicting different cultures of India. It was a kaleidoscopic presentation of the rich and varied heritage of our motherland. The little ones danced to the regional music of Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir and Assam.

The audience were left mesmerised with the children's efforts and facial expressions. As their wards performed, parents kept clapping and tapping to the beats all along. The chief guest stressed on the holistic grooming of a child and the need for confidence-building, during his speech.

"In this musical concert, students narrated the beauty and uniqueness of different states through the eyes of some travellers aboard a train named Miley Sur Mera Tumhara! Over 200 students took part in this perfectly choreographed event and proved our belief that every child is gifted and should be encouraged," said the headmistress.

Calcutta Public School, Kalikapur

A rocking goodbye — that's what the students of Class XI, Calcutta Public School, Kalikapur, organised for their seniors and the school's outgoing batch. AuRevoir, as the event was called, left many Class XII boys and girls nostalgic and moist-eyed.

The event started with an introductory speech followed by a dance to popular songs. The high point of the programme was a contest, Trail Blazer, that rated the students on the basis of their confidence, sense of fashion, talent and intelligence. Every round was eliminating. Finally, the best two students, one each from the girls and boys, got to win the prized title of Trail Blazer 2024.

A teacher went up on stage and introduced the rules of Trail Blazer to the current outgoing batch. The judges were Proma Das and Abhilasha Das, principals of the Kalikapur and Barasat branches, respectively.

The first round, Your Own Style, judged students on how well they followed the given dress code — black sarees with red borders for girls and all-black for boys.

In between, students of Class XI sang some popular numbers in English, Bengali and Hindi.

The second round of Trail Blazer — Life is a Catwalk — followed. Here the shortlisted students were judged on their confidence and gait.

Yet another dance performance to What jhumka, Om shanti om, Jamal kudu and other songs followed before the third round — My Talent, My Choice — began. In this round, participants had to showcase their singing and dancing talents in one minute.

Finally, three boys and girls made it to the last round — Wisdom Wins. The contestants were asked a question and the ones with the best answer, from both categories, were declared winners.

This year, Moitreyee Mondal and Jeet Das took home the title along with gift packets. There were mementoes for other students as well.

"Farewells can be extremely emotional. The memories the students have with their friends, juniors and teachers make it very hard for them to move on to the next phase of their lives. All of us will truly miss the outgoing batch," said principal Proma Das.

B.D.M. International

Passers-by, braving the afternoon heat, were treated to cool drinks and broad smiles by students of B.D.M International on N.S.C Bose Road on April 6.

It was a pleasant surprise for most road travellers to be greeted so warmly and the gesture was received with heartfelt appreciation. The initiative was part of a drinking water drive undertaken by the interact club of B.D.M. International to commemorate World Water Day. Eager students served glasses of Glucon D and drinking water to a lot of pedestrians, drivers, vendors, cops on duty and bus conductors.

All hygiene protocols were maintained and the students went about their tasks under the strict supervision of their teachers.

"I was really feeling thirsty. God bless you all," said a rickshaw-puller to the students who helped him with a glass of water.

Shivam Dewanjee, vice-president of the school's interact club, said: "I am thankful to my school for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve the community on various occasions."

The aim of the project was to make the students sensitive and develop social awareness.

"The new session of 2024-25 began in the middle of unbearable heat. Thus our students from the interact club planned to reach out to the pedestrians, hawkers, bus and auto drivers with glasses of glucose water. The smiles on the people's faces, after their thirst was quenched, were extremely rewarding for our students," said principal Madhumita Sengupta.

Julien Day School, Howrah

Julien Day School, Howrah, organised a two-hour orientation session for parents of new students from Nursery to Class I. Every year the school starts their academic session with a similar interaction, to help parents get acquainted with the school's holistic education programme. This year around 80 parents and guardians turned up for the session.

Nursery head teacher Judaline Anderson welcomed all and educated the parents on the ethos of the school. Director of education and development of the institution, Terence John, briefed the parents on their responsibilities. An interaction between the parents and teachers followed.

Principal Maryann Thorpe Smith mentioned how the school is part of a child's extended family and its teachers are available any time for a private interaction.

Many parents enquired about the teaching method the school followed and how well can children adapt to smart board teaching.

"The parents’ orientation programme for new admissions at the onset of the academic session is a great opportunity to enable parent-teacher bonding. It provides a platform for parents to share their perspectives and helps them clarify their queries regarding their children’s performance,” said the principal.

"Parents must take out time to interact with their children. Spending quality time with children these days is a must,” said Terence John, director of education and development.