Ode to nation's heroes, smart minds and milestones

The alumni of Birla High School organised a felicitation ceremony for three surviving Param Vir Chakra (PVC) award winners on August 3. The event, Veer Tujhe Pranaam, took place in the school auditorium in the presence of students from four schools in the city.

It began with the welcoming of the three war heroes — Honourary Captain Bana Singh PVC, Honourary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC and Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar PVC. They were welcomed with a rendition of Vande Mataram by the school music teacher S. Pal.

Chief guest Major General H. Dharmarajan AVSM SM VSM, the general officer commanding of Bengal sub-area, followed. Other dignitaries included S.K. Birla, Sumangala Birla, Major General V.N. Chaturvedi, who is also the Vidya Mandir Society secretary-general and his deputy Colonel T.K. Bera.

Emcee Rajat Baid of the alumni association then introduced the Param Vir Chakra winners who were felicitated by the chief guest.

The students of the school staged a musical performance, Tabla Tarang, on the occasion. A dance performance by the students followed that filled the auditorium with patriotic fervour.

Finally, the three awardees were invited to the dais. Their tales of experience left most teary-eyed. An interaction with the students followed. The students of Birla High School, Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Birla High School, Mukundapur, and Shri Shikshayatan School attended the event. The programme ended with the national anthem.

"Birla High School was indeed blessed today as we welcomed the three luminaries of our great nation, the three legends, Paramveer Chakra Awardees to our school. This was an initiative of our alumni and the school. Out of the 21 recipients of this highest military honour, only three are alive. They visited our school for the second time. They were felicitated by our alumni, and the school students greeted them with a short cultural programme," said principal Loveleen Saigal.

Purwanchal Vidyamandir

Students and teachers of Purwanchal Vidyamandir celebrated its silver jubilee year at Science City Auditorium on July 9.

The chief guest for the evening was industrialist Prahlad Rai Agarwala, and the guest of honour was Basab Chaudhuri, senior director of education at the Kalyan Bharti Trust.

The programme started with the invocation of Lord Ganesh, followed by a speech by principal Rani Jessica Gomes.

After the ceremonial lamp-lighting, the chief guest and the guest of honour unveiled the school magazine, The Zeal.

Next, the chief guest, guest of honour, former rector of the school J. Goswami, and the founder-principal, Pushpita Barik, were felicitated.

The highlight of the evening was a mythological dance drama, Anandodham - the Epiphany of 25, staged by more than 400 students. The audience was mesmerised by their resplendent costumes and the graceful dance moves of the cast.

It was a very successful show, a fitting tribute to the school on its 25 years.

"The students worked hard for over a month to make the event a success. Classes IV to XII took part in the dance drama. They were all very excited as they knew it was a landmark event in the school history. The students had to get their make-up done and wear their costumes hours before the performance. But despite the heat, none complained," said the principal.

Holy Palace Multipurpose Institute

Students of Holy Palace Multipurpose Institute at Tegharia presented a cultural extravaganza to mark 30 years of the institution. The event was held at the Science City Auditorium.

The theme of the programme was Anvaya or the all-pervasive nature of absolute. The chief guest was Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose College principal Purno Chandra Maity. Artist Piyal Bhattacharya was the guest of honour.

The opening dance transported the audience to the mystical world of wandering bauls and sufis. Class I students presented to the song Badal pe paon hai. Upper Nursery toddlers rocked and rolled to Don’t think about it while Transition kids grooved to a Spanish song, Ale, ale.

The school choir won everyone’s heart with their energetic performance, Blooming Minds. The choir also made the audience walk down memory lane since the school's inception in 1993.

The students presented a thought-provoking pantomime, Vasundhara, on contemporary environmental issues. The audience was mesmerised by a potpourri of folk dances from five states that followed.

The secondary students presented Shibram Chakraborty's humorous play, Bajar Korar Hajar Thela. It left the audience in splits. Another highlight of the evening was a musical dance drama, Buddhu Bhutum, an adaptation of a story from Thakurmar Jhuli.

"More than 700 students from the school took part in the event. The preparation carried on for three months. Everybody was excited and looking forward to participating at such a grand venue. It was a great opportunity for the students to showcase their talent," said rector Jyotirmay Dey.

Lakshmipat Singhania Academy

A 12-member team of students from Classes X to XII of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA) have won the final rounds of The International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) held annually for high school students in Florida. The city brigade clinched it on August 1, marking their fifth victory in the same event.

Founded by Anita Gale and Dick Edwards and supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), the contest has the student teams envisioning space colonies in accordance with a Request for Proposal (RFP). Students make industry simulation games, emulating as a member of aerospace industry proposal team.

The aim of the event is to prepare students for global challenges.

LSA students have been taking part in the competition since 2012. The students have also won the international round of the ISSDC in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019.

The competition starts in April-May with the preliminary stage. The national rounds are held in November when the finalists are divided into five fictitious companies. The winners proceed to the Asian round in January, where teams from China, Pakistan, Iran and Malaysia also take part. The winning team from Asia proceeds to the International finals.

“It is a matter of pride for our academy. It’s the fifth year for us to win the trophy. Our students have been participating in this event since 2012, and every year, but one, they have reached the international level. We feel proud that our students are using analytical and research skills to find solutions to the problem related to STEM,” said school director Meena Kak.

Purushottam Bhagchandka Academic School

A new batch of captains and prefects were welcomed on board at a formal investiture ceremony organised by Purushottam Bhagchandka Academic School on its grounds on July 14.

The guest of honour on the occasion was deputy commissioner of police traffic (south) Y. Shrikant.

Arjun Chatterjee and Arunava Das of Class XII got their badges as the school captain and vice-captain, respectively.

Four captains were selected from each of the four Houses — Subhash, Teresa, Gandhi and Tagore. The newly elected members of the prefectorial board took the oath of office. The badges were given away by principal Madhuparna Andrews.

She congratulated the team and reminded them that with position comes responsibility and they are expected to shoulder it with dignity. She advised them to be role models for their peers and juniors.

The highlight of the event was the formation of The Anti-Bullying Coalition (ABC) in School.

Students from Classes III to IX were selected to form the squad to report to the authorities against any sort of bullying or harassment in the classes or on school premises.

"We believe in preparing brilliant leaders for the future. The school gives students an excellent platform to prove their leadership skills and problem-solving abilities. We also formed an anti-bullying coalition, under the leadership of the school captain," said the principal.

Divya Arya Vidya Public School, Dhankal-Joka

Students of Divya Arya Vidya Public School, Dhankal-Joka, ran a campaign on the importance of saving big cats to mark International Tiger Day on July 28.

Children till Class IV started the day with a special assembly. There were speeches on the importance of saving tigers, the need to spread the word around and how close the species is to becoming endangered. A recitation session followed.

Students from both the junior and senior sections spread messages on how to prevent deforestation, conserve the natural habitat of our wild and the dangers of illegal poaching. The students from Classes I to Class VII took part in a tiger mask-making activity, while students of Classes VIII to XI made educational posters on tiger.

A dance drama was the highlight of the day’s celebrations. It also focused on the urgent need to save tigers. The play highlighted how humans misuse their powers for greed.

The programme was attended by school secretary Pankaj Gupta, principal Ashes Maiti, vice-principal Rama Chakraborty, teachers, students and staff members.

“We must appreciate every creation of God. Look around, take a pause, take a long breath and feel every essence of nature. The act of killing tiger is killing our heritage. So it’s my appeal on behalf of our school to save tiger in order to save our pride and the nature,” said the principal.