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In pics: Lights, food, gifts and musical show mark Diwali celebrations at St James’ School

The ‘Festival of Lights’ was organised to spread festive cheer among underprivileged children of the evening school

Jaismita Alexander Kolkata Published 10.11.23, 06:08 PM
St James’ School, Kolkata, all lit up for the Festival of Lights on November 9
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St James’ School, Kolkata, all lit up for the Festival of Lights on November 9

All photographs by Amit Pramanik
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The celebrations began with school principal Terence Ireland, guests representing the district’s Rotary International and students of Ekta (evening school for underprivileged children) burning green ‘phooljharis’
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The celebrations began with school principal Terence Ireland, guests representing the district’s Rotary International and students of Ekta (evening school for underprivileged children) burning green ‘phooljharis’

The pre-Diwali bash at the erstwhile Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road was earlier called Diwali Night
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The pre-Diwali bash at the erstwhile Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road was earlier called Diwali Night

The school students, who are members of The Interact Club under the Rotary International organised everything from the programme to decoration. ‘We have organised everything to spread festive joy among children of our evening school with on-stage performances, food and gifts,’ said Dighvij Chirimar, a student of Class XII and president of the Interact Club in St James’
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The school students, who are members of The Interact Club under the Rotary International organised everything from the programme to decoration. ‘We have organised everything to spread festive joy among children of our evening school with on-stage performances, food and gifts,’ said Dighvij Chirimar, a student of Class XII and president of the Interact Club in St James’

Guests Hira Lal Yadav, district governor, Rotary International District 3291, India; Rajani Mukherji, past district governor; Arvind Agrawal, president of Rotary Club of Calcutta Victoria, and Apala Datta, present district interact committee chair, along with the chief guest, actress Anindita Banerjee Roy, and Terence Ireland, principal of St James’, lit the inaugural lamp
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Guests Hira Lal Yadav, district governor, Rotary International District 3291, India; Rajani Mukherji, past district governor; Arvind Agrawal, president of Rotary Club of Calcutta Victoria, and Apala Datta, present district interact committee chair, along with the chief guest, actress Anindita Banerjee Roy, and Terence Ireland, principal of St James’, lit the inaugural lamp

Actress-cum-dancer Anindita Banerjee Roy danced to ‘Ang Laga De’ from Ram-Leela. Commenting on the energy of the students, the actress of ‘Josh’ and ‘Romeo’ said: ‘It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm among the children. The dance performances are absolutely fantastic. I am enjoying it’
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Actress-cum-dancer Anindita Banerjee Roy danced to ‘Ang Laga De’ from Ram-Leela. Commenting on the energy of the students, the actress of ‘Josh’ and ‘Romeo’ said: ‘It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm among the children. The dance performances are absolutely fantastic. I am enjoying it’

The students of Ekta evening school also put up a dance performance on festive songs like ‘Nagada sang dhol baaje’. Sameera Firdous, Class X, said: ‘It is a very special day for us because we not only get to see such beautiful performances but also participate after rehearsing for days’
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The students of Ekta evening school also put up a dance performance on festive songs like ‘Nagada sang dhol baaje’. Sameera Firdous, Class X, said: ‘It is a very special day for us because we not only get to see such beautiful performances but also participate after rehearsing for days’

Boys of St James’ School also put up contemporary and hip-hop dance performances on Bollywood and global music mash-ups
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Boys of St James’ School also put up contemporary and hip-hop dance performances on Bollywood and global music mash-ups

The school band performed a couple of old and new Bollywood songs which had a mesmerising the audience
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The school band performed a couple of old and new Bollywood songs which had a mesmerising the audience

Performing artistes were also invited to the programme. Juggler Rahul Mondal and trapeze artiste Maria also enthralled the audience with electrifying performances. Juggler Rahul Mondal’s tricks with fire garnered lots of compliments
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Performing artistes were also invited to the programme. Juggler Rahul Mondal and trapeze artiste Maria also enthralled the audience with electrifying performances. Juggler Rahul Mondal’s tricks with fire garnered lots of compliments

The festive mood was elevated by the beating of the ‘dholak’
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The festive mood was elevated by the beating of the ‘dholak’

‘Everything is done by the students every year. It has become the school's legacy to celebrate Diwali with the children of the evening school. We have refrained from using firecrackers since the past few years and students are aware enough about the environment to accept that change. We only have some green sparklers. The celebration is all about lights, spreading joy and togetherness,’ principal Ireland said
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‘Everything is done by the students every year. It has become the school's legacy to celebrate Diwali with the children of the evening school. We have refrained from using firecrackers since the past few years and students are aware enough about the environment to accept that change. We only have some green sparklers. The celebration is all about lights, spreading joy and togetherness,’ principal Ireland said

RELATED TOPICS

Diwali 2023 Diwali Celebrations Underprivileged Students Cultural Performances Hip-hop Music Contemporary Dance Kolkata Schools Green Sparklers Rotary International Music Dance
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