Shri Shikshayatan School
Shri Shikshayatan School, a unit of the Shikshayatan Foundation, celebrated its 70th foundation day on January 7.
Akansha Bhaskar, joint secretary of the department of panchayat and rural development, was the chief guest.
The event began with the chanting of shlokas and lamp-lighting. Senior students performed a dance on Shiv Tandav, while the junior girls performed on women empowerment. The students sang songs such as Vande Mataram, Bhaag Firangi Bhaag, Otho Go Bharot Lokhi, Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy and Ya Devi Sarvabhutheshu to honour the nation. Every performance was a passionate display of talent and enthusiasm.
Foundation president S.K. Birla welcomed all the guests. It was followed by the felicitation of the chief guest, who gave an inspiring speech.
Bhaskar asked the students to work on their confidence, discipline and ambition rather than chasing popularity contests and the number of likes on social media. She also told the students not to give mental space to embarrassing moments and to learn how to cook, an important life skill.
Bhaskar also launched the school calendar on the occasion. The students contribute theme-based paintings for their yearly calendar. This year, the theme was Food Canvas Scape 2023.
Teachers and staff members were honoured for their innovative teaching and extraordinary performance. Principal Sangeeta Tandon spoke about the importance of the award.
The foundation’s secretary-general and CEO Bratati Bhattacharyya, in her speech, talked about women empowerment and sustainable development.
The event ended with the school song and the national anthem.
“Shri Shikshayatan School completed 69 years of establishment on January 3. We celebrated the 70th foundation day on January 7. After having two years of online celebrations because of the pandemic, once again we could host the foundation day in a grand way. The students presented a short cultural programme. It was followed by the yearly awards for the staff members and then lunch. We feel blessed to be part of this glorious institution,” said the principal.
“The best part of the event was honouring the staff members which is its signature part,” said Bhattacharyya.
Delhi Public School, Joka
Delhi Public School, Joka, hosted the first edition of Surendram Football Challenge Cup, 2023, on January 10. The inter-school Under-16 tournament saw eight participating teams, including St Thomas Boys’ School, Kidderpore, that fielded two teams, Vivekananda Mission School, Joka, Saini International School, National Gems Higher Secondary School, Asian International School, Hariyana Vidya Mandir and the host school.
The chief guest was footballer and Arjuna award winner Deepak Mondal.
There were also several guests from the East Bengal Football Club. Also present was pro-vice chairman of the host school Pawan Agarwal, its directors Bela Agarwal and Deepak Prakash Agarwal and principal Writuparna Chatterjee.
The tournament commenced with the principal’s speech that touched on how the school’s late founder, Surendra Agarwal, always encouraged sports.
This was followed by the release of a dove, hoisting of the school flag and singing of national anthem.
School team captain Samrat Das led the players for the oath-taking ceremony. There was a lot of cheering as the teams locked horns in exciting matches.
The semi-finalists were Delhi Public School, Joka, Vivekananda Mission School, Asian International School and Hariyana Vidya Mandir.
The finals saw Hariyana Vidya Mandir defeating Vivekananda Mission School by 4-0. The top scorer was Sattwik Dey and the player of the tournament was Ronit Bar from the champion team. The best goalkeeper award went to Swapneel Hazra of Vivekananda Mission School.
“It was a day-long affair and the students from both our school as well as those invited were an excited lot. They were out on the field again and that was what mattered the most. We also had prize money for the finalists,” said the principal.
Bidya Bharati Girls’ High School
Students of Bidya Bharati Girls’ High School celebrated both Republic Day and Saraswati Puja on the school premises.
Biswanath Jain, a member of the school’s managing committee and teachers Tania Basu and Joyita Raha hoisted the national flag at 11am. Students sang some patriotic songs as well as the national anthem.
The students had also organised a Saraswati Puja. The pushpanjali began at 11.30am followed by prasad distribution. A havan was also arranged.
A cultural programme was organised on the occasion. The guests included Rituparna Basu, associate professor of history at Bijoy Krishna Girls’ College,
Howrah, and Susanta Kumar Biswas, professor at Kazi Nazrul Islam BEd College. The students put up an exhibition on art and architecture during the reign of the Palas and the Senas empires in Bengal. The cultural programme paid tribute to artistes such as Lata Mangeshkar and Sandhya Mukhopadhyay.
“The students of Classes V to XII worked hard to make the event a success. The children drew for the exhibition, two days before the event, in the school itself. They also paid a beautiful tribute to the legendary singers who were perfect in their art. We are trying to inculcate the best of our country’s art and culture in our students,” said headmistress Sharmistha Banerjee.
M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School
Students of M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School celebrated Republic Day on the school premises.
Principal Purnima Chatterji hoisted the tricolour and the students and teachers sang the national anthem and some patriotic songs.
Nirvan Nayak of Class XI gave a speech on how the nation has progressed in every sphere over the years and how nation-building is the youth’s responsibility. The principal gave her speech stressing on making an impact in the smallest ways.
The students celebrated Saraswati puja, too. A pandal was erected on the basketball court.
A priest, accompanied by head girl Sayani Agarwal and head boy Tanishq Kothari started the puja with the chanting of hymns. Everybody was clad in traditional clothes.
“Everybody had a great time. It was the time to recharge, relax and renew ties. Former students dropped in. Some students also came for the evening puja. It was a daylong affair,” said the principal.
Calcutta Public School, Bidhan Park
It was celebration time on the grounds of Calcutta Public School, Bidhan Park, as the school hosted their annual charity fete in December. The event is organised to raise money for underprivileged children.
Students dropped in, often with their parents, and enjoyed visiting various stalls. The event began with a speech from principal Protichi Lahiri Sengupta, who congratulated everyone for their hard work and dedication in setting up the kiosks.
Many food stalls were set up, with the teachers and students supervising them. The students and their parents sampled the treats from different states. Up for grabs were crispy chicken, biryani, momos, sushi, aloo dum, chaats and several other savouries. One stall also sold patisapta (stuffed pancake) as a dessert.
The teachers and students took part in many activities. Some of the games up for grabs included Target The Gift, Dice Game, Nine Pins, Lucky Dip and Pinning the Tail. There were prizes galore for the participants.
There was a photo booth that offered visitors amusing and quirky props for their photo shoot. There was also a booth where the students could play different music tunes.
“It was great to see teachers, students and alumni attending the carnival. Our school believes in the all-round development of children and events like these help to nurture the creative, leadership and organisational skills in them,” said the principal.
Vivekananda Mission School, Joka
The excitement of double celebrations took over students at Vivekananda Mission School (VMS), Joka, as they took part in Republic Day and Saraswati Puja.
Principal Sarmistha Banerjee unfurled the national flag.
Vice-principal Ananya Dutta gave a speech to motivate the students. “We need to develop the thinking ability of our nation...Let education teach us humanity,” she said.
There was a riot of colours as students turned up in bright traditional wear for Saraswati puja.
“Members of the alumni association organise our Saraswati puja, but our students and teachers are actively involved in the arrangements,” said the principal.
Rector Arnab Chanda said: “The atmosphere was vibrant and we had a huge gathering of the present and former students.”