⚫ A play demanding better clarity on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act

⚫ A mask made with newspaper clippings on CAA and NRC

⚫Cartoons and doodles rooting for a secular India

School students used creative tools to question the amended citizenship act at the recently-concluded TTIS Challenge 2020.

A five-minute act by Apeejay School, Salt Lake, in the Street Play event reflected the confusion of the people, especially the poor, about the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and its long-term implications.

“We were a team of nine who read up extensively on the NRC-CAA issue. We realised that most people, like us, were confused and scared about its implications. We held discussions with our friends and all agreed that we want a secular India where humanity thrives,” said Aishi Acharya of Class XI.

The play, written by Bengali teacher Prajna Paromita Basu based on discussions with the students, ended with lines from a poem by Subodh Sarkar —— Firoza, ami Bharatiya meye — and an appeal to speak up.

“Our classrooms are heterogenous. The students have learnt to respect humanity through value classes and the Awakened Citizens Programme, both initiatives of the CBSE. They also read about our Constitution. So, they have been seeking answers from teachers on CAA and NRC. We have had to answer a lot of whys,” said Rita Chatterjee, the principal of the Apeejay Schools.

Yubasana Kapas of Gokhale Memorial School has been worried that what she and her friends have read in their civic books doesn’t match with the present. “I feel strongly against NRC-CAA. I want my nation to remain secular and our voice to matter. I don’t want a world full of unrest and bitterness,” said the Class X student who made a mask with newspaper cutouts of reports on CAA and NRC.

The predominant theme in Cartoon Drawing was the new citizenship act.

Class V student Satarupa Saha drew protesters as she rooted for a peaceful and secular India.

Rohan Basu of Sunrise English Medium School drew a man with his ears shut. “He is shutting out all the acrimony related to NRC-CAA. He is saying no to fascism,” said the student of Class VIII.

“Our lovely country is being split in groups. It makes me very sad,” chipped in Arunesh Basak of Adamas World School as he drew the pro- and anti-CAA groups on either side of the Tricolour.