The 72nd Independence Day of India was celebrated with much fervour today in The Gaudium. The beautiful ceremony in the morning began with a slow march past whereby our guests of honour – our principal, Mrs. Hema Surapaneni, our head of HR, Mrs. Rohini Chigurupati and our oldest member of the Gaudium Team, Mr. Prabhakar Reddy came in. They were welcomed with bouquets of flower by the geckos of grade 2. Then the celebration started with the flag hoisting followed by the singing of the National Anthem. There was an atmosphere of patriotic pride and joy in the air and it could be seen reflected on the faces of the geckos as they went by in the March Past next. The march past was followed by the Inter Tribe Folk Music Competition.

India is a melting pot of diverse cultural customs and norms and thereby the unity in diversity portrayed by our nation is far more admirable and unique. The folk music adds regional flavour to any celebration and helps us create a dynamic dialogue. So, the tribes of the Gaudium – Pegasus, Dragons, Sphinx and Griffins represented the different regions of India through their songs.

Pegasus played host to the North and took us to the vibrant and bountiful land of Punjab through their song, “Aaj mera jee karda”.

The Sphinx who took us to the West to the wise lands of Gujarat where we tasted the salty notes of the Gujarati song, “Leri Lala”.

After this the Dragons followed. They played host to the East and Odisha was represented through their graceful ballad, “Rangabati”.

The Griffins took center stage playing host to south and presenting us with a beautiful song in Malyalam,” Kuttanandan Punjayille”.

To hear the geckos sing fluently and gracefully in languages unknown to them reminded us of how we must be open-minded and have appreciation for other cultures and languages.

After this it was time for the tiny tots of grade 1 and 2 to add colour and vibrance to the parade. They came dressed as the freedom fighters of India and soon they could be seen going in a procession.

The Principal also addressed the assembly sharing her thoughts and ideas and it was truly sublime.

The celebration continued musically after this with two songs being sung by the geckos of grade 4 and 5 – our National Song, “Vande Mataram” and “Sare Jahan Se Achha”.

After that the results of the competition were declared and the winners awarded their trophies. Griffins emerged the winner of the music competition.

This celebration was ended with a vote of thanks by the Cultural Committee Captain, Ronith. The day ended on a note of pride and immense satisfaction.

Learning outcome: Geckos celebrated India’s Independence Day with fervour and realized the significance of the Indian Struggle for Independence where thousands of freedom fighters had laid down their lives to ensure that we get our freedom from the yoke of the British empire.

 

Snaps of the event: (both preparation and actual day)