People organize fairs and every fair tries to bring different people together and bind them in brotherhood and unity. Of course any such fair is unique but those organized by the students are always praise worthy.
On 22nd November, Army Public School Barrackpore organized their Annual Carnival and Diwali mela to showcase the cultural prowess of the students with great gusto.
Barrackpore figures very prominently in the history of freedom movement of India where Mangal Pandey thundered against the tyranny of British rulers in 1857 which finds place in Indian history as Sepoy Mutiny. The oldest Army Cantonment , Barrackpore is also established here in the northern fringe of Kolkata and APS Barrackpore is situated in the Barrackpore Military Station.
Brig Manish Sharma, Station Commander, Army Cantonment, Barrackpore inaugurated the fair where Principal of APS Barrackpore, Dr. Moitryee Mukherjee, other senior Army officials, teachers school staff, kids and parents all witnessed the inauguration ceremony. This wonderful event was started by the lamp litting ceremony by Brig. Manish Sharma .The venue, was well laid out with glittering lights,Diyas(lamp), banners, shops ,swings, joy rides and food stalls etc attracted a large number of visitors.
On being asked about the contribution of the students behind the success of this fair, Dr. Mukherjee replied –
“This fair is a collective effort of all the students under the able guidance of our teachers as mentors .
It is so overwhelming to see our students organise a fair i.e Diwali mela and exhibition about the topic that is of utmost importance to understand our civilization and that too with all the facts, statistics and understanding of the topic.
The skills they have developed during the execution of this fair on the whole is phenomenal.
We aim to make the students as independent as possible promoting them to solve problems, plan, research and so on.
I feel so proud of my students for organizing a successful event.”
This fair was necessary especially for the students because for more than two years they could not enjoy fun moments due to covid pandemic. This fair was, therefore needed to bring out the students from monotony.
Covid pandemic created a huge gap especially between the Junior students and school. Will this fair help to bridge this gap?
Ms. Mukherjee added-
“The phase of pandemic created a distortion in the life of every individual around the globe .
The fair indeed provided a viaduct to the static thoughts and perceptions of the budding learners’ comprehending and executing abilities profoundly were enhanced and helped them ameliorate to the next echelon of innovation in a holistic development.”
Asked how much encouragement and support the students got from school officials, the Principal said-
“Students were given all logistic and technical support from the administration and the teachers.
Actually, organising a fair has empowered them with the
necessary skills required for marketing, finance resolving minor conflicts and most importantly, teach them to work as a team.”
According to Dr. Mukherjee “the fair helped them enhance their entrepreneur skills, establishing a good camaraderie among the peers , a sense of caring and sharing , collaborative and synergistic skills.
The children enthusiastically participated in cuisine stalls , displaying of Rangoli and various artifacts and project works relating to the excavations of Mohenjodaro and Indus Valley Civilization . An exemplary performance in the field of dance, song, recitation , Karate , aerobic , drama have helped them amplify their holistic development”.
Surely this fair will keep giving energy to the students till next year and they would keep the memory of this fair alive in their hearts through discussions until the preparation for the next year’s fair to start again. The school grounds will also wait in the hope that in the coming year the students and school officials will organize a bigger fair than this year on them.
(Report: PRATYUSHA MUKHERJEE, a journalist from Kolkata In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism.)
