Cultural Day Celebration

Months of ideation, practice and refining led to a perfect evening on September 8 at NPS International. Students of grade 1 - 5 (Primary Years) bedazzled the audience with their performances on the theme “INNER WORLDS: THE SHADES OF VALUE” for 2018-19’s cultural day, UTSAHAM.

Bringing to life philosophies of freedom, courage, compassion, valour, love, harmony and unity through effervescent acts, set to tunes from around the world, the students put up an enthralling show for their loved ones in the audience.

After the customary invocation, the MC rendered the welcome speech and introduced the chief guest for the evening Shri Abhishek Raghuram. A popular Carnatic musician, it was an honour to have a young celebrity like Shri Raghuram amongst the audience.

Students of Grade 1 shared with us a message of unity in diversity. Painting the stage in the hues of the rainbow, they showed us the importance of living in harmony through all the differences that exist between us.

Grade 2 took to a story inspired by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Tota Kahani to remind the audience of the importance of being oneself. Fields of flowers and corn visited by happy parrots transported the audience into a rustic setting. The enraged king had a parrot captured in a cage and scholars were sent to teach it the ways of life. Only the queen, a free thinker, understood that this is not the way to teach. She ordered the parrot to be freed at once, and the parrot happily returned to its life. The performance ended with a celebration of skills, talents and abilities that reminded us of the importance of freedom and choice.

Students of Grade 3 took us to our neighbouring land of Sri Lanka to teach us stories of sacrifice, compassion and universal brotherhood. The audience is taken through a time warp to witness the life of Sanghamitra, the daughter of King Ashoka. After a grand wedding, Sanghamitra decides to travel to Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of Buddhism. We watched Sanghamitra narrate stories of Lord Buddha that show us his compassion and understanding, in the tales of Angulimala and Chandalika. The performance ended with a grand celebration of the land of Sri Lanka in all its glory. The riot of colours and larger than life props were a feast to the eyes.

From the far south, the audience was transported to the land of ancient China by the students of Grade 4. A tale of bravery, sacrifice and honour was displayed through the life of Mulan, the legendary woman warrior who saved her kingdom. From Mulan invoking her ancestor’s blessings to the dainty lantern dance and then the bloody battle, the performance took the audience through a series of emotions. The show ended with a celebratory parade of dancers, singers, musicians and performers. The traditional Chinese dragon ran its way through the stage, drawing every eye towards it.

After travelling across the globe, the students of Grade 5 brought us back to our motherland India, depicting scenes from the epic Ramayana. They underscored the ideas of love and affection through tales of brotherhood. The performance began with Sita’s Swayamvara where Lord Rama is successful in stringing the bow and winning Sita’s hand. Tales of brotherly love were displayed by the students, depicting scenes between Lord Rama and his brother Lord Bharatha followed by Lord Rama’s brotherly love for the devout fisher king Guhan and Lord Hanuman. The performance comes to an end with Lord Rama’s Pattabhishekam or coronation.

The power of human emotions shone right through the performances put forth by students of the Primary Years at NPS International.

The chief guest Shri Abhishek Raghuram addressed the gathering and spoke about the manner in which lofty thoughts and values were conveyed by the students in a simple way. Our principal, Ms Sudha Balan applauded the efforts of all the students and teachers in putting up an impeccable show. Curtains were drawn on a memorable evening with a vote of thanks delivered by the MC.