“Grandparents are a delightful blend of laughter, caring deeds, wonderful stories, and love.”
“A Salute To Our Roots”
Grandparents are a family’s greatest treasure, the keepers of traditions, the founders of a loving legacy, the greatest storytellers. The stories that they narrate has an everlasting influence and help children embrace family values. Listening to the grandparents telling stories of different people who did ‘the right thing’ teach children to be like those characters. One such ceremonial occasion, to nurture this relationship and to bring children closer to books was held in Delhi Public School, Pal Road in which people witnessed celebration of Sanskaar Diwas “Samanvay Sanskaron Ka”. This annual event holds a significantly special place in the hearts everyone as it is a great time to remind each one of what the elders mean to us. It is the celebration of selfless and limitless love and it is the opportunity for both grandparents and grand children to express affection for each other.
The day was filled with oodles of blessings, happy faces, excitement and cheer as the budding stars of class II displayed their love and affection for their grandparents. The event encompassed two days ie.15 and16 October commencing from 9:30 am in the morning. A total of 350 students were a part of this mega celebration. The little children participated in multifarious cultural program to welcome their dada-dadis and nana-nanis. The program commenced with the lightening of the lamp and a floral welcome of the Chief Guest. A welcome speech was given by the Junior Block Headmistress, Ms Pallavi Das who showed her gratitude towards the audience for making an effort to attend the celebration and gave the overview of the whole event. The program on the first day beheld the gracious presence of Mr Namo Narayan, Retd. Chief Justice Rajasthan High Court and the former Vice Chancellor National Law University of Jodhpur. On the second day Mr. Suparas Bhandari, former Director Agricultural Insurance Company of India and a Social Worker was the Chief Guest. The Director & Principal of the School, Mr. B. S Yadav, Vice Principal, Ms. Abhilasha Shaw, Senior Block Headmistresses, Ms Sangeeta Yadav, Middle Block Headmistress Ms Kajal Bhati were present on both the days and were a great source of motivation for all.
Taking God’s blessings is of paramount significance hence the presentation began with the Sarswati Vandana that created a reverential atmosphere. It was a sight to behold as the tiny tots were seen tapping their feet portraying their love and dedication for the Goddess Saraswati. The paragon of the entire event was to shift children’s interest from digital media to reading books. Stories of Akbar and Birbal are extremely popular in India. The several instances when Birbal uses his wit and intelligence to calm the ire of Emperor Akbar and amuse him at the same time, used to be a part of the oral tradition of storytelling, but in recent years these stories have been overshadowed by the cartoons that children watch on television. The beautiful depiction of the story of “Akbar and Birbal’ helped children associate with important virtues of life through the valuable moral at the end .
We all very well know that children certainly share an innate need to associate with other living creatures. Thus the stories of animals are their all time favourite. The story of ‘The little Ant’ was a perfect pick for the little ones. The appropriate scene setup, the costume, the props children held and the makeup was a perfect mise-en-scene that fixed everyone’s gaze on the stage.
The Indian mythology, with its treasure trove of tales is a great source of imparting values in children. It teaches good conduct in an exciting, action packed manner. The story of ‘Asur and Devta’ where children were dressed as Gods and Demons was an evocative way to teach children good conduct and thinking above self.
The picnic scene, the market scene and the family scene that depicted togetherness of all the members of the family evoked the need to live in a joint family under the guidance and care of the grandparents.
The stage wore a new look every time the children stepped on it. The instances of playing outdoor games, exercising, doing Yoga etc.every episode effectively communicated its message. The exemplary performance of the children glued everyone to their seats. It was a moment of elation to see the happiness ushering in the faces of all the grandparents and parents.
Mr Namo Narayan and Mr Suparas Bhandari were all praise for the children and the teachers and both proclaimed the importance of having a joint family. The Director and Principal of the school addressed the audience and asserted the importance of having elderly people around us. He advised the parents to be a good role model for their children and always remain involved in the child’s life. The program culminated with the singing of the national anthem.