LANGUAGE FEST 2023

“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”

— Frank Smith

Delhi Public School R K Puram organised the annual Language Festival for students from various grades at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, on January 21, 2023. The competitors were urged to learn, explore, and push themselves beyond their comfort zones in a range of creative challenges. There were two competitions organised by each language department:

The Spanish events included: a Declamation competition where the participants were required to give a speech on the subject of “Spanish Culture Exploration, Spain and Latin America are home to thousands of cultures within cultures,” which provided them with a discussion platform. Fluency and pronunciation, creativity and originality, and overall presentation were the parameters used to judge the participants. The judges, Dr. Monika, a committed teacher with a Phd in Spanish from JNU, and Ms. Richa Qushomi Sharma, a dedicated educator with an MA in Spanish, posed questions and evaluated the contestants based on their responses. The participants demonstrated their skill and displayed confidence. The second was a Poster Making competition where participants had to create a poster on an A3-size piece of paper, and they could use any medium they wanted. The criteria used to evaluate the participants was based on : overall presentation, originality and clarity with regard to the theme. The judge was Ms. Monica who has a Phd in Spanish from JNU. The competitors were buzzing with excitement and exhibited their talent to produce incredible work. 

The Hindi Events included अर्ज़ किया है (कवि सम्मलेन) (Arz Kiya Hai (Poet Conference))

In this event, each participating school was given a total of 4 minutes to recite poetry in two categories – humour-satire and heroic charm. Participants were encouraged to wear costumes during their presentations. The judges of the event were Ms Santosh Kumari, an enthusiastic teacher and poet, and Ms Karuna Sharma, who has a PhD from Delhi University. The evaluation was based on the overall impact of the presentation from an emotional standpoint. The contestants displayed their skill through outstanding performance. And the second event was नुक्कड़ नाटक (Street Play)in which each school had to present a play based on a social issue, problem, anomaly, corruption, evil practice, gender discrimination, child labour, illiteracy, etc. and other socially relevant topics to build awareness on. Four minutes were allotted to each school for their presentation. They were allowed to utilise various instruments and art forms, like dafli, dhol, banners, charts, posters, etc. The contestants showcased their abilities and gave excellent and engaging performances. The event was judged by Mr. Vashisht Upadhyay, who has an MA in Sanskrit from University of Delhi, and Mr. Atul Jassi.

The Sanskrit Events included स्तोत्र-गायन-प्रतियोगिता (hymn singing competition) where the participants were asked to introduce a hymn and sing. The time limit for each contestant was 3-4 minutes. The use of musical instruments such as the harmonium, tabla, sitar, drums and key- board, was mandatory. Contestants were encouraged to wear white clothes only. The Judges of the event were, Mr. Hemant Joshi, a Digital Channel Manager, Prasar Bharti, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and Dr. Aparna Dhir Khandelwal, Assistant Professor, School of Indic Studies, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA. Memorization, pronunciation, emotive singing, and presentation were the criteria for judgement. The competitors showcased their skills and radiated confidence. The second was संस्कृत-वाद-विवाद-प्रतियोगिता (Sanskrit debate competition) in which The topic of the debate was that ‘no subject is compulsory in the curriculum’. Each school participated in teams of two. The time limit was 4-5 minutes for the participating teams and 4-5 minutes for the opponents to present in the competition. Only white attire was mandatory for the contestants to wear. The Event was judged by Dr. Shyam Sunder Sharma, Assistant Professor Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi and Dr. Preeti Srivastava, Assistant Professor Vivekanand College, University of Delhi. The Judgement criteria was content, memorization, pronunciation and presentation.

The German events included a Declamation Competition where Participants had to speak for one minute on the topic Mein Held (My idol). Participants were evaluated based on language proficiency and originality. The event was judged by Ms. Harpreet Kakkar and Mr. Vajaya Devnath. The participants spoke with passion and expressed their opinions with clarity. The second competition was a Poster making competition. This challenge required participants to design a poster on an A3-size piece of paper using any medium they desired. The topics were Germany as I see it (Deutschland für mich), Tourist Attractions in Germany (Sehenswürdigkeiten in Deutschland ), My dream destination -Germany (Meine Traumreise nach Deutschland) and German Folktales (Deutsche Märchen). The evaluation of the competitors was based on overall presentation, creativity, inventiveness, and theme-related clarity. The participants showcased their skills and created amazing work. The judges of this event were Ms. Rima Chauhan, who is an associate professor at Gargi college, University of Delhi, and Ms Renu Sharma, an associate professor in the department of DCAC (DU).

The French events included a French Poster making competition where the Participants had to use any medium of choice to create a poster on A3 size paper for this competition. The theme was the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French strategic relationship in 2023. The criteria used to judge the competitors was based on the overall presentation, originality, and clarity with regard to the theme. The event was judged by Ms Babusha Verma, a French teacher at Delhi university, and Ms Divya Bhatia, A french expert, working at Amity Global Business School, Amity University. Astonishing work was produced by the participants, who displayed their talents. The second competition was the French Declamation competition where the students were expected to present an impactful speech with hand gestures and expressions to the audience within a time limit of 2 minutes. “To speak a language is to adopt a culture” (Parler une langue c’est adopting une culture) was the topic of the discussion. The participants were evaluated based on their pronunciation, creativity, originality, and overall presentation. The judges were Dr Anuj Sharma, a French teacher at Ambedkar University, and Mr Manmeet Singh,a  Research Scholar at JNU and a professor at Alliance francaise. The contestants showcased their talent and exuded confidence.

The event concluded with the much awaited valedictory ceremony, conducted in the Audio Visual Hall. The ceremony was initiated with the lighting of the lamp followed by a graceful welcome dance. A melodious instrumental recital and fusion dance filled the hall with life. The honourable Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan, and Vice Principal, Mr. Naresh Miglani warmly felicitated the chief guest, Prof. Puran Chand Tandon. The Guest of Honour, Prof. Bhaswati Sarkar, was felicitated by the Vice Principal,Mr. Anil Kathuria & the Head Of the Department of Foreign Languages and the headmistress (classes IX-X), Ms. Rashmi Malhotra. 

The Principal Ms Padma Srinivasan in her address welcomed all participating schools. She emphasised the importance of language in our life. She said To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world. It gives you an identity and helps you to be a global citizen. She also emphasised the need to learn as many languages as we can so that the world is closer for each one of us. She congratulated all winners for their effort and love towards learning languages. This was followed by the inspiring words from the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honor. Finally, the results were announced and the prize distribution was conducted. The Head Of the Department of Hindi and Sanskrit, Ms. Seema Mehta proposed the vote of thanks. The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem.