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“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” 
Anaïs Niin  

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram hosted the annual Scholar Badge Ceremony for Class IX on 19 December 2020 via the virtual platform of Zoom. This year’s event derived its theme from a Pablo Picasso quote – “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” 

The esteemed Chief Guest for the day was Ms. Namita Pradhan, Member of the Delhi Public School Society and the Managing Committee of DPS R.K. Puram. 

Mr. Dharmendra Sharma, the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, and alumnus of DPS R.K. Puram, kindly consented to be the Guest of Honour. 

The event commenced with the symbolic lighting of the lamp, followed by an upbeat and welcoming orchestral performance by the talented instrumentalists of the Western Music Society.  

A short film highlighting the wide-ranging achievements of the students, undeterred by the unique challenges of this neoteric academic session, was presented. 

In her welcoming address, the Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan, congratulated the recipients of the various awards and commended the students’ exceptional performance in both academic and extracurricular fields. According to her, the diverse and holistic education provided at R.K. Puram complements and supplements classroom learning. She motivated students to identify where their aptitude lay and work diligently towards achieving excellence in their field of choice. Ms. Srinivasan also expressed her sincere appreciation and gratitude towards the teaching staff and faculty, whose dedication and hard work allowed classes and activities to continue despite unique and challenging circumstances. She concluded her address by thanking parents and students for their unwavering support and willingness to adapt in these unprecedented times. 

This was followed by a graceful dance performed by the students of the Indian Dance Society on the popular Odia folk song ‘Rangabati’. 

The Chief Guest, Ms. Namita Pradhan commended the staff and faculty of DPS R.K. Puram for reaching out to students and ensuring the continuation of stimulating extracurricular and academic activities despite the limitations and complications posed by the new platforms. According to Ms. Pradhan, there is an advantage to being confined to one’s home; in that, it forces one to seek out and develop new interests, and acquire new skills. She confessed to wishing this event were occurring in person and expressed her desire to see the bright and proud faces of students on stage and parents in the audience. She also discussed the importance of cherishing one’s school friends and keeping them close throughout life, and shared her experiences regarding the same. She concluded her address by emphasising the importance of hard work, imagination and drive, and encouraged the young scholars never to limit their ambitions.

Mr. Dharmendra Sharma, the Guest Of Honour, began his address by stating he was “suitably impressed and notably intimidated” by the wide-ranging achievements of the bright young minds present. He emphasised the importance of recognising and celebrating all-round excellence in areas such as drama, sport, debate, and dance side-by-side to celebrating academic accomplishments. He encouraged the young students to find time for moments of fun and relaxation and avoid becoming too stressed either as a consequence of the uncertain times we are facing or their hectic schedules. He concluded by re-stating the significance of following one’s passions and working hard to achieve them, with the simple quote – ‘Aim for it, go for it.’ 

The eagerly awaited award ceremony commenced with the felicitation of the Armaan Dogra Memorial Award (awarded to one student from each class IX batch for all-round excellence) to Aadya Kashyap of IX K, followed by the awarding of the First Blue Badge/Blue Blazer/ Red Tie/Red Badge to numerous proud recipients. It was conducted by the Class Representatives of Class IX, Ms. Payal Arora and Mr. Sanchit Chauhan. 

The vote of thanks was proposed by the Headmistress Ms. Rashmi Malhotra, wherein she thanked the honorable guests for sparing time from their busy schedules to inspire all present with their kind words. She congratulated the students and parents and thanked them for their attendance. She also extended her gratitude to the coordinator Mr. Mukesh Kumar, the technical team, the Activity Incharges Ms. Binu Channan and Ms. Kaveri Dhar, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Lemmy from the Music Department, and the Representatives of Class IX for working tirelessly to make the event possible. 

The ceremony concluded with the national anthem.

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“Failure defeats losers, but it inspires winners.” – Robert Kiyosaki

Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram hosted its eagerly awaited, prestigious Virtual Scholar Badge Ceremony for class VIII on December 12, 2020. The theme of the event was ‘A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.’

The online event commenced with the auspicious lamp lighting ceremony. The Western Music Society performed a harmonious and upbeat song, “Victorious”. The song showcased the relentless determination and tenacity of the students to strive for success and victory even during these strenuous times. 

The ceremony was graced by the Chief Guest, Dr. Kiran Datar, Member of the DPS Society and Managing Committee of DPS R.K. Puram and Mr. Prabhjeet Singh, President of UBER India and South Asia as the Guest of Honour. A video presentation about school achievements illustrated the scaling heights conquered by students under the dynamic leadership of the Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan. The exemplary performance of students in academic and non-academic fields highlighted their resilient spirit in the face of these unprecedented circumstances. 

The Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan commenced her address by congratulating all the awardees and spoke of the ceremony being a celebration of the accomplishments and extraordinary achievements of all the students. She highlighted the diverse and holistic education provided at DPS R.K. Puram. She spoke of the various hardships faced by the teachers in managing the online classrooms and grasping the new technology and commended them for their efforts and coordination in order to interact with the students virtually. Addressing the students, she talked about great leaders proving themselves by never quitting and always following their hopes and ambitions. She narrated the story of a dreamer who never gave up, the Missile Man of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.. She encouraged the students to stay united, cooperate, collaborate and work as a team to achieve all goals. She concluded her speech by reassuring the students that these tough times will not last long, and hoped for a wonderful school year ahead. 

A graceful and ebullient Indian folk dance performance was put up by the performing arts society. The energetic dancers lit up the virtual dance floor with their moves. 

The chief guest, Ms. Kiran Datar commenced her speech by congratulating all the awardees and talked about how they could equip themselves to further excel in life. She delved into explaining how power and responsibility go hand in hand and how the combination of power and responsibility makes the students the future leaders of the world. She emphasised on the fact that along with intelligence, emotional stability too is required to lead a healthy and successful life. She analogised surfers facing the waves with a smile and riding its crest to students overcoming challenges in life. She then said that the most important attribute to help us face these challenging times is unity and collaboration. She spoke about our institution being a leader in its own field, how it has achieved so much and how it’s valued by everyone. She empathised with the teachers by commenting on how it has been challenging for the faculty to keep up with the changing times and how students should help them and support them through the process. She concluded her address by expressing her gratitude to everyone for having invited her at the wonderful Scholar Badge ceremony of class VIII. 

Mr. Prabhjeet Singh, the Guest of Honour, expressed his gratitude towards the Principal for giving him an opportunity to be a part of the Scholar Badge ceremony. He felt honoured to be back at the institution that has had a major influence in shaping his life and also for the opportunity to interact with the young future leaders. He congratulated all the students for their achievements. He talked of the impact of the pandemic on businesses and the economy. He further went on to share five major learnings from his own life, on how to face life and career choices ahead. He asserted that the students need not follow any benchmarks set by society, rather they need to aim high and set their own benchmarks. Next, he claimed that although it is important to plan ahead, one should always be open to serendipity. He also stated the necessity of giving back to society. He reassured the students, and said that sometimes, it is okay to fail, but it is never okay to quit. Lastly, he emphasized on the importance of being a good human being. He concluded his address by congratulating all the students, parents and teachers for their efforts in putting up the show.

The award ceremony commenced with the felicitation of Blue Blazer awardees by Ms.Reema Khosla, followed by that of the Green Badge awardees by Ms.Pratibha Sacher. Ms. Sacher then proceeded to present the awards for co-curricular activities, the Red Blazer, Red Tie, Pin, and Certificate of Appreciation. The Gold Medal was awarded to students for 100% attendance.

The Headmistress, Ms. Niva Chhonkar then addressed the gathering and thanked the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour for gracing the occasion with their presence and for sharing their experiences with the students. She congratulated the students for their achievements and thanked the parents being encouraging, sharing timely feedback and  providing a conducive & comfortable learning atmosphere  at home.She expressed her gratitude to the staff for providing rich and engaging, well-rounded experiences and fostering curiosity amongst the students during such challenging times. She thanked everyone for putting effort into organising and presenting the ceremony successfully. 

The ceremony concluded with the national anthem.