Dr. Rajendra Prasad once said, “A country that does not take pride in its language and literature can never progress.” Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, hosted the annual Bhasha Utsav, organised by the Hindi department, on 23rd December 2015. The event saw active participation of 22 schools from across the city.
The programme commenced with the lighting of the lamp, enriched by the presence of the chief guest, Mr. Ravi Raj Sagar, an eminent dramatist and the artistic director of the theatre group, Dramatech. Also present were the Principal, Dr. D. R. Saini and the Vice Principals, Ms. Shobha Mehta and Ms. Vanita Sehgal; and Headmistress, Ms.Anita Singh.
The panel of judges for the events included Dr. Ghamandilal Agrawal, acclaimed poet and writer; Ms. Seema Bharti, senior journalist and author; Dr. Jayant Kashyap, scriptwriter and professor at Ramanujan College for the last12 years; Ms. Divya Jain, writer and powerful speaker; and Ms. Swati Parmar, from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Tapas Bhardwaj, former Head Boy of DPS R. K. Puram; Dr. Sandhya Singh of the NCERT; and Ms. Rachna Singh of Delhi University graced the occasion with their presence. The Head of the Hindi Department, Ms. Jyoti Bakshi, welcomed the judges and felicitated them with plants. She addressed the gathering, highlighting the beauty of the language and its deep links with Indian culture.
The Programme coordinator, Mrs. Fatma Kirmani introduced the esteemed judges – specialists in theatre, poetry, media and literature – to the gathering. She said a deep thinking and vision was involved in ‘Bhasha Utsav.’ It was not just another series of competitions, but a platform for the tech-savvy students, who are engrossed in the virtual world of Facebook, Whatsapp and Internet to enhance their ability to speak about the issues related to society and the country at large.
The Utsav opened with Kahani Manchan where the children gave brilliant theatrical performances based on the stories of renowned authors of Indian literature. The participants not only entertained the audience but also made them think on the social evils that they tried to highlight through their performances.
Kavita Path was skillfully designed to provide an environment for children to learn to fight against the evils of society through recital of poems beautifully crafted in satire .In the On-the Spot story writing event ‘Rachnatmak Lekhan’ children got an opportunity not just to hone their poetry and story writing skills but also to voice their opinions and give wings to their imagination. Last but not the least was ‘Vad Vivad Pratiyogita’ on the topic “Hindi bin na kaam sadhe’ yet another attempt to highlight the importance of Hindi language. Steeped in intense emotions and skilful presentations, Bhasha Utsav left and enduring impression on the spectators and audience with its strong intellectual content and spirit.
The event brochure was released by the Chief Guest to tremendous applause followed by a melodious song by the talented singers of the host school.
The valedictory function commenced with beautiful dances ‘Ai ri sakhi’ and ‘Moko Kahan Dhundhe Re Bande’ by the students of DPS R.K. Puram. The Chief Guest, Mr. Sagar appreciated the performances and the hard work of all the participants. Mr. Ghamandilal Agrawal and Tapas Bhardwaj also expressed their appreciation. Addressing the students, the Principal, Dr.D.R.Saini stressed on the need to promote and take pride in Hindi language.
In the awards tally, DPS R. K. Puram secured the first position in Kahaani Manchan followed by DPS Vasant Kunj and DPS Noida in the second and third position. Vaad Vivaad was won by DPS R. K. Puram, while DPS Sushant Lok bagged the second position followed by Modern School, Barakhamba in the third. Kavita Paath was won by DPS Rohini; and the second and third positions were secured by DPS Noida and Mother’s International School. In Rachnaatmak Lekhan, DPS R. K. Puram, Summer Fields School, Kailash Colony ;and DPS Dwarka secured the first, second and third positions in story writing, while DPS Rohini, DPS Gurgaon and DPS Dwarka bagged the first, second and third positions respectively in poetry writing.
The overall winner was DPS Noida while DPS R. K. Puram was the runner’s up. The Trophy was however passed on to DPS Rohini in the 3rd position. The event was an enriching experience for all present, and was made a success due to the efforts of the teachers of the Hindi department and the 400 students involved.
(PART I)
(PART II)