Delhi Public School, R.K.Puram organized an Inter-school Japanese Language Festival, ‘Nihon No Kaori’ – The Fragrance of Japan on 6 December 2017.
The programme was a DPS Society initiative, aiming at promoting social and cultural learning and also at strengthening the Indo-Japanese friendship. A total of 21 schools, represented by almost 125 students, participated in the seven events related to the Japanese language and culture. The off-site events included Bookmark Making, Invitation Card Making and Comic Designing, while the on-site competitions consisted of Character Portrayal, Skit, Haiku Writing and Duet Singing.
The Guests of Honour included Dr. Zeenat Khadar, the Joint Secretary, DPS Society and Mr. Daisuke Kodama, the First Secretary of the Information and the Culture Section, Embassy of Japan in India.
The judges for the events were Mr. Hiroaki Konishi and Ms. Yuiko Wakana, Japanese Language Advisors, Japan Foundation; Dr. Nabin Panda, Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, DU; Ms. Anju Raghav, Guest Faculty, Japan Foundation & Japanese School; Ms. Janashruti Chandra and Ms. Anushree, Assistant Professors, Center for Japanese Studies at JNU.
The valedictory ceremony commenced with a well synchronised fusion dance, which presented Japanese choreography set to Indian classical music. The Guests of Honour were felicitated with a token of regard by the Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal, who later warmly welcomed the gathering. She spoke of how she felt that everyone needs to learn more about Asia, commending the Japanese culture and people, while strongly recommending students to pursue third languages even after school. After highlighting the efforts of Coordinators Ms. Niva Chhonkar, Ms. M Sudeshna and Ms. Surbhi Gaur along with other supporting teachers, a montage carrying glimpses from the events was showcased.
The winners of the individual competitions performed their acts and were lauded for their talent.
Dr. Khadar spoke of the Japanese values, food and technology – thus showing that the country had a lot to offer. She motivated the students, reminding them not to be disheartened by the news of not winning.
Mr. Kodama stressed on why Indian students should study in Japan, with the help of a presentation. He was thankful to be able to witness this event for the fourth time and was impressed by the improvement in performances every year.
The Guests of Honour, the Principal and the Vice Principal presented the winners with their awards, heartily congratulating them.
In the Bookmark Making competition, DPS Indirapuram, DPS Noida and DPS Panipat bagged the first, second and third prizes respectively. For the Invitation Card Making, Arwachin International School came third, DPS Dwarka came second and DPS Gautam Budh Nagar bagged the first position. In the Comic Designing competition, St. Mary’s School, DPS Indirapuram, and DPS Sonipat emerged at the first, second and third positions respectively.
The first, second and third prizes for Character Portrayal – Kosupure, went to DPS Dwarka, Arwachin International School and DPS Mathura Road respectively. For the Skit – Geki, Teema, the first position was bagged by DPS Noida, the second one by DPS Dwarka and the third by DPS Greater Noida. DPS Indirapuram, Arwachin International School and DPS Sushant Lok secured the first, second and third place in Haiku Writing, while DPS Maruti Kunj, DPS Indirapuram and DPS Rohini won the first, second and third prize in J-Poppu, the Duet Singing Competiton.
The overall trophy went to Arwachin International School.
The Vice Principal, Ms. Anita Singh, delivered the vote of thanks. To conclude, the National Anthem of both the countries was played.
The event was a wonderful opportunity for all the students learning Japanese in various schools to hone their skills and learn more about the culture and traditions of Japan.
