‘Panchtatva – Let’s Sync with Nature’, the Annual Inter-DPS National Environmental Festival was hosted at Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram on 21 April 2018.
Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s environment. It marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. This Environment Festival is an extrapolation of the values which govern the notion of ensuring a better tomorrow for the future generations.
‘Panchtatva Saviours’ is a team of dedicated members from the Environment and the Geography Club of DPS R. K. Puram striving to ensure a clean and green tomorrow. The team aims to inculcate ‘Responsible Green Values’ amongst the students.
The theme of the event was ‘Save Earth’, with special emphasis on the 5 ’R’s – Reuse, Recycle, Reduce, Restore and Replenish. It witnessed the participation of 79 schools.
Chief Guest, Shri V.K. Shunglu, Chairman of the DPS Society and DPS R.K.Puram Managing Committee and the Guest of Honour, Ms. Vrinda Sarup, Member, Managing Committee, DPS RK Puram and Ms. Vibha Singh, Principal, DPS Rohini graced the occasion with their august presence. Other attendees included Vice Principals, Ms Padma Srinivasan and Dr Renu Nayar, Headmistress, Ms Rashmi Malhotra and headmistress DPS Vasant Vihar, Ms. Archana Pental.
Ms. Rupa Das, HOD-Geography and Ms. Niva Chhonkar, HOD-Biotechnology and Biology were the Event Co-ordinators.
A collaborative effort of the Environment and Geography Clubs of the school, the festival comprised 9 competitions- 5 off-site, including Book of Ideas – 1, Weave A Story (Photography), Green-o-tisement (Advertisement), E-File (Bio-Diversity File) and Scroll-A-Message; and 4 on-site, which were Book Of Ideas -2, Model Making : Green City, Let The Silent Earth Speak : Mime and Waste-Wise : Collage Making.
In ‘Waste Wise – Collage Making’, students were provided with pre-packed paper bags, full of waste materials, by the school. Using the contents, they were expected to create a collage on ivory white A3 sheets.
‘Model Making – Green City’ required the participants to design a model of a self sustained, environment-friendly green city, which would be capable of catering to its own requirements of resources sustainably. Their models were later displayed in the OAT for the final judgment.
A silent array of kids with painted visages, donning monochromatic outfits, dramatically put across shows, which left the judges in awe – finding it hard to decide who wins in ‘Let the Silent Earth Speak: Mime’. The kids expressed themselves in “silence” – a form of artistry hard to hit upon.
‘Book of Ideas – 2’ consisted of an elaborate discussion on why North India is more prone to pollution. It was supported by an electronic PowerPoint presentation as well. This was the final round, which was an on-site event – the first segment of which was sent in on April 18.
Mr Kuljeet Singh, an actor, director and teacher who is known for his performances in films like Margarita with a Straw (2014), along with Chetan Malhotra, co-founder of Square Heart Productions and alumnus of Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, judged the Mime event.
Dr Vijay Kumar Soni, Head of the Environment Monitoring and Research Centre (EMRC), Indian Meteorological Department, and Dr Siddharta Singh, Scientist, EMRC, judged both segments of the Book of Ideas.
Mr S. Aravindan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi, along with Shri R. Srinivas, head of the Metropolitan and Union Territories Division, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, judged the Model Making competition.
Ms Archana Pental, Headmistress of Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar and Dr Tejbir Singh Rana, Professor, Shivaji College judged two events – E-File and Scroll-a-Message.
Mr Vikram Verma, Production Designer in a number of prestigious production houses across India and Mr Palok Singh, a filmmaker and entrepreneur were judges for Weave-a-Story and Green-o-Tisement.
Mr Pankaj Guru, a Bachelor, Fine Arts from University Of Delhi and Ms Richa Sahu, Graphic Designer, Salwan Public School judged the Collage Making Competition.
A melodious Hindi-classical tune was showcased by young students, clad in green dupattas, of the school choir for welcoming the Guests – who then went on to appreciate the environmental models in the Open Air Theatre.
The Valedictory Ceremony commenced with the Indian Music School Choir performing a mesmerizing rendition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava,’ followed by a show reel featuring the highlights of the day.
The Principal, Ms Vanita Sehgal, spoke of the dilemma of the issue not spoken about: “who cleans the garbage and when?” She feels that we do little but expect others to do everything. She said if people feel they are too small to be effective then they have never been bitten by a small mosquito. She quoted a line – `Nothing comes from nothing’ to encourage children to go out of their comfort zone to make a difference.
The Chief Guest, Mr. V.K. Shunglu, Chairman of the DPS Society, shared his thoughts on ploughing back grass into the soil to ensure that essential nutrients aren’t lost. He mentioned the purchase of a new mower which recycles grass, thereby enabling rejuvenation of the soil.
Ms Vrinda Sarup considered it to be a privilege and a delight to attend this environmental festival. She found the ideas and works to be breathtaking and complimented the teams on their ideas and concerns. She even promised to support them and expose them to a wider audience.
Mr. Shunglu released the Report on Pollution Survey in Delhi prepared by Class X1 students of DPS RKPuram. He also released the Book of Ideas Part 1, a collection from all Delhi Public Schools bound together.
The speeches were complemented by a Panchtatva themed dance, backed by visuals and followed by soulful, warm voices of the western music choir.
Mr. Shunglu, Ms. Sehgal and Ms. Sarup distributed the prizes and congratulated the winners. Being the host team, DPS RK Puram participated but did not compete in any event.
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Ms Rupa Das, and the event concluded with the National Anthem.
The results of the events are as follows:
| NAME OF THE EVENT | POSITION | SCHOOL |
| Book Of Ideas Part 1 | First Second Third |
DPS Greater Noida DPS Greater Faridabad DPS Gurgaon, Sec45 |
| Green-O-Tisement | First Second Third |
DPS Indirapuram DPS Chandigarh DPS Guwahati |
| E-File | First Second Third |
DPS Greater Faridabad DPS Noida DPS Gurgaon, Sec45 |
| Weave A Story | First Second Third |
DPS Navi Mumbai DPS Bhatinda DPS Ranchi |
| Scroll A Message | First Second Third |
DPS Ranipur DPS Guwahati DPS Chandigarh |
| Book Of Ideas Part 2 | First Second Third |
DPS Navi Mumbai DPS Greater Noida DPS Greater Faridabad |
| Model Making Exhibition | First Second Third Special Mention |
DPS Vishakhapatnam DPS Greater Faridabad DPS Kashipur DPS Rewari DPS Srinagar DPS Hapur |
| Mime | First Second Third |
DPS Faridabad DPS Mathura Road DPS Navi Mumbai |
| Waste Wise | First Second Third |
DPS Sonepat DPS Indore DPS Bhopal |
