“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.