It’s a special feeling when you see your national
flag being hoisted and it must be a totally exhilarating experience for the
school children.
Last month I had the opportunity to attend the
Republic Day parade of a school and it brought back memories of my school days.
In those days Republic Day was celebrated with
great fanfare throughout the country. Not only were the government offices
illuminated, but a bus, a tram, and a train was fully illuminated in every city
(yes there were trams in those days in Bombay – now Mumbai) There were
processions of colourful floats taken out in the night and it had a real
festive mood. It was a real happy happy day. But good things don’t last. This was called
off after the 1962 China war and was never revived after that. Now as a token
we have the Republic Day Parade only in the capitol.
Coming back to the school it was nice to see the
girls smartly turned out in their RSP uniform (Road Safety Patrol)
The young ones keenly watched the dance skit
performed by the senior girls.
I was amazed at these two girls who danced bare
foot. I could see pebbles on the ground and was wondering how they could move
around with such grace on those stones.
In comparison this tiny tot had some footwear and
tried her best to synchronize with the music.
These seniors must be feeling good with some awards
and prizes coming their way.
Then we had these school peons with tension written
on their face as they were a part of the team who ensured the smooth flow of the programme.
The children in this school should consider themselves lucky as it is very rare where you see so many tall trees and greenery surrounding the school.
What I liked best with the music group was that everyone who could play some instrument pitched in. So we have these two girls on the small synthesizers and one on the key board. I wondered why this boy was standing and playing the drum, could be because there is no bass drum pedal to operate.
What I liked best with the music group was that everyone who could play some instrument pitched in. So we have these two girls on the small synthesizers and one on the key board. I wondered why this boy was standing and playing the drum, could be because there is no bass drum pedal to operate.
Then we had the school leader who doubled up to
play the Congo with two budding guitarists next to him.
And they
picked the right song for the occasion, Vande Matram by A R Rehman.
So I used the same song to string up this seven
minute video and put in all still and video clips that I had.
Enjoy J
19 comments:
Hi Joe
Did you notice the uncanny resemblance between the drummer and Akul right from the expressions, the hair style, the partially undone tie, the spectacles, the folded sleeves to the mannerisms. All of us felt we were actually watching Akul play the drums.
- Anna Srikrishnan
Got me back to my school days.... Excellent blog pa!
Very nice photos. Enjoy your day.
beautiful uniforms and lovely dance costumes. :)
Wonderful series of photos and such beautiful colours.
Such a holy event! Liked the series here very much. Their enthusiasm inspires me.
This post got me nostalgic. Hoisting of the flag always always fills us up with pride. That was a wonderful coverage of the event. And what a great idea to string it all up in a video. Enjoyed watching it. :)
I enjoyed having a look at the larger photos in the collection. I don't know as much about your country as I should. We are born and if our parents are of a certain religion, then we children usually adopt their faith. The place where we were born becomes are place in society and in the world. We seldom change if there is a lot of support at home. I was a kind of rebellious student when I was in school. And I was our class president. But I tried to get away from school to see how far I could go on my own without much school. I did get through high school but I also did way more than many students get to do after getting a Phd in education or something else.
The pictures are wonderful! It definitely looks like a special day. :)
I remember as a child I used to participate in the parade.
These photos brought memories back!
Wow, great photos! Everyone looks so pretty in those lovely clothes! Such a wonderful tradition.
That's quite an elaborate performance for the occasion, put on by the children!
Your photos are lively and quite stunning - what an interesting and beautiful blog!
Back in school these days held more meaning, even while living outside India, we were woken up early and hauled away to the Indian club to watch the flag hoisting... but staying here in India, it just seems like another day. You celebrated it well, the children all look lovely ...
and i am sure each of them would feel happy & proud to see this blog post
Nice documentation of the event, I especially like the young ones sitting on the ground. :)
Splendid pictography..might be a great occasion
I enjoyed the lovely photographs and the music video. The kids looked so nice in their school uniforms and the dancers looked wonderful.
I loved this post. I would like to see schools have uniforms here - I think they all look so very smart. Your post is so colourful and well written. It was written with feeling and memory and took you back to wonderful times you experienced yourself. I agree, standing in a crowd and singing our National Country Song while the flag is raised is quite a feeling. The young dancers look so elegant and the young men and women with musical instruments as well. I enjoyed your video clip. Thank you for dropping by and I hope you visit again. My blog will start up again shortly, as I am visiting family and will be home shortly. Have a wonderful day.
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