Indian Educational School (Bharatitya Vidya Bhavan, Kuwait) hosted a breathtaking School Exhibition on Thursday, January 18,2018. The exhibition was a joint venture of the departments of English, French, Hindi, Sanskrit and Social Studies of the primary, the middle and the senior wings of Bhavans based on the theme ‘Incredible India.’
The school exhibitions are usually confined to the traditional boundaries of scientific temper and often, the display of working models based on the principles of physical sciences. Bhavanites wanted to break the mold, and they did without compromising on academics to set up an exhibition of that scale. The parents, the teachers, and the students thronged the exhibition stalls embellished with novelty and uniqueness.
The exhibition was formally inaugurated by the chief guest for the day by Mr. Harjeet Sawhney, the country manager of Air India-the flag carrier airline of India. Mr. Harjeet was given a guard of honor by the BSS cadets of IES. He was also received warmly by Mr.T. Premkumar, the principal, IES, Mr. Suresh V Balakrishnan, the vice principal, Middle and Senior Wings, Mrs. Lalitha Premkumar, the vice principal, KG and Primary Wings, and Mrs. Meenakshi Nayyar, the vice principal, CCA.
He was welcomed by 29 students each representing a state in India in the traditional attire of the states they represented. Mr. Harjeet visited all the stalls and congratulated the participants and the teachers on their efforts and enthusiasm. He said he was happy to be a part of an exhibition that proudly showcased the culture and heritage of India. Mr. N.K. Ramachandran Menon, the chairman, Bhavans Kuwait also visited the stalls.
The visitors were awestruck by the magnitude of exhibits displayed by the Social Studies Department. Statuettes, figurines, working models, pictures, video shows and 3D views on the glimpses of Indian History were quite laudable. The icing on the cake was perhaps the exclusive venues that portrayed the history, the culture, the languages, and the cuisine of all Indian states from Kashmir to Kerala.
The language, cuisine, culture, traditions, textiles, herbs, spices, and ‘anything and everything’ related to India were displayed in the exhibitions stalls. The stalls showcased a variety of artefacts flown in from India. The herbs and spices stall provided the students an opportunity to see and experience some of the rare medicinal herbs. The stalls of all Indian states proudly showcased their rich legacy. The stalls also provided the visitors a unique opportunity to relish the traditional as well as the modern cookery of the states they represented. The stalls served traditional Indian dishes and sweets ranging from golden banana chips of Kerala to ‘dum aloo’ of Kashmir. The variety of ‘payasams’ and ‘kheers’ also was a showstopper as the visitors stopped to relish a bowl of this sweet delicacy. The proud parade of Indian sweets added a sweet and an enjoyable flavor to the exhibition.
The children gave a vivid description of the cultural heritage of every Indian state. They answered the questions raised by the visitors quite assuredly. ‘The life styles of the people in various states of India' was another visual feast presented by the little but the erudite kids. A mini theater was also set up by the students to familiarize the visitors with the dance forms of India. The rich genres of Indian traditional music-the finest in the planet were also played in the theatre much to the amazement of the visitors.
The departments of the languages won the hearts of the visitors with an amazing array of cultural programs. The English Department stole the show with character portrayal and choral recitations. Popular characters created by Indian authors in English set the stage on fire. The Puppet Show staged by the Department of French amazed everyone. The puppets spoke, danced and interacted with the visitors. Another eye candy was the display of important French personalities who carved a niche for themselves in literature, philosophy, inventions, and so on. The Department of French also showcased the rich French culture and legacy. Songs like ‘Aux Champs Elysees’ won the hearts of the spectators.
The Department of Hindi rose to the occasion with their ‘nukkat natak.’ The high spot of the exhibition was indeed a slew of street plays in Hindi. The Primary children showed their patriotism by presenting a dance drama ‘The Indian Flag.’ Besides, there were also folk-dance shows and poetry recitation that helped many a visitor learns about Hindi – one of the richest languages in the Indo-European language family that boasts of 500 million speakers worldwide.
The Sanskrit Department proudly presented the glorious culture of India. The character portrayals from Indian epics ‘the Mahabharata ‘and ‘the Ramayana’, the stills of the ‘Gurukula System’, valuable insights into the ancient Indian tradition, the power of Ayurveda, the demonstration of ‘Surya Namaskara and Yoga’ etc. provided valuable information on Sanskrit – the mother of all languages and the rich legacy of India.
The stalls agog with laughter, hustle and bustle paved way for silence at three o’ clock in the afternoon when the bells indicating the end of an exciting school exhibition resonated the school hallways. The annual school exhibition this year was indeed the true testimony of creativity, zeal and zest that Bhavanites are known for the encouragement the school received through the visits of the ever-supporting parents, and the knowledge-thirsty students of many an Indian school in Kuwait once again proved the trust that parents and the well-wishers have placed in IES – the school with a difference that makes a difference in the lives of its students.
Chrissa Oommen of grade 9 delivered the welcome address. Principal Mr. T Premkumar thanked the chief guest for his presence. The chief guest was presented a memento by the Head of the Department of Social Studies Mr. Binoy Mathew and the Heads of Languages Mrs. Jaemi Byju, Mrs. Swarna Saini, and Mrs. Jyoti Fathima as a token of the love and gratitude of Bhavans fraternity in the presence of the Vice Principals Mrs. Lalitha Premkumar and Mrs. Meenakshi Nayyar. The emcees for the day were Megha Vinil and Ethan Boby Kurien of grade 7.