The Hindu : New Delhi News : A rewarding day for school kids

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Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
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New Delhi

A rewarding day for school kids

Parul Sharma

4,000 students had gathered at the Red Fort for the Independence Day function

NEW DELHI: It was 5.30 in the morning on Friday. Seated in their school bus, the group of young boys on its way to the historic Red Fort was zealously chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram.” The children — accompanied by their teachers — were among the first to arrive at the imposing fort, the ramparts of which were beautifully decked up with different varieties of flowers.

Soon the place was milling with students — 4,000 of them from 32 government-run and aided schools of the city.

“I live in Dayalpur in the trans-Yamuna area and my father dropped me at school,” said Dimple Satyawali of Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya near Raj Niwas. “All of us were to report at school by 4 a.m. and we reached the Red Fort around 4.30 a.m.”

Dressed in saffron, white and green track suits, the children sang Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi and Gujarati patriotic songs for which they had been rehearsing since July 31. Said Yasmeen, a student of the Government Girls’ Secondary School at Pataudi House: “Every day, we would reach the venue by 6 a.m. and practice for three hours. We would get refreshments.”

Welcome gifts

What really enthused the kids were the gifts that came along with the excitement of participating in the Independence Day celebrations — two track suits, a pair of shoes and socks, a handkerchief, a cap and a wrist watch.

About 1,000 cadets belonging to the National Cadet Corps also participated in the function.

Wearing a blue turban and a Nehru jacket, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived at the Lahore Gate of the fort to a rousing welcome by the Inter-Services band. He later inspected the Guard of Honour and unfurled the Tricolour before beginning his address.

The sky was overcast and there were sporadic light showers. The audience as well as the dignitaries had come prepared with raincoats and umbrellas.

The Prime Minister’s speech drew intermittent applause from the audience, especially children who clapped on cue from their teachers standing nearby.

Rapt attention

Having got up early in the morning, some children were seen dozing off. But many listened with rapt attention to the Prime Minister. Shefali, Deepika Singh and Akanksha Songray, students of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa Girls’ Senior Secondary School, were impressed. “The Prime Minister spoke about how he spent the first decade of his life in a village that had no power or roads. He studied using a kerosene lamp. For such a person to become Prime Minister is really inspiring,” said one of them.

Balloons released

The 90-minute ceremony ended with the National Anthem. This was followed by the release of hundreds of balloons attached to small Tricolour paper flags. The school children stood up and waved cheerfully at the Prime Minister as his 11-car cavalcade departed from the venue.

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