Summary
Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education celebrated the Independence Day, Sri Aurobindo's birth anniversary and their foundation day on August 15
Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education held a grand event on August 15. They were celebrating Independence Day, Sri Aurobindo's birth anniversary and their foundation day, all of which fall on the same date.
The festivities began with a flaghoisting ceremony at the CL Block campus of the school, after which the action shifted to EZCC.
After the welcome address by the secretary and president, it was over to the chief guest Madhusudan Chakraborty, former director of IIT, Bhubaneshwar, and guest of honour Madhumita Dutta, associate professor of English, Vidyasagar College, and an alumna of the school.
The cultural programme began with a welcome dance by senior students to Guru Vandana and the Rabindrasangeet Aguner poroshmoni.
An act titled “Sri Aurobindo and the unity of all existence” highlighted the significance of the day through a reading of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s teachings that guide the school to this day. Students also spoke about Aurobindo’s life, his patriotic fervour, spiritual awakening and his yogic philosophy.
Next was a play based on Aurobindo’s epic poem Savitri. But Savitri in this play was but an abstract feminine force and the protagonist was Ashwapati. The play highlights his experiences as he traverses from mortality to planes of higher consciousness to seek an end to darkness.
The lead role of Ashwapati’s soul was played by Niladri Saha. “We wait eagerly for this programme all year long. Participating in such events also serves as a stressbuster from our busy routines. We prepared the play under the guidance of our teacher Nandita Chandra,” said Niladri, a Class XI student.
Utkarsh Das, a member of the play’s technical team, said he had worked hard on the background score and lighting. “I started research as soon as I was informed about this play. We had to suggest music and lighting that would be suitable and our ideas eventually materialised. It was an amazing experience,” he said.
There was also a PowerPoint presentation played on the activities undertaken by the school in the last academic session.
Students then put up a Bengali drama Srikanta-r Bhramankahini, based on a story by Bengali humorist Sibram Chakraborty, an English play Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw and the Hindi play Do Kalakar by Mannu Bhandari.
The last one was about two friends who are moved by a scene of two children in abject poverty. One of the friends paints the image and wins much acclaim for it. The other friend, though no talented artist, reaches out to the children and uplifts them. The play poses a question to the audience, asking which friend was greater.
There was also a dance drama on women’s empowerment, drawing inspiration from Draupadi, the Pandava queen from The Mahabharata.
This was followed by a vote of thanks by the principal Anthony Das and the final event — Panorama — by the senior school choir. With songs like We are the world and Gram chara oi ranga mati, the medley incorporated folk, pop and international music.
The show ended with the national anthem.
Last updated on 08 Sep 2023
