The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

SCHOOL BUZZ
Little Krishnas have a whale of a time
Smriti Kak

The images of Krishna on Janmashtami, the Lord’s birthday, are that of a naughty little boy, with an impish countenance who scurries after butter and plays pranks.

On the eve of Janmashtami the tiny-tots are dressed as Radha and Krishna to participate in the festivities. Clad in dhotis complete with a flute and a crown, little boys are seen accompanied by their consorts dressed in the traditional ghagaras and cholis. This is precisely what happened at Mother’s Pride School, where hordes of Radha-Krishna facsimiles descended to celebrate the occasion.

Swinging on ‘jhlas’, digging into sweets and enacting the scenes from the life of Radha and Krishna these tots had a whale of a time. To acquaint the children with the significance of the day, the birth of Lord Krishna was dramatised complete with the Lord being carried over the Yammuna.

A special pooja was conducted and the kids sang ‘Yashomati Maiya se bole Nandlala’ enthralling the audience. Varshika Madaan was the star of the day with her rendition of ‘Simaran Karte Rahiye’ and ‘Payoji maine ram rataan dhan Payo’.

Birth anniversary

GHPS, Shahdara celebrated Guru Harkrishan’s birthday with great enthusiasm. Among those who attended the celebration were the members of the DSGMC, Junior Vice-chairman, Gurcharan Singh was the chief guest.

The school Chairman, Mr S. L. S. Bajwa, Vice-chairman, Narayan Singh and the Treasurer, G.S. Sabharwal also participated in the celebration. The Chief Guest in his address urged the students to follow the path set by the Guru and remember his sacrifice, which went further strengthen the foundation of Sikhism.

The school Principal, Mr Ghuman presented Saropas to the guests. The students recited Shabadas and sakhis on the occasion.

Welfare Society

Naraina Vihar Welfare Society celebrated Independence Day by distributing sewing machines to widows and books and other stationery material to the school students.

The function, which was presided over by the President of the society, Mr Sanjeev Arora, as chief guests. Students from Salwan Public School presented a cultural programme and sang patriotic songs.

Prizes distributed

Enthusiasm and grandeur marked the annual prize distribution ceremony of Amity International, Saket. More than 470 prizes were distributed to the young achievers for their meritorious performance in academics and extra-curricular activities.

CBSE Chairman Mr Ashok Ganguly was the Chief Guest and spoke about the three major values that students should imbibe. He spoke about on the merits of ‘Nistha’, ‘Tyag’ and ‘Parishram’ and emphasised on Abhibhavak Nishta and Vidyarthi Nishta.

The Chairperson of the school, Dr Amita Chauhan, urged the parents to make their children strong enough to face all circumstance in life. She added that parents should not pamper their children and make them strive to achieve the best.

The students presented a cultural programme on the occasion. Among those present was MCD Councilor Rohit Manchanda.

Blooming block

Delhi Public School, R K Puram, has added a new block for the younger students of the school. The block named ‘Blossoms’ will be inaugurated by Mr Salman Khurshid, President, DPS Society and Mr Narendra Kumar, Chairman. Each room in Blossoms will be named after a flower. Here’s wishing blooming and fragrant success to the future inhabitants of Blossoms.

Education with fun

It was a dream come true for students of Classes I and II at Amity International, Manesar, when for once instead of having to hide their masks in school bags and under desks, they were encouraged to wear them.

A special mask making and matchstick drawing workshop, organised by the school, had the little ones giving vent to their creative genius. While pink bunny masks were everyone’s favourite, the innovative geometric designs done with matchsticks were no less interesting. This is what they call education from fun.

I-D feast

The students of Jaspal Kaur Public School celebrated I-Day in a unique way. Apart from singing patriotic songs, the Hindi department of the school presented a kaleidoscope of important events that marked the freedom struggle. Snippets depicting the Jallianwala Bagh and the Non-Cooperation movement were presented to educate the students about the freedom struggle.

The English department presented a visual treat with ‘We the Proud Indians’, where speakers traced the various achievements and contributions made by Indian through the Vedic age to the Modern Era. Contribution of Indians to various fields like Arts and science were highlighted. Chief Commissioner Income Tax G. P. Prabhu was the Chief Guest.

Debate contest

DPS, R K Puram, held the first ‘Dhruv Rajgariha Memorial debate’ in memory of Dhruv an outstanding student.

The debate was inaugurated by a short memorial service and was followed by the rendition of a self-composed poem by Dhruv’s batchmate, Nidhi Gandhi.

Twelve schools from across the city participated in the debate, voicing their views on ‘Is it possible for man to lead a rational life, in an irrational society?’

The first prize went to Anchal Anand of DPS, Vasant Kunj, she won a cash prize of Rs 2,001 and also won the best interjector’s prize. Aditya Vishwanath of Amity International, Saket, won the second prize and Vaibhav Sehgal of DPS, R K Puram won the third prize. They were given cash prizes of Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,100 respectively. Aditi Sanyal and Akshay Madhavan of DPS, Mathura Road, bagged the best team trophy.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
Procrastination is the thief of time

I am sure each one of us is aware that ‘time is precious’. Similarly, we have all been told that instead of wasting time watching TV, we should pursue a hobby. Or sometimes we have been told to finish the work as not to keep everything for the last minute.

Time is like a circus, always ready to pack up and leave. Money lost is bound to return, but time that has passed never comes back. Therefore, one should never fall prey to procrastination. Procrastination is the thief of time, the habit of procrastination fatigues you more than the effort it takes to finish the task.

‘A stitch in time, saves nine’, attack the task with gusto and you will be surprised at your own competence. A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Take the step and leave inertia behind. And then see the miles melt beneath your feet.

Leon A Danco said, “In his wisdom God gives to each one of us a limited finite number of hours a year in which, to achieve our goals, both material and spiritual. He gives us these hours in sequence day by day, month by month. If they are wasted, however, they are neither repeatable nor refundable. He gives the same amount to the rich and to the poor, to the young and the old. Whatever successes we may achieve in this life will come from purpose to which, we put God’s priceless gift-Time.”

If we wish to live a worthy life we must get into the habit of living in the present and doing it now, surely we would not like to be remembered as:

He slept beneath the moon

He basked beneath the sun

He lived a life of going to do

Died with nothing done

- James Albery

So, do your important jobs now, before they become urgent.

Madhu Chandra, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan

CULTURE

THE ACHIEVERS
Making star-like glass jewels is her forte
Tribune News Service

The famed glass foil artwork of Rajasthan. New Delhi, September 1
Small, delicate and colourful foils set against a thin glass lacquered background shimmering like jewels or stars in a dark black sky! No, this is not a dream sequence from any film but the work of a traditional artist which Kota-based interior designer, Indu Shrivastava, happened to see at a festival in Kota.

Hypnotised by the sight, she started making inquiries about it and was told that it was a dying art in Rajasthan State.

This chance encounter with the famed glass foil artwork of Rajasthan has changed the course of her life forever.

While there are only a handful of families left in the state who are wedded to this traditional art, there was only one family practising this art in the entire Hadoti region.

While its ancestors had been recognised by the Kota Durbar, the art itself has been passed on from generation to generation.

“It took nearly two years for me to track the family down. To my utter shock, all members of the family except one had given up the art,” says Indu.

The origin of this artwork can be traced to the third or fourth century when different schools of art and culture used to flourish in the state under the patronage of kings.

The art can still be seen in frescoes and ceilings of old palaces and temples all over the state.

In this work, different colour foils are used against a thin glass sheet. On the reverse of the glass a pattern is etched in golden colour and the background is lacquered black. First, it is left for drying in shade for some days and then different foils are cut in different shapes, concaved and stuck on the reverse of the glass.

The foils set amidst a black background give an illusion of jewels studded on glass.

“It is a laborious process, requiring patience, dedication and immense concentration. All work is done by hand and no dyes or stencils are used to trace the pattern or to cut foils,” says Indu, who has been working with the artist’s family in Kota for the past two years.

“My profession as an interior designer has helped me immensely in attempting a revival of this art. I have realised that this art can indeed be put to a lot of use. Doors and wardrobe panels, false ceiling panels, jewellery boxes, furniture inlay, photo frames, table tops and many more mundane things could be created out of it.”

Aptly titled “glass jewels,” Indu now provides custom-made designs to people who have started recognising the art. So much so that the family with whom she has been working is once again practising the artwork.

She also plans to hold an exhibition of her “glass jewels” art at the India International Centre in the Capital in October.