SHALA SAMBRAMA: ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATIONS OF SHRI SHANTI VIDYA NIKETHAN MANDIRA

MT NEWS (BANGALORE): A small hamlet of 500 houses came together on Saturday February 21^st 2015 for ‘Shala Sambrama’ – School Annual Day celebrations at Shri Shanti Vidya Nikethan Mandira, Hunsanahalli, Kanakapura Taluk.

Shala Sambrama was the most exciting day of the year for the school and the hamlet as well, bringing together students, parents and staff with cultural backgrounds, to celebrate the diversity that creates the cultural fabric of our Country and the State. Though the program had a variety of displays, the theme was more to depict the ‘Colorful Cultures’ of Karnataka. The evening set the tone for the day’s festivities and learning opportunities, with prayer to the Creator by a group of students.

The occasion was graced by well known Environmentalist, Author, Educationist and Motivational Speaker U.S. Moinuddin.

The other Guests for the Day were Mr. Vishwanath the Chairman and Mr. Santhosh the Secretary of ‘Shreya Foundation’ – the trust which established Shree Shanti Vidya Nikethan Mandira.

As the Sun was setting behind the hills of Hunsanahalli, parents began arriving on the campus and took their seats in the audience, ready to enjoy the evening show.

The ceremonies began in a traditional way by lighting of the lamp by the chief guests and other dignitaries present.

And what a performance it was. From folk songs of different regions of Karnataka, to Patriotic Songs, to the song of FIFA 2014 by Shakira, to the A, AA, Ee, Eee song of Minugu Tare Kalpana, to the Modern Ramayana and to the world music performances on African drums. Student MCs Roopa and Nikhil helped host the event, encouraging and giving a bit of information on each display between the various performances, that left the audience in smiles and chuckles. After each of the talented student performers took to the stage, it was a heartwarming and beautiful sight, with the Parents of the students cheering the budding talents.

The celebrations included an award ceremony where in the students were awarded for excelling in academic and co-curricular activities.

Giving away the awards and speaking on the occasion the Chief Guest U.S. Moinuddin, was thrilled to see the performances of the young ones. He added his gratification by saying, “Starting a school and running it successful requires passion and enduring hardwork. It is more like running a small government as it involves a great amount of responsibility of educating and moulding children to become good citizens.” Further, he said, “Being an environmentalist, I am really happy to be here as I don’t see a school in urban area with such beautiful ‘natural landscaping’ around.” He also congratulated the Management, teachers, and students and wished the parents all the best and also acknowledged them for being so lucky to have a school like this in a remote place like Hunsanahalli.

The day had a Photo Exhibition of all the academic and cultural highlights of the last 8 months of the school, inaugurated by the Chief Guest Mr. U.S. Moinuddin which was later declared open for the public.

Shree Shree Shanti Vidya Nikethan Mandira is managed by Hippocampus Learning Centre. HLC has established kindergarten and after school support centres across 5 districts in Karnataka. These centres are established in the village and operated by women from the community. The children pay an affordable fee to cover the costs of operations thereby leading to a sustainable enterprise. Hippocampus hopes to expand to 700 learning centres by 2016 serving more than 35,000 children annually and employing more than 2,000 teachers in rural India. HLC seeks to bridge the gap in learning between rural India and urban India significantly.

Education Consultant and Trainer, Asad Umri who is part of the Hippocampus Team, said,“Looking at the presentations of the students, my belief and confidence took me one more level up. It made me realize that it is our responsibility to provide overall development to our children by educating them and finding out their latent talents. This can help us and the future citizens of our country get a bright future. All in all, the kids who never spoke in English about 8 months back were seen performing to English Songs and English Plays “The Milkman” and to Fusion Drama of Kannada and English “Modern Ramayana”. It was not only a wonderful cultural display, but also priceless learning opportunities for our students on a great platform.”

The secretary of Shri Shanti Vidya Nikethan Mandira school, Santosh said, “ Starting a school and running it in a remote location was a rather stressful and challenging process. Thanks to the Hippocampus team, I am more relieved after their support.”

Eventually, the beautiful event in the scenic settings of the village captivated and entertained the audience, promising them of a brighter future for their children.