Diwali celebrations at Staford began with a special assembly on Friday, 1st Nov. 2013. The entire school was decked up with colourful earthen lamps which had earlier been made by the students themselves, during the potter’s visit. Once the diyas had been sunbaked, children painted and decorated them. Students of classes I to VI gathered enthusiastically in the school lobby to celebrate Diwali.
The celebrations began with the propitiation of lord Ganesh, in a melodiously rendered vandana by the music teacher. The children were then walked through the meaning and significance of Deepawali through a power point presentation by Nirbhay Sir. Shailja ma’am, brought the local and anecdotal context into the limelight with her interesting explanation of the festival. Next Anushka, a student of class IV drew the attention of the children to the importance of goddesses in the hindu mythology and contrasted it with the modern day disrespect of the girl child. She urged through the poem, the need to appreciate the virtues and magnanimity of women.
To set the tempo back to celebration mode, Arnav Joshi, of class I, recited a fun-filled poem on Diwali, inviting children to join him in celebrating Diwali with happiness and cheer. Next the school choir comprising of students from classes IV to VI, sang a song celebrating the festive spirit of Diwali. The children also presented hand painted earthen lamps to the Principal and headmistress, who addressed them on the occasion and extended the festival’s greetings to the entire Staford fraternity and exhorted the need to restrict excessive use of firecrackers and thus contribute to celebrating an eco-friendly Diwali.