Inducing Patriotic Fervour: Sundaram House

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In the darkness of despair we saw a vision,
We lit the light of hope, and it was not extinguished…
The vision became reality…Bondage became freedom.
And this we left to you as your heritage.
O generation of freedom remember us, the generation of the vision…
-Liam Mac Uistin

These lines of thankfulness are written by an Irish poetic genre…..for the sacrifices of martyrs who brought independence. On the very auspicious occasion of India’s 64th Independence day and its following week, Sundaram House got an opportunity to evoke the solemn passing on of a legacy by those who envisioned freedom and struggled to achieve it, to those generations, who were to enjoy its fruits. Sundaram House students were encouraged to explore and explain Patriotism as a nationalist feeling of pride in or support for our country. And also….how it manifests itself in many forms, both small and large, creating a sense of national pride.

With many activities and presentations, throughout the week, Sundaram House made sincere efforts promoting national unity which starts as a gut instinct, a loyalty and love for country that got to being rooted in the young children in the earliest days of their life.

The patriotic fervour got into the air from Monday 15 August with Independence Day Celebration. On Tuesday, Yash Pachhigar from X A took the audience to a heart-throbbing account of the great sacrifice of Indian Martyrs. He showed a video presentation that of India’s freedom struggle from 1957 till the date of complete independence. Next day was all about India’s achievements in various fields since Independence. Karan of XI Commerce very well presented India’s progressive stride making an impressive stand at International level triggering a feeling of proud for our country for its achievements. Even small things like making others aware of what is so special about our country and at the same time having respect for other countries as well.

On the fourth day of the week, Vishwajeet Solanki and Tanmay Patel from IX made the students aware of some of the prominent problems the nation is fighting with. The next day, on Friday, Kshitij Patankar Sir explained the students what does patriotism mean to the common person of India? How are we to show (show to ourselves, not to others) that we love our country? How do we express the surge of feeling for country… He also mention that the demand of the time is to have a better tomorrow by doing our bit from our side.

Then on Saturday, the cultural bonanza grabbed the interest of the audience as the Drama and dance were performed by students of Sundaram House. Fifty participants, lives of a few Indian martyrs, twenty five minutes and only one mission… a sensational tribute to the martyrs, who had laid down their lives during the freedom struggle, The students looked splendid in their ethnic dresses. It was a real treat to the eyes as well as to the intellect to observe the stirring performance of the young boys attired as freedom fighters and Britishers as rulers of that time. It was altogether a mesmerizing presentation. The creative assembly had been in sync with the mood of the month –season-value , which was patriotism and thereby catching the right pulse of its audience.

The students of Sundaram House prepared a special program to mark the Independence Day. Depicting the life of Mangal Pandey, who was one of the pioneers of the Indian freedom struggle and is believed to be the first Indian hero who rose against the British. He played a major role in the Sepoy Uprising of 1857 that led to the first Indian War of Independence. The role of Mangal Pandey was played by Harshal Gadhiya from X B. The, unforgettable freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, who had imparted the teaching of sacrifice, devotion to righteousness, devotion to nation, helping the society, His role was played by Sonak Ramani of IX A.

Through the soft board displays Sundaram House presented an impressive array of Indian Civilian and Gallantry awards along with short details about them written in an interesting manner. With an extreme elegance and unsurpassable appeal, this short information on prestigious Indian Awards exhibited the virtues as well as value of these honours in the field of art, science, social and civil services, sports as well as military services. This soft board display presented an irresistible appeal to the students to bag these honours in future.

Thus Sundaram House has persuasively conveyed the value or the moral message of patriotism explaining If the new generation of India wants to bring about a real change in feeling and outlook, they will have to rediscover these courageous martyrs who loved India as the mother and approached the fundamental questions of life with a robust physique, sharp intellect, and immense purity of character.

Failure is an event, NEVER an Individual.

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Winston Churchill famously said that Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Famous author JK Rowling in her commencement speech at Harvard University said that, schools prepare students to succeed rather than to face and handle failures in life but latter is a more likely event.

The Cultural Committee at Atmiya Vidya Mandir seems to be ahead of Harvard University in that respect as they decided to celebrate a unique value at Atmiya Vidya Mandir “Failing Forward”. Shivam House got the opportunity to celebrate such a unique value recently.

The original idea came from a book written by John Maxwell: “Failing forward – turning mistakes into stepping stones of success.” The book itself is one of the best sellers from the author and more importantly an inspiration to the readers.

Shivam House started the week with a presentation on Monday. The idea was to introduce the value to all the students with simplicity. Through various videos and examples it was made clear that if one can learn from a mistake then it is no longer a failure but a success. It was conveyed in the presentation that failure is a part of life, no one can avoid failure. More importantly it is about how to face the failure and bounce back from it. Students from Std 10 (Pranshu Savani and Hemal Gadhiya) gave a very meaningful presentation on 7 steps to fail forward. They cited different examples with videos which made the students and teachers want more. On Wednesday, Kishan G (Std 10) gave a speech on the importance of not to fail backward. He mentioned some criteria to help to see if one is failing backward or forward when they meet with failures.

On Thursday, Prajval Sir gave a presentation on the need to learn from mistakes and be prepared to face the failures in life as it is inevitable. He stressed the fact that failure is not fatal if we are ready to learn from it and not repeat the same mistake. Shivam House brought a new perspective to the value on Friday with a speech from Sarthak Jariwala (Std 12). Sarthak talked about the need of divine intervention when we cannot overcome the failures in life. He gave some good examples from different fields of life to make a very good point. He also explained Gunatitanand Swami’s vaat “Dosh rahe che ne tali jata nathi…” and explained the importance of setbacks in life.

Every week, students look forward to the creative assembly as it brings a lot of excitement and new ways to learn about a life value. Shivam House increased the excitement of students by multi-fold through a video sneak preview of the Saturday creative assembly. Pujeetbhai prepared two very well made sneak previews for the Saturday’s event which caught the imagination of the whole school including the teachers.

Shivam House did not disappoint the students by showcasing the assembly in a very innovative and refreshing form of a talk show. Vaishvik Patel (Std 8), the House Vice Captain, was the host of “The Saturday Morning Show with Vaishvik Patel”. Vaishvik impressed everyone with his humour and his casual but friendly attitude. He was equally intelligent and respectful towards his guests on the show. In the show, the students of Shivam House presented a scintillating and inspirational dance performance on the song ‘Chale chalo’ from the movie LAGAAN. Suhradam Sir choreographed the dance very meaningfully and told a story of failing forward through the dance. The dance (lead by Vinay Rathi) showcased the spirit and enthusiasm which lifted everyone in the hall. Then it was a time to call upon the guest played by Bhavik Parekh (Std 9). Bhavik confidently played the part of a motivational speaker and put across his points successfully with videos of Isiah Thomas (basket ball player) and America’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. Bhavik explained that Lincoln was a very ordinary man and faced plenty of failures in his life but what made the difference was his attitude towards those problems. He also answered some questions from the audience.

One of the features of the show was its commercial breaks. The adverts were selected very carefully so that they were relevant to the value and also motivational for the students. The show ended with thanking the participants and key members of the staff who made the show possible through end credits. Shivam House also prepared a small ‘The making of Failing Forward’ video showing the efforts put by all the students and teachers with some funny moments.

Softboard presentation is a unique feature at Atmiya Vidya Mandir, as students and teachers prepare them week in week out with such creativity to convey some important life values.

Every success story is also a story of failure. All the successful and famous people overcame the hurdles and then became successful. Shivam House chose a similar theme of depicting the ‘famous failures’. They included the lives of Michael Jordan to Albert Einstein who all were told they could not succeed in life. But their courage and perseverance brought them unprecedented success. Such examples also included Amitabh Bachchan, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs to name a few others. The message on the soft board was loud and clear “Achievers reject rejects, they never give up, and they redefine the failures”.

Shivam House thanks everyone who made this week possible and made it a huge success. 

Shivam House

मातृ देवो भव-पितृ देवो भव

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……तो एक गिलहरी भी समुद्र के तट पर जाती और निर्माणाधिन सेतु पर आ आ  कर के लोट-पोट हो जाती। देख कर श्री राम के पुछने पर उसका प्रत्युत्तर था कि, इन दीर्घाकार पाषाणों को उठा कर सेतु निर्माण सहयोग में अक्षम मुझे प्रकृति ने बल न देकर के बाल ही दिए हे, जिनका सदुपयोग कर के मैं तट से रेत लाने का कार्य कर रही हूँ। तब प्रभु ने प्रीति से उसके उपर हाथ फेरा तो मान्यता है कि उस दिन से गिलहरी पर तीन श्वेत धारीया बन गई।

सूरज का कौन साया है और परछाईयों से कौन पराया है ?

ये तो हमारा एक गिलहरी प्रयास है, वरना माँ-बाप का ऋण कौन उतार पाया है ?
जी हाँ, कथा तो पूर्ण हुई परन्तु खबर ये हे कि, इस बार सत्यम हाउस ने सौभाग्य से प्राप्त सामाजिक मूल्य- “मातृ देवो भव–पितृ देवो भव” के साथ न्याय करने का एसा ही एक प्रयास किया, तो सहयोगीयो ने और प्रशंसको ने भी अपना दायित्व निभाने में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ी।

सप्ताहारंभ दिवस पर वरिष्ठ छात्रों की प्रार्थना-सभा में श्री पारस पंचोली ने वर्तमान समाज में माता-पिता की स्थिति से अवगत करा कर श्रोताओं को भाव-विभोर कर दिया तथा कनिष्ठ छात्रो की प्रार्थना-सभा में भगवान गणपति द्वारा ब्रह्माण्ड के बजाय अपने माता-पिता की परिक्रमा वाला एक संक्षिप्त चलचित्र भूलकु सौम्या बहन के द्वारा वर्णन कर के बताया गया।

26/7 का दिन भारत में कारगील विजय-दिवस के रुप में मनाया जाता हे।इस अवसर का लाभ उठाते हुए श्री परामृत की देख-रेख में छात्र श्री शिवम भाई बंका [कक्षा 10वी] द्वारा तैयार किया गया कारगील विजय पर एक खास विडीयो का वर्णन के साथ प्रसारण किया गया।

सप्ताह के मध्य में छात्र श्री राज जी भाई तथा चिदाकाश भाई ने आज का विचार एवं समाचार वाञ्चन का कार्य किया। कनिष्ठ छात्रो की प्रार्थना-सभा में छात्र श्री दर्शनभाई 5 A और आभाशभाई 1st ने कविता, आदित्यभाई, केवलभाई,4th A मननभाई 5B ने कहानी तथा नीलभाई ,हर्षलभाई 3A ने माता-पिता पर कविता का प्रस्तुतिकरण किया।प्रथमभाई 4th B ने भी अपना सहयोग प्रदान किया। बृहस्पति वार के दिन हाउस के संयोजक [convener] महोदय श्री प्रभुमग्न के सानिध्य में दो छात्रो, श्री हर्षभाई मेहता  8th B एवं श्री देनिश पटेल  8th B ने अनुभवों का लेन-देन किया। पश्चात श्री पुष्पक ने कविता पाठ परंपरा का निर्वहन किया।आज श्री क्षितिज पाटनकर [प्रभारी रसायन विज्ञान विभाग] को कनिष्ठ छात्रो की प्रार्थना-सभा में अतिथिवक्ता के रुप में आमंत्रित किया गया था,जहाँ श्रीमान ने छोटे बालको के योग्य श्रेष्ठ कहानी सुना कर के बच्चो को लाभ प्रदान किया। सप्ताह के उत्तरार्ध में महोदया रेखा गोस्वामी ने छात्रो का मार्गदर्शन करते हुए छात्र श्री आनन्द भाई पण्ड्या एवं निसर्ग भाई मेहता को मञ्चासित किया। स्वयं निर्णायिका महोदया डॉ.रुपाश्री अस्थाना ने सत्यम हाउस का आतिथ्य स्विकार किया। भूलकु सौम्या बहन छात्र श्री कृतार्थभाई एवं स्मीत भाई ने छात्र श्री तीर्थक भाई के सञ्चालन के तहत अपना वक्तव्य प्रस्तुत किया।

      इस तरह से सप्ताहांत ने जब एक बार फिर ए.वी.एम. के इतिहास में सत्यम हाउस को अपनी प्रतिभा दर्शाने का मौका दिया तो फिर दल के सदस्य कहां पीछे रहने वाले थे। रचनात्मक प्रार्थनासभा कि शुरआत करने के लिऐ छात्र श्री हर्षित भाई 7th ने श्रीमती निहारिका एवं छात्र श्री यथांश भाई जोशी 6th B को मञ्च पर आमंत्रित किया,जिन्होने अपने संवादो के माध्यम से एक Parents Day  नामक चित्ताकर्षक नाटक दिखलाया जो कि, भारतीय संस्कारों पर एवं मातृ-पितृ भक्त सुकर्मा [छात्र श्री जयभाई वाकावाला] कि कथा पर आधारित था। कथा में जब पिपलाद नामक तपस्वी [छात्र श्री हर्षभाई सारदा] को स्वयं ब्रह्मा [तपनभाई डण्डावाला] आकाश मार्ग से वरदान देने मञ्च पर अवतरित हुए तो पूरा सभा-भवन तालियों की गड-गडाहट से गूंजा ही नहीं सुबक भी गया जब “ये तो सच हे कि भगवान हे…..” वाले भावात्मक गीत को श्री सोमनाथ मित्रा [संगीत शिक्षक] के तत्वाधान में छात्र श्री फेनीलभाई पटेल तथा सुमीतभाई चौधरी ने गाया और श्री मृणाल नायक [नृत्याध्यापक] के दिशा-निर्देशन में छात्र श्री झीलभाई ,शिवांगभाई, संकल्पभाई, एवं हर्षभाई मेहता ने मुख्य अदाकारी अदा करते हुए दर्शको को अपने बचपन की याद दिलाई।
                  “ना भूतो ना भविष्यति”   नृत्यानाटिका को देखने के बाद निर्णायको कि कलम ने ये लिखने में भी कोई अतिशयोक्ति अनुभव नहीं की। शनीवार के पूरे दिन विद्यालय में इस बारे में चर्चाओं सिलसिला चलता रहा।वास्तव में अब की बार तो सत्यम हाउस ने गगन में विजय की पताका एवं धरा पर जीत के आरंभिक झंडे तो गाड दिए हे परन्तु अध्ययन के बाद इम्तिहान एवं क्रीड़ा के पश्चात स्पर्धा जेसे महत्वपुर्ण कार्यक्रमों के साथ-साथ क्या सत्यम हाउस वास्तव में जय हासिल कर पायेगा या नहीं, ये तो खैर वक्त ही बता पायेगा।   

प्रदर्शनी–पट्ट: इतना हि नहीं बल्कि, सोने पे सुहागा का काम तो सत्यम हाउस के प्रदर्शनी पट्ट ने किया हे। प्रदर्शनी पट्ट के लिए “कारगील विजय–दिवस” नामक प्रकरण पर कठोर परिश्रम से तैयार किये गये  पट्ट को दर्शको खुब सराहा तथा छात्रो ने निहारा। इसे तैयार करने में अग्रलिखित छात्रों के नाम अग्रगण्य हे- छात्र श्री वत्सलभाई, श्री विस्मयभाई, श्री रोमिलभाई, श्री हर्षभाई, श्री दैनिशभाई, एवं अन्य साथीगण।
 
नींव की ईंटे – सर्व श्री वल्लभ मामा , श्री रमाकर दुबे  श्री हिमांशू , श्री हेमन्त दुबे , प्रत्यक्ष तथा अप्रत्यक्ष सभी सहयोगी व्यक्तियों को सत्यम हाउस का हार्दिक अभिनन्दन एवं आभार ।

लेखक: पुष्पक जोशी (शिक्षक)