I, We and India

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India is our pride and we are proud to be Indian!
Considering this line as the foundation of our being, Shivam House celebrated the week with the value –Patriotism. The value – Patriotism was cherished in three levels i.e. Personal, Social and National.
The Personal level Patriotism was elaborated through Soft Board decoration.
‘Ocean is a collective form of an individual drop’.
 With this analogy, every drop represents ocean. Similarly, every individual of India represents India. Being a part of great nation – India, everyone feels himself responsible for anything happening around and thus binds himself with the feeling of Team India. To experience this message, the soft board had logos of different organizations, which conveyed some inspiring messages or represented some values in life that contributed to the development of India as a whole. We also had accidental discoveries section. The students researched on the topics and came up with many interesting details, which gave India a new pathway to attain sophisticated technology.
The Social level Patriotism was elaborated through audio-visual tools in daily assembly.
Every human is a social animal and thus being loyal and sincere to his society is one of the most important aspects of patriotism. Making India proud of being a united nation with so many diversities, the importance of every state of India was narrated in daily assembly. Students were also encouraged to become good social humans by making the judicious use of resources, scoring high grades by studying sincerely, leading the mass by being proactive and many more such messages were conveyed in daily assembly with the help of audio visual tools. Everyday a presentation was projected to impart the values of Patriotism in daily life. To enhance the social domain of the students, social well-being and life skills were experienced through stage decoration.

The National level Patriotism was elaborated through the presentation and stage performance in creative assembly.
In order to pay a tribute to the freedom fighters our Nation, creative assembly of Shivam House was designed with the small skit having a combination of dance and drama depicting the life and sacrifice of freedom fighters from Mangal Pandey to Mahatma Gandhi. The Junior group students were dressed up such that they represented all the national symbols of India. They walked up one by one and conveyed the meaning and importance of all the national symbols of India. The importance and significance of National Flag and National Anthem were addressed to by the students.
The success of the week is not all the things mentioned above, it was just an exposure to the students but the real success is that students themselves got involved in all the activities starting from the preparation to the last presentation. The ultimate idea, of celebrating the week, acquired its meaningful shape when boys were in tears while watching the play on freedom fighters.
Let us be United, let us be Atmiya and let India flourish with all it has.
Written by: Chirag Sir

Human Pyramid & MatkiPhod: Load of fun on small shoulders

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Much like an epicentre of the bursting zeal seemed to be the administrative building ground of Atmiya Vidya Mandir which was decked up with cheering gathering and dancing kids who were bubbling with an unsynchronized randomness that was positively fun filled.

It was Janmashtami celebration and here were mischievous Bal-Gopals of Atmiya Vidya Mandir, energized by some power unseen, all acting in clique, but somehow connected to each other in a giant plan. A large swathe of area around administrative building ground was bustling with joy and fervour, celebrating Janmashtami — the birthday of Lord Krishna – who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The day began with the morning assembly by Suhradam House, showcasing a short video on birth and childhood of Lord Krishna and a brief speech delivered by Nishit Banka of VIII explaining the importance and sanctity of the festival.

The DahiHandi or an earthen pot filled with curd, honey and sweet was positioned at three different level of convenient height for different group of students. The Dahi-Handi was suspended with a rope tied at seemingly approachable height. A surge of sheer energy and balance, A tide of students was to form human pyramids. Sprightly chaps trying hard to make a human pyramid at Admin field to reach the DahiHandi, they were rising and tumbling down again and again, braving the showers of water splashed at them from the top. It was overwhelming to see that they were attentively cushioned and held by the teachers and house masters guarding around.

The topmost student on this human pyramid was to break the Handi by hitting it with a coconut placed on the pot, and when that happened, the buttermilk was spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity.

The participants in human pyramid in the DahiHandi were from V to XI std. Other students kept cheering and encouraging which motivated the performers to keep going. Apart from the students, who struggled to build the pyramid for breaking the Handi, the little Aman D Patel from std I was the show stealer who sat on the top of the portable structure dressing up to replicate the Lord Krishna. Saints from Haridham, teachers, housemasters and didis were present to witness the programme and cheer the Gopalas. When the Matki was finally broken by the senior group, a resounding cheer came from the crowd, thus bringing a fitting climax to the celebration.

Keeping the Indian custom alive, Atmiya Vidya Mandir celebrates all the festivals with zest and zeal. Our aim is to make children appreciate the rich culture of our nation which has a number of festivals, castes and religions. Celebration of festivals in such a manner infuses values and virtues pertaining to our long tradition among the future citizens of the country.

The entire school was actively involved in the event, contributing their share in some way or the other. The young kids who formed the human pyramid had practiced a lot a fortnight prior to the actual demonstration. Teachers and staff members guided the little Gopalas to execute the final show.

So for all the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir who would be reaching greater heights and achieve together; here are some wishes –

  • May they hold up the human pyramid with fine balance of Atmiyata and Suhradbhav!
  • May they ever offer their shoulders to their brothers to achieve a great height of success!
  • May they taste the sweet buttermilk of success!

May the Lord Krishna bless all!!!

Written by: Seema Madam

Satyam House Chooses To Be Proactive

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”Being Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can’t keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.” They don’t blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior.”
Being Proactive – as the value for the creative assembly, Satyam House commenced the yet another round of celebrating creative assemblies and decorating display boards.
For Display Boards, the theme, this time, was Cartoons – the history of cartoons, e.g. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Tom & Jerry, Goofy, and many more. Students were highly excited to learn about the cartoons. Moreover, students, right from Grade I to XI, drew the sketches of different cartoons, coloured them, displayed them and passed a message through them. It was a great fun, indeed.
In the General assemblies, from Tuesday to Friday, students shared the thoughts for the day, News and Amazing Facts. Apart from this, students and teachers addressed the assembly on different values such as Being Proactive, Duty, & Patriotism. Besides, different videos and presentations were shown on these values so that students can enjoy while they learn.
One of the general assemblies, which was liked the most by all the students was on Thursday, when they were shown a presentation on the life of Walt Disney and his works before he became a great success by making Mickey Mouse and The Disney World Resorts. They loved to know that the great success story of Walt Disney began with a little mouse – Mickey. Through this, the message – Dreams Come True was conveyed to the students.
On Saturday morning, which is the most awaited morning for all the students, Satyam House presented the Creative Assembly on the Value – Being Proactive. Two students, Harshbhai (8B) and Joybhai (5B) presented a power point presentation (in the form of a dialogue) and two videos on how one can benefit by choosing a proactive way to life. Here, two small incidences of Being Proactive from the life of Gandhiji when he was thrown out of the first class compartment in South Africa; and from the life of H. D. H. Swamiji when he was spat on for a number of times when he came out of the river after bathing and how H. D. H. Swamiji without reacting went for taking bath every time he was spat on by a mad person until his mouth started bleeding.
Not only the students but even teachers were inspired by these incidences.
Written by: Paras Sir

I am for my country

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The founder of Atmiya Vidya Mandir H D H Hariprasad Swamiji Maharaj says that every child should be first and foremost a true patriot. Exhibiting this conviction loud and clear, all members of Atmiya Vidya Mandir celebrated the 64TH Independence Day with gaiety and fervor. The exquisite stage decoration with tricolor fabrics and flower arrangements was not only creating a perfect environment for the solemn celebration but also communicating the enthusiasm of Atmiya family to make it grand.
The celebration commenced with recitation of a few patriotic verses by the anchor of the show Yash Pachhigar, the Vice Headboy. The honorable guests Mr. Pavan Kumar who is the external faculty for Science from Vision IIT and Fuaji (Mr. V.D Patel) were invited on the stage to hoist the flag. It was followed by singing of the national anthem and national song.

Mr. Pavan Kumar addressed the students wishing everyone on the occasion of this National Festival. He reminded students that everyone has to do their bit to take the country ahead on the path of progress. Through his speech, he conveyed this important message that freedom does not mean absence of rules and regulations, he explained the students that freedom means bearing responsibility as a part, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.

Students of Std III and IV displayed a spectacular show of mass drill, the audience was amazed to see their synchronization. Moreover, students of Std V, VI and VII were equally stunning while moving perfectly using hand and body gestures to accompany the song lyrics ‘ ………is mitti ko tilak karo, Ye dharti hai balidan ki’.
The next event, but certainly the best event of the day was the formation of Pyramids by the students of Std. VIII, IX, X AND XI. Well trained by the P.T. Masters, with the beat of the music, the boys rolled and curled, transforming themselves into blocks of little Pyramids. Their team work was symbolic of perfect coordination wherein every link is vital. The show was applauded.
To add flavor of great patriotism to these enthusiastic students, Pranav Sir sang a stirring, thrilling and rousing song ‘Mere desh ki dharti’. After this, Fuaji (Mr. V.D Patel), in his speech appreciated everybody’s effort to make the celebration splendid. He also persuaded the students with example of Dr Verghese Kurien (Father of the White Revolution in India) for preparing themselves to contribute in the growth of the country. The critical task of putting these zeal clad performers in sequential positions was accomplished by Prabhudarshan Sir and Ritesh Sir, as they were the judges.
The Triumphant heroes of the day were the Suhradams – the Orange House students. Immaterial of winning or losing, various performances did bring the boys together in a spirit of brotherhood and patriotism. The bonds of brotherhood were strengthened once again in honour of Independence Day.
The eventful day came to a glorious end with the rendition of the National Anthem sung in unison with gusto.
The programme concluded with the distribution of sweets.
Written by: Seema Madam

Suhradam House: Where Diversity is a Celebration

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Every child is gifted with an unique talent to usher this reality, House wise creative assemblies are supposed to be the platform to unearth this valuable treasure and polish it to its sparkling genius. Following the same, Suhradam house members satiated creative urge of the students by supporting them to enhance the innate potential lying dormant in them.
With an unfurled banner on the background with the house slogan- “Where Diversity is a celebration” and the corresponding emblem was conspicuously showcasing the philosophy of the school.
On the first day of the Suhradam house assembly, Mishal from std 9B left no corner of the prayer hall unheard with his fascinating voice and impressive style when he took the stage to announce the proceedings of the assembly. Ashish Pandey from std 11th chanted the mantras and led the assembly for prayer. Krishna Patel from std 9th B shared his thought and Kishan from std 6th read the news headlines. The prayer hall resonated with claps and cheers as Pushpak Sir recited his composition on a thoughtful subject ‘It is a nature of thoughts that finds its way into action.’
The next day was very special as Suhradam house induced a sense of devotion in all by placing a special cradle for Thakorji on the dais celebrating Hindola Utsav, Students and Teachers were invited to pull the string of the cradle to and fro to offer Bhakti to the Lord. Shaivin of std 10th, in his speech, elucidated the significance of Hindola Day in Hindu Culture.
The following day was no less captivating as Parth A from 8th took over the stage maintaining the decorum of the prayer hall through his sober voice. Diven of 6th shared his thought while Sagar Patel of 7th A updated the audience with news headlines. Students were spellbound when Samidh Mam came on the stage to give a profound insight on ‘Learning can happen anytime, anywhere.’
Friday was equally attention-grabbing. Suhradam house members seem to be on the go as the momentous day was approaching. Lalit from std 8th B headed the proceedings on the stage as he anchored the programme. Pratipal from std 8th B chanted the Mantras and led the choir for the prayer whereas Vaibhav of std 9th B delivered thought of the day. Akash of std 8th A read the news headlines and shared funny facts with the students. Nishit Banka of std 8th A shared his thought on importance of keeping a promise and following Guru’s directives.

Finally the C-Day (C-for creative assembly and celebration) had arrived. The Suhradam house members were dealing with surging passion and zeal proactively in the guidance of the teachers of Suhradam House.
The theme was Atmiyata and motive was one for all and all for one. Suhradam house had very well revealed the radiance of Atmiya Bhulkus throughout the week and this day unbolt the doors of everybody’s heart when Sawaising of 9th A ignited the fire as he started the C-Day assembly proceedings of Suhradam house.
Ghanshyam Dabhi from10th delivered a speech presenting a reflective insight on the value Atmiyata. He explained that Atmiyata is an act of joint effort of many people in the same direction for the same destination with a common motive.
Then the cultural bonanza grabbed the interest of the audience as the Drama and dance were performed. The student looked splendid in their ethnic dresses. Interestingly, all students of Suhradam house from I to V participated in the drama called Atmiya Jungle. It was a real treat to the eyes as well as to the intellect to observe the stirring performance those tiny-tots attired as vegetables, animals, flowers and trees displaying a perfect replica of fancied Atmiya Jungle. The Atmiya Ras was altogether a mesmerizing presentation.Thus the exuberant celebration concluded with a revealing cultural potpourri. In this manner, the trumpet of creativity and Atmiyata was blown and rhythm was so captivating that it brought the Atmiyans (students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir) together in a spirit of passionate competition and mutual respect.
Through the soft board displays Suhradam House presented significance of scriptures. With an extreme elegance and unsurpassable appeal, it exhibited the messages, virtues as well as value of Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, Manu-smriti moreover Vachnamrut, Swami ni Vato and Shiksha-Patri. Thus Suhradam House flipped the Amrut pot to let everybody decipher the message of these Scriptures. Thus Suhradam house initiated a move to make Atmiya students vanquishers and sagacious not only intellectually but culturally.

Sundaram – House of United Hearts and Unbeatable Spirit

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Creativity and cultural development should be intertwined aiming at the same,Atmiya Vidya Mandir offers a flexible learning atmosphere where children can express themselves freely and positively. Conducting house wise assemblies is a fruitful step to foster creativity among students and Sundaram House stimulated creativity by helping students to think across the topics Respect and significance of a Guru in our life.

In the third week of July , Sundaram house students offered an opportunity to all to witness and know different aspects of the value Respect and evoked everybody to think on the value respect from 360 degree angle.The first day assembly of the week was dedicated to the respect towards Parents. Parth Bhai accentuated that a virtuous child should fulfill his obligations towards his parents by treating them politely and gently.He also explained that the only way to show our respect to our parents is to seek their advice on all important occasions. In teacher’s talk Mukesh Sir emphasized on importance and benefit of touching feet of parents.

The next day’s assembly was dedicated to the respect towards teachers. Through the thought of the day, Meet Bhai explained that the only way to respect teacher is by trusting them as our well-wisher. Students were awakened with the feeling of gratitude towards their teacher who guide and shows the path of life.

Yet another, significant aspect of the value respect shown in the next day’s assembly was respect towards environment. Through the thought of the day Suraj bhai appealed the students to respect the environment by conserving it for future generation. Everybody sang the song “Heal the world, make it a better place” as the projector screen showed the lyrics of the song. In teacher’s talk Bharat Sir highlighted the value of environment and how can we show a sense of gratitude towards environment.

The following day was to complete the model-wheel of respect. The last but not the least aspect was respect for all , unconditionally. Niral bhai recited a poem depicting the need of respecting ourselves and respecting others for the uniqueness gifted by God to each one of us. Sahishnu Bhai elaborated on the same topic through his eloquent speech making a demand to acknowledge the God gifted qualities in everybody and respecting them whole heartedly. It was a warm and heartfelt speech.

The creative assembly was enthralling as exuberant students of Junior group presented a dance portraying the respect for all , irrespective of their status as all creation of God is respectable.

Representing the senior group, Yash Bhai and Jai Bhai took the audience to celebrate Gurupoornima in advance as they presented a small skit on Swamiji’s directives to all, like “Call everybody Bhai………..”, “ Na aavde to teacher nu mathu khavu j j j”, “Roj nu devu roj chukvi devu” though they adopted rather a practical and humour-clad approach to convey these Swamiji’s directives to the students but their presentation proved to be most appealing to the audience. The next move brought home the true feeling of Gurupoornima as all the teachers were called on the stage for Gurupoojan.

The soft board theme was Gurupoornima, and Sundaram house made a humble effort to epitomized the Guru-Diciple tradition, It displayed detailed sketches of Arjuna with the blessings of Shree Krushna as his guide and Guru, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with the blessings of his Guru Samartha Ramdas Swami and Eklavya with Guru Drona. Students were highly inspired and motivated by H.D.H. Hariprasad Swami Maharaj’s life for whom His Guru’s words were only purpose of His existence.

Thus, Sundaram house made a sincere effort to urge everybody to repay his deep debt of gratitude he owes to his Guru by constantly following His teachings because whatever the Guru advises has a benevolent purpose. The soft board displays and the morning assemblies throughout the week enunciated loud and clear that a meaningful ,purposeful and well destined life is unimaginable without a Guru ,this is the only truth of life and this truth remains beautiful so GO SUNDARAM ….. with the same thought.

Written by: Seema Madam

Shivam House Week – Born to prosper…

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Following the benchmark of excellence set by the Satyam House students, it was only obvious to keep up with the standards set and that was exactly what was witnessed during the Shivam House Week!

The week started off with the auspicious event of Rathyatra. Hetbhai (Class 8) explained the true meaning of Rathyatra. He explained that:
• the soul is Rathi – owner of the `chariot’ which is the body,
• the intellect is the Sarathi – driver,
• the mind is the rein,
• the senses are the horses,
• the Panch Vishayas – material objects of the five senses – are the fields of pasture for the horses.
• the person whose Sarathi – intellect – is wise, whose mind fully controls the senses, can traverse Samsaar to reach the desired goal – the Lord’s abode.

He further informed that on this auspicious day, as per the tradition, the deities of Jagannath Mandir (Orissa) are installed into a huge rath and devotees pull it through the streets. The local king used to serve by humbly sweeping the road ahead with a golden broom.

The softboard theme was also chosen as Unity by the house. One softboard had a divine glow of the spiritual meaning of Unity – that of the mann, buddhi, chitt and aham. It gave out a clear message that the oneness of these four faculties was very essential for any success in life.

The other softboard had a dynamic flow highlighting the contributions in different areas by the people of the North, East, West and South zones of India. Everyday of the week had a different flavour based on these zones. Against the timeline of events, the increasingly reducing maps of India were displayed and the young onlookers were appealed to do something about stopping the disintegration, solution being to forget the differences and to UNITE!

Unity was the theme for the Saturday Creative Assembly. Due to the school picnic to Chhab Chhaba Chhab, it was kept on Monday instead of Saturday. The Juniors performed a very lively dance-drama based on the fact that if we work together we can do anything and everything. The story was “hola upaad” in which a hunter catches some birds in his net. The students depicted the struggling of the birds and their flying off with the net being united.
The Seniors performed a drama that highlighted the two perspectives of Unity – destructive and the one for good cause. Taking into account some AVM based experiences, the drama conveyed both perspectives in a simple yet effective manner.

The week, hence concluded with an enlightening message of the need for Unity within so as to prosper within and the need for Unity in the country so as to make India prosper.

The softboard had a very appealing statement of HDH Hariprasad Swamiji which kind of summarised the week’s events:
“As long as there is no harmony within an individual, there cannot be peace within a family,
As long as there is no harmony within a family, there cannot be peace within a society,
As long as there is no harmony within a society, there cannot be peace within a nation.”

The choice is ours!

Compiled by: Het Adhvaryu (Class 8 – Shivam House)

The students of Satyam house feel honoured and proud to be the house week beginners!

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India is known for “Unity in Diversity” and the same is true for Atmiya Vidya Mandir, too. The new academic year commenced with a new zeal, excitement and a determination to do something creative and unique which is aimed to provide real life exposure along with strong academics to the students.
This gave birth to the “Students’ Council” wherein students were formally elected for the positions of Head boy, Vice-Head boy and Sports Captain. Moreover, prefects were selected from every class for each house – Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram and Suhradam. The sole objective of this was to bring to the fore and nurture the latent talents and skills of the students.
Sarthak Jariwala, Yash Pachchigar and Vikas Patel were elected as the Head Boy, Vice-Head Boy and the Sports Captain of the school, respectively.
On 29th June, we celebrated the “Investiture Ceremony” in which the Head boy, Vice-Head boy and the Sports Captain of the school took an oath for their duty and service as the representative of the the Students’ Council.
One of the new things Atmiya Vidya Mandir has started this year is celebrating the morning assemblies (and the creative assembly on Saturdays) and decorating the Display Boards on a theme by the Houses – Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram and Suhradam every week, respectively.
Satyam House got the opportunity to celebrate the Morning Assemblies for the first week. The House was launched on Tuesday, the 6th July with Parade and Music by the House Captain, Vice-Captain and the prefects from each class followed by a speech by the Vice-Captain, Harsh Sarda (Grade VIII) who spoke on the mission of Satyam House, which is – Truth Prevails, and Atmiyata. On other days of the week, students presented small skits on Unity and Atmiyata. Love Patel (Grade VIII) addressed the assembly on the topic – Atmiyata.
On Saturday (16th July), Satyam House presented the first Creative Assembly of the year on the value – Discipline. The value was presented in the form of a mime (i.e. Do’s and Don’ts of our daily schedule in Hostel, Prayer Hall, Dining Hall and the Classroom) and a speech on discipline by Sumit Chaudhary of Grade VIII A.

Display Boards were creatively decorated on the theme “The Significance of Values in Our Life”. Through Display Boards Satyam House tried to emphasize that Education = Academics + Values. Without values, education is worthless. It was shown that Academics earn you a living and Values teach you how to make life. Biographies of highly successful people who lived and are still living a value based life were also displayed, e.g. John Wooden, Narayan Murthy, Ratan Tata, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam and Amitabh Bachchan. Based on the display boards, students were asked questions, e.g. which is the most important value for a successful life? Students dropped awesome answers for the same.
During the course of the week, House has presented before the students the values of the month through various activities. The students had great time and learnt a lot together throughout the week. In a nutshell, it was a great learning experience for students. Stay tuned to receive more updates from Satyam house on the value “Being proactive” next month.

Written by: Paras Sir

“सम्मान”

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सुना न हो सफ़र सत्कार का, आगे और ज़माना भी है।

सम्मान देते-देते भूल न जाना, एक दिन सम्मान हमे पाना भी है।।

“सम्मान”

ये कोइ उपहार नहीं जो किसी के हाथ में दिया जाए।
ना ये उधार लिया जाए, ना भाड़े पे चलाया जाए,
ना छिना जाए, ना चुराया जाए,
जब होठों से भी ना उगला जाए, तो आंखों से जताया जाए,
ये तो बस कुछ ऐसा है कि, साँसों में समाया जाए।।

देख वीरों के शौर्य को, जब इतने से भी दिल ना भरें तो,
जज़्बातों से तने सीनों पर पराक्रम पदक लगाए जाएँ।

गिनती के ये साढ़े तीन अक्षर, हर मांगें साक्षर और निरक्षर,
सब बीमार तीन अनार, सम्मान आदर और सत्कार।।

संप को सम्मान है,
सुह्रद को सत्कार है,
एकता को आदर है,
पर इन सबसे भी पहले आत्मा को सम्मान है,
क्योंकि आत्मा की सराहना, आत्मा की सेवा, और आत्मा का सम्मान,
बस! यही आत्मीयता का दूसरा नाम है,
बस! यही आत्मीयता का दूसरा नाम है।।

– पुष्पक एम. जोशी

Republic Day celebration at AVM

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Republic Day celebration at AVMIn a befitting tribute to the nation on the occasion of 60th Republic Day celebrations, the management staff and students organized a simple but a meaningful ceremony to salute the nation and express solidarity with it as its being continuously tested, trying to grapple with severe problems of internal and international tensions, at the same time keeping the economy afloat progressing in the wake of global recession.The threats of regionalism, linguistic divisions, external aggressions and terrorist bloodbath are looming large over the Indian nation and the need of the hour is to confront them with courage, upholding the dignity of the citizens, at the same time keeping the country united, as was said by a staff member to the gathering.The management representative, Mr. Haresh Patel further urged the members of the Atmiya Vidya Mandir family to take a pledge to spread the message of “Atmiyata” and contribute towards making India energy efficient by saving energy.The ceremony concluded with the school vibrating with the spirit of patriotism through heart rendering patriotic songs sung by the school choir group represented by students and led by Mr. Somnath Mitra, their mentor and Music instructor at the school.Report by: Rupashree Asthana