It was a confluence of civilisations calling for peace in unison at the ‘The International Children’s Festival’ held at Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan on Friday, 9 February.
Students, both Indian and foreign, of the school presented a series of enthralling song-and-dance routines leaving the audience spellbound.
Among the dances which were applauded by the guests, many of whom were parents and delegates from foreign countries, were “Ghoomar” and “Nagada Sang Dhol”.
While “Ghoomar” was performed by the seniors of the school, a group of students from the Russian Embassy School brought the house down with their captivating performance on “Dhol”.
World peace was the underlining theme of the programme, which was best reflected in a song by the students from the Iraqi school.
Singing “Give Us a Chance”, a mixed language song of friendship, the students, in their mellifluous voice, vividly brought out the pain of children in Iraq – a nation which has been going through a political turmoil ever since the US invaded it in 2003.
Barend Johannes Joubert, acting High Commissioner of South Africa to India, was the chief guest. He complimented the school for sending a message of diversity and tolerance, and stressed on the need for concerted efforts for inculcating a spirit of acceptance and mutual understanding in the students.
He said that 2018 is important for both India and South Africa as the two nations celebrate their 25 years of full diplomatic relations.
Joubert said that 2018 also marks the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela.
The year is especially significant for India as 125 years ago, in 1893, Mahatma Gandhi was forcibly thrown out of a train in Pietermaritzburg station. “That incident (Pietermaritzburg) was when our freedom struggle started,” Joubert said after presenting mementos to the students.
At the event, held to celebrate the ideals of the school’s founder Yudister Kumar, foreign students of Springdales from Japan, Sudan, Egypt, Australia, and Palestine represented their country through their costumes and flags living up to the school’s motto “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”.
Principal Dr. Jyoti Bose suggested that education for peace is a tool with which we can make every moment a chance to change the world for the better. She also expressed her satisfaction on creating a learning environment and building reservoirs of hope and resolve towards peace.