Everyone who is born in this great land has only one identity – We all are Indians
The 74th Republic Day was celebrated in all its magnificence, vibrancy, and grandeur at Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Pune on 26th January 2023. The programme started with the school prayer, followed by welcome of the dignitaries by Avni Mulchandani of Std 9. The unfurling of the Flag was done by our honourable chief guest Lt. Gen.Abhay Parnaik (AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd). The students saluted the National Flag and pledged to uphold the honour, integrity, diversity, sand uniqueness of our nation. This was followed by an inspiring speech by Gaurav Aras of Std 9. The Honourable chief guest Lt. Gen.Abhay Parnaik was welcomed and felicitated by Dr. Ashok Vikhe Patil, Chairman, Dr. Vikhe Patil
Foundation, Mrs. Nandini Vikhe Patil, Joint Secretary and Director School’s Programme and Ms. Mrinalini, Principal, Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Pune.
Invoking the spirit of patriotism, the students of Std. 4 & 5 sang the melodious Hindi patriotic song, ‘Anekta me aikya mantra ko jan jan phir apnata hai’. India is the best example of this concept of ‘Unity in diversity’. The dance “God loves you India… You’re
on his mind!” was presented by the students of Std 6 to 8, showing culture of India. The choir group of Std 6 to 8 presented a melodious song ‘Rise India Rise ‘ celebrating India’s emergence as a major player on the world stage and a prayer for nation’s problem and challenges. The chief guest of the programme Lt. Gen.Abhay Parnaik inspired the students by sharing his thoughts and word of wisdom. It was followed by distribution of sweets to the students. Keeping the allegiance to the Republic India and following the tradition of Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Chief guest Lt.Gen. Abhay Parnaik flagged off the floats of three states.
The Republic Day processional parade was led by the school’s prefectural body, school band, dancers, staff members, students and floats representing Andhra Pradesh, Andaman Nicobar, and Uttarakhand states.
The tableau began from school, passed through Senapati Bapat road, Symbiosis College, Fergusson Collage. Model Colony and back to school.
Andhra Pradesh is popularly known as the Rice Bowl of India lead the procession with students dancing to local Andhra folk music. Depicting the rich cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh Tirumala Temple adored the colourful and vibrant float. Students performed
Kuchipudi dance form which was a showstopper. Eminent figures in Andhra Pradesh like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Sarojini Naidu were honoured and spoken about with great reverence. The Culture of Andhra Pradesh was presented in its
full glory and magnificence.
The second float to follow was of Andaman & Nicobar Island famous for white-sand beaches and palm lined shorelines. The tableau displayed local handicrafts, seashell, and coconut carved arts souvenirs along with underwater biodiversity, housing corals and sea
dwellers. It also displayed the famous cellular jail where Indian freedom fighters were jailed during our independence era. Truly a colourful tableau reflecting the rich culture of Island state!
Next to follow was Uttarakhand Tableau. Also referred to as ‘Dev Bhumi’ or ‘The Land of Gods.’ The float displayed pilgrimage centres, the great Himalayas and rivers Ganga and Yamuna and the famous Laxman Jhula bridge. Also, on display where our students wearing traditional dress of the state Girls wearing Ghagra and boys wearing Kurta Pyjama, the traditional folk dance Hudkeli was displayed by the students on melodious music in the background.
Creating a spirit of patriotism and keeping in mind the mission of the school “Making Life Meaningful”, all the floats propagated the messages of cleanliness, conservation of energy, natural resources, and the environment.
It was indeed a wonderful and enriching experience for the young ‘Vikheites’ imbibing the core values of the school, along with patriotism and love for the nation.
