GUWAHATI: Knee-deep water in his school did not dampen the spirit of an Assam teacher, who along with three colleagues and two minor students hoisted the national flag during Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday.
Tazem Sikdar, headmaster of state-run Naskara Lower Primary School in Fakirganj of western Assam’s Dhubri district bordering Bangladesh said they seized the opportunity to inculcate patriotism among the students. The two students, Jiarul Ali Khan and Haidor Ali Khan, both students of class 3.
“It was Independence Day and a very big occasion for all of us Indians. Our school got flooded on Monday but I told my three colleagues that we have to celebrate it along with the students. During the flag hoisting we took along two students who know how to swim. It was risky but we took them along. The rest of the students and locals observed the hoisting of the national flag from a road nearby,” 49-year-old Tazem Sikdar told the New Indian Express.
“In my speech, I told them about who ruled the country before, how we achieved independence and who were those who led the freedom movement. I also told them that we must love, respect and work towards protecting our country,” Tazem Sikdar said.
Tazem Sikdar said he had learnt from his friends that photos of the celebration at their school had reached the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We are feeling proud that we managed to grab the attention of so many people in the country,” said Tazem Sikdar.
Mizanur Rahman, one of the four teachers, said his phone had been ringing endlessly ever since he had posted the photos of the celebration on his Facebook page.
“It was an hour-long programme during which all of us sang the national anthem and Vande Mataram,” Mizanur Rahman said.
Besides Tazem Sikdar and Mizanur Rahman, the two other teachers are Nripen Rabha and Joydev Roy.
After the celebration, students were treated with chocolates. The school has classes up to V and some 200 students, all Muslims, from Naskara and four adjoining villages.