This year, city schools have ensured that the fervour of patriotism lives on, and shifted their Independence Day celebrations online. In most schools, the only live part of the online I-day event was the flag hoisting ceremony and a speech by the principal. Rest of the content was pre-recorded.
Students of Mount Abu Public School, Shalimar Bagh, held a Western dance session. Students of St George’s School, Alaknanda, recorded the entire function under the guidance of the teachers in the safety of their homes. “The synchronised display by students despite being in different homes was noteworthy,” a teacher revealed.
“We gave the students a song and a dance number, and they sang/performed in the confines of their homes and sent us back the videos. We compiled these into one video and uploaded it on the Microsoft Teams. The flag hoisting and the address by the principal was done live,” says Preeti Agarwal, APS, Noida, adding that the theme this year is Colours of Freedom.
Art, debate, poster making, poem recitation and fancy dress competition were organised in advance where students had to submit photographs and videos of their entries. The names of the winners were announced during the I-Day celebrations. Government schools celebrated I-day on August 14 at the school premises, inviting local political leaders to participate with only the teachers were present. “We invited the area councillor for hoist the flag. We cannot call students, and doing things private schools do is difficult,” says a teacher at MCD school in North-West.