March 19th was R's annual day at school. The event was a sort of culmination of the year round of school and fun activities as the school closed for the academic year on Friday with a potluck party. The theme for the annual day was "festivals of India". Something I came to know when the invitation cards were sent out a couple of days prior to the event.
The practice sessions had begun a month earlier. I, like many other parents, was very curious to know the song on which R was to perform. But, the little man knows to keep his secrets. No amount of prodding, direct or indirect questioning lead to any clues. All he would proudly display was the smiley and star caricature on his fist, that the teacher would draw as a mark of appreciation for dancing well. On a few occasions, he did tell me that he is dancing ( to my horror) to dhinka-chika. The song would change the next day to (more horror) why this kolaveri di? I decided to refrain from asking him any further, lest he added sheila and munni to the brigade!
Of course, I knew in my heart that the actual song cannot be anywhere close to these item numbers since the teachers had asked for a dhoti and kurta as the costume dress. But, I had to wait until the D-day for the mystery to unravel itself.
The event was very well-organized and the efforts put in by the entire staff clearly shone through. The program started dot on time. There were environment or class-wise performances representing each of the major festivals that fall during the year in chronological order. It was such a pleasure to see the kids have a good time on the stage without a trace of inhibition. While, it would have been too much to expect complete coordination and cooperation from these toddlers, it was heartening to see all of them enjoy themselves. And, not a single kid cried!
The song selection was apt. Before the start of each dance, we were shown videos of the children from that particular environment at work and play on the screen projector. The program was interspersed with some interesting questions thrown at the audience. Every parent had their eyes only for their child on stage and we were no exception. R and his group performed for Krishnashtami and the song was "mach gaya shor sari nagari re" from the movie Khuddar (80's). We simply loved the simple and cute steps that befitted the innocent age.
The following Saturday was the PTM which lasted exactly for five minutes for R. It seems, he is doing very well and he's smart too! What was there to discuss here, then? There were no concerns except that we were told he does not like to colour. Well, I knew he has taken after the mother in this aspect. My heart really felt heavy when we bid goodbye to the school and the teachers. The memories of his first school will always be special and I'll surely miss this place.
The practice sessions had begun a month earlier. I, like many other parents, was very curious to know the song on which R was to perform. But, the little man knows to keep his secrets. No amount of prodding, direct or indirect questioning lead to any clues. All he would proudly display was the smiley and star caricature on his fist, that the teacher would draw as a mark of appreciation for dancing well. On a few occasions, he did tell me that he is dancing ( to my horror) to dhinka-chika. The song would change the next day to (more horror) why this kolaveri di? I decided to refrain from asking him any further, lest he added sheila and munni to the brigade!
Of course, I knew in my heart that the actual song cannot be anywhere close to these item numbers since the teachers had asked for a dhoti and kurta as the costume dress. But, I had to wait until the D-day for the mystery to unravel itself.
The event was very well-organized and the efforts put in by the entire staff clearly shone through. The program started dot on time. There were environment or class-wise performances representing each of the major festivals that fall during the year in chronological order. It was such a pleasure to see the kids have a good time on the stage without a trace of inhibition. While, it would have been too much to expect complete coordination and cooperation from these toddlers, it was heartening to see all of them enjoy themselves. And, not a single kid cried!
The song selection was apt. Before the start of each dance, we were shown videos of the children from that particular environment at work and play on the screen projector. The program was interspersed with some interesting questions thrown at the audience. Every parent had their eyes only for their child on stage and we were no exception. R and his group performed for Krishnashtami and the song was "mach gaya shor sari nagari re" from the movie Khuddar (80's). We simply loved the simple and cute steps that befitted the innocent age.
The following Saturday was the PTM which lasted exactly for five minutes for R. It seems, he is doing very well and he's smart too! What was there to discuss here, then? There were no concerns except that we were told he does not like to colour. Well, I knew he has taken after the mother in this aspect. My heart really felt heavy when we bid goodbye to the school and the teachers. The memories of his first school will always be special and I'll surely miss this place.
