AUM
ASCENDING ACADEMIC
HEIGHTS AT BEMETARA, C G
By Brigadier Chitranjan
Sawant,VSM
CG stands for Chhatisgarh, a State
that was carved out of Madhya Pradesh a little over a decade ago and has been
famous for its tasty and fragrant rice all over the world where rice is eaten.
Now a new feather has been added to the State’s much feathered cap in the realm
of education of the new generation . With a view to achieving new academic
excellence, the Chhatisgarhi boys and girls needed a modern GURUKUL where the Acharya cares for his Shishyas and alround development of
their personality. Unfortunately none existed.
Chhatisgarh, as the name suggests,
was a region where numerous rulers of small principalities held sway and were
proud of their Forts, the wild life and jungles and their produce of rare
varieties of rice and allied grains, not forgetting their poor relation, coarse kodau, that was of immense dietary
value to diabetic men and women. Notwithstanding the sylvan surroundings
and perfect peace and tranquility that the jungle offered, the biggest
by-product of the natural VAN SAMPADA, a
GURUKUL or a RISHIKUL was conspicuous by its non-existence.
With the coming to power of the
Bhartiya Janata Party and Dr Raman Singh as Chief Minister of the State, a new
push to and advancement of SHIKSHA OR
EDUCATION that has a fusion of the ancient and the modern values of life was
but natural. Thus the seed was sown and in due course of time it germinated in
the form of a secondary school named ACADEMIC HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL, Bemetara
just two years ago. As of now only day scholars attend the classes but the day
is not far off when the institution will have a hostel and a 24-hour a day
contact between the Faculty and the students.
SECOND ANNUAL DAY
This weekend I have had the privilege
of coming in close contact with the Principal, Shri Bharat Bhushan, members of
the staff and students of the primary level up to the VIII class. I had a
fleeting hi and bye with Shri Ashok
Singh, an eminent educationist and shubh
chintak of the fledgeling institution currently celebrating its Second
Annual Day. It is the dynamic personality of the Chairperson, Bhawana Ji who
looks after the administration from the managerial angleand her husband who is
just a call away to lend modernity, that lend a helping hand in shaping policy
at higher echelon. The Management remains in close contact with the Principal,
more as a help and never as a hindrance, through Counsellor, Vineet Rajoria who
is a young MBA with modern ideas for education of the new generation. It is the
perfect coordination among the Management, the Principal and the Staff that has
an impact on the growth of students. This positive aspect of running a new
school is worth emulating.
Celebrations of the Second Annual Day
were indeed a Gala Affair. The school presented its talented students on stage
who gave a performance of which a professional theatre company would be proud.
Histrionics is yet to be introduced as a subject but even the tiny-tots of the
junior wing comprising nursery and KG classes took to stage like fish to water.
The teachers were present in the Wings to boost the morale of students on
stage. The Greenhorns felt confident and faced a large audience comprising
parents, relatives and guardians of performing students without a hitch.
I was told by Bharat Bhushan Ji,
Principal, that the School Management is spending a large amount of money in
making the Annual Day Show a grand success. After all it is the mouth to mouth
publicity of events in the school that bring a good or bad name to the school.
On the persistent request of the student community, the Principal, Staff and
the Management agreed to invite Meiyang Chang, the famous Indianised
singer of Chinese origin of
Bollywood fame whose pronunciation of
Hindi words is as perfect as that of a Prayag-born Indian singer. He gave a
performance on stage for a couple of hours and enthralled men and women of all
ages. Of course, the fat purse of money presented to him as his honorarium defies
an intelligent guess.
“ If Music be the food of love, play
on…” so said Shakespeare, the famous playwright of the English language. On the
stage of the Academic Heights Public School, there was surfeit of it. The
students and their parents or guardian enjoyed every moment of the show.
Histrionics was in play too. Meiyang Chang walked across the aisle, down the
stage to talk to the audience and have them involved as singers of a chorus or
two. The CC camera caught and projected this impromptu performance on the giant
screens placed for the convenience of guests and they enjoyed it. “” Paisa
Wasool”, I do not know but the Gen X would not have enjoyed the musical
performance so much if only local talent was called to grace the stage.
The prize distribution to students
from different classes was held before the musical show. It was a delight to
see small children come up the stage, receive their prizes for excelling in one
aspect or the other, and walk back clutching the prizes lest a competitor who
missed making the grade came from behind and snatched it. Fortunately, training
in culture and behavior given by the school academic staff held them in good
stead and nothing of that sort happened.
FUSION OF ACADEMICS AND SPORTS
Academic Heights Public School pays
attention to its students achieving excellence in the academic subjects. Indeed
it will help them in excelling in the competitive examinations both at the
State level and at the Centre level. Nevertheless for achieving an all round
development of personality, it is necessary that students excel in sports and
games too. The school had also organized a Sports Day a day after the cultural
show. BACHPAN – the small children’s wing
of the Academic Heights made a debut right at the beginning. The march past was
perfect and the students of that tender age were performing as well as an adult
athlete.
After a fierce competition in various
disciplines and sharing the prize giving ceremony, the Sports Meet was declared
as closed. Thus the one-day event came to a close.
The thirtysix fort
region is indeed proud of its martial tradition. It is hoped that the Academic
Heights Public School will give another opportunity to the government and
citizens of Chhatisgarh to be proud of the Academic Excellence and for
breasting the tape higher, faster and stronger by students of the Academic
Heights Public School, Benemtara, Chhatisgarh. May Param Pita Parmatama bless
them – One and All.
Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM
UPVAN
609, Sector 29, NOIDA – 201303.
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