Navy Day is celebrated every year on December 4 at INS Gomantak, in Vasco town to mark the navy’s daring attack on the Karachi harbour in Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The celebrations traditionally consist of operational demonstration, fly past by navy aircrafts, Beating Retreat performance by the navy band and illumination.
This year, the Navy Day was celebrated on December 14 and for the first time, children from Navy schools were involved to perform at the event. While the older children from the Navy Children School performed a fusion of Bharatanatyam and Kathak dance forms, the tiny tots from Naval Kindergarten, Varunapuri in Vasco, performed folk dances of India to depict the theme – One India, My India.
The confident performance of the toddlers enthralled the entire audience. Sharing her thoughts on the performance of her wards, Head Mistress of Naval Kindergarten at Varunapuri, Vasco, Swapna Thakur says, “Our FOGA, Rear Admiral Ajay D Theophilus wanted that along with all the other units and organisations that are attached to the Goa Naval Area, the schools should also participate in the Navy Day celebrations. He wanted the children to perform on a patriotic theme. So on the lines of ‘Unity in Diversity’ was going on in my mind.”
“But then, the term Unity in Diversity has become very old. So I replaced it with something new -
One India, My India. We thought of showcasing the folk dances of India and blend them together in the end,” Thakur says.
When asked about what were the challenges in the way, the Head Mistress says that arranging different costumes of the children at a short notice was a little tough. “But, we got a tailor, whom we gave the dress materials to and she stitched them for two days,” she says.
Speaking about the preparation, she says that for three days running up to the event, there weren’t any classes. “Our full focus was on preparations. We knew the classes could be conducted later also,” she says. Regarding the response from the children to the instructions, she said everything happened seamlessly. “You know what, children are most excited when something out-of-the-box is happening. They’re most excited. So whatever you give them, they are just so willing to accept and absorb it quickly. So, as teachers, we should have our plan in mind and explain it to the kids. They will just do it accordingly,” she says.
Citing an example of the boy named Nishal M, who gave the introductory speech in English and Hindi, he learned the text quickly and spoke very confidently in front of such a large audience.
While our teachers worked very hard with the students, I must also compliment the parents, who were equally excited as their children. They played a major role in supporting our endeavour. Despite the school being closed on weekends, the parents sent their wards for practice without any hesitation.
She was thrilled with the overwhelming response her students got after the event. “I think our collective effort paid off. Even the teachers who weren’t part of this programme directly, too are happy because we are like a family. The students made us proud with their performance. Thakur is now looking forward to the school’s annual day programme which would be done at a grand scale in February 2024.
Suhasini M, mother of Nishal, says that she had very little time to prepare her for the programme. But she managed to get her son ready for the event.
“We had hardly two to three days to prepare. It was really challenging. But Nishal has the ability to grasp and articulate things with clarity. So, it becomes easier whenever we try to teach him anything. We also encourage him to participate in the competitions that are held in the school. I am extremely glad and thankful to everyone for liking my son’s performance,” she says.