Truly a Vijay Diwas

July 28, 2013 by Usha Pisharody 10 Comments

This is in continuation to my previous post, about Vijay Diwas (link ), that was to have been observed on 26 July, 2013, to mark yet another anniversary of the success of Operation Vijay, at Kargil. The fourteenth anniversary.

So why am I here, at least two days late, and that too with a weekend in between? 😀 Do excuse me, but I had made a promise to myself, having mounted a personal Operation Vijay to succeed with marking papers (and nothing, NOTHING was to come between me and that task 😛 )! Let me give you the good news of that success first!

But, more importantly, it was the success of the activity at school that really makes me call it a Vijay Diwas. Victory in small and great measures. In that single day’s activity, whether it registered fully or not, the entire campus, each classroom, the corridors, the window panes, were awash with messages of Patriotism, with skits, paintings on the walls, puppets, models, charts, candles lit, and the air of festive victory was indeed tempered with a bit of sombre memories of the happenings  fourteen years ago. 🙂

I normally do not like to share pictures of students for obvious reasons, but I think this time I should, just to show you their fine effort here (my class particularly :D) and also when they had made displays for the first and second days of this Malayalam Month, Karkidakom (this year it is started on 16 July… also called the Ramayana Maasam (meaning month). They learnt much then too, of the ‘Dashapushpam’, the ten plants that are revered, and used through the  month, and honoured too! And the “Pathela” (10 leaves, Pathth – 10, Ela – leaf)). which is cooked ( a recipe that my mother shared and which has been written down in Malayalam figures in the picture 🙂 ) on the first Friday of this Malayalam month. The activities really brought home the ignorance of the kids, who could not recognize these simple plants and leaves that grew in abundance in their own little compounds, and even on the roadside. It however helped to rectify this problem to an extent, when they actually did research, and did the arrangement; and more importantly, connected with their grandparents in finding out the history behind it all! For me too, it was a huge learning experience! Let me just show you 🙂 The pictures are extremely amateurish, but what the heck, they’re still precious to me 🙂

26 July, 2013, in School 🙂

A section of the boys 😀

The display at the back of the class… the concept was entire theirs 🙂

The PVC awardees… three of whom received it Posthumously

The zeal of the students in explaining to our visitors was so touching!

Us! A glimpse 🙂

Us again… with a view of the back wall where the main display was!

16th and 17th July, 2012: The Dashapushpam and Paththela Display 🙂

The making of the ‘Paththela’ Chart – the creativity was wonderful!

Many hands make light work 🙂

Getting in touch with Nature 🙂

This was simply out of the world! Paththela, written in Malayalam, on a leaf (I don’t know which one it is, truly 😀 )

The chart, the leaf, and a recipe to boot 🙂 Errm… to cook 😛

Today is also my second born’s “Malayalam” birthday 🙂 We’re really lucky in that we can celebrate a birthday twice 😀 Twice the happiness, twice the effort too, sometimes, but it’s also two days we feel special, and love to make another feel special 🙂 Our parents have always done this, marked both days with little joys, and so it continues 🙂 🙂 Achukutts, the real post is coming, but do take your share of good wishes, and perk up your awesomeness factor 🙂 It may be the end of the day, almost, but well, that really doesnt matter :D! What matters is that you are so so so loved 🙂

28 July 2013

Edited to add, on 29 July, 2013

The Class (9D), won the best class in their category 🙂 🙂 Proud of you kids 🙂 🙂 They got a special mention for the way they took our visitors around, and graciously explained the display! Yippeeeee!