In a departure from the conventional practice of fun-filled cultural events at the secondary schools, Noida-based Father Agnel School (FAS) on Saturday mesmerised the audience by enacting on the theme “sky is the limit” even for differently-abled who can reach the zenith of Mount Everest.
In its annual day celebrations titled -Aparajita- the senior wing students depicted the journeys of legendary danseuse Sudha Chandran and athlete Arunima Sinha beginning with rendering of motivational poem ‘Agneepath’ by Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
The students conducted a narration and then enacted the life of Sudha, 1965 born, Bharatanatyam dancer. She lost her leg in a road accident near in Tamil Nadu when she was 16 but decided not to give up and started performing with one leg and then she got a prosthetic leg. She was awarded National Film Award for the Telugu film Mayuri based on her life. She also worked in films during her prime career.
Sudha was enacted by class 10 student, Pavaki Jha, who justified the role from early hood, the tragic accident and then going back to stage performance. Pavaki danced on one leg for almost five minutes leaving the audience spellbound and with moist eyes.
The another awestruck performance were by Adrija Roy of class 11th and Vidya of class nine, for childhood and later life, respectively, who played the role of Arunima Sinha, world’s first female amputee to scale Everest.
Arunima had lost her left leg after she was pushed from a running train by robbers in 2011 while she was resisting them. She had also suffered injuries of the spinal cord. She did not give up and then she aimed to climb each of the continent’s highest peaks and hoist the national flag of India and she did it with artificial legs.
Present on the occasion were FAS Director Rev Jose Alarico Carvalho, FAS Noida Principal Alexander Coates Reid, the school administration of all the FAS Delhi-NCR, parents, students and other special invitees. A day earlier the same performance was presented for the visiting school students from France and Germany. The other events of the day was songs and themes based on the recent ongoing international conflicts as well as the domestic like that of Manipur.
In his address to the gathering, Carvalho said Agnel School has always relished the fact that we are different and that is stated loudly in Institutional Logo “Love Your Neighbour As Yourself”, as well as well as in the School crest; “Big Hearts, Brave Minds”.
“Both are challenging because both demand choosing a different way. When we are generally inclined to do what is best for us, our logo urges us to look at the other, as our neighbour. As we know it, we are not referring to a physical neighbour but to someone who needs our help, our understanding, and our forgiveness,” Carvalho said.