The Annual Day presentation by classes I, II and III based on the various milestones of Krishna’s life starting from his birth to hallmarks of his growing up days, leading to the space he occupies in today’s times was a brilliant expression of the concept of being Krishna.

The ballet was an exploration of the most profound and deeper aspects of life. As the children went through the nuances of a plethora of emotions and brought to life some of those profundities, they also learnt those fundamentals of life that were not instructed overtly but would eventually become a part of their lives, forever, through the simple shared experiences of drama, dance, music, oratory and so on!

The evening unfolded beautifully as the ceremonial lamp was lit by Dr. Justice C.S. Dharmadhikari Co-founder and Mentor - GSF, Mr. Atul Temurnikar Chairman, GSF, Mr. Rajeev Katyal, Country Director - GIIS India, As. Sunita Jaisingh National Academic Head- Scholastics and Ms. Nandita Dasgupta- Principal GIIS Noida and Ms. Aditi Chakraborty, Marketing Head GIIS.

Dr. Justice Dharmadhikari spoke on various aspects of parenting and emphasised on self-discipline and value system that needs to be followed at home. This was followed by a heartening speech by Mr. Temurnikar as he shared the reason behind the recognition of GIIS campuses by prestigious bodies at global level which translate into awards. He announced that all GIIS campuses would be awarded at Shanghai for academic excellence. The august presence of the top management was indeed a testimony of their keen interest and involvement at every level to ensure the growth of the school.

The cultural programme transported the audience to a wondrous world. The ballet unfolded with the birth of Krishna and his fostering by mother Yashoda and father Nand and a glimpse of his mischiefs at Gokul, while he tested the patience of Yashoda with his antics against the Gopinis of Braj and stealing of butter. The bond of love between the mother and child and the miracles like killing of a demon named Putana and Kaliya, a large snake claiming sweet victory in his fight against all evil was a subtle message that the little ones portrayed through dance and narrations. The next chapter was the revealing of Krishna’s Virat Roop to his mother Yashoda who was overwhelmed with the realization. The final victory of Krishna over Kans and fulfilling the destined role of being crowned the king marked him as the Lord Krishna.

Krishna’s spiritual aspect is upheld for the audience at the celebration of Maharaas when surrounded by his loving Gopinis, he appears as the eternal lover symbolising the keen desire of a bhakt for his God! He goes beyond all physical explanation and merges with his followers in the spiritual dance.

What Krishna left behind for the earthly souls was a lesson encapsulated in the Bhagvad Geeta as the Geeta-saar. The students enacted the roles of his followers and disciples like Surdas, Meerabai and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and explained a synopsis of the philosophy of Karma and Dharma.

The various facets of Krishna were tied together by the recital of the wandering monk to his group of disciples and the take home of the entire programme was the universal truth that was depicted through him and the understanding of right and wrong. Krishna is more of a symbol today that goes beyond religion, beyond the boundaries of physicality and materialism.

A peek into the behind the scenes activity speaks volumes about the involvement of the staff and students... Planning minutely for all details from the script to management of students back stage, all this and more could not have been possible without their inputs. The narration, decoration and props were designed by the senior students and the teachers helped at every stage of preparation including choreographing and teaching dramatics.

The annual day is a glimpse of the thoughts, values and emotions; all culminating into a beautiful and harmonious production of a cultural evening.