“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

where the knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

where the words come out from the depth of truth;

where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection;

where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action; into that heaven of freedom, my father let my country awake”

Independence Day is celebrated on August 15th every year to commemorate the glorious history, achievements and culture of India. It reminds every Indian of the sacrifices made by various freedom fighters to end the British rule in 1947. To celebrate the 75th Independence day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' initiative. To mark this special day, and pay tribute to the freedom fighters of our nation, GIIS Noida had organized various activities which were presented in a special assembly held in the MPH. The teachers as well as the students celebrated this day with great zeal and enthusiasm by participating in various activities with immense patriotic fervour and zeal. A plethora of activities was organized to infuse the spirit of unity, brotherhood and patriotism among the students. 

The hoisting of the flag signifies the rise of a new nation, free from colonial domination. All over India, the National flag is hoisted in various Institutions, schools & colleges, and offices on this day. The whole country reverberates with the patriotic fervour while celebrating the day. At GIIS, Noida too the celebration commenced with the auspicious Flag hoisting ceremony to mark the importance of our national tricolour. 

To begin the festivities, Naina gave a beautiful classical dance performance at the entry gate which left the audience spellbound. After that everybody gathered in the MPH to inaugurate the celebrations by lighting of the lamp by the school Principal along with the coordinators.  Amani and Vedanshi from grade 11 were the hosts of this enthralling event. Mr. Ganesh Sharma – Principal, GIIS Noida was invited to the podium to share his words of wisdom and enlighten to everyone with his thoughts on harmony and brotherhood. He encouraged the children to be the caretakers of the freedom that we have achieved at the cost of lives of many great freedom fighters, and to always abide by the constitution and be the responsible citizens of the country.

As the program progressed, Nihitha from grade 9 apprised the audience with the importance of freedom and our duty of preserving it at any cost.  This was followed by an inter house dance competition on the theme “Patriotism”. The students of the four houses participated whole heartedly and paid their tribute to their nation through mesmerizing dance performances. The Alumni of the school, Khushi Dixit (batch 2021-22) and Archit Trivedi (batch 2020-21) were invited to be a part of the program and also to judge the dance competition. Along with the two alumni, the dance teacher Ms. Sheetal Sharma was also the member of the jury.

Keeping up with the theme of Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav, celebrating 75 years of India’s independence, Sneha of grade 11 shared her feelings for her motherland through a touching speech which she gave in our mother tongue i.e. Hindi. The first speech given by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru on 15 August, 1947 at Red fort “Tryst with Destiny” was presented by Kannan Kaur of Grade 9. Anushka from the grade 9 explained the Preamble of the Indian constitution. 

Results of the inter house dance competition were declared by Khushi Dixit who also expressed her thoughts and feelings for the country and felt proud to be a part of the celebration. Hibiscus house secured the first position followed by Orchid house on the 2nd spot and sunflower and Chrysanthemum house with a tie on the 3rd spot. Trophies were given to the members of the winning houses by Principal sir. Archit Trivedi, the alumnus rocked the floor with his breath-taking dance performance.  

The celebration concluded with a tree plantation drive organized at school wherein many saplings were planted at different places in the school premises.

This significant event came to a close with the national Anthem.

On this special occasion, let us make a promise to our motherland that we will do all we can to enrich and preserve our heritage and our national ethos.