Cultural education is an essential aspect of every school’s curriculum. Understanding this importance and glorifying Indian traditions with the younger generation, GIIS,NOIDA celebrates Janmashtami every year with a lot of pomp and show. Janmashtami is also known as Gokul Ashtami, and is an annual Hindu festival. It is celebrated as the birthday of Krishna. Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is observed in the month of Bhadrapada which overlaps with August and September. The sole objective of Sri Krishna’s birth and to celebrate Janmashtami is to free the Earth from the evilness of demons. The actual celebrations of Janmashtami take place during the midnight as Sri Krishna is believed to be born on a dark, stormy and windy night. 

Students of GIIS Noida also celebrated the festival with a lot of pomp and show. The Kg and Nursery students held their celebrations on the 17th of August 2022 in the school premises. The tiny tots came dressed up as Lord Krishna, Radha, Gopi, Gwala looking adorable in their ethnic attires. A well-choreographed dance was performed by the children on the tunes of the song 'Ooo Kanha so ja zara” and was appreciated by the parents present in the audience. A skit was also performed by the children that stole the show. The celebrations were wrapped up with the swinging of 'Baal Gopal' and distribution of Prasad amongst all. Students chanted Radhe, Radhe! Hare Krishna! Jai Shri Krishna with enthusiasm. 

The spirit of festivity was increased by Jhankis depicting the life of Lord Krishna. The celebration was entertaining and educational. Mr. Ganesh Sharma – Principal, GIIS Noida along with the Dy. coordinator Ms. Shakti Narang encouraged the students who put up such a great show. 

This celebration was done to inculcate awareness in the students about Janmashtami, myths about Krishna, Radha and Kans. It was to tell them that the Holy occasion brought people together and educated them about  the difference between the good and bad.

Grade 1 and 2 students too celebrated the day by coming dressed as lord Krishna and Radha, with flutes, peacock feathers and matkas. The school premises were also decorated beautifully and the spirit of festivity was enhanced with Jhankis depicting life history of Lord Krishna. The celebration that followed was truly entertaining and enchanting. The students of 2-A conducted the special assembly with full enthusiasm by presenting a prayer & bahajan with action on “Achutam Keshavam”.

Children shared the importance of good thoughts taken from Bhagwat Geeta  which helped students in developing confidence as they spoke in front of an ‘audience’.As the event progressed, a few presentations were given by students Yashvardhan, Shaurya Pathania,  and Khanak. They explained about various details like when, where, why and how Janmashtami is celebrated, meaning and mythology of the name through a speak-up Activity. Students presented wonderful skit and dance presentations which depicted KRISHAN LEELA.

The celebrations were not limited to the Kg and Nursery students; the festivities were also enjoyed by the students of grade -5. The assembly started with the students harmonizing the prayer 'Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari' and seeking blessings from Lord Krishna. They all practiced meditation and good thoughts along with their meaning and true value for humans were recited from the Bhagwat Gita. The children of 3-A gave a detailed  presentation about  how and where Janmashtami is celebrated followed by a wonderful dance presentation. 

The mythical story of Krishan Leela was depicted by the students in a skit which had everyone in awe. The Principal  addressed the students, appreciated their efforts and told them about the importance of discipline. The celebration helped students gain knowledge about the value of Indian traditions, culture and how they are the essence of India. It also helped enhance their confidence and build their stage presentation skills as well as inculcate values of love and respect for our culture.

The students learnt about the values of Indian tradition and culture and how they form the very essence of  India. Beside enriching their minds with our customs and culture, these celebrations also helped our students in building up their confidence and stage presentation skills. This inculcated values of love and respect for Indian traditions and also showed them the way of living our lives to the  fullest.