The dusk dazzled as the young Khaitanians descended on the dais during the Annual Day Function to celebrate the Vedic heritage of India and to sensitize the youth to the Vedic consciousness of our great culture and to the need of going “Back to Vedas”. Cultural consciousness formed the crux of the proceedings of the exuberant evening. The occasion was graced by the presence of Mr. Sameer Kamboj, the Chief Guest , Mrs. Shalini Kamboj and Mrs. Lata Vaidyanathan. Mr. Kamboj, a chartered accountant, is the CEO of SKC World and an author. Mrs. Shalini Kamboj is mentor, coach,author and a psychologist. Mrs. Lata Vaidyanathan, a member of the Executive Committee of NCERT is an eminent educationist and is known for her progressive and innovative ideas in pedagogy. The other guests of honour included the various board members of Khaitan Educational Society.
Lighting the auspicious lamp is supposed to be an invocation of the Eternal Light-Param Brahma, so the Chief Guest and the other guests of honour were called upon to light the ceremonial light while the school choir chanted Sanskrit shlokas sonorously.
The programme commenced with the narration of how the “Natya Veda”-the art of dance and song came into existence through the eternal dance of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parwati giving this world ‘Taal’ ‘sur’ and ‘kala’. This was depicted as the dance of life, giving this creation a sense of purpose and creating the eternal symphony of souls. Thereupon the guests were given a rousing welcome by the young enthusiasts of Khaitan Public School with bouquets. What followed, bore a live testimony to the excellence of young Khaitanians who chronicled and presented the annual report of the school in a movie made all by themselves. The gracious Education Director,Mrs. Geeta Varshneya, now addressed the august assembly to impart to them her understanding of the urgency of the need to train the young minds of our progeny in the archetypes of our cultural heritage coming from the Vedas.
The next item sought to depict the origin of Brahmanaad, the sound energy of the Supreme Consciousness reverberating through the universe creating the symphony between the soul and the Creator or ParamBrahma. It was now the turn of the Vice Chairman of Khaitan Educational Society, Mr. Anirudh Khaitan, to share his views on education and the umbilical link it has with the Vedic culture. He sought to tell the spectators that History gives man a perspective to judge and guide himself. The rich cultural heritage of the Vedas distinguishes Indians from the rest of the world. Were we to forget our Vedic consciousness, we would be uprooting ourselves and would not know how to deal with our compatriots. So, the theme for the Annual Day Function this year is “Back to the Vedas”.
Next to be invited to the stage were the young budding authors of Khaitan Public School who shared with the spectators, their journey of growing into writers at such a tender age.They expressed their gratitude to their Alma Mater for being a trend-setter in the field of education. The school has once again taken an initiative and given wings to the dreams of its students to become published authors by entering into a collaboration with the Quill Club writers.
The mesmerizing item which followed, took the spectators for a time travel to the Vedic past of India when all ancient knowledge flourished. The programme sought to glorify the treasure trove of the knowledge and wisdom contained in the Vedas.This was followed by a few thoughts of wisdom by the Chief Guest, Mr. Sameer Kamboj who sought to convince the gathering that our future lies in seeking out our roots rather than looking towards the West.
The programme concluded with a Vote of Thanks proposed by the Middle Wing Headmistress, Mrs. Aparajita Roy.