How We Celebrated Our Independence!

I usually get up early in the morning on Independence Day to catch the special Independence day speech of India’s Prime Minister live from the hallowed grounds of the Red Fort. This time I decided to do something out of the ordinary and paid a visit to Hajratpur Primary School, a low income government school in Noida that is supported by Samsung’s CSR initiatives. I was delighted when I got the offer from Samsung Noida’s CSR team to visit the school. After all, there is no better way to celebrate the spirit of freedom than to be with little kids who are the future of our country.

Little ones dancing on a patriotic song

After struggling a bit to find the exact location of the school, I finally managed to reach on time. I knew I had reached the right location when I saw my friends standing in the prayer ground along with so many smiling children. Some children were wearing magnificent tri-color paint on their cheeks and foreheads while others were waving the flags with boisterous joy. I too felt like a small kid and nostalgically reminisced about similar celebrations in my own school when I was a child. I felt really very grateful for being there with the kids on this special occasion. There were teachers, smartly dressed up in beautiful Sarees, instructing the students to get ready for the program. There was also a handsome flag post near the stage, having the Indian tri-color mounted to it. All of us were so excited for the flag hoisting event which is always the key moment in Independence Day celebrations. 

One of those pics with the kids

The celebrations began with the usual morning prayer. Then the Principal of the school stepped forward and unfurled the flag even as the national anthem began to play in the background. Everybody stood straight in attention, gaze fixed on the freely fluttering Tri-color, to pay homage to the anthem and to show deepest respect for our nation.

I felt that was it and didn’t know what to expect next, so I asked my friends who told me that some talented kids had prepared a full fledged performance for all of us present there. Well we were all looking forward to see the lovely kids perform in front of us. The teachers began to call out the names and kids started rolling out on the stage one by one with their fabulous performances. There was dance, singing, theatre and lots of lively music. It was like a musical carnival and we enjoyed our hearts out. We took several pictures and recorded videos of kids, their performances and teachers. Selfies are all the rage these days and kids demanded for some selfie moments as well.

All of us together in a customary pic

After the performances, snacks and fruits were distributed to the students and we couldn’t resist and joined the queue to get some for ourselves. We had some more selfies with the kids before bidding them good bye. At the end there was a customary picture taken of all of us- teachers, principal and Samsung CSR Team.

Lunch with my friends after school event

Finally, as I reflected back, I found that it’s much better to go out there and do something meaningful on this occasion of Independence Day than to listen to the Prime Minister’s speech or to fly kites.