Makara Sankranti and Pongal Celebrations
01/01/2010

The spirit of India celebrates any moments of life – it gives equal importance to every juncture of human life, no matter however trivial it may be. Ranging from the beginning of life till its end, every single point of life is valued and therefore it makes life really worth living. That adds the hue of joy to life itself, too.

One such is celebrating the harvest. It is not only the joy of reaping a hundred or more bundles; it is time of enjoying the fruits of one’s hard work and toil for an unseen future. It is the trust the mankind has for a better later, whatever sorrow it may endure at present.

Pongal and Makara Sankaranthi are two festivals of India that celebrate this essence of life. They teach hard work to us. They signify the nature’s rule that every action of ours will be either rewarded, or reprimanded. They connote the joy of patience and the truth of life. On this day, people thank the Sun god, all the elements of nature, for providing help and support to them and their crops to grow. Cattle are thanked, for their loyalty and hard work towards the betterment of humankind.

The 2010 Pongal and Makara Sankranti were celebrated with all delight and cheerfulness in JIRS on the 14th day of January. All the teachers and students were filled with the joy, because it is there in all cultures and traditions, thanking Mother Nature for having helped them throughout the year, for having blessed them with the best fruits of their hard toil.

The celebrations began with the Inter – House Rangoli Competition that started at 11:30 am. Students from all the four houses were looking so cheerful and excited. They were given the color powders for drawing Rangolis. They got the powders happily and started giving form to all the endless imagination and creativity in them. They let the flair for art travel so swiftly and cheerfully; the spirit of the Muse of Art was clearly apparent in the upstairs of Shraddha block. Different Rangolis – traditional and modern; old and new;  mixture of these two. All colored with bright and dazzling color powders like green, blue, red and yellow. The students really proved their skills and talent in the art of drawing Rangolis in a really extraordinary way. Our CEO sir came and was watching contentedly the way children were working seriously.

Every child was given a packet of the traditional and auspicious Yellu – Bella mixture and sugarcanes, signifying the importance and greatness of harvest, hard work and gratitude.

The competition came to an end when the judges – Mrs. Ambuj Sharma, our PRO, Mrs. Saroj Subbarao, Sr Counselor & NRI coordinator, Mr. Mohanty, and Mrs. Nandakumari, the dorm parents came to adjudge the performance of the children around 01:00 pm. They went to every Rangoli, watched them with keen interest and carefulness, and were warily scrutinizing their creative and artist value in their hearts. The children very gleefully explained how the theme and spirit of the festival have been conveyed in their Rangoli effectively. The judges also listened to them carefully. Then they gathered together to finalize the results.

The evening sky on JIRS was looking so bright and colorful with the brilliantly colored kites the children flew under the care of their teachers and wardens. The boys were flying them in the cricket ground and the girls in the hockey ground in front of Sprintoor. Every single child was looking so happy and cheerful to see his/ her kite soaring high and high in the sky. They were jumping and shouting in joy as if they themselves were flying. It was a wonderful moment when many of them realized that their lives should also be soaring higher and higher, letting everyone to lift their heads up to them and watch with awe. It came to end at around 06:00 pm. Every one left the place with lot of happiness and the contentment of celebrating the festival to the fullest.  

RESULTS OF RANGOLI COMPETITION

JUNIORS

HOUSE	POSITION
Shankara	I Prize
Mahaveera	II Prize
Buddha	III Prize

SENIORS

HOUSE	POSITION
Shankara	I  Prize
Buddha	II  Prize
Meera	III Prize