C Rama Devi
‘The conquest of learning is achieved through the knowledge of languages.’ – Roger Bacon
At Bhavan’s we believe in building a positive environment for the students. Our teachers come up with new ideas to sustain student engagement throughout the academic year. In this article I will talk about how we generate and maintain our students’ interest in learning languages. We conduct events such as the Literary Carnival, Sanskrit and Hindi Saptah, Telugu Vaarotsavalu and Matru Bhasha Diwas. Fun-filled activities are planned to mark these special celebrations spread across the academic calendar.
Students get hands-on experience in strengthening the four key skills of any language – LSRW (listening, speaking, reading and writing). A plethora of on-stage and off-stage activities are planned for students as part of these celebrations. The special attractions include ‘Theatricals’ in English, Kavvali in Hindi, rendition of Bhagvad Gita shlokas in Sanskrit, Literary Quiz and Spellathons.
Innovative activities based on literature are conducted from primary to senior secondary classes. To create enthusiasm and eagerness in the process of learning, activities like fancy dress, enacting, debating, declamation, soliloquy, orchestra, Shakespeare’s theatre, storytelling, elocution, recitation, story writing and poetry writing contests are planned, which provide an opportunity for students to explore their hidden talents. Further, competitions are held in connection with these celebrations and participants are appreciated with tokens in recognition of their talents. The noteworthy part of these celebrations is that they provide an opportunity to a large number of students to hone their talents. Inviting eminent authors and professionals to the school as guests on these occasions is a prominent feature of celebrating these events.
The original stories and poems written by students as part of competitions held during these events has enabled the school to bring out its own storybook, A Spectrum of Stories – series 1 and a book of poems, Vivid Verses – series 1. This unique way of imparting knowledge keeps our children motivated to come to school and the learning of languages truly becomes a celebration.
Students’ speak
• I participate in many activities and competitions in all languages. My favourite is ‘Spellathon’. I feel participating in all literary activities and competitions brings out creativity from the students. All these are fond memories of my lovely school. – Eeshanvi, V-C
• The ‘Learning of Languages’ at Bhavan’s includes a myriad events and competitions that brings the best in us. It not only gives pleasure and experience but also helps us hone our skills in all areas. – Vedavrath Mandala, X-A
• Every year, many of us students look forward to the unique activities that constitute our school’s literary fests. I enjoy ‘Dramatics’ the most. For me, the cynosure of this year’s carnival was organizing the intra school spell bee for grades 3 to 10. As an avid speller myself, it was fun to see the competition from the perspective of a quizmaster. – V. Krishna Sai Gayatri, XI-A
• The participation in the School Literary Fest has always been astounding. It has various types of fun activities and games which I enjoy a lot. This year, I got the opportunity to organize the school spellathon event along with the seniors. This was a very different experience from participating in spell bees. I participate in different activities. My most memorable experience is when I delivered Portia’s famous monologue – ‘The quality of mercy’ from the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. I was exhilarated to find out that I won the first prize in it. – Sanjana, VI-C
The author is former senior principal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Public School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Currently, she is the Director (Academics) Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Hyderabad Kendra. She can be reached at ramadevi_1@yahoo.co.in.