Spring Carnival at Dhanmondi Tutorial

A vibrant festival featuring dances and songs was organised in the playground of Dhanmondi Tutorial School today. A festive atmosphere prevailed there right from the morning.

Girls started arriving in red and yellow sarees and kameezes while the boys were dressed in punjabis. Colourful balloons and paper deocrations hung from the branches of trees and songs welcoming the spring were playing on the speakers.

The students as well as the parents had displayed various kinds of food on separate tables. There were both sweet and savoury food -- pitha, sweets, cakes, biryani, fuchka, chatpati and sausage rolls.

Meanwhile, there were different kinds of items including children’s toys and hand-drawn pictures in the stalls. Children started crowding these stalls. Teachers and students were seen hopping from one stall to another in small groups. They enjoyed the food with pleasure as well as captured the moment in selfies.

After a while, children came up with their dance performance. Children and adults presented separate performances there. Parents at the time were seen capturing the cheerful moments of their children on camera.

Students of Class Six, Ashjahi, Rihan, Farabi, Hanin all said that they thoroughly enjoyed participating in the festival. A teacher at the school, Banani Bhattacharya, said that this is an English medium school. All the festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm here. Bengali festivals are celebrated with even more enthusiasm.

We cannot accept that a child studying in an English medium will forget Bengali culture, she said. For example the children are learning about Falgun, the first month of spring here today. The parents also participate in these festivals spontaneously.

We want them to learn about Bangladesh in reality not just from textbooks. In addition, various other programmes are organised in the school at different times throughout the year. We consider it a success even if the children can learn only a little bit from this, she added.

Principal of Dhanmondi Tutorial, Naz Mustafa said, “Various programmes starting from Pahela Baishakh (Bengali New Year) are organised at the school throughout the year for the development of the children. I really liked children’s dance and singing performances at the festival today and I really enjoyed seeing them in a festive mood.”