Gurugram: Return of cultural events adds to Children’s Day fervour

GURUGRAM: More than two years after classes shrunk to digital screens, schools are pulling out all the stops to define their new normal. And some of it is just like the pre-pandemic times.
Starting with Children’s Day, celebrated on Monday, schools across Gurugram began hosting cultural events.
In the coming months, there will be annual days, sports days, and other fests as well as gatherings that may have been unthinkable the year before.
“For the past two years, students have been deprived of the socio-emotional nutriment that is imperative for their growth. Their social skills and other aspects of development were compromised during the period of online learning. While they were back to the schools earlier this year, it is now that we can see some form of normalcy in their mental abilities, but also their physical capacities and social engagements,” said Rupa Chakravarty, director of Suncity School in Sector 54.
To mark Children’s Day, schools said their students were enthusiastic about the events.
In Salwan Public School, for instance, the kids sat through a two-hour-long assembly session and that was “heartening to see”, said its principal Rashmi Malik. At other schools, there were skits by teachers, musical performances, games and even movie screenings.
“Their participation was a sign that children are recovering from the impact of the lockdown… Above all, their social skills and camaraderie is back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Arti Chopra, principal of Amity International School, Sector 45. For the students who had joined the schools during the pandemic, it was the first time they were introduced to the fervour of Children’s Day.
“From skits to cultural performances, the school came alive today… For many kids, it was the first time they got to see what Children’s Day or an event of such scale feels like. Seeing that energy all around the school campus, I can say the pandemic’s impact is waning,” said Manika Sharma, director of Shri Ram School.