Annual day celebrations begins at Lawrence school Sanawar

With the paying of floral tributes to father of nation Mahatma Gandhi, three-day long celebrations to commemorate the 175th year of foundation, began  on the premises of The Lawrence School Sanawar, on Sunday.

  Former Chief Election Commissioner of India,  Navin Chawla who is also the alumnus of The Lawrence School, Sanawar visited his alma  also reached the school. Chawla, the 16th Chief Election Commissioner of India, was the guest of honour on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti that marks the beginning of Dodransbicentennial celebrations at Sanawar.

 the three days long celebrations began with the  special assembly, organised to commemorate 153rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, began with the headmaster of the school  Himmat Singh Dhillon accompanied by  Navin Chawla, the guest of honour, unfurling the Tricolour on the historic Peace Stead playground which was followed by the school choir singing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” and “Abide with Me”; the two personal favourite hymns of beloved Bapu, the father of our nation.

Giving his speech in Hindi, the Head boy of the school, Aditya Veer Singh Chandel said, “Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest changemakers the world has ever seen. He believed that strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable spirit. Gandhi brought about a moral and ethical renaissance in India.”  

The Head girl of the school Ustat Kaur Jatana addressing the school said, “From being an optimist to a forgiver, Mahatma Gandhi is a great teacher, who taught the world various life skills that we practice in our day today life.  His saying, “Live as you were to die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever,” inspires me to make the most each day. At a time when several countries are at war, his inspiring words should be the guiding principle in solving many crises”.

Well known for his bestselling official biography of Mother Teresa, Chawla spoke to the students about Mahatma Gandhi- his life, work and ideologies. Presently, when our planet is in peril due to climate change and the humanity is deeply scarred by violence, war and heinous crimes; the bureaucrat turned philanthropist inspired our students to appreciate and imbibe the values of truth, non-violence and joy of giving; the virtues that Mahatma stood for throughout his life.

Chawla, who spent his long eight years of his formative years (1953-1961) in Sanawar had instituted “If I were Gandhi “- an essay writing award for the students of class XI and XII in the year 2009 to spread awareness among students about Gandhian values. The award consists of a certificate and a trophy.  This year Chawla donated three silver trophies for the award winners.  Krishna Roy of class, Nandini Jain and Ustat Kaur Jatana , all of class XII bagged the first, second and third prize respectively this year. The Headmaster,

school headmaster Himmat Singh Dhillon encouraging students to appreciate the power of patience, he said “Gandhi who personified truth, love and ahimsa, is also the torchbearer of selfless service.” 

In the latter half of the day, a special ‘Chapel Service’ was held for the alumni of the Jubilee batches of the years 1957, 1962, 1972 and 1997 batches commemorating their Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Golden and Silver jubilees, respectively. Over 100 old students of school reunited at the school and recounted their memories of the school days. Some of the well-known personalities who attended the chapel service were Jasjeet Bhattal, a Rhodes Scholar and former CEO of Lehman Brothers,  Maneka Gandhi, veteran politician and celebrated animal rights activist and Professor Vasant Dhar, professor of data sciences at New York University.

Also later in the evening, the school play was staged in the historic Barne Hall that became alive with the dramatic fervour of the student artists. Over 100 students of the school the school presented a  musical-comedy classic drama   titled “With a Lil bit of Luck”, based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. The brilliant acting, superb singing and energetic dances kept the audience spellbound. The play was adapted and directed by Suchi Gupta. After the play, a bird book produced by our students entitled, “Familiar Birds of Sanawar” was also released on the occasion.