Graduation Ceremony, 2015

On 23 January 2015, teachers, parents and students of class XII, batch of 2014-15 assembled with mixed emotions on the occasion of Graduation Day. Vice-Chairperson, Ms. Brinda Shroff and Director, Mr. Lal Raisinghani lit the lamp alongwith the Principal and the senior PTA members. It was a moment of palpable excitement, elation and expectation as the remarkable journey that began 15 years ago came full circle.

Principal Ms. Tania Joshi led a procession of teachers each holding a light, followed by a riveting and soulful rendition in Odissi, of the Ganesh Vandana. The teachers, who once held those tiny hands to become friends, philosophers and guides, passed on the light of knowledge in a diya lighting ritual to their beloved students who stood poised to embark on a new phase of life. Poignant, precious and enriching moments were captured forever in a capsule of time.

In her address, the principal said that it was heartening to see parents assembled in large numbers at this symbolic ceremony. She read out a message from Mr. Prafull Goradia, Chairman and Dr. Nayana Goradia, Vice-Chairperson, to wish the children as they set sail as Ocean liners with Indian anchors to make the world a better place.

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Ms. Joshi quoted Sydney J. Harris - Most people are mirrors reflecting the moods and emotions of the time. Few are windows, bringing light to the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

Reaffirming the message in these lines, the principal hoped that the school had been successful in enabling students to realise their value. Being strict also had a purpose..to bring out the finest in them.

Recalling Mr. Prafull Goradias interactive session with the alumni and the passing-out batch of 2015, she hoped they too would one day return as a force of inspiration for their younger peers. She wished them all the best.

Amidst the presentation of citations and speeches the teachers sang, ' pankho ko hawa zara si lagne do, to express their love and affection. Parents also recounted moving memories of their association with School.

Parents who spoke on the occasion were Ms. Sangeeta Banerjee ( Secretary, Parent Teacher Association), mother of Meghlayna Banerjee; Ms. Usha Jain, mother of Ojasvi Jain and Mr. Bharat Manwani , father of Mehak Manwani. Students who spoke on behalf of the graduating sections were Seitu Chauhan ( Science), Anish Bhat (Commerce) and Hema Chakraborty (Humanities).

The computer department presented a slideshow of magical moments that marked the 15 year long odyssey from pre-nursery until now.

As evening fell, bunches of white balloons were released by the students to symbolise the ascent of their new aspirations. As the balloons soared high swiftly in the twilight, the graduating class of 2015 looked up to the future and the challenging changes that lie before them. We hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known. Good bye and God speed our little ones!

Ms. Navreet Shergill, Acting Vice Principal.

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SPEECH OF MS. SANGEETA BANERJEE.

Honourable members of the School Management, Principal ma'am, Teachers and Students,

It is indeed a great honour to be speaking on this very special occasion of graduation day.

My association with the Indian School, as a parent, is for the past 14 years. It surely has been a wonderful and memorable journey. I have seen the school grow from a sapling to now a young but strong tree. The Indianites are bringing in laurels in all spheres, be it academics or extracurricular activities. And The Indian School is definitely becoming a name to reckon with among the top schools of Delhi.

I , as a parent , would want to take this opportunity to thank the School Management, Principal maam, and each and every teacher, for always being there for the betterment of every child, for working towards a holistic development of every child, and for instilling values specially the Sanskaras in our kids. The Sanskara Syllabus along with projects such as the Citizenship Programme, make our children well mannered, grounded in their thinking and with their hearts in the right place they are always willing to help the less fortunate.

I stand here not just as a proud parent of my own child but as somebody who swells with pride to see a room full of fine young gentlemen and ladies whom I once remember seeing as little toddlers.

Today I address you kids as my young friends and would like to share a few words of wisdom with you. The school, the teachers, your parents have done their jobs of instilling the best of education, a healthy outlook and overall confidence in each one of you. Now it is time for you to go and conquer the world. And believe me, that power to bring out the best and carve out a niche for yourself is present in each one of you. The only thing you need now is the belief that... YES I CAN!

I am absolutely sure that in this room sit many future successful lawyers, chartered accountants, teachers, professors, musicians, artists, doctors, engineers, actors etcetera, but my dear friends along with all that strive to be good human beings who stand up for justice, equality and liberty for all, because that is the need of the hour for a better world!

I wish each one of you the very best for your forthcoming board exams and may you all do exceedingly well in whatever you choose to do and be in life. God Bless!

SPEECH OF MRS USHA JAIN

Good evening respected Principal ma'am, Management, Teachers, Parents and my young bright children, it is really an honour to speak on this very special day.

It is said that time flies. My association with the school goes back to 14 years when I handed over my daughter in safe hands and now I stand here as a proud parent of a confident and a well groomed child-all thanks to the Indian School!

What I admire the most about this school is that along with empowering our children with knowledge , they are also taught 'sanskaars'. And that is why each student who passes out from this school becomes successful in life.

I would like to thank all the teachers for always motivating and giving opportunities to my daughter.

From music to debating, from dramatising to taking up leadership activities, and not to forget, making her travel the world and giving her excellent exposure, The Indian School- I am indebted to you. Thanks for giving my daughter an identity of her own. She would have been completely lost had she been in another school.

Now I assure you that all my children will give you immense pleasure by giving outstanding results.

In the end I would just like to say that we implanted our seeds in this school and the school nurtured them into fruitful plants. And now, ladies and gentlemen, is the time to reap these ripest and sweetest fruits!

All the best my children, make all of us proud. Thank you!

SPEECH OF MR BHARAT MANWANI

Mrs and Mr Goradia , Mr Lal Raisinghani, Principal Ms Joshi, teachers, support staff and dear children .

We have gathered here to celebrate a milestone in the life of our children. When I first came to this school it had an unique aura , it was just two year old school. Just like temple of knowledge it was just a primary school at that time . But Lakshya started his school life in 1997 and then Mehak entered in pre nursery in 1999 at age 3 and then the journey started where my children were the shining horizons of tomorrow and the school its rainbow.

One of the reasons I put my children in this school was not because it had just started or I didnt have options but I wanted to see my children grow from mere caterpillars to beautiful butterflies along with the growth of this beloved school.

As they say, a childs behaviour shows the background he or she comes from.

I have great respect for Indian values and discipline and Indian school has stood by those values despite the fast changing saamajik taana baana .

Children spend 50 percent of their time in school and 50 per cent at home .They carry good vibes and teaching from school to home and take back good sanskaars and values back to school. If both are in sync, the child becomes a good human being.

Today after nearly 18 years of relationship with The Indian school we parents are also leaving some part of our life here ..Our children will go out in this wild world to fight for achieving success in career and also become a good human being and when the foundation is strong the building will definitely be stable !

I am sharing a small incident with you today. In a restaurant few ladies were having lunch and suddenly a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice she started jumping and with both her hands desperately tried to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious and everyone in the group also panicked.

Finally she managed to push the cockroach away but it landed on another lady. It was now the turn of another lady to continue the drama.

The waiter rushed to their rescue. In the relay of throwing the cockroach next fell on the waiter. The waiter stood firm and composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough he grabbed the cockroach with his fingers and threw it outside the restaurant.

What we learn from this :

Cockroach was not the reason for the behaviour of the ladies but it was the way they reacted to the situation

Women : reacted

Waiter : responded

More than the problem it is the reaction to the problem that creates chaos in our life.

Lesson: Do not react, it is instinctive. Only respond, it is well thought of.

I wish all children best for their future and thank the teachers of the school for their dedication and hard work!

Thank you.

SPEECH OF SEITU CHAUHAN (Class XII Science)

What lies behind you and what lies ahead of you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you.

I was a little girl of three and a half years when I first joined pre nursery of The Indian School. I cried all the way and on reaching school I told my mother: ansu toh pochdoo!

Good morning respected members of the management, teachers, parents and my friends. Its hard to believe that what seemed like yesterdays first day has culminated in todays last with me delivering my graduation speech on this podium.

Our school and its management have taught us every virtue which makes a student complete. The excitement when the drum beat would start as a cue for the commencement of the march past, when our song would start playing as we would have to enter the lit up stage for our dance for the annual day. From having been dressed up as vegetables to having done African dance to belly dance to Salsa. All the morning assemblies, excursions to various parts of Delhi, the school trips, the internships; everything has been a vivid learning experience and would always hold a special place in our hearts.

After spending 15 beautiful years here, as respected Mr. Praful Goradia says, this ocean liner is ready to sail. It has been a long and eventful journey for this little ship. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails as you- Explore. Dream . Discover.

Were all most thankful to all the teachers for their tolerating attitude and the individual care that they provided to each student. Every teacher has been wonderful. From Anu maam s scolding (ahem) to Mithu maam s deliberately disobedient students, Purvi maam s solution to every problem, Tara sirs expert hand, Garima maam s guidance and Hema maam always being there to laugh with us; Being called Seitu/Palak by Navreet maam. Archana maam for her constant efforts to help us. Rajiv sir with his warm and welcoming smile. Which librarian would save your class III library card for so long? I really thank all my pre nursery teachers for teaching me the basics of life and taking utmost care.

And finally, I cannot thank Tania maam enough for every single thing she has done for me because of which I am standing here. Very few principals would go to the extent of standing for hours in a hospital queue to donate her blood for her colleague ,in order to go out of the way to help those around her, and much the same way lend a shoulder for her students to cry on.

I remember how our very last sports day was made the most memorable one when Anish and I, the discipline captains got the honour to lead our batch, the batch of 2014-15. Not only did we excel, but we excelled with class, like everything else weve done. That for me was my proudest moment, besides the day that I got my badge and sash.

Now I don't want to alarm you, but the class of 2014-15 has a serious problem. It's not a financial problem. It's not an intellectual problem. It's an attitude problem. The class of 2014-15 has a problem being awesome. From Smriti and Karans jokes to Anish walking down the corridor with his big dimple, Raghav dancing alongside him. Our little brainy Sherlock Holmes (Ayushman) and our all-rounder-superstar (Palak Aneja). From the best dancer setting the stage on fire, Meghlayana, and my always there to laugh with me friend Harshita, both my partners in crime. Well miss the march past winner, Aastha, Luvdtiyas morning hello, Shrishtis endless doubts , Nupur and Madhurimas giggles, Prithas correction for everything a teacher says, Garvits singing and Ayush with his love for science. We would definitely remember our future doctor Shiranshu and Deepaks tera bhai with his trademark walk. No longer will Adil and Shrey be there to hum from the back benches with Animeshs laughter after the joke was over and his abrupt Maam, may I go to the washroom?. We wont see Yash writing I love Chemistry in his paper for an answer, with Anu maam writing back I dont think so.

My juniors have taught me, best friends dont always have to be around you all the time, only in your heart and mind.

I thank my seniors for guiding me, showing me a path to achieve my goals and supporting me while always being there for me.

Most importantly I thank my parents for enrolling me into The Indian School and then for supporting me throughout my journey. From the simplest to the hardest, they have been with me always. They are responsible for having metamorphosed me from a little girl whose clothes were the size of a clock to a little lady whod be wearing a sari tomorrow. Dont you all feel the same? Also I thank my sister, Neetu an ex-student, also from The Indian School for her help and motivation.

The time I have spent at The Indian School will be the longest I will ever spend in one place for my education. Maybe thats why from having been dreamy-eyed little children we have become the rulers of the corridors. And now that its time to leave, I remember, on the first day I stood here crying because I didnt want to come and now I stand here crying because I dont want to leave.

I can see theoh so mature faces of some of the friends who have been with me for the longest time I can remember. Its like watching a motion picture, now that I imagine how they have all grown.

When opportunity doesnt knock, build a door. The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you havent found it yet, keep looking. Dont settle. As with all matters of the heart, youll know when you find it.

For all my friends here, for the near future, I quote Dumbledore, dark and difficult times lie ahead, BUT happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the lights, Harry. And second for the distant future when all of you are in your fields, I quote Gandhi ji , in a gentle way, shake the world.

Thank you all for having been a part of my journey and making it the best.

SPEECH OF ANISH BHAT (Class XII Commerce)

Good evening respected members of the Management, Principal Maam, all the parents sitting here and my dear friends.

Last year same day, when I was standing beside this podium hearing my seniors, I had never thought that bidding goodbye to school is going to be as tough as it is now.

When I woke up this morning, I felt a strange mix of emotions, feeling happy that I will be moving into a new phase of my life and at the same time feeling low that I wouldnt be facing the same audience or sitting in the same class again. It was a reality hard to accept that today I am graduating from my school, which till sometime back didnt feel so significant.

When I go down the memory lane I can still remember my first day in school which was around 14 years back! Sobbing like an irritating child, when my first class teacher Sanjana maam held my hand and made me realize that I wasnt the only one in the class and made me comfortable.

Running after us in KG with a metal scale, Chanda maam was the first teacher I was reallyscared of. Not knowing that Vandana maam was waiting for us in class 10.

The happiness we got in class 5 of being allowed to write with a pen, not knowing life in senior school was all about pen and paper.

For the first time in class 9, when I was made to face Tania maam for behaviour issues ,to becoming the discipline captain of the school last year. Yes, this journey has been like a roller coaster ride.

To teach is to touch lives forever and that is what defines the teachers of The Indian School.

I would like to thank Tania Maam, who believed in me, tugged and pushed me each time and led me to the next plateau with all her support. Going to her for various permissions, being called discipline instead of my name , talking to her in every dispersal are some of the memories which will always be relished.

Pooja maam and Sangeeta maam for making me realize my true potential and showing me the right direction to achieve my goals. I would also like to add to this....Yes maam we truly are impeccable. Scolding at times and then smiling like nothing happened, this is what for me is Anu maam and Neha maam , if it wasnt for maths, I can assure you maam that Iwould have been the most studious child you would have ever come across.

There was a time when I studied biology and not accounts and that is when I met an incredible support that is Purvi maam and Navreet maam , for making me realize my love for public speaking.

I have no idea where we all will be in one year from now, but I know one thing for sure that no matter how indulged we are in our lives, the crazy,silly and joyous moments spent in this building will be cherished by all of us.

I am indebted to all of you and will surely be at your service whenever you need me. This journey wouldnt have been the same if Luvditya and Palak hadnt been there with me in all situations, good or bad, when no one else did. Raghav, who has been there with me since this journey has commenced and introduced the term best friend in my life. All the bollywood gossip with Sanyam , Smriti for sharing each others secrets and teasing her.Seitu ,my co-discipline captain whom I competed with in exams, Ujjawal for his sense of humor making his own category that is,the Jindal jokes and Karan for making me realize that life can be lived without worries and in the craziest way possible. Whenever his name comes to my mindI remind myself of the trip to The United States of America. If there was something which could perfectly conclude our last year in school with craziness and fun at its best , it was this trip. The whole feeling of it - going to each class promoting it, running after Mithu maam for about 3 months, gathering all the details,doing the countdown, the way she built our anxiety towards this trip. Thank you to all teachers who controlled the bunch of 43 notorious children and gave us the best time of our lives.

I would also like to thank the most important people in my life that is my parents, for their unconditional love and support throughout and my sister who is just 5 years old but has been like a stress buster for me with her laughter and naughtiness.

I wish I get to reminisce with my friends , a chance to share some memories, and play our songs again.Memories like feeling numb at the time when Pooja maam walks from the staff room to our class with those accounts papers, hearing all the teachers in the corridor say, walk in line everyone, commerce vs science talks with Anu maam , the way Navreet maam trained me for compering each time.Karan suddenly standing up in the class and saying,I guess we have all talked enough and to hear Ankur sing songs and taunt each other in the class are some of the wonderful moments Ill be taking along with me. Today as I stand here, I am content to say commerce united as we popularly call our commerce section, has finally united towards the end.

This school has made us what we are today and will always remain a true reflection of our identity. This place has taught me that success is the worst teacher and failure is the best. (by this failure I dont mean failing in pre-boards my friends) .

When I was writing this speech I suddenly remembered a close friend of mine in KG. I still cherish all my time I had spent with him and we never met after that but I still miss him. I just hope that nothing of that sort happens with all of us. This time, I shall make sure of that! We have loved and hated each other but the fact remains that we are now a part of each others memory. These memories will be embedded within us throughout, memories we will always hope to live again and again!

Its said that a ship in the harbour is safe and secure but how strong it truly is seen when it faces the waves of the sea. Just like that The Indian School has built us, kept us safe, and now its our time my friends to show the world what an Indianite is capable of.

I couldnt think of a better ending so Ill just say Discipline Captain 2014-15 signing off!

SPEECH OF HEMA CHAKRABORTY (Class XII Humanities)

For the past 13 years, every morning, I have woken up and started on a journey. A journey I call, The journey to the entrance of The Indian School. For me, this journey was always as lengthy as the chapters in my NCERT textbooks and as challenging as the question papers set by Tania maam. Everyday my alarm would ring at 6o clock and like any other child, my first reaction would be, Oh! School again! However, today when my alarm performed its daily chore, the first thought that came to my mind was, Oh god! School, never again!

Trust me, I am not exaggerating when I say that I have turned my entire hand red by pinching it and still have not been able to come to terms with the fact that today is the day when I graduate from school, well, ceremonially. The fact that I am supposed to speak today was whispered into my ears when I was in the middle of an examination. Unfortunately, at that time, I was not able to understand the brilliance of this opportunity but today I do. There were a few questions that came to my mind while I was writing down my thoughts, including, What if I go wrong with the format? Then I realized, that there is nothing to worry about because this is one speech where the format will not fetch you brownie points; emotions will.

Well, I think you all would agree that I should begin by thanking my beloved teachers. Thank you maam; thank you sir; for just being there when I needed you; which was quite often. Thank you for all the red marks in my notebooks and notes in my almanac. I agree that they have fetched me a lot of punishments , many bouts of scolding and innumerous, Hema Chakraborty, you are grounded, from my parents; but I cannot forget that nothing has ever motivated me more to improve myself and grow into not just a good student but also a good human being.

Maam, without you, mathematics would have been as good as Mandarin Chinese. You took geography beyond latitudes and longitudes and Hindi beyond just Premchand; and thanks to you, science did not turn into rocket science. Thank you for turning history lessons into a time-travelling adventure. Thank you for making English, A thing of beauty and a joy forever. You made political science a part of my life and reading the newspaper, a part of my daily routine. If it wasnt for you, psychology would have never been so much fun and economics, so understandable.

Thank you all for not giving up on me and for having total and unconditional faith in me. You nurtured me and helped me blossom. You helped me become what I am today. I know I am repeating myself but thank you; thank you so much.

What is school life without friends? Its probably like a cake without icing and a cookie without frosting. Sorry for all the gastronomical examples but I am a food lover and I am sure that my classmates agree, especially the people whose tiffins I have always considered as my own. Guys, without you, my school life would have been totally bland. Now, If friends are like the colours of life, then I own a rainbow We have fought like children and advised each other like matured adults. We have debated like Arnab Goswami and danced like we were on a sugar rush. We have cried like babies and laughed like lunatics.

Thank you for reassuring me about the fact that I am not the only one in the world who is mentally unstable. Thank you, for comforting me when I was sad, for shouting at me whenever I would go wrong and for deciding that you would never leave me alone; no matter what.

Oh! And my classroom. Ah! How I am going to miss it. Woh sirf classroom nahi tha; woh rangmanch tha; khushiyon ka. Our classroom is a place where I have created memories that I am going to cherish for a lifetime. We have always treated our classroom as a structure with multiple utilities, one of them being, we can play football in it. No, really, it is that spacious. There is not a single dance form that we have not performed on this stage of ours. Not a single song that we have not sung at the top of our voices and not a single beat that we have missed while playing our table tabla. Forget music and dance, we have literally staged plays in this personal Globe Theatre of ours. As far as my favourite picnic spot is concerned, of course, its my classroom. We used to chat there, eat our tiffins there and sorry teachers because we never really waited for the recess. Yes, talking of tiffins, we even used to run after each other for them. Well, if this is not fun, then I dont know what is.

Now before moving on I would like to thank the Head Boy for being so cooperative and supportive.

Now, without thanking this person, there is no way that my speech is going to be complete. This person is none other than the principal of our school, Mrs. Tania Joshi. Whenever I created trouble, you would let me know, but you know what the best part was, whenever I did you proud, you would let the world know. You are and always will be the best and the most amazing principal that I have ever seen.

You know, there are a lot of similarities between the first and last day of school. Both bring tears to your eyes and both give you the feeling of getting separated from your loved ones. Thank you.