It’s Holi at a Sydney primary school

Mascot Public School celebrates the colour and culture of India. GAURAV PANDEY reports

More than 300 children came together at Mascot Public School in the city recently to celebrate Holi, as part of the ‘India Calling’ campaign, which was launched in February under the ‘Expanding Horizons with Asia’ initiative of Sydney Region of the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Assistant Principal of Mascot Pubic School Tina De Angeli, clad in a vibrant red ‘sari,’ welcomed the gathering. Dr. Phil Lambert, Regional Director, Sydney Region, who was the guest speaker, said, “Our aim is to provide students and teachers with knowledge and understanding about India, and the response that we’ve received from everyone so far has been truly extraordinary.”

“Countries such as India and China are significant trading partners with Australia, and there is little doubt that our students will be connected through work and life with these two super-powers,” he stressed. 

Dr. Lambert described India as “a great country with a rich heritage, cultural diversity and glorious past, whose future is also our future.” 

After the national anthems of Australia and India respectively, and English and Hindi versions of Hum honge kamiyaab, the hall erupted with Hindi music and beats of traditional dhol, and soon hundreds of children turned into an irrepressible force of colour and energy. Others joined in and the celebrations got well and truly under way.

Singer and TV personality Kamahl, who is of subcontinental origin, was the special guest at the function. In an inspirational speech, he recalled his early days in Australia as a migrant from Malaysia. He exhorted the children to “learn as much as they can” and appreciate the marvellous country they lived in. Soon after, in line with the Holi spirit of rejoice, the guest broke into song and the audience could not help but sing along.

Tiny tots, dressed in ethnic Indian costumes, walked around saying an exaggerated namaste to all and sundry in excited, cheerful voices. They participated passionately in Indian-style dances and other events that went on for more than three hours, the broad smiles on their faces refusing to wane.

The children responded brilliantly to on-stage demonstrations and, despite their obviously limited experience with such things, showed great skill with the ‘dandiya dance’ sticks. Parents and teachers also put their dancing and learning skills to test in an attempt to mimic the performers on stage.

“Such programmes are excellent as they offer people an opportunity to get to know other cultures,” said Mir Nabeena, a Bangladeshi mother seemingly proud to see her son and daughter express themselves so brightly.

Stan Kondilios, President, P&C Association, Mascot Pubic School, felt programs such as this one not only allow children to learn about other cultures, they also encourage parents to come out and interact with other parents – something that will go a long way in ensuring “not just tolerance but appreciation” of other cultures among people.

 “This program is a part of our efforts in this direction.”

The days music and dance events were followed by a barbeque lunch, traditional Indian appetisers like ‘samosas’ were also on offer. This was followed by various sporting events – hockey, cricket, tennis, soccer and football – and a ‘rangoli’ competition where children displayed their artistic skills to make beautiful patterns using coloured powder.

Seven primary schools joined hand to be a part of the India calling program  in February this year. The objective of the program is to teach students about the Hindi language and aspects of Indian culture. It also aims at developing sister-school partnerships with schools in India through a connected classrooms concept. The program, which will run every Wednesday in 2011, involves both face-to-face lessons with teacher Kulwinder Kaur, as well as lessons taught to all seven school groups using connected classrooms technology. 

The participating schools are: Ashbury Public School; Carlton South Public School; Cronulla Public School; Double Bay Public School; Kogarah Public School; Oatley West Public School; and Mascot Public School.

Mala Mehta, founder of IABBV Hindi School and one of the driving forces behind the event, said, “We intend to get all the seven schools in the program together at the end of each Term 1 for a celebration like this. In Term 2 we hope to cover 7 different states of India along with the IPL teams attached to these states.”

 She also praised the role played by the local Indian media in “spreading awareness on this initiative.”

Teachers and senior students at Mascot Public School were the hosts for the day and formed the organizing committee. Members of the Indian community, many of whom participated as volunteers, played an active part in organising the event.

The celebrations, the music, and even the speeches were a beautiful example of Indo-Australian identity and mutual respect. The event, by all counts, was a success – something the children will remember for a long  time.