Festivals – Taking them up a Notch!

Festivals are a great way to celebrate heritage, culture and traditions. They are meant for us to rejoice special moments and emotions in our lives with our loved ones. They play an important role in adding structure to our social lives, and connect us with our families and backgrounds. They give us a distraction from our day to day routine, and inspire us to remember the important things and moments in life.

Festivals can be national, religious, seasonal, social, seasonal or thematic. They all serve the purpose of bringing happiness to our lives, and strengthen our sense of community.

All festivals are cultural in one way or another. India and festivals go hand-in-hand, with various colourful festivals that are celebrated all around the year. We have grown up around them and have embraced them as a part of our lives.

At Chettinad Vidya Mandir, celebrating festivals is an integral part of the active curriculum. They pave the way for learning and also building a strong cultural belief. They are an opportunity to bring out creativity, encourage camaraderie, and encourage creativity, develop organizing skills, collaboration, team work, sharing, environmental sensitivity and an appreciation that the world belongs to all.  Chettinad Vidya Mandir   believes in taking it up a notch in more ways than one. Be it identifying a festival that has not been in its books before, adding an intellectual dimension, promoting a creative spirit, honouring people around or touching lives/making a difference, curiosity, abundant learning, energy and activity take centre-stage. In the background of the global perspective the school wishes to adopt, celebrating festivals provide the right platform for the students to become responsible citizens.

Some unique things about the  Chettinad Vidya Mandir  festivals-

UTSAV

UTSAV is an annual event in  Chettinad Vidya Mandir , that celebrates Bharatiya culture, heritage and traditions. This immersive learning experience is aimed at kindling an interest to know more about our civilization.

Utsav is about exploring and experiencing culture through field visits, lecture demonstrations, seminars, workshops, short films and interactive sessions with experts from diverse fields. It is an opportunity to understand and reflect ‘why we do what we do’ and imbibe traditional wisdom, which has stood the test of time and which is being increasingly lost in a dynamically changing world.

NAVRATRI-DASSHERA

Navratri is celebrated in a festive manner every year. The students let their creative juices flow by arranging golus adorned with hand-made dolls, dolls made out of eco-friendly materials, dolls from waste, dolls that have things in common with other countries and cultures etc. Cultural programs, games and puzzle solving activities are organized around the thematic golus.

PONGAL

The festival of Pongal is another much-awaited event at  Chettinad Vidya Mandir  . The whole school comes together to celebrate with much pomp. Pongal is cooked on a traditional stove, and students cheer as the milk in the pot boils. Sugarcane is distributed and a cow and a calf are brought in, invoking the true spirit of the harvest festival.