By Adity Choudhury
“You won’t believe how talented children of all the schools are,” Brother (Br) Principal, Br. Morris said with his characteristic smile and wide-eyed wonder as children of St. Edmund’s School poured inside his office cabin with greetings of “Happy Teachers’ Day,” handmade cards, and small tokens of love in the form of potted plants and chocolates.
As he shook hands with the boys and inquired about them, he shared details about the Edmundian fest. August 24-26 marked the three-day fest within the school premises, with 12 schools participating in this inter-school event. Beautifully so, every school bagged an award. The initiative is a first-of-its-kind to promote connectivity between different schools of the city, one that is a student-led show, with different creative activities tapping into their potential beyond just academic excellence. The larger aim is to push children out of their comfort zones.
Children not only mingled but showcased extraordinary talent in cooking, cinema, flower show, rangoli, cosplay, creative writing, music, elocution, debates, and mime, to name a few. “We thought of an inter-school Edmundian fest to get schools connected to each other. Usually, such school fests are an individual affair. The first event was organized in 2018 only for a day. Given the popularity of music here in Meghalaya, we started with singing (Western) in solo, duet, and choral categories. The standard of singing was staggering. Pauline Warjri and Sandra Oberoi from Bangalore came on board as judges,” the principal said. Fourteen schools participated then and continue to respond enthusiastically even now – among them, Pine Mount, Loreto Convent, St. Anthony’s, St. Margaret’s, St. Mary’s, Seven Set, St. Joseph’s (Jaiaw), and Kiddies Corner. The judges, Oberoi in particular, were pleasantly surprised at the sheer range of talent.
The future of the fest was, perhaps, decided then. The school decided to branch out and include several activities in the years to come. Beaming with pride, Br. Morris shared how the students are at the forefront of the fest, be it in poster making or as volunteers. Pointing towards the trophies won by the school this time, kept on one of the tables in his cabin, he said, “Our Captains sit in the board room and plan the fest. Children come from outside and our boys run the show.”
At the helm of affairs, however, are two educators apart from the principal – Satpal Singh Sehdave and Yasmin Kabir who are middle school (teaches Commercial Studies) and senior school coordinators (teaches Biology), respectively. The event is free, and the school looks into logistics. Children from other schools are given snacks and lunch. He said, “We engaged a poor lady who struggles to make ends meet. Sir Satpal knows her. We tasted her food and decided to help her. Edmundian Fest is also about giving back to the community.”
Artistic expression often blurs the perception about brilliance – the urgency of time demands rooting for the underdog. Do we ask ourselves if grades are enough to judge a ‘good student’? What is the role of fests in the digital age? More than ever, parents are concerned about increased dependence on technology. While there is some truth to this observation, it only looks at one side of the issue.
Br. Morris chuckled as he asked a question, “Would they be able to make films without technology?” adding, “Look at the rangolis and films they made, for instance. Some looked at national integration, gender equality, and even the situation in Manipur. Times have changed, and children have heightened awareness now. They’re talking about social issues through their films. Their unique wisdom is a window to their hearts.”
Interestingly, other schools were hesitant to participate but with the success of the fest, they now want to recreate inter-school fests within their respective campuses. Leadership skills grow with encouragement and a small push to step forward to express one’s inner world. A quiet child can surprise peers and teachers alike. This year, the fest began with self-reflection rooted in the theme, “Rediscovering Yourself”. Br. Morris recalled being impressed with a girl in the creative writing section. As one of the judges in the story writing competition, he read her story written in simple English without grammatical errors. Such moments are eye-opening because what truly matters is not elite language skills but the ability to be relatable. Her story won a prize because of this.
A happy child reflects an optimistic future. The continued success of the Edmundian Fest is assurance, no matter how small a step. It comes at a time when quality education demands experimenting with ideas to accommodate perspectives. Maybe it is time we revisit what American educator and author Neil Postman wrote in the introduction to his seminal work, The Disappearance of Childhood… “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.”