The spirit of patriotism was evident much before the words
‘Independence Day’ flashed upon the large grey screen- almost every student of
Pathways World School Noida was wearing Indian ethnic clothes. The assembly
that followed was not only a wonderful celebration of our 65th year of
independence, but was incredibly thought provoking. 
We began by honoring the men and women that laid down their
lives so that we could proudly state, ‘we are an independent nation’. An
interesting speech followed- whether nationalism was a good idea after all. Did
it mask our perception of right and wrong?
The highlight of the day was definitely the guest speaker
Mr.O.P Kohli, a Sahitya Ratna, Reader, Department of Hindi, Deshbandhu College.
He began by asking those above sixty-five years of age to raise their hands.
And including himself, there were only two present in the hall. He wondered
whether we truly were independent- what about financially? And in terms of food
and resources? His speech not only provided valuable insight into Independence
Day but into events such as the partition as well. He gave us an insight into
the events that led to partition.
Next was a little friendly competition between houses- an
inter-house quiz on the history of the National movement. Water and Earth tied
for first place, Fire acquired second position and Air was third.
The Primary School students added to the fervor by rendering
some beautiful compositions. Finally, the event we were waiting for- kite
flying. Smiles and laughter were prominent in the school grounds as the entire
school trooped out to the field to try their hand at this. Some kites soared
into the sky while some forlornly remained on the ground. All in all, it was
definitely one of the best celebrations of our independence I had seen in a
long time.
Supriya Ganesh
Form 10
