Annual Appreciation Day 2024: Students shine at ‘Shiddat’

Shiddat is a beautiful Urdu word signifying consistent and passionate efforts. It is the sole trait that helps an ordinary heart metamorphosise into a champion. If we closely observe remarkable achievers across every field, we will be amazed to see this mutual factor in their growth. Apeejay School, Saket, understands this and strives to solidify this trait in its students throughout the year. The Annual Appreciation Day titled Shiddat spread over two days was a living testimony of their investment.

The event on Day 1 began with a green welcome to all the distinguished guests. Ms Vedhita Reddy, Director Education and Sports, Government of NCT of Delhi, was the Chief Guest. Mr Mekala Chaitanya Prasad, DM , South District, presided as the Guest of Honour. The event had Ms Yashika Bhatt, Asst Manager, Communications and Youth Initiative, Special Olympics Bharat as the Special Invitee to grace the event and motivate the students. Also present was the Education Advisor, Dr VS Garg and other dignitaries including Apeejay School principals.

A serene atmosphere spread around as the lighting of the lamp by dignitaries took place with the school choir singing Ganesh Vandana to mark the sacred beginning.

In her address, Ms Reddy thanked all dignitaries and congratulated the school, all students, parents and the teachers for their hard work. She in particular appreciated the orchestra performance. “I congratulate Apeejay School, Saket for its Shiddat. As a student, it is your responsibility to never give up on your dreams and always dream big. Teachers and parents will support you, but you will have to dream about yourself and believe in yourself. Parents must instil the confidence to dream in their children. Secondly, every child must remember that we must only compete with ourselves. Only then can we showcase our best version to the world. Always stand by yourself, believe in yourself, and never think your dream is small. Participate in as many events as possible, for these open up opportunities for you. And here is a special cheer to all the teachers, for they are pillars of strength in the school; theirs is the most important and noble profession in the world.”

Dr Neha Berlia, Co-Promoter, Apeejay Stya and Svran Group and Pro-Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University, shared a special video message on the occasion. She mentioned, “I’m delighted to connect today with all of you on this very special occasion of the Annual Appreciation Day of Apeejay School, Saket. At the outset, I extend a warm welcome to the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour. I would further like to welcome the distinguished guests and members of the extended Apeejay Stya family,” Dr Neha Berlia shared and added that the theme of the Annual Day programme is aptly called Shiddat – Passion to Excel.

“At Apeejay Education, we always encourage our students to soar higher. I congratulate the school for its commendable work in all realms: Academics, extracurricular activities, sports, and community outreach initiatives. An education rooted in Indian culture has been the hallmark of Apeejay Education. Resilience, adversity, caution, and a broad spectrum of human values are blended seamlessly with the curriculum. On the other hand, arts, music, sports, theatre in education, yoga and meditation are all synergised with the curriculum. In essence, Apeejay Education is a social commitment of my grandfather, Dr Stya Paul, an eminent industrialist, educationist, freedom fighter, and philanthropist. He is the inspiration behind all of our institutions,” Dr Neha Berlia shared.

“His illustrious legacy is being carried forward under the chairmanship of his daughter and my mother, Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia, who has made an outstanding contribution towards the education industry and society at large. We adopt emerging technology at all levels of a student’s journey, including the new frontiers of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things. I congratulate all those who are going to get prizes today. To those who have not, I would like to say that you should never give up on your dreams. I congratulate Principal Dr Sujit Eric Masih and his dedicated team for their commendable work. I would like to conclude my address with the words of Swami Vivekananda, who said, ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is achieved’,” Dr Neha Berlia said.

Before reading the Annual Appreciation report, the Principal, Dr Sujeet Eric Masih paid homage to the memory of Founder-Chairman Dr Stya Paul and spoke about his fortitude amidst the countless struggles he faced throughout his life. Dr Masih also expressed his gratitude towards Mrs Sushma Berlia, Chairman, Apeejay Stya & Svran Group, Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University, and Chairman, Apeejay Education, Mr Nishant Berlia, Mr Aditya Berlia, and Dr Neha Berlia, Co-Promoters, Apeejay Stya and Svran Group and Pro-Chancellors, Apeejay Stya University.

Highlighting the school’s multi-dimensional prowess, Principal Dr Masih stated, “Apeejay School, Saket, has witnessed an exceptional year filled with remarkable achievement. In academics, the school achieved a 100% pass percentage in class X, with 85.5% of students securing first division. Several students excelled with perfect scores in subjects like Sanskrit and Social Science.

The school also celebrated its athletes as well. Apeejay School students continued to shine in various extracurricular and competitive fields. Apeejay School, Saket continues to foster excellence across academics, sports, arts, and values, providing a holistic education to its students and preparing them to excel in various fields.”

The school choir displayed its prowess as they skilfully sang the iconic classical song Boondan Boondan Barse Megha. It was delightful to see young budding musicians present such soulful harmony effortlessly. The young musicians made the entire gathering rejoice to the tunes of Indian classical music.

This was followed by the East Meets West orchestral symphony. The students displayed their shiddat towards music as they played multiple Indian classical and Western musical instrumental instruments like guitar, congo, tabla, synthesizer, flute, and drums with poise, giving an individual portion to each instrument alongside the jugalbandi. It was a splendid medley that displayed the immense potential of students.

The prize distribution ceremony followed after this. Education Advisor Dr VS Garg handed out the medals to the student achievers across classes nursery to class II. Students were awarded for excellence in academics, recitation, art and crafts, sports, music , dance. While Apeejay School, Pitampura Principal, Mrs Veena Goel presented prizes to student achievers across classes III to IV.

In his brief address, Dr Garg congratulated all student achievers and motivated all students to always work hard. He mentioned, “Students, you must always strive to work hard and give your best irrespective of the anticipation of the outcome. Doing your best is most essential for character building!”

This was followed by a play titled Shiddat- Passion to excel. The play centred around the lives of extraordinary achievers who defied all odds and achieved groundbreaking success due to their willpower and sustained efforts.

The life of ancient poet Kalidas followed, highlighting his struggle to become a poet of excellence despite his lack of literacy. A powerful dance on the ‘Aadi-Kavi’’s ‘Shiv Sadhna’ was well expressed with students enacting complex yoga poses.

This was followed by a section on great poet Kabir whose dohas helped the world find truth and discover divinity beyond blind tradition and ritualism. A beautiful dance on Kabir’s celebrated doha, ‘Guru Gobind Dou Khade Kaake Laagu Paaye’ serenaded the school atmosphere with tranquility and devotion.

In a fiercely competitive world, where professional courses often overshadow softer yet pivotal subjects like literature, it was refreshing to see that the school also paid homage to legendary writer Ruskin Bond , who brought children’s literature to a new height.

The line from the play, “Stories and poems will not write themselves. I will have to sit down and write them, for they will make a difference in the world” highlighted the thankless contribution of writers and poets in rekindling humanism, kindness and sensitivity in the world. A dance on the theme of his much awarded novel Blue Umbrella was equally delightful.

The school also paid homage to the Founder-Chairman Dr Stya Paul. Dr Paul was rejected for a teaching job due to a physical handicap in his youth. However, Dr Paul saw past his physical limitations and went on to build the Apeejay Education Society- a hallmark of holistic education. Dr Paul’s journey highlights that with shiddat, passion and perseverance, one can turn obstacles into opportunities. The entire gathering was regaled by these inspiring stories, which were followed by the school song encouraging all to ‘Soar High’ in life.

The Vote of Thanks was presented by academic coordinator Ms Ritesh. Happy and proud parents, they congratulated their children on the exquisite expression of their inner Shiddat.

The event concluded with the National Anthem.