Apeejay students join the 7th CII National Council Meeting

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) recently held the Seventh Meeting of the National Council 2022-23 in New Delhi. During the event, students of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park were invited to sing the National Anthem. They were accompanied by the school’s music teachers Ms Rekha Srivastava and Mr Rishi Shankar Upadhyay.

Amongst the dignitaries, Mr Sanjiv Puri, Vice President, CII, Mr R Dinesh, President-Designate, CII, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Mr Sanjiv Bajaj, President, CII and Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII were present on the occasion. After the conclusion of the meeting, Apeejay students joined these visionaries and showcased their singing talent. They also got a chance to interact with Ms Sitharaman as they discussed their ambitions with her.

According to Ms Srivastava, “The children sang enthusiastically and all the members of CII applauded them. They sang the high notes nonchalantly and with great aplomb. The children felt one with the anthem and that message was conveyed to each person in the room. Before the performance, Apeejay School was introduced to the gathering. The institution was appreciated for its holistic and value-based learning.”

Khushi Bhakuni, a class 8 student who performed that day says, “It was a wonderful experience. The event staff was kind and humble and we were treated with utmost dignity and respect. I met the FM too and she complimented all of us. She noted how joyfully we sang and put our heart and soul in it. I am happy about it since I have been training in classical music under the guidance of Rekha Ma’am for the past four years.”

Another class 8 student, Pranjal Ray, says, “Meeting top leaders and industry experts at such a young age is an achievement. For me, this was a welcome opportunity. The experience will remain etched in my memory for many years. I aspire to join the field of Science in the future. I felt inspired seeing these visionaries.”

Navyansh Tanwar describes his experience as surreal. “I prepared for three days to put up the final performance. I am keen to learn classical music and follow shows like Indian Idol. Someday, I would like to be part of it.” For student Samen Patwal, the National Anthem represents our country and the people. “It is a matter of pride to sing it in front of such thought leaders. The most special part of it? The last few lines, “Jaya he”! Each time these words come, I stand taller,” he says.