The Cambridge School Winter Festival 2010

 The seventh Winterfest of The Cambridge School held at Vidya Mandir on 13th February celebrated the story of evolution. And through their presentations the three sections of the school – the junior, middle and senior schools depicted the progression of the three historical periods - the ancient, the medieval and the modern. The Principal, Mrs. Nonda Chatterjee, welcomed parents to the programme at the outset and referred to the many academic distinctions achieved by students and the plans for the coming year which include offering undergraduate courses of the London School of Economics.

The opening sequence by the kindergarten recreated the prehistoric world of dinosaurs of different shapes and sizes and chronicles the tale of their extinction. We were also introduced to the Nutcracker Man leading a wild and happy existence, but leaving a wealth of advice for the citizens of today.

The Junior School presented five great ancient civilizations that shaped the modern world - the Mesopotamian, the Egyptian, the Chinese, the Aryan and the Greek. Each of these were represented by vibrant and colourful dances to some very characteristic music belonging to each of these peoples. Along the way, the distinctive features and unique contributions of each are highlighted.

At this point there was a very impressive martial arts display by three young Korean students to mark the passing of a period and the birth of another.

The Middle School took a different look at the medieval world, throwing a few characters together in a spirited interaction and looking at them through modern lenses. The presentation was a mini-musical, drawing inspiration from some of the greatest hits of Broadway, but served with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humour.

In a wonderful cocktail of varied elements the O-levels took a look at the modern world. The journey of the earth from the first breath of creation when the elements were busy stirring life into the planet, to the continuing drama of the modern human mind, the saga continues endlessly…

And amidst all this passage of time the joy of loving is a constant, one that has nurtured mankind through the ages. The A-levels give expression to this joy through a riot of music and dance.

Many prizes, awards and scholarships were then given away by the Chief Guest, Mr Aniruddha Roychowdhury, whose film ‘Antaheen’ was recently nominated as the best film of the year.

Among the winners were three recipients of Cambridge Brilliance Awards, conferred by the University of Cambridge, UK for scoring the top marks in India in five subjects.  Students who won the Cambridge Brilliance Awards were the felicitated.  The Cambridge Brilliance Awards are given by Cambridge University, UK, to candidates who score the highest marks in different subjects in board-exams.  There are more than 200 Cambridge-affiliated schools in India including such well-known ones as Dhirubhai Ambani World School, Ecole Mondial and the Mallya Aditi World School.  These awards therefore are great achievements ~ this year, as many as three TCS students have been given these Cambridge Brilliance Awards for scoring the highest marks in India in as many as five subjects. 

The programme ended by felicitating Rudrajit Banerjee, recipient of the first Manmohan Singh scholarship.  The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarship programme was established in 2009 in honour of India’s Prime Minister who graduated from the University of Cambridge with a First in Economics in the late 1950s, and who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University in 2006. The Scholarship is awarded to students who have received an offer of a place at the University of Cambridge. The Scholarship programme will provide full funding, covering fees and means-tested maintenance for undergraduate study at the University of Cambridge, and was launched to provide financial assistance to exceptional students in India.