Graduation. The one event you have been looking forward to since you stepped foot into high school.
On the 25th January 2020, the students of 12th grade graduated with a nostalgic smile, and pursue
their own ideas of success in different aspects. When they finally got the chance to walk across that
stage, it was very anticlimactic. It’s important that you make the best, the most informed decision you can. Based on where you think you want your life to go. While there’s a lot that’s going on on this day of graduation, it’s a celebration and not something to be worried about. It’s a day to reflect on all that you’ve overcome and accomplished in the pursuit of your dreams. It’s an opportunity to thank those who have supported you and believed in you that you can succeed.
The students were all decked up, the girls arrayed in myrtle green sarees carrying them off so gracefully
whereas the boys looked stunning in their black suits and tie, their parents and teachers watching
them with pride, and joy. In the amphitheatre, that day sat so many students.
Our French teacher, Nisha ma’am, orchestrated the whole event. The ceremony commenced with an invocation song beautifully sung by Gayatri and Ganavi, to invoke gods blessings on this auspicious occasion. There was then a welcome speech by Anitha ma’am. She welcomed us with a few wise words and spoke about the various achievements in the
past two years like hosting the annual TEDx event, and visiting a government school to interact with students.
It was followed by a parents reminiscence, Mrs Smita Santosh, parent of Shwetha Santosh of II B, where she started off by appreciating the school’s support for holistic development of every student, the friendly, supporting teachers and the encouraging principal and ended with an inspiring quote by Ralf Emerson—“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what is within us”, which was quite a meaningful and apt sentence for the occasion.
The valedictorians—Malavika Rajesh, an optimistic and a resilient student who remains calm in a crisis and
Vedang Supatkar, a computer wizard who has been instrumental in bringing laurels to the institution by
participating in various inter-college fests they spoke about, sharing their experiences about their
roller coaster ride in the two years they have been in the college. They talked about their friends, the motivating teachers and principal ma’am, and how the college was now a second home to them. The shyness and nervousness they had felt had all disappeared, and what took its place was a sense of focus and responsibility. As their speech ended it moved the parents and teachers.
The event then moved on with Tristha ma’am handing over the felicitation to our best outgoing
science student Jhanvi Lamba – an enthusiastic, ever ready to accept responsibilities, she is well
recognized as a multi-talented personality winning in a wide range of competitions.
From the commerce section Ayush Aryan – a soft-spoken aspiring chartered accountant, who first wishes to repay the unlimited sacrifice of his mother and as a travel enthusiast, he is keen on serving the society in whatever way possible.
A certificate was given to each student as a token of appreciation for successfully completing their two years in college.
Tristha ma’am then gave an inspirational keynote address to the graduating class. Our Chief Guest for the day, Dr Tristha Ramamurthy is the Vice-President of CMR Group of Institutions, Founder and Managing Director of Ekya Schools. She complimented the boys by saying that they looked dashing and handsome and the girls by saying that they looked beautiful. She had a simple but powerful message for the students. She told them to be ‘Daring’, in whatever they do and wherever they go which is of utmost importance in today’s world. She talked about how the students owed each other a big thanks. She prodded them to be as daring as they can ever be, take up challenges, make use of opportunities, and also to be
courageous and emphasized on the importance of believing in oneself and taking risks in life.
The students then took the oath, as recited by Dr Tristha ma’am, and pledged to be loyal to their work.
The event ended with the National Anthem, following which the whole amphitheatre went into a frenzy, with everyone scrambling to get pictures with the people with whom they had made plenty of memories in the past two years. There was a general atmosphere of joy all around. The day ended with lunch.
- Kyra Biradar, Ganavi and Neelank (IPU)