Written by: Shreya Sitaula - 20014, Grade IX
Posted on: 03 September, 2018
Finally it was August 29th. The wait was over. I was utterly excited and a little nervous. It was Wednesday. I started my day quite early. I went to school at 7AM sharp, earlier than other days. As soon as I reached the school, I met my friends. They were more excited than I was. At about 8:40 AM, we left from our school. We were eight people including two teachers and six students. We caught two cabs and headed to our destination. After half an hour, we finally reached our destination - DAV Sushil Kedia Vishwa Bharati Higher Secondary School at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, for interschool Sanskrit Shlokas recitation and dance competition. I, along with other two students, participated in the dance competition while the other three students participated in Sanskrit-Shlokas recitation competition.
The event was organized to acknowledge late Janardan Ghimire’s devotion in Sanskrit. Mr. Ghimire was the employee of DAVSKB who had joined the school 25 years ago as a Sanskrit teacher and who had later become the Chief Administration Officer at the school. He passed away two years ago in an accident at the age of forty-six. The event was delayed due to the odd/even number plate system of vehicles’ movement in the valley due to BIMSTEC conference. The program started about an hour later than the estimated time. All the participants participating in the different categories were welcomed and led to different places where different competitions were held. Dance instructor of DSS and the mentor of our dance, Ms. Rameshwori Kisi was there for encouraging us. DSS Dance Group was the first performer in the dance competition followed by other performances from different schools all over the valley. Our dance was unique; we performed Tandav, which is believed to have been introduced by Lord Shiva as a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution.
After the competition of every category, all of us were provided lunch. After lunch all of us gathered in the biggest auditorium of the school, Buddha Hall. Various Sanskrit scholars from all over the country were invited in the event as chief guests. The students of DAVSKB showcased their Sanskrit dance, song, and drama. The result of the competition was announced and the winners were given medals and certificates. Me and my friends were pleased to hear that our dance bagged the second position. We were actually glad as just three days practice has led us to the second position in the competition. More than securing the second position in the competition, I was delighted for getting an opportunity to be a part of the event.
This event has changed my perception regarding Sanskrit language. I felt that more than the competition, it was an event held to develop the love for the Sanskrit language and of course to honour the late Mr. Ghimire. To be honest, I had not had any respect for Sanskrit language before this event. Sanskrit language has gained a lot of respect in my eyes after attending this event. I even realized that me and my friend’s small negligence had made us stand second. If we had cleared out our confusion on the dance steps rather than waiting for the next day to correct it, we would have stood first in the competition. I learnt an important life lesson that the next day never comes. Everything has its own time. It is better to do things in time than to regret later, because time and tide waits for none.
