By Fr Chris Ferreira for BISMumbai

Bosco Kids Kindergarten and Don Bosco English Medium School, Chhotaudepur, had a novel celebration of two events: Father’s Day and International Yoga Day on 24 June 2023. This dual event was not only the first of its kind in extracurricular school activities but also an experience that sent waves of appreciation among the townspeople of Chhotaudepur.

The programme had a very specific audience of just the child and its dad. While the programme was set to conclude within an hour itself, given the ordinarily busy schedule of the fathers of the pupils, it was indeed very encouraging to see the fathers of almost 150 kids turn up on a rainy Saturday morning and stay right till the end of the event. Little kids from Bosco Kids Kindergarten decked out in bright frocks and mini sherwanis welcomed all the fathers with their Bienvenido dance. Girls from primary school danced to a female rendition of a famous Bollywood song, appreciating their fathers. A select group of athletic boys from the primary school later performed a yoga dance commemorating International Yoga Day. Their aesthetic and disciplined movements, coupled with a few breath-taking postures, won thunderous applause from the fathers beaming with pride in the audience. 

Boys from kindergarten danced to a Bollywood number, ‘But I love you, Daddy’. The cuteness of the song was complemented even more by the cuteness of the dance steps that the little ones seemed to forget on stage.  Next was an enthusiastic song, ‘Papa kehte hai’ sung by the students. Their voices were accompanied by those of their dads in the audience, who just could not help reminiscing about the song that actually belonged to their generation. 

A few days prior to the event, all the teachers had spent time with the children, helping them make bookmarks and cards for each of their fathers. The handing over of these bookmarks and cards by the students to their fathers was pure bliss and filled with scenes of tearful affection.

After this felicitation, all the students were made to sit next to their fathers and encourage them to perform yoga exercises as shown by the teachers on stage. With soothing music in the background, facts about the ancient Indian practice of Yoga and the benefits of different yoga exercises (suryanamaskar, tadasan, vrukshasan, bhramaripranayam, anulom-vilom, chakrashan, vajraashan, trikonasann, etc.) were shared. Children encouraging their fathers to stretch and bend their limbs was a sight to giggle about. The fathers definitely loved this idea of promoting health with their little ones and were hoping that the session would be a little longer. Many parents poured in their appreciation to Fr Chris Ferreira, the Principal, for his brainchild—the event— and the teachers for their painstaking efforts to prepare the children for the felicitation. 

The fathers felt loved on this day and also came to see that both their child and their health were their true wealth.