On the 8th of November, we celebrated a cultural night wrapped in colours, lights and a heartily festive mood. UTSAV- Our middle school annual day was held from 5pm to 9pm. As indicated by the name, the theme of this year’s Annual day was ‘Festivals of India’- a night of joy, music and celebratory dances. 
The event began at 5pm with introductory speeches by our respected dignitaries; some of our respectable guests were- Mrs. Swati Soni, Mrs. Sabitha Ramamurthy, Mrs. Trishta Ramamurthy and Mr. Jagannatha Reddy. After the speeches by our esteemed guests, the main play began. The act revolved around educating the younger ones in a family about the various festivals that are celebrated in different parts of India.
Our country is a land unlike any other. India is an incredibly bright country with a strong inclination toward spirituality, so we love arranging different festivals devoted to a number of gods and other traditions or events that originate from our myths and legends. There are dozens of celebrations in our vast country and sometimes it seems that there is not a single day in the calendar that goes without this holiday, or that festival. 
Some of the festivals in India are held all over the country, such as Diwali or Dussehra. But others are celebrated only in certain regions. For example, you can see Kumbh Mela only in Ujjain, Allahabad, Nashik or Haridwar; Pongal – in Tamil Nadu; and Onam – in Kerala. 
All of these festivals are unique and some of them have truly extraordinary features. Most of them are devoted to gods, while others are arranged to thank Mother Nature for the good harvest. Some of them take only one day, and others are celebrated for as long as a whole week or even 10 days.
To celebrate the diverse nature of our country, our students from grade 6 to 9 performed several dances which were incorporated into one play. Each dance was dedicated to one of the many unique festivals we celebrate.
It was a delightful night indeed, with our dancers dressed up in vibrant attires, ready to portray the essence of various festivals with vigour and enthusiasm. The parents were mesmerized by the extraordinary performances by their little ones. 
The wonderful show was the culmination of countless practice sessions, patience of the teachers and ultimately, the energy of our students who left the audience in awe.
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our principal, co-ordinators, teachers, and parents, for helping us in making Annual Day 2019-20 a grand success!
Tarushi Thakur
Grade 11
Vice – Editorial Head
