VERNACULAR CLUB - भाषा संगम

Editorial “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition.’’ - Mark Twain

This iconic quote by Mark Twain aptly describes the rich culture and heritage of India , which is also described as ‘सा प्रथमा संस्कृत िः विश्ििरा’— the first and the

supreme culture in the world. The linguists describe India as the most linguistically diverse region in the world, with over a thousand individual languages spoken in the country. In spite of the fact that there are numerous languages among various races, there is a sense of national unity and oneness among all the Indians. It is this spirit of patriotism that binds us together as one nation. We at Bal Bharati take pride in the rich linguistic culture of India and strongly feel the need to expose our students to the various regional languages spoken in India. With this aim in mind the Vernacular Club ‘Bhasha-Sangam’ was introduced for the students of classes III-X . The various activities organised under the aegis of the club provided a platform to the students to explore the vernacular languages of India and understand that they are closely linked with each other just as the people and the rich culture & heritage of India. The importance of Sanskrit language as the progenitor and inspiration for virtually every language spoken in India was also highlighted. We hope to nurture and groom our students to become young Indians who would value and uphold the true Indian customs and traditions. Renu Malhotra | Rachna Chaudhary (Club Incharges)

Inaugural Ceremony Vernacular Club (Bhasha-Sangam) was conceptualized and introduced for classes III –X under the able guidance and supervision of our Headmistress, Dr. Ms. Sunita Gehani. The inaugural ceremony of the club was held on 10.5.16. The highlight of the ceremony was the plays , folk dances and songs presented by the different groups of students in Indian languages like Rajasthani , Bangla, Punjabi, Assamese , Marathi etc. The occasion was graced by Ms. Mangala Kavthekar, Chief News Editor and News Reader in All India Radio and DD News. In her address, she stressed on the importance and need of learning different languages for students.

Vol-1 Issue-1

2016-17

Primary Department

Pusa Road Campus

Chronicle of club activities

Exploring Regional Scripts The students learnt to write the name of the school , Bal Bharati Public School, in the scripts of different Indian languages like Telugu , Bangla , Urdu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi and Marathi. They were made to practise writing the school's name in scripts of the mentioned languages which they beautifully calligraphed in the activity organised on 31 August , 2016. The activity sheets made by the students were exhibited on the display board in the school.

Regional Fiesta The Vernacular Club Activity for the month of September was organised on 28.9.16. The students of Class III got yet another opportunity to explore the Indian regional languages. They learnt and presented folk songs and poems in Bangla, Oriya, Garhwali, Punjabi, Sindhi, Rajasthani, Himachali and Bihari in a special assembly. The performances by the students had a regional flavour and depicted the rich cultural heritage of India.

Story Time The Club Activity for the month of October was held on 27.10.16 and Screening

of moral stories in Sindhi, Rajasthani and Bhojpuri was organised for the students to help them appreciate the beauty of the regional languages of India. The activity was concluded by highlighting the moral of the story and with a brief interaction on how all the languages in India have been derived from the Sanskrit language. The students also observed that many words in the regional languages

are similar to words used in Hindi. The activity enabled the students to understand the close link between the various regional languages of India.

Shloka Recital In the month of November 2016, the students of class III learnt Sanskrit shlokas. The activity was aimed at providing the students an opportunity to explore and appreciate Sanskrit language. A recital of the same along with their meaning was presented by the students on the Music and Dance Programme organised on 17.11.16 to mark the Children's Day celebration in school. The melodious presentation was applauded by all present.

India my Pride Through the activity planned for the month of January , the students of class III got yet another opportunity to explore and appreciate the Sanskrit language. They learnt the patriotic song ‘Sare Jahan Se Achchha’ in Sanskrit and performed in the assembly organised on 6.2.17.The melodious presentation by the students with correct pronunciation and diction was appreciated and enjoyed by all.

Parents’ Diary

Commendable effort by the school especially in the present times when our culture and heritage has been overshadowed, by the ruthless forces of globalisation and modernisation. Kudos to the club team. (Atul Chugh F/O Bhavika Chugh III C)

Exploring Sanskrit On 26.12.16, an activity was planned to provide an opportunity to the students to explore the similarity between Sanskrit and Hindi. A PPT which listed ' Tatsam ' words (Sanskrit words used in Hindi language in their original form) and ' Tadbhav ' words (Words which have been derived from Sanskrit but their form has been morphed over time depending on local accents to make them easier to speak by common people ) was shown to the students of class III on smart board.

Participating in the Vernacular Club activities was an amazing experience for kids. They enjoyed all the activities. I appreciate the efforts of the school towards connecting the young minds to their cultural roots. (Ritu Bansal M/O Aadya Bansal III C)

India is a pluralistic society and all the young Indians should be sensitised to appreciate and respect other cultures and languages. The endeavour of the school in this direction is praise worthy. My daughter participated in the activities organised under the aegis of the club and she really enjoyed them. (Resham Varandani M/O Kavya Varandani III H)

In the event of the recent trend of giving more importance to foreign languages by the young generation, I applaud the school's endeavour towards introducing our kids to the regional languages of India. Princi Sharma M/O of Kavya Mudgil III G