Divali activities brighten up Felicity Hindu School

AT the Felicity Hindu (SDMS) School, festivals and holidays are important observations. None more than Divali.

Divali, the Hindu festival of lights, will be celebrated in TT on October 20.

Principal Denesh Bhagwandeen told Newsday Kids the 455 children who attend the school are mostly Hindu, and some even take part in the nearby Pierre Road Recreation Ground and Green Park Recreation Ground Ramleela re-enactments.

On October 9, Newsday Kids spent the evening at the school where the annual inter-school decorating competition was taking place.

All classes from infants to Standard Five took part by decorating projects of increasing difficulty.

Among the activities the infant students took part in were colouring printouts of deyas, while standard one students took turns making deya collages.

Standard two students enjoyed decorating clay deyas while standard three students drew and coloured their own Divali theme.

Standard four students took on decorating kalsa sets (three pieces of earthen vessels that are used during puja that include a kalsa, parai and deya) and standard five students created a Divali wreath.

Some students will use their kalsa sets during Divali puja at home, while others will light their deyas and decorate their homes with their designs.

The students were given a week’s notice of what their projects would be and some came prepared, planning in advance and drawing it out.

The standard two classes that decorated deyas brought different sizes of deyas.

Newsday Kids asked the standard 4 class if they had researched what kalsa sets look like online and while a handful said yes, an enthusiastic ten-year-old Kavesh Ripla proudly replied, “No. I wanted to do my own.”

While Chaguanas resident Shiva Juman, ten, painted his kalsa with while oil paint at home. He said he will paint a flower design and the Om symbol at school.

Standard five student Arun Seegolam, 13, did some work on his Divali wreath at home.

Arun said he enjoys Divali a lot and portrayed a vanara, one of the monkey-like beings in Lord Rama's army, and a rakshasa (member of Ravana's monstrous army) at the Pierre Road Ramleela.

Ten-year-old Davis Ramroop, from Charlieville, showed talent beyond his years with his painting of a forest at day and night.

Travis Andrew Singh, ten, said he practised his design at home, experimenting with colours to use “the ones that are best.”

Standard four teacher Sachin Bachan said the children get an opportunity to relax from schoolwork while reinforcing their culture. Art classes allow them to express themselves for all Hindu festivals and religious and non-religious public holidays.

He said, “That is the beauty of living in TT.”

To ensure there is no favouritism, the five best designs from each class would be selected by the class teacher. A committee will select the best from each level, and then the festival co-ordinator will choose the best design overall. The designs will be on display during the school’s Divali programme on October 16.

The school will also host a Divali puja on October 17.