The Bhawanipur Education Society College, through its National Service Scheme (NSS) Collective, joined hands with the Kolkata chapter of Bhumi—one of India’s largest independent youth volunteer NGOs. Bhumi volunteers work with over 18,000 orphaned and underprivileged children annually across 13+ cities in India, providing them with quality supplementary education. This collaboration hosted Bhumi’s annual inter-shelter home talent festival, “Nakshatra Arts 2024,” which has benefited over 6,500 children from 120 children’s homes across the country. The festival included 20 different events across Art & Craft, Literary, and Cultural categories. By 8:00 A.M., the college campus became home to approximately 400 underprivileged children, aged 7 to 17, from 14 different shelter homes. They were provided with a platform to showcase their hidden talents, bringing them joy and a sense of fulfilment. The college was buzzing with activity in the early hours of Sunday, preparing for the children and their supervisors. After a quick breakfast, all the children were escorted to the Jubilee Hall for the opening ceremony. By 10:00 A.M., the hall was filled. The event was graced by Prof. Dilip Shah, Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, who lit the ceremonial lamp along with Ms. Gargi (NSS in-charge), the Head of Nakshatra Arts, and a randomly chosen child from the audience. Prof. Shah shared a few inspiring words: “There’s no man in the world who doesn’t face hiccups on their road to success, but overcoming them and achieving their dream is the ultimate win.” The ceremony ended with the announcement of the event roster, with events categorised into Junior, Senior, and Super Senior categories, further divided into four groups. The volunteers then guided the children to the 5th-floor classrooms to begin their events.
Group 1 Events
Jewellery Making – Children showcased their creativity by crafting jewellery from everyday materials. Mask Painting – Participants decorated masks with vibrant colours, breathing life into their imagination. Potpourri (Word Play) – A 3-round team event that involved drawing, guessing, and describing words. Bhumi’s Got Talent – Children showcased yoga, dance, singing, and even participated in a fashion show. Skit – Held in Jubilee Hall, multiple groups performed original and meaningful skits, including environmental and social themes.
Group 2 Events
DIY Surprise Box – Teams created artistic products from surprise materials like plastic bottles and CDs. Final creations included flower pots, crowns, pen stands, etc. Card Making – Children enthusiastically created colourful cards using sketch pens, doodles, and mandala art. Jumbled Crossword – This vocabulary-based competition helped improve linguistic skills through word puzzles. Composition Writing – Participants penned down imaginative stories, expressing themselves through words. Fashion Show – Held in two rounds: a catwalk round and a Q&A session where children spoke about their dreams and aspirations. After Group 2, children proceeded to the 6th floor for lunch, enjoying a well-deserved break. Post-lunch, Group 3 events commenced.
Group 3 Events
CD Wall Hanging – Participants created wall art using CDs, ice cream sticks, and other art supplies. Pot Painting – Children painted earthen pots with designs such as mandalas, tribal art, and human figures. Quiz – General knowledge questions tested the wit and awareness of the participants. Storytelling – Participants confidently narrated original stories, building their public speaking skills. Judge Rohan Sengupta said, “Participating is more important than winning.” Group Singing – Groups performed songs in various languages, judged on six parameters including coordination and creativity. The event concluded at 3:45 P.M., and judges finalized the scores before moving on to the final group of events.
Group 4 Events
Poster Making – Children created themed posters. Themes included:
- Junior: “Plant Trees, Save Earth,” “Disney Castle Dreams,” or “Scenery”
- Senior: “Space Exploration,” “Pollution Awareness,” or “Disney Princess”
- Super Senior: “Recycling and Waste Reduction,” “Wildlife,” or “Mickey Mouse Cartoon”
Spell Bee – Held in Room 513, students solved scrambled words based on their class level within 20 minutes. Memory Test – Held in Room 511. Children viewed an image for 20 seconds and answered questions based on memory. Judged on accuracy, spelling, and time. Group Dance – The most competitive and vibrant event, judged on choreography, costumes, props, and expressions. The event ended with a surprise dance session featuring Saurabh Bangani, who danced alongside the children.
Closing Ceremony
At 5:00 P.M., all participants gathered in Jubilee Hall once more. The ceremony began with announcements of winners for some events. Sponsors were thanked for their support. Prof. Gargi delivered a vote of thanks and felicitated the NSS head. The Bhumi team and event coordinators were called to the stage. The final winners were:
- 2nd Runner-Up: Loreto Rainbow, Sealdah
- 1st Runner-Up: Swapnopuron Siksha Niketan, Sunderbans
- Winner: Samaritan Help Mission Girls
The winners clicked group photos on stage amidst loud applause, bringing a joyful end to a day filled with creativity, learning, and unforgettable memories. Reporter – Moubani Maity and Saptak Roychoudhury Photographer – Priyanshu Chatterjee, Arpita Biswas, Agrag Ghosh, Nishchay Alokit Lakra, Sanika Shaw
