Pratheeksha 2021 Celesta - Let Us  Synk In … To Heal

From the humble beginning that made way  back in 1994, having crossed many measurable milestones, 'Pratheeksha’, organised by Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Elamakkara continues to be the name of the debut Inter School cultural fest for CBSE schools in the city.

 This year’s  inter school music competition Pratheeksha 2021- Celesta was held on 18^th Sep 2021 with much pride and splendour. Renowned Carnatic Vocalist Dr. Sreevalsan J Menon was the guest of honour for the inaugural session.Dr. Sreevalsan J Menon, in his inaugural address urged students to continually ‘raise the bar’ by exploring new realms in music and giving an individuality to one’s music. He added that in this highly competitive world, students should be able to take academic and art pursuit hand in hand.  Aspirants in music must develop an individuality in  their music. He appreciated that Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is always in the forefront in promoting art and culture.

 Mr. Ritesh R Nair welcomed the gathering. Smt. Sunitha S, Senior Principal, Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Elamakkara addressed the gathering on the occasion. Shri C A Venugopal C Govind, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kochi Kendra presided over the function. In his presidential address, he remarked that the objective of Carnatic music is to achieve the highest standards of melody. Music has unending boundaries and therefore has no element of competition. In troubled times, music can revive our energy and spirits and offer divine ecstasy. Shri E Ramankutty, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kochi Kendra observed that Pratheeksha has completed three decades at Bhavan’s and has become an annual feature on the school calendar.A short video presentation on Pratheeksha – ‘Down the memory lane’ was presented by the students of class XI. Smt. Meena Viswanathan, Academic Consultant and Education Officer, Shikshan Bharati offered felicitations and wished all participants good luck.  Nandhini M Prakash proposed the Vote of Thanks.

The valedictory ceremony was held at 3:30pm.  Playback singer Smt. Sangeetha Srikant graced the occasion with her presence. In her valedictory address, she congratulated all the participants and expressed her desire to see more upcoming artists. She reminded the students to enjoy each moment of their period as this is the only colourful time in one’s life. Participants from 19 prestigious schools in and around Kochi displayed their musical talent and enthralled one and all.   The events Vipanchika, Vallaki and El Guitare were the major attractions of the fest. In the competition, runner up trophy was bagged by Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad with 16 points and the coveted ever rolling trophy was won by Bhavan’s Newsprint Vidyalaya scoring 18 points.

 Smt. Geetha Syamsunder, HoD, Dept. of Biology made the concluding remarks and Kavya R proposed the vote of thanks.