Bhavans celebrated the glory of sports at Khaifan stadium
Posted on 11/30/2011

Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of a ground. Sport is a theater where sinners can turn saints and a common man becomes an uncommon hero, where the past and the future can fuse with the present. Sport is singularly able to give us peak experiences where we feel completely one with the world and transcend all conflicts, as we finally become our own potential. Yes, the deftness, rhythm and vibrancy of sports have united civilizations across the globe. IES Sports Meet 2011 celebrated the glory of sports on November 26, 2011 at Khaifan Stadium, Khaifan.

The proceedings commenced with the arrival of the Chief Guest, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Kuwait, His Excellency C.A.H.M.Wijeratne and an impressive array of eminent personalities like Mr Mohammed Fahad El Masoud, the President of Football Federation of Kuwait, Mr.T.A.Ramesh, Mr. Kirshnadas Menon, Mr.E.D.Titus and Mrs. Kalyani Mukherjee, Principal of Kuwait Indian School.

Chairman, Bhavan Group of Schools in the Middle East, Mr.N.K.Ramachandran Menon, Principal Mr T. Premkumar and Vice Principal Mrs. Lalita Premkumar and the students Council members ushered the guests to the dais. The privilege to extend a warm welcome to all the guests for the day was vested on the Head Girl, Miss Sonal Mashankar. She promptly came to the dais and delivered sweet bouquets of welcome through her solemn welcome address.

A euphonious Sinhalese song was sung by the IES minstrels to honour the chief guest and to eulogize the virtues of the majestic island nation –Sri Lanka. The house captains led their respective houses accompanied by the senior house members, holding the flags up as they marched to the catchy beat of marching music that too with military precision and camaraderie, and filled to the brim with sportsman spirit. It was so awe-inspiring that the parents and teachers in the pavilion gave them a standing ovation. His Excellency C.A.H.M.Wijeratne received the salute from the houses. Fourteen sports champions of IES brought the torch amidst cheers, and the torch lamp was lit by the sports captains.

The Sport Meet was declared open by the Chief Guest. In his inspiring speech, His Excellency C.A.H.M.Wijeratne impelled the aspiring young sportsmen of IES to carve a niche in the world of sports. He emphasized the importance of true sportsman spirit in life as well as in sports. He expressed his great respect for athletes and athletics. He urged the young athletes to uphold the true spirit and fundamental ethos of sports, and reminded them that participation is more important than victory itself.

The power of human will to compete and the drive to excel beyond the body's normal capabilities was most beautifully demonstrated by the young athletes of IES who displayed their insatiable quest for triumph and prowess in sports. Other than the usual track and field events, the function also witnessed a pompous pageantry of drill display – an amalgamation of exactitude, politeness, aerobics and dexterity enwrapped in decorum.

Creativity at its helm, the tiny tots of Grade 1 enthralled the spectators with their drill display, exhibiting their love for Mother Nature by presenting an eye-catching formation of a beautiful flower and a butterfly. This was followed by the drill display by Grade 2 students of IES. As a tribute to their foster motherland, the peppy kids displayed a symphonic and rhythmic display of harmony between the two countries, embodying the cordial relationships between Kuwait and India.

Spectators watched with bated breath as the Grade 3 students of IES flooded the stadium in rainbow colours. Their rhythmic and synchronized movements appeared like a celestial feet and indubitably it was a feast for eyes. The bubbly fourth graders exuded the fiery spirit of the sun, the multiplicity of the earth and the magnetism and the serenity of the moon in their enchanting display. Students of grades 5 and 6 performed a scintillating form of aerobics armed with colorful hoops and dancing to the fast beat of music followed by a rain of thunderous applause from the spectators. Girls of grades 7 and 8 displayed breathtaking formations by swaying multicoloured saris rhythmically in a series of lithe movements accompanied by foot-tapping beats. The culmination of the drill display was marked when 120 boys of grades 7 and 8 formed a human pyramid symbolizing the ever-rising fame of Bhavans in the Middle East. The stadium reverberated and crumbled with relentless rounds of applause from the astonished spectators.

Moving forth with the athletic events, the Bhavanites did show their sportsmanship through an attitude of fair play, courtesy, ethical behaviour, integrity and grace in triumph and defeat.

The overall championship for sports was bagged by Seva house with 232 points. Satya house won the second position by securing 218 points and the third went to Tapas house with 211 points. His Excellency the Ambassador of Sri Lanka and the other eminent personalities gave away the prizes to the budding athletes of IES. The virtuous young athletes drew the attention and adulation of the spectators thronged on either side of the stadium. The curtains fell on a successful Sports Day, amidst cheers, celebration, and jubilation when Sanoy Jacob Koshy, the Head Boy, proposed the vote of thanks. The amazing finesse and arduousness of the young athletes confined to the concrete cubicles in a foreign country will remain timeless in the minds of all those who attended the meet.