by Mehtab Shinde
PUNE, NOV 20, 2017: Students from kindergarten to class twelve of Don Bosco High School and Junior College, Yerwada were treated to fun and games, 
dance and drama, and life skills were imparted to them through a special Children's Day programme on November 14 at the school campus.
The day was divided in two parts- formal and cultural. The former commenced with a prayer service that focused on the well-being of the kids all over the world and that they are not deprived of basic necessities including education.
In his welcome speech, Rector Father Michael Bansode expressed his joy on seeing Don Bosco's dream coming true, to provide the best to the poor and the marginalised.
"Don Bosco High school and Junior College, Pune is one of the best educational institutions that genuinely serve the poor and the marginalised," Deputy Mayor of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Dr Sidharth Dhende, one of the dignitaries present, said.
Safe Kids Foundation (SKF) organised part of the celebrations which included class-wise interactive sessions with the children from classes three to ten. Students were educated on fire safety measures and how to handle burns. There were 60 volunteers who animated the programme with fun activities. As a precursor to the event, SKF organised a two- day session on November 8 and 9, in which they distributed booklets on fire safety.
SKF deploys cutting-edge, experiential and fun educational tools to spread fire safety awareness among kids under 14 and aspires to make Pune a model 'safe kids at home' city in India. It also aims at making kids a pivot for bringing citizens and civic agencies together to drive a strong safety culture. "It is wonderful to see so many happy faces at a glance, have safe Diwali every year and safe cooking everyday," Torine Creppy, President, SKF, said.
In his address, Sunil Gilbile, Divisional Fire Officer, Fire Department, PMC petitioned the Deputy Mayor to install more fire-stations in the city.
The second part of the programme was the cultural celebration. Municipal schools in Pune were invited to participate in the SKF Talent Hunt competition. This was followed by the annual Children's Day ritual of the school- where teachers of all four sections entertain the students.
Bollywood dance performances by the pre-primary staff, fairy tale recreation by the primary teachers, a funny value-based play titled 'Sholay in Yerwada' by the college lecturers and a mock-rock cum dance by the secondary section enthralled the kids. The next surprise was the Kid's Carnival with over 15 stalls of games and snacks.
Dr Cinthia Pinto, Programme Director SKF, Jamshed Karkaria, Head Facilities and Administration and Honeywell Automation India, along with the school staff organised the Children's Day programme.