JEDDAH — A colorful Republic Day celebration was held at the Indian International School Jeddah (IISJ) Sunday with the performers stealing the show with their superb and coordinated display in front of Chief Guest India Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh at the school premises on Sunday.

The consul general presided over an elaborate Republic Day function. After hoisting the Indian flag and the rendition of the national anthem, Sheikh and his wife released the “dove of peace” before reading out of the president’s Republic Day message to the community members and the children assembled.

Sheikh took the salute to a super march past display by the Scouts and Guides contingents of the school. The boys and girls marched precisely to the beats of the IISJ band. A medley of patriotic songs, by both boys and girls, interspersed the drills and dances in a short and succinct program.

Tiny tots from the one and two girls block enthralled all with their coordinated movements in a drill display that highlighted the tri-color of Orange, White and Green and the blue chakra, with another set of girls swaying to medley of patriotic numbers to highlight India’s strengths and rounding off with the message that we are all united despite the diversity in India.

The girls from the primary section then in their drill-dance showcased the color and vibrancy of India. Their symmetry of colors present in a rainbow (VIBGYOR) were shown by the students who with their colorful ribbons threw up a host of patterns that displayed sync in the movements that fused the colors to become a veritable rainbow.

Showcasing strength the IISJ boys presented a display of gymnastics finesse and disciplined Karate Kata. The varied pyramids created by the boys ended with the top boy waving the tricolor with vigor. But it was the breaking of tiles with their fists that caught the eye. A section of boys split the tiles with ease, one after another, with the finale being their lead player broke a stack of tiles with his clenched fist.

The curtain was brought down on the morning’s event with a tableaux performed by senior students that conveyed the great message of the sacrifices of our leaders and freedom fighters and the different stages of the evolving fight from 1857 to 1947 to evict the British till the signing of the constitution on Jan. 26, 1950.

The Indian story was played out to a background of the various songs and dance forms, which depicted the cultural diversity with the emergence of the novel dress and traits of various states for a colorful vision of India highlighting the diversity of the nation with the framers of the Constitution, portrayed by children, conducting a signing ceremony. — SG