175th Foundation Day celebrations begin at Sanawar school

Lawrence School, Sanawar, began a three-day long celebration to commemorate the 175th year of its foundation on Sunday. Former chief election commissioner of India Naveen Chawla was the guest of honour

The Lawrence School, Sanawar, began a three-day long celebration to commemorate the 175th year of its foundation on Sunday.

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Navin Chawla being felicitated during the 175th year of the foundation day of The Lawrence School, Sanawar, in Solan on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Former chief election commissioner of India and an alumnus of the school Naveen Chawla was the guest of honour on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti which marked the beginning of Dodransbicentennial celebrations at the school.

A special assembly organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi began with the headmaster of the school, Himmat Singh Dhillon, accompanied by Navin Chawla, the guest of honour, unfurling the Tricolour on the historic Peacestead Playground which was followed by the school choir singing “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” and “Abide with Me.

In his address on the occasion, the head boy of the school, Aditya Veer Singh Chandel said, “Mahatma Gandhi was one of the greatest change-makers the world has ever seen. He believed that strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable spirit. Gandhi brought about a moral and ethical renaissance in India.” The head girl of the school Ustat Kaur Jatana said, “From being an optimist to a forgiver, Gandhi is a great teacher, who taught the world various life skills that we practice in our day-to-day life.”

Chawla spoke to the students about Mahatma Gandhi, his life, work and ideologies.

In the latter half of the day, a special chapel service was held for the alumni of the jubilee batches of 1957, 1962, 1972 and 1997 commemorating their blue sapphire, diamond, golden and silver jubilees, respectively. Over 100 old students reunited at the school and recounted their memories.

Some of the well-known personalities who attended the chapel service were Jasjeet Bhattal, a Rhodes scholar and former CEO of Lehman Brothers, Maneka Gandhi, a veteran politician, and Professor Vasant Dhar, professor of data sciences at New York University.

Also later in the evening, a play was staged in the historic Barne Hall. Over 100 students presented a musical-comedy classic drama titled “With a Lil bit of Luck” based on George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”. The play was adapted and directed by Suchi Gupta. After the play, a bird book produced by the students titled, “Familiar Birds of Sanawar”, was also released.