Colaba school students excited about meeting obama

The school’s closed for Diwali vacations, but you can sense the buzz of barely contained excitement as you walk down the corridors of the Holy Name School in Colaba, which US president Barack Obama will visit on Sunday. The school is abuzz with activity as students and teachers scurry around preparing for his visit.

The school’s closed for Diwali vacations, but you can sense the buzz of barely contained excitement as you walk down the corridors of the Holy Name School in Colaba, which US president Barack Obama will visit on Sunday. The school is abuzz with activity as students and teachers scurry around preparing for his visit.

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“We are very, very excited,” said Atul Shengde, 15, as he and a group of boys work on putting the finishing touches to a welcome poster. “We feel lucky that he chose our school and that we were chosen to interact with him.”

Aside from the decorations, students are practising for two dance performances - a diya dance and a koli dance - and also plan to showcase two science projects themed around caring for creation.

Of the 16 students who will interact with Obama, eight will dance, four will present their projects and the rest will be responsible for creating a rangoli.

On Monday, security personnel were also present, inspecting the school in the run-up to Obama’s visit. “For the past 20 days, officials from the American consulate have been visiting constantly, checking every small detail, including how deep the gutters are and how hollow our stage is,” said Seher Pathan, a teacher.

Principal Father Michael Pinto has been besieged with requests from parents and students to allow them to be part of the function. “Students from other schools have also approached me asking if they can join in the celebrations, and parents want to know if they can attend the event. But only a small group of students has been selected,” he said.