THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Everybody crowded around the volcano. And then it went BOOM! The ‘volcano’, about as tall as a plastic bottle, but with all the seriousness of a Krakatowa, erupted several times more as school children Ah!ed and Ooh!ed. At an adjacent table stood Class X students Ajay J and Vignesh S Kartha cheerfully explaining about the contents of a dozen bottles. ‘’These two cobras are among the oldest exhibits of the school, dating back to the 1970s. This here is an electric ray and this here is a bat,’’ Ajay said, pointing to various bottles. A two-day ‘Kazhak Expo-2011,’ organised by Sainik School, Kazhakkoottam, at Kanakakkunnu Palace to mark its golden jubilee, drew school children from all over the city as well as adults. The event featured an exhibition of photographs covering the 50 years of the school, a small science expo and a display of art works by the cadets. One of the oldest photographs shows the then Defence Minister V K Krishna Menon inspecting the school in the 1960s. Another would be especially interesting to film buffs in Kerala; a grainy black-and-white photograph of actors Prithviraj and Indrajith, alumni of the school, with actor-parents Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran. ‘’I think Prithviraj must have been in the sixth or seventh standard at the time,’’ commented Alex, one of the masters of the school. Yet another showed four senior Lt Generals of the Indian Army during a reunion held at the school some years ago. Most of them are retired now. There are also photos that kindle poignant memories - of Col N J Nair who was shot dead by insurgents in the North-East and Capt Harshan R, killed fighting terrorists in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. ‘’This is the first time we have organised such an event. It is meant to highlight the achievements of the students as well as raise awareness about the school,’’ said school principal B Janardhanan. ‘’Many academic facilities of the West are only trickling into Kerala schools now. But the Sainik School had them long ago,’’ remembers retired Maths teacher Madhavan Nair, who is also the senior-most of the masters alive. Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvathy Bayi of the Travancore royal family inaugurated Kazhak Expo-2011 on Friday morning. The event will conclude on Saturday.
Comments
0 comment