GIIS Pune celebrates 152nd Gandhi Jayanti by paying tribute to the Father of the Nation

Pune 1^st October 2021: Global Indian International School (GIIS) Pune celebrated 152^nd Gandhi Jayanti with a virtual event where students, teachers, and parents came together on an online platform to celebrate the day with fervour.

Over 1500 students from Balewadi and Hadapsar campuses in Pune, came together to celebrate the day with great enthusiasm observing the World UN Day of Non-violence as a day which commemorates the “Sacrifices of Gandhiji”. 

A unique interactive e-session was organized by the faculty at both the campuses in Pune to help students understand the significance of the day and to follow the footsteps of the noble soul on its journey towards a more peaceful and prosperous future. Among other things, the school's students created meaningful posters, appealing slogans, and lyrical dance as a way of honoring Gandhi Ji in a unique way.

GIIS has a dedicated Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Universal Values (MGCUV) in each of its 18 campuses worldwide, which is a fountainhead of our educational pedagogy which puts the Peace Curriculum at the center of its learning framework.

It teaches students about universal brotherhood, acceptance and celebration of differences, shunning violence and spreading the message of kindness and humility. We empower every student to stand up for an equal society where there is no subservience and everyone has a voice.

Commenting on the celebration, Mr. Rajiv Bansal, Director-Operations, Global Indian International School (GIIS), India said “The objective of these activities is to promote social responsibility and teach our children about the man who galvanized a whole nation to stand up on its feet and fight for its rights. Through MGCUV, we ensure that our students get valuable insights into the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the thought is to instill Gandhian values in students and to plant the seeds of a caring human being and citizen. We also urge our students to lead their life following Gandhi Ji’s principles of peace and non-violence in their everyday lives and follow them righteously.”

GIIS pedagogy is highly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his ideology. The school ensures it provides books based on his teachings and ideology. Furthermore, the students also have access to the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil and other languages. The aim is to make an active effort to imbibe these principles and values into the students. Along with this various journals, periodicals and books are available on India's freedom struggle.

GIIS has been contributing to the educational needs of students through various programs and initiatives. Back in 2018, GIIS introduced the Mahatma Gandhi Universal Values Merit-cum-Means scholarship, the idea is to extend support through financial assistance, and make education affordable for parents across financial spectrums. The scholarship is aimed at existing parents, new parents and student fraternity of GIIS.

The students paid respect to the Father of the Nation with moving essays on sacrifice and what a Fourth Gandhian Monkey would represent. The performance began with beautiful renditions of Bapu's favorite hymns, 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' and 'Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye.' Students gave talks on Mahatma.

Gandhi's life and beliefs. Many of them created posters commemorating his life and contributions to the country's liberation movement. Students were also shown informative films. As a gesture of love and respect for India's beloved leader, a special virtual tour of Gandhi Ashram was set up for the youngsters to commemorate his birthday. The teachers highlighted the significance of the day and encouraged the students to imbibe his teachings in their day-to-day life.