A carnival is perhaps the most colorful and the most fun filled day of the school calendar. It is an occasion of togetherness, glee, and jollity. Bhavan’s Winter Carnival is indeed a perfect instance of this universal truth. The Bhavan’s Winter Carnival of this year organized by Indian Educational School and Smart Indian was nothing short of a showstopper. The students, the parents, and the visitors thronged the carnival venue braving the chilly weather. The nip in the air, paved way for music, dance, games, mouthwatering delicacies, and many an exciting competition.

The carnival was declared open by the chairman, Bhavans Middle East Mr. N.K. Ramachandran Menon amid cheers and clapping at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 26th of January in the presence of Mr. T. Premkumar, the principal, IES, Mr. Mahesh Iyer, the principal, SIS, Mr. Suresh V Balakrishnan, the vice principal, Middle and Senior wings, Mrs. Lalitha Premkumar, the vice principal, Kindergarten and Primary wings, and Mrs. Meenakshi Nayyar, the vice principal, CCA. Since then, the mercury of enthusiasm and gaiety rose bit by bit and eventually exploded with the raffle coupon draw at night. The non-run of the mill stalls attracted many a visitor. Fish your luck, Sweet Tooth Bar, Anda ka Funda, Drop a Coin, Tic Tac Toe, and Wheel of Fortune were some of the very many stalls that attracted droves of onlookers. A unique anthology of poems titled ‘Book of Lies’-composed and compiled by the budding poets of grade 7A of IES was released by Mr. N. K. Ramachandran Menon, the chairman, Bhavans Middle East amid applause from literary aficionados. The books were sold like hot cakes and won great critical acclaim.

The Green Corner was a unique stall that introduced and sold many varieties of flowering, and non-flowering plants and garden accessories. Bingo was another zone of public interest. The young and the young at heart partook in the Bingo game. The basement of the building was the most wanted as well as the most visited stalls of the carnival. The Magic Show was immensely popular among the children. The Deal or No Deal was also flooded by the gamers. The Xbox and PS games stalls in the basement were also crowded with virtual gamers.

One of the major attractions of the carnival was indeed the garage sale- the White Elephant Stall. The generous contributions of Bhavanites helped White Elephant stall retained the ‘numero uno’ position this year as well. The white elephant stalls offered cutlery, crockery, kitchen gear, pianos, books, soft toys, PC accessories, clock radios, headphones, gaming consoles, books of fiction, and what not!

The Bouncy Rides were agog with mirth and fun. The young children jostled to slide down in the rides. The tattoo corner, face painting corner, hair coloring stall, cake and pastry zone, instant portrait corner and the Juke Box were some of the most popular zones of interest at the Bhavan’s Winter Carnival. The wintry weather was kept at bay by the sizzlers at the food kiosks. Indian and Arabic food stalls were indeed an epicure’s delight. The mouth-watering traditional Indian dishes and the delights of the desert were relished by foodies at the food kiosks.

The Bhavanites performed flash mobs within the carnival premises. The performance of the lithe and lissome dancers of IES was indeed a visual treat for the visitors. Some of the visitors and parents also danced to the electrifying tunes. The rare coincidence of Bhavan’s winter carnival aligning with the Republic Day of India made this year’s carnival special. A sizeable mass of spectators applauded while the tricolor-the icon of India’s national pride was ceremoniously hoisted in the morning and lowered in the evening by Mr. T. Premkumar, the principal, IES assisted by the members of the faculty, physical education.

A karaoke orchestra led by Mr. Mahesh Iyer, the principal, SIS also added mellifluence to the carnival. The parents and teachers joined Mr. Iyer to sing some of the nostalgic numbers from the musical vaults of Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil cinema. The auditorium was packed with joyful throngs since morning. Baby Shows and Cultural Programs won praises. The Talent Show and Fashion Show also garnered great admiration from the onlookers. The winners were bestowed with prizes and medals.

The DJ Show was the most sought-after attraction of the Winter Carnival. Hundreds of music maniacs on the dance floor boogied merrily to the scintillating tunes. The excitement reached a crescendo with the raffle coupon draw at night. Mr. T. Premkumar, the principal of IES announced the names of the raffle draw winners in the presence of an excited crowd. Gold coins, cash prizes, white goods, digital gadgets, and kitchenware were bagged by the fortunate of the lot.

Mr. T. Premkumar, the principal, IES thanked the teachers, volunteers, participants, and performers for the zeal and zest they displayed throughout the day. He also profusely thanked the sponsors of the Winter Carnival-Kuwait National Exchange, ABK Bank, Lulu Hypermarket, and Mr. Sreekumar of NBK Bank for their generous and helpful contributions.

An awesome and a thrilling carnival of the academic year 2017-2018 came to an end. The large number of visitors that flocked to the carnival venue stood testimony to the popularity of the Bhavan’s Winter Carnival – the best and the most popular carnival that provides pure carnival experience in the country.