Bhavans Indian Education School, Kuwait, once again blazed a trail in the field of education by virtually conducting its 12th Annual Sports Meet - which also happened to be the first-ever virtual sports meet conducted by an Indian school in Kuwait – on November 21, 2020, with the theme, “Fitness for All”.

The virtual arena was filled with steadily mounting excitement and unbridled enthusiasm when the event grandly unfurled at 9.a.m.with the hoisting of the Kuwait National Flag, followed by the singing of Kuwait National Anthem and the recitation of a verse from the Holy Quran by Sarah Parvesh of 9C. The school choir invoked the blessings of the Almighty with an English prayer song. The Head Boy, Jerome John Thomas, with bouquets of warmth and love, welcomed the virtual gathering to the meet which was graced by the presence of the Chief Guest, Mr. Sooraj Ramachandran, Vice Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, the Guest of Honour, Ms. Divya Rajesh Ramachandran, Director, Bhavans Middle East, Mr. N.K. Ramachandran Menon, Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, Mr. T. Premkumar, Principal, Indian Education School, the Vice Principals of IES and the members of senior leadership teams under the very many institutions of Bhavans Middle East.

The athletes and the members of the student supreme council marched with enormous pride and military precision to the rhythmic drumbeats. Following the Torch Run led by the Sports Captain, Adrian. V. Peter, the oath administered by the Sports Captain, Diya Sudha Lal, set the spirit of the occasion high. The spectacular Virtual Sports Meet 2020 was then declared open by the Vice-Chairman of Bhavans Middle East, Mr. Sooraj Ramachandran. Addressing the audience virtually, he appreciated the commendable efforts of Bhavans fraternity in exhibiting true sportsmanship and keeping their spirit high for the glory of sports by organizing such a mega virtual event. He also reiterated that the victory does not lie in winning but in one’s attitude in being the best team player. He expressed his deep delight at witnessing such a memorably magnificent Sports Day organized for the students against all odds and obstacles brought in by the pandemic.

The students of various grades mesmerized the virtual spectators with their agility, alacrity, and acrobatics by participating in various sporting events online. The students of grades 1 to 8 took part in Single Leg Stance and Jumping Jacks according to their respective categories. The students of grades 9 and 10 put up a great show with their fast push-ups. The high-spirited senior girls and boys were much appreciated for their active participation in the event, Partial Curl-up. In the Super Seniors category, girls of grades 11 and 12 enthusiastically participated in Jumping Jacks. The events like Plank and Squat, Mini Step Test and Chair Stand Test were exclusively organized for the parents and the grandparents of Bhavanites. The parents as well as the grandparents jostled one another in the virtual space to grab victory and also to flaunt their flairs for the sporting events they participated in. With fervor and exhilaration, the students of grades 1 and 2 performed the Free Hand Drills with dexterity and dazzling perfection. They put up a scintillating show with their body movement poised to bring mutual harmony, to a melodious piece of music.

The officials of the day comprising the Student Council were honored with the certificates of appreciation by the Principal of IES, Mr. T. Premkumar, recognizing their relentless and untiring efforts in making the Virtual Sports Meet a grand success. The Guest of Honour, Ms. Divya Rajesh Ramachandran, Director, Bhavans Middle East, announced the overall champions. Tapas House bagged the first position, and Satya, Seva and Sanskriti won the second, the third and the fourth positions, respectively. The Guest of Honor, in her address, expressed her heartfelt appreciation to K. Dr. Murugaiyan Subbarayalu Samy, the Head of the Department of Physical Education and the members of the entire Physical Education Department who had been instrumental in making the day indeed a memorable one. The dernier-cri prize distribution ceremony was unique and exciting by virtue of augmented reality. The prizes and certificates of appreciation were given away to the winners of various events by the key players of Bhavans Middle on an augmented reality victory podium.

Mr. K. Radhakrishnan, the grandfather of Keethan Premanandh of Class 1A, shared his thoughts about the Virtual Sports Meet with the online audience. He was all praises for the school for organizing a sports meet in the most spellbinding manner. The head-tuner moments of the day were when the ‘tree gifts’ were presented to the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, and the Director of Bhavans Middle East by the courtesy of www.sankalpataru.org. Sankalpataru is a non-business entity that promotes afforestation in India with the vision of developing a lush-green and sustainable world for the future generations by igniting a huge environmental revolution through trees. The ‘tree gifts’ from Sankalpataru, with the certificates of planting and QR codes to track the location as well as the growth of the planted trees were presented to the pivotal figures of Bhavans Middle East as tokens of gratitude. A vote of thanks was proposed by the Sports Captain, Adrian. V. Peter. The curtains were drawn on the sports meet at 12.30 p.m. with the singing of Indian national anthem. The splendid and spectacular virtual sports meet redolent with grandeur and glory was indeed a phenomenal success that will remain etched in the memories of all those who witnessed it. The epoch-making virtual sports gala stands testimony to the supremacy of Bhavans Kuwait as few institutions will ever be able to organize such an awe-inspiring virtual sports meet. The emcees of the day were Jaden Daniel (11B), Zara Imtiyaz (9A), Vaishnavi R Pai (11B), Abhipsa Panda (9G), and Adithyan R Nair (9F).