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Keekli Reporter, 24th December, 2014, Shimla
The Gurudwara Sahib, Shimla was buzzing with chirpy and bubbly sounds as the stage was set for the kids to showcase their talent in a dress competition depicting Sikh history and culture. The children were dressed in various colourful costumes portraying as well as learning about their rich traditions and heritage. The competition was part of the celebrations commemorating the martyrdom of ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’. Narendar Pal Singh, Secretary, Singh Sabha, informed that the competition was being held for three categories, 3 to 6 years, 7 to 10 years and 11 above. He further added that by organizing such competitions our children learned about Sikh history and from a very young age understood the importance of being a Sikh and respected our culture and today a total of 78 children participated in the event. The judges for the event were Inderjeet Kaur, Harjeet Kaur and Harpreet Kaur.
The event began with the cutely dressed tiny tots walking the ramp up to the front of the hall and won hearts of all present with their innocent performances and nervously voiced messages. Dressed as well known characters from Sikh history such as Bhai Puran Singh, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, Khanda Batta, Panj Payara, Moti Doodh Wala, Bhindra Wala, Kaur Sister, Penti Akhari, Gursikh Teacher, Doctor, Software Engineer, IPS Officer, Bhai Khaniya Singh, Mata Bhago Ji, lady Bedewa, Bhagat Singh and many more other prominent personalities, each and every child gave his or her best.
What followed next were a couple of interesting questions by the judges testing the knowledge of the kids. The little ones were coy and timid, looking here and there for their mothers, while some were quite confident, both with their gait as well as speech. The judges had prepared a list of questions and awarded marks to the kids based on the child’s dress, walk, confidence as well as vocal narration. Divnoor Kaur was dressed as a Gursikh Bride whose message was that more than outer beauty, inner beauty should be enhanced and our souls should be connected with God; Prabgun Singh was dressed as Gota Singh who rebelled against the Mughals for bringing in liquor and dancers into the sacred Harmandir Saheb; Ishtpreet Singh was dressed as Penti Akhari who spread the message that despite the fact that Hindi and English languages were given preference, their Punjabi language should be given equal importance and not be forgotten. The Kaur Sisters, portrayed by Jushya Grover and Simar Kaur, gave an amazing performance and showed that in spite of living in California, they got a chance to connect with their roots and were proud of their rich heritage and culture. Samarth Singh was dressed as a Gursikh Software Engineer on a mission to design a software through which the revered Guru Granth Saheb could be translated into various languages of the world instantaneously.
Innocence and purity was the order of the evening as children lined up to give their performances. Parents were completely in awe and admiration to see their children perform. Backstage too, they were seen busy helping their kids dress up while at the same time helping them rehearse their lines. The organizers and the Singh Sabha Committee ensured that the event progressed smoothly and mother and volunteers prepared refreshments for the children.
The day ended on a happy note and a surprise that the results would be declared on 28th December, on Gurpurab Day !!!
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