MCKV celebrates Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: A Journey Back to the Early Days of Independence

Published on: 10 Aug 2022

In the run-up to India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 2022, MCKV has planned a series of activities to instil, in our students, a sense of pride in our past, and make them aware of the debt we owe as free citizens to India’s Independence Movement.

One such event was the panel discussion that took place on Wednesday, 10 August 2022 at 9.30 a.m. in the Audio-Visual Room for the Class XI students. We had amongst us Prof. (Dr.) Ajit Kumar Chakraborty, former Professor of Metallurgy at IIT Kharagpur, born in 1940, and Ms. Gouri Qanungo, former Headmistress of Saradapalli Kanya Vidyapeeth, Bhadreshwar, Hooghly, born in 1934. While Prof. Chakraborty shared his memories of the first Independence Day celebrations in Dibrugarh on 15 August 1947 and subsequent events from the eyes of a seven-year-old, Ms. Kanungo, a daughter of a freedom fighter, and then in Class 10, shared heart-touching stories of her struggles as a student and eventual relocation to India from Chittagong. It was truly a privilege to hear our eminent guests share their first-hand experience of witnessing India’s incredible journey from subjugation to freedom. The amazing stories of the era gone by, which included Ms Qanungo’s meetings with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, created a magical aura in the auditorium and literally gave us goosebumps. The one-hour panel discussion was deftly moderated by our Director, Mr. Neelkantha Gupta. The programme ended with our Chairman, Mr. Kishan Kumar Kejriwal felicitating our guests.

It was absolutely phenomenal to experience the story of Indian independence come to life through personal narratives and anecdotes. Without an iota of doubt, the event will prove to be a life-altering experience for our Class 11 students.