Assembly on National Flags and Anthems

Every Monday morning AKA, Hyderabad conducts its whole school assembly. This Monday was no different; however the only difference was, instead of students, the teachers presented some interesting facts. The Aga Khan Academy promotes the intermingling of different cultures from around the world. So, it is not surprising to see teachers of different nationalities in the school. This assembly was about national flags and anthems; a reminder that India’s Republic Day is soon to come.

To begin with Mrs. Marie Anne Rismann – HOD English Department started the assembly. It was quite interesting, as Mrs. Rismann holds nationality of two countries. She is Scottish, living in France. She shared the historical importance behind both the nation’s flags and its anthems.

Mr. Raymond Zinsli – Senior School Principal is from New Zealand. Many students were surprised to know that New Zealand is still under the British rule; it is a Constitutional Monarchy and not a Republic.

Next up, was Ms. Wendy Elliot – English and Humanities teacher. She is Irish, settled in Canada. The students learnt about both the countries.

Not far behind, was Ms. Anamika Jasani – CAS Coordinator, an Indian settled in America. She spoke about the U.S. flag and the significance of the stars on the flag.

Last but not the least, Mr. Subhadip Sarkar – Music teacher conducted an interesting quiz on the Indian flag and its national anthem, written by the legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore. The students learnt some important facts behind the anthem. Mr. Sarkar took it one step forward and pointed out the common pronunciation mistakes made, while singing "Jana Gana Mana."

The assembly finished with the entire student and teacher body paying respects to our national anthem. 

Written by: Urbashi Raha, English Teacher