Students and alumni of St Xavier's School at Doranda let their hair down on Sunday, as the Ranchi cradle packed a daylong annual carnival with musical gigs, games and plenty of lip-smacking food.
The mood was upbeat on campus, with parents and teachers, too, making up a 12,000-strong crowd ready for a weekend bash at the school grounds.
Seven local bands ' Mrityu Mantra, Audible, Destiny, Area-51, Virus, Antidote and Chemical Quest ' took the stage and belted out lively numbers at the third edition of the annual event organised by the school in association with the Doranda Old Xaverians.
Lead guitarist of Mrityu Mantra Sunny Tamang said that he was feeling excited and equally nervous, waiting for their turn to perform.
"But our six members have practised well," he added. A Nepali track and an English number, Shadow of the light, received much applause from the crowd.
Members of Destiny were equally enthused by the response. "We played an English number called Jealous, which brought cheers, especially from the youngsters," said band member Vineet Roy.
If the audience were not done yet with the music, they could head for what had been turned into a virtual gaming zone with 45 kiosks lined up with heady video games.
Food buffs, on the other hand, made their way to 15 kiosks serving mouth watering delicacies under a pleasant winter sun.
Some of the game kiosks manned by schoolchildren attracted visitors the most. Aatif Jehangir, an eight grader, pointed out that he had designed a computer game on car race. "The toddlers are liking it a lot. We are getting a very good response," he gushed.
Other games that proved to be favourites include chocolate wheel, bike racing and a tantalising straw challenge.
"We've got a great response to straw challenge, which provides contestants an opportunity to pin straws onto tooth picks that have been fixed on a thermocol board. We have allotted 30 seconds to each participant, who had to put as many straws as he/she can within the half a minute," Subhranil Ghosh, also an eight grader, explained.
Parents were as much a part of the jamboree that brings together former and current students together.
"It provides an opportunity for children as well as parents to enjoy an outing together," quipped Mrinalini Sinha, mother of Rathin.
The youngsters also queued up to get their faces painted with pictures of their favourite cartoon characters.
Kartik Prasad, a Jamshedpur-based tattoo expert who obliged the tiny enthusiasts, said, "A majority of the students were interested in cartoon characters, dragons and scorpions."
In Dhurwa, DPS Ranchi also staged a fun-filled day for 240 Class I students who regaled their parents and teachers during a cultural programme.
Clad in their most colourful outfits, the tots presented a puppet show and dance drama portraying the hazards of pollution.
"Our objective is to involve all the students, who are otherwise unable to take part in some of the annual cultural programmes," said DPS principal J. Mohanty.
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