October 5th, Day 1: Even a 5.30 am drive from Dalapchand was not enough for us (the Bee Fest Team from Dalapchand SS) to reach the venue at TNA, Gangtok, on time for the opening ceremony of the Bee Fest 2012. It was already 10 am when we reached there. There was excitement and anxiety mixed in the looks of our small group. I told my students we were doing our best and we would all enjoy the moment of being part of the of-its-kind Bee Fest 2012, an inter-school scholastic competition to be held in our state of Sikkim.Sushil Rai, a 13-year-old from class viii from Dalapchand SS, the same student who had been featured in my earlier article on Bee Fest, was the youngest in our group. He was one of the two students from our school participating in Bee Innovate. People looking at him wondered anxiously whether or not he was the same person whose photograph had been featured in a Bee Fest article at Sikkim Express. The shy-looking Sushil never understood his popularity.
When we reached the TNA school grounds, the students from over 150 schools lined up in four groups according to their participating events. The view my eye was watching felt me no less than an aura of watching the line-up for the Olympic Games. It was simply awesome!! I could see many of my Sikkim Express friends moving around, making me feel happy and at home. I have been associated with Sikkim Express since 2008; to me, it’s like my family. After NK Pradhan, HRDD Minister, officially announced the opening of the Bee Fest 2012, the four teams led by their flag bearers left for their respective event room.
With preliminary rounds going on, I enthusiastically crossed my fingers, waiting for some good news about my students' performance. The only thing I could do at that moment was move around different innovative models from different corners of the state. Some of them were very interesting, and a few were out of context in my small head. I was surprised whether that was really a student’s concept or worked on by their teacher.
Few of them had innovative thoughts about small things yet something different. I would surely like to mention a few of the schools' work I enjoyed. East Point SS was the best, with a crazy-looking, innovative idea of TE-JAC. The bottle-boat on plastic bottles from Duga SS was interesting. Similarly, Solar House from Bahai SS, the low-cost refrigerator, bio-gas electricity from Dikling SS, and others should be applauded for their effort in doing something different.
Among the crowds at the wonderful model exhibition were these two boys from our school, Sushil Rai and Purna Kumar Rai, with their small oven-like model. They were probably the youngest in the exhibition, one from class vii and the other from class viii. They had made a theoretical presentation of a Non-Biodegradable Electricity Generator Oven with a multi-purpose function.
By the evening, there was mixed news for our school. We had participated in the four events, and the Turn Bee team and the Bee Innovate team qualified for the next day.
October 6th, Day 2: Prabha Sharma and Apeksha Chettri, the Turn Bee team from our school, were selected in the Top 50 from the 350-odd participants in the Turn Bee competition. But at the end of the day, there was no lady luck for them; they failed to make it through to the Top 8 finalists.
There was a varied response about the Bee Fest on the second day. Most of them appreciated the concept behind the organization of such an event, while few were not satisfied with the way of organization. Nevertheless, from my side, there is an applauding gesture towards the team of Sikkim Express and 24 Hours Inspired for at least making it possible to assemble the schools of Sikkim from different corners of the state under one roof.
Although Bee Fest 2012 may not be the grandest event, without a doubt, it succeeded in celebrating the winners of the talent at the rural practice. To organize an event that had over 150 schools and more than 1200 students is not a matter a joke; it is an acclaim, a pat on the shoulders of those behind the scene that dreamt for the students of our Sikkim.
As the day wound up, news of happiness arrived: Our young school team for Bee Innovate was among the Top 12. The moment was something even I had lost hope for. It was a moment I wish to remember for a long time: my school team was in the Top 12 from the odd 150-plus schools.
October 7th, Day 3: The finals of the Bee Fest competition started with the unhappy news that APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, would not arrive at the function. It was a major blow for the students and teachers who had hoped to catch a glimpse of the great leader and hear him. But Bhaichung Bhutia, our football legend, surprised everyone by entering the TNA auditorium.
The final result of the four competitions was very different than I had expected. I had earlier talked with Deewakar Basnet, Chief Learning Officer from 24 Hours Inspired, and I still remember my words. I had said that whatever the participants' performance was, the ultimate winners of the competition would be the students from the urban areas, and most preferably, it would be the students from the Gangtok surroundings. The lists of winners included Rumtek SS, Namchi SS, Central Pandam SS and PNG SSS at Quiz Bee, Turn Bee, Buzz Bee and Bee, respectively. The ultimate King and Queen Bee Crown went to Central Pandam SS and TNA.
Our school failed to get the first two spots at the Bee Innovate, but I am happy and satisfied that my two young students were able to break their barriers and make their presence in the big event. When I write these lines, I wish to share a small incident in which I was having a call from Purna Kumar Rai’s father, knowing when his son would return home as the work at home had been messed up due to his absence. His poor father did not understand that his talented son was selected among the Top 12 schools from the 150 schools at the finals of the Bee Innovate. (himalayanreview@gmail.com)
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