New Delhi, Dec. 20, 2017: A special Christmas celebration was organized by the Salesian Cooperators at Don Bosco School, Alaknanda for the underprivileged school children of Ankur- the evening school wing at Don Bosco Alaknanda, New Delhi. The Vice-Principal, Fr. Bhushan warmly welcomed everyone and invited all the students and teachers of Ankur to be a part of the Christmas journey by being kind and joyful in their lives. He thanked the Salesian Cooperators for their initiative in organizing the celebrations. Thereafter, the warm and melodious rendition of a couple of Christmas carols by the co-operators set the mood for the evening and infused a palpable excitement amongst the audience. Fr. Babu Varghese, Principal and Rector Don Bosco School, spoke to the children and elaborated on the role and activities of the Salesian Cooperators. He expressed his gratitude to them for their effort in organizing the Christmas celebrations. He urged the young children present to emulate the cooperators and foster the humane values of compassion and joyful service, as practiced by our founder Don Bosco. After Fr. Babu’s inspiring message, a prayer was said followed by a reading from the Holy Bible on the birth of Jesus. A short video depicting the birth of Jesus was also shown to the students. The birth of Jesus was explained in Hindi by Ms. Susan Jose, staff member and a Salesian cooperator at Don Bosco School. Joseph protected Mary as she was about to give birth to Jesus, so also the children were requested to respect each other as also to protect each other from harm. A message on the protection of the girl child was also conveyed. The prayer concluded with praise and worship through action songs in which all the teachers and students participated. As the mood in the auditorium crackled with cheer, it sky rocketed into sheer merriment with the entry of Santa Claus. Both students and teachers jingled and mingled with Santa as he distributed toffees to all. Finally, the celebrations came to an end with the distribution of Christmas cakes to the children. The festive spirit invoked by the program and the happy faces all around made the event a memorable one for all present.
(Vimal Maria Titus) Salesian Cooperators, Don Bosco School Alaknanda