Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak tours the ‘EDEX 2014’ pavilions after opening it at International Indian School (Girls Section) in Jeddah. Mrs. Lateefa Mubarak, Mohammed Raghib Qureshi, and Dr. Haroon Rashid are also seen.
Hassan Cheruppa
Saudi Gazette
Thousands of parents and students turned out to witness a spectacular show of innovation, creativity and hard work displayed by around 2,000 talented students at ‘EDEX 2014,’ the educational exhibition, hosted by Jeddah’s International Indian School (Girls Section). The two-day event, which concluded on Thursday, displayed the extraordinary talent and skills in the form of impressive projects and innovative models spanning a wide array of subjects and realms from slums to high rise buildings to textile mills to Mars mission, in addition to highlighting India’s strength of unity in diversity.
Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak, the chief guest, inaugurated the event on Wednesday. Accompanied by Mrs. Lateefa Mubarak, the guest of honor, Mohammed Raghib Qureshi, head of chancery, consul education and the school observer, and other dignitaries, Mubarak visited exhibits and interacted with the students who exuded confidence while explaining to him about their work of creativity. Dr. Haroon Rashid, chairman of the Managing Committee, members of the committee, IISJ Principal Syed Masood Ahmed, Vice Principal (Girls Section) Farhatunnisa and other officials of the school as well as prominent dignitaries from the Indian community were also present.
Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Farhatunnisa said the response for the expo was overwhelming. “As part of crowd control mechanism, we restricted entry to parents of students from 1-5 classes on Wednesday and 6-12 on Thursday. It was wonderful that our talented pupils have translated all the concepts learned in the classroom into action and they have done almost all works at school,” she said. Farhatunnisa thanked her team of HMs, teachers and passionate participants for the success of the event. “I congratulate teachers for their hard work and girls for their enthusiasm.” On her part, Reeta Sharma, headmistress, said that students displayed more subject-related models and projects this year.
The event saw young enthusiastic participants from I – XII block, putting up exhibits comprising of innovative working models. The copious number of displays, the passionate participants and the pulsating ambience suggested the magnitude of the event, which was opened for parents from 5 p.m. One of the major highlights of the expo was an elaborate display of slums and high rising buildings, presenting a striking contrast of living conditions in India, showcased by students in the humanity section. “The pride of India” was another attraction in which the architectural grandeur of India was brought to limelight through the mesmerizing display of the celebrated historical monuments of India. Another outstanding project was the working of a textile mill. The ‘Fiber to Fabric’ has portrayed well the transformation phases from the raw cotton to a finished cloth.
The girls of the VI-VIII bock, through varied and diverse means, projected a unified theme of “India, the emerging force.” The scientific temper of the students, truly reflected in their study of the progress of science from traditional to modern times, was presented through models and charts. The I & II block girls displayed their exemplary talents and abilities through presentation of models depicting culture of different states. “Grab your scissors Grab your glue” included art work made by little hands. ‘ISRO Mars or Bitter Mission’ captivated the imagination of viewers. Students from the English department came up with an out of the box idea called “views and reviews” in which the girls, as journalists, related the life stories of inspiring personalities through interviews.
The department of languages Arabic, Urdu, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam won the appreciation of all by the magnificent display of the origin of the languages, as well as their regional culture, traditions and festivities. The models and displays on Saudi Arabian culture was wonderful. ‘Indian writers in English,’ and a play by Prem Chand were among the displays of the English and Hindi sections respectively while the Urdu corner celebrated the glory of Ghazals. The flourishing hospitality industry was the highlight in the Malayalam and Tamil venue.
The IX –XII block was abuzz with projects involving the most modern and hi-tech concepts. The array of displays by XI-XII block girls included automatic safety devices, motion sensors, inductor media player, and infinity illusion. The spectacular displays by IX & X girls included the portable phone chargers, led light illusions, holograms and bicycle generators. The shows of IX-X of musical fountain, center of gravity & projection mapping provided an insight into the amusing world of science while the IX-X girls took the viewers for a trip into the space with a live presentation of planetarium.
