Mangalore, February 23: As many as 2,800 children from schools across the district attended the national integration convention organised by the Bharat Seva Dal here on Wednesday.
Dressed in their uniforms of green and white for the girls and blue and white for the boys, the children (classes VI, VII, and VIII) stood in the morning sun for the drill in neat rows.
After the inauguration, it was time for the drill, which was followed by lunch and the cultural programmes.
One of the teachers tried his best to get the children to aim for “clock-work precision”, but try as they might, it was a little difficult, possibly because the number of children was just too large and they had simply not been training. This said, the children did not lack enthusiasm in performing the drill. First, it was with the dumbbells, which they picked up with a command of “One-two, Bharat Seva Dal” after which the distinct chink of hundreds of dumbbells resounded in unison, a testimony to children's performance.
They performed with a long stick and an object called the “Lazem” (a stick which was attached to a few metallic objects to form a ring).
Soumya of class 7 in Kotebagilu (General) School near Moodbidri told The Hindu that she enjoyed the drill and songs taught in the Seva Dal gatherings. However, she has a slight dilemma for the future. She said that Seva Dal was only allowed up to class 8. After that, there was the National Cadet Corps in private schools. But the Seva Dal was only in government schools.
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