Harmony Week 2023

Harmony Week was celebrated at SJBHS from 25 th to 27 th July 2023. The event commenced with the uplifting sound of inspirational music played over the intercom before the Assembly. This set the tempo for the next three days. The students choose silence over the early morning cacophony; they choose peace instead of running down the corridors; and they knew that one needs to stop a while for tranquility to be the norm.

On the 25th of July, the Assembly was led by Std 7B. Ms. Jonah R delivered a speech on the theme ‘Harmony with Art Forms.’ Art transcends all barriers and is the composer of inner harmony. Likewise, music, as an art form, is an expression of harmony in sound.

Moving to the next day, 26th July 2023, Std 7C conducted the assembly while Mr. Lawrence Roshan Frank delivered an enlightening speech on the topic ‘Harmony with oneself.’ The theme resonated with the apt quote by Oscar Wilde – ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken.’

The highlight of the Harmony Week was the special assembly centered around the theme ‘Harmony with Nature.’ The program commenced with the school song and Preamble, followed by a prayer. The students of the Primary Section sang the hymn ‘Bind us together.’ The melodious rendition and the innocent faces of the little children easily brought harmony amid the gathering.

The Guest Speaker, Dr. Ebenezer Wilson, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science from St. Joseph's University, was warmly welcomed. In the presence of Fr. Principal, Primary School Administrator, and the Vice Principal, Dr. Wilson was felicitated. He elaborated on the topic ‘Harmony with Nature’ and shed light on the importance of sustainable development and preserving resources for future generations. Dr. Wilson engaged the audience with anecdotes and moral-based stories to deepen their understanding of the topic. He emphasized that protecting the environment starts with acknowledging our past actions and taking responsibility for their impact on our planet. He accentuated that we all share a common home, Mother Earth, and must work together to protect it. By the end of his speech, Dr. Wilson renamed the theme ‘Living in Harmony with Nature’ and urged the audience to take an oath to safeguard nature.

Fr. Sunil Fernandes SJ, Principal of SJBHS, addressed the gathering, shared his thoughts on the topic and re-iterated that caring for our common home was embedded in the tenets of Jesuit education.

The High School and ISC students presented a dance that beautifully depicted the concept of Harmony. The event reached its crescendo with the ISC choir singing the Earth Song, leaving the audience enthralled. In conclusion, the audience, though aware of the meaning of harmonious living, knew that in today’s fast-paced world, ‘harmony’ is synonymous with concord with nature, with others and with one’s inner self.