Page 61 - DAIS Insignia 2021-2022

Colours of India-DAIS Hosted Round Square Postcard DAIS Hosted Round Square Postcard – LaughTopia

Introduction: On the 20th of October 2021, DAIS hosted a Round Square Focusing on the bright side even in the hardest times,
Postcard with the theme – 'Colours of India', where over 170 delegates in we invited delegates from all over the world to
the age group 11 to 13 years from seven different countries participated. embark on a journey onboard the Laughter Express –
The primary goal of this Postcard was to share the diverse and vibrant LaughTopia, a Postcard hosted by DAIS on 16th
culture of India through the lens of colours. The delegates from Armenia,
Dubai, Japan, Jordon, South Africa, United States (Colorado, Georgia, and March 2022. The Postcard, 'Laughtopia – Expression
North Carolina), Tanzania, and Indian shared the significance of specific through humour', brought together around 150
colours in their cultures through a riveting 60-minute session. participants from 22 schools in 7 countries including
India, Pakistan, South Africa, Argentina, Bermuda,
This Postcard also gave the participants an opportunity to compare their UK, and the UAE.
cultures through activities and games conducted in the Baraza rooms. 37
student leaders responsible for hosting the event were guided by the senior
leaders and mentored by the Round Square teachers – Ms. Manisha Nanda
and Ms. Pratima Sridhar.
Planning: The initial planning of the Postcard started in April with young
leaders from grade 6 ideating on the theme of the Postcard. Students
demonstrated their commitment and enthusiasm towards the Postcard by
engaging in discussions, proposing various ideas for activities, strictly
adhering to timelines, and even conducting a mock Postcard after which
they effectively executed improvements and incorporated various feedback.
Execution of Postcard: The enthusiastic team joined the main event on the
20th of October. After much preparation the leaders got to meet and
interact with around 170 eager delegates. They were welcomed by the DAIS
student hosts – Samika Khanna and Vaniya Lalwani. A video, displaying the
vibrant, rich colours of India in context with the diversity of its culture was
shown as an introduction to the Postcard.

After the theme of the Postcard had been introduced, a Pre task of the
participating schools was shared. Each school shared an aspect of their rich
culture using the theme of Colours. The interpretation of colours in context Planning: The middle school leaders embarked on their planning journey by
of diverse cultures was engaging and the perfect beginning to the evening! discussing the various aspects of humor and how it could help one look at the brighter
side of life. The Planning Team had started with a couple of fun games, which would
In the Baraza discussions that followed, the delegates first introduced
themselves. The first activity was 'Zoom-in, Zoom-out' in which participants enable the participating delegates explore the good side of every situation. Our
had to guess the subject of an image from its zoomed in version. This was keynote speaker, Ms. Meghana Gandhi, set the tone for the Postcard with her
followed by 'Image Association 'in which delegates had to use image stimuli introductory session inclusive of interesting activities, helping the delegates
to connect it with something similar in their culture.
understand the need to explore every situation in life through a different perspective.
The last activity in the main session was a reflecting session titled – 'Culture
Craze'. The host leaders displayed a range of questions framed as – “Have In the Barazas, the leaders interacted with the delegates starting with a game - Riddle
you ever...?” and “Would you like to…?” - to generate responses in the Ride that helped to break the ice in the groups. The game entitled - 'Larry's Laughable
form of reflections from their learning about the Indian culture. The zoom
meeting chat was flooded with responses to the questions by the delegates. Problem', presented the delegates with different situations which encouraged them
to think about solutions of dealing with those situations with a smile on their face and
Reflections of the Planning Team: The young middle school leaders were recognizing the one thing they would still be glad for in that situation. They had
fascinated with their own creativity and problem-solving skills while a hearty laugh at some tricky situation as they came up with humorous solutions.
planning the Postcard. This post card was selected as a case study by RS
The game Laugh-O-meter allowed students to rate how funny some of the shared
central for the efficient planning and successful outcome. A moment of
pride for all the DAIS Middle School Student Leaders! memes were. These activities helped delegates have a great conversation with
opportunities to share their ideas, leaving everyone happy and laughing! Back in the
main meeting, delegates enjoyed playing the game – 'Never have I ever', where
students related to situations they have experienced or not using emotions to share
their responses. 'LaughTopia' was a super successful event, and this would not have
been possible without the constant support of our Round Square Teachers -
Ms. Manisha Nanda and Ms. Pratima Sridhar, our senior leaders, and of course all our
talented student leaders.

58 59