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Praktani : The Genesis

The idea of Praktani or the Alumni Association germinated during the 150 years celebration of Birbhum Zilla School in 2000-2001. A great number of ex-students spreading all over the world gathered in the school premises to witness the momentous event. Each of them contributed in their own way to make the year-long programme a great success. Luminaries from different walks of life lent their presence in the 150th year programme. But above all, one could easily notice the spontaneous outpouring of emotions from the alumni or the former students of the school. They wanted to do something for their alma mater where they had spent the most formative and the most memorable part of their life. It was a kind of reconnecting with the roots of renewing the emotional bond with the school and the schoolmates. Praktani came into being to channelize this unbridled emotion in a positive direction. In 2002, an ad-hoc committee was formed and in 2005 Praktani or our Alumni Association got registered. Thus, the first step was taken to carry forward the legacy of BZS and the ball started rolling.

Activities of Praktani :

It has always been the motto of BZS Praktani to play a constructive role for the welfare of the BZS community. In the initial years, the level of enthusiasm was naturally quite high and many noble ventures were undertaken and successfully executed by Praktani. In its heyday, Praktani conducted a free health checkup camp and career counselling programme for the students. Praktani has never shied away from its social responsibility and it has always extended its helping hand when it mattered most. Be it offering financial help to the critically ill students, ex teachers or donating money for the renovation of the old building of a neighbouring school i.e. Benimadhab Institution, Praktani manifested the ancient Indian philosophy “Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha’.

Birbhum Zilla School is known to be a treasure trove of talent and Praktani did whatever it could do to encourage and motivate the budding talents. From introducing the system of Book Bank, conducting free coaching classes before the board examination, giving awards to the poor and meritorious students to offering guidance in the domain of higher education, Praktani always tried to boost up the morale of the young learners. As far as cultural activities are concerned, Praktani showcased the essence of Bengali culture through the 160 th year’s anniversary programme of the school in 2011. The gala event was marked by the wonderful performances of celebrated folk-band Dohar and other eminent singers, and elocutionists. A thought-provoking seminar involving illustrious alumni members was also organised.

The mesmerizing performance of the renowned elocutionist Bratati Bandyopadhyay set the benchmark of the 170 th anniversary programme. The alumni association of BZS or Praktani celebrates the foundation day of the school (i.e. 9th December) every year in a befitting manner. The school flag is hoisted in the morning of 9th December and candles or lamps are lit on the altar of the famous Neem tree in the evening of the same day . The light up ceremony in the Neemtala attracts a decent gathering as the Neem tree has assumed a historical significance for the BZS fraternity. The Annual General Meeting is usually held on a Sunday after 9th December. Arrangements of tea, snacks and sumptuous lunch are also made for the members of Praktani on that day.

The post-lunch session is for the reminiscence of recollecting the golden period of school life. Praktani presents a cultural programme in the evening on the day of A.G.M. and the programme invariably enthralls the audience every year. All the performers in the annual programme are generally the proud members of Praktani family and some of them are truly artists par excellence. So this is the brief outline of the activities of Praktani . Of course, Praktani could do many more things that it couldn’t do but that is another story.

175 the Anniversary : A Ray of Hope

The 175th anniversary of our Alma Mater is not very far and it is for sure, that none of us will like to miss the momentous occasion. Isn’t it? The 175th year of BZS is in no way an ordinary event and we all know that an extraordinary event demands extraordinary efforts from all. Let’s take up the challenge. Together we can do it as we did in the past. It will indeed be a great opportunity for us to reconnect, regroup, and reunite with our school buddies. It will also be a great occasion to reshape and remodel Praktani to make it future-ready. We are all very proud of our school. Aren’t we? Let that pride be our guiding force in the 175 th year celebration.