On a warm and sunny Saturday evening, 200 odd little kids, 3 to 5 years old, parents in tow, assembled at the St Marys pre-primary school in Mapusa, Goa. As one parent put it, they were not used to being there in the afternoon. It was an unusual event for the little ones, one for which they’d been practising for weeks. The excitment was running high by the time the curtains went up for the pre-primary annual day event.

As the little ones trouped on stage for each of their performances, there was not a moment without excitement. The teachers and older students ensured continuous performances, as each troupe took a bow and walked off stage, the next ensemble was ready to get into the limelight.

The talent, the colours and the innocence were certainly not lost on the receptive audience. As the chief guest put it, parents need be proud of the alma mater, the school that encourages not just literacy but allround citizens. If this is a taste of future education at St Marys, the future is bright indeed!