West Bengal school to dedicate Christmas fest to WW-I Indian troops

Kolkata, December 12: A school in West Bengal will celebrate Christmas in a different manner this year by dedicating the festival to Indian soldiers who fought in the First World War.

The Methodist School at Dankuni in Hooghly district will highlight the sacrifices and devotion of the soldiers through cultural programmes during their Dec 19 Christmas carnival, which will commemorate the theme 'Peace on Earth'.

"Since 2014 coincides with the centenary of the War, we thought of dedicating the theme of peace to the soldiers so that the students know about the sacrifices of these bravehearts who brought peace for us," Norton Emmanuel, principal and secretary of Methodist School told IANS Thursday.

Around 1,50,000 Indian soldiers were deployed in Europe from September 1914. Most of the Indian troops, however, fought in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire. Around 70,000 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the war that began July 28, 1914 and lasted till Nov 11, 1918. Students of all age groups and staff members will showcase dance, drama and musical events at the carnival, said the principal.

IANS