(University of North Bengal, 31-03-2021) Bhowmick, Arunima
Extracurricular activities (ECA), as formulated and
administered by the school authorities, either have strong mandates
of the state and its higher education agencies or are catapulted by the
socio-cultural demands nurtured by the market in terms of ‘high-value’
education. This leads to a varied experience in terms of what is
enumerated and what is practiced. An eschewed observance in terms
of grandeur can be seen across different types of schools. Interestingly
the constant feature that cuts across all these variations is a larger
belief system supporting these celebrations, guided by some grand
moral imperative and parallel cultural adaptations based on their
indigenous institutional affiliations. Above all, a process of ritualization
is at play in all these ceremonies, often oscillating and at times
overlapping between the religious and the secular.
