Children don emperors' clothes

HYDERABAD: Schools make varied efforts to educate children by conducting exhibitions and workshops, but for the first time in the Old City, a school in Khilwat conducted ''Emperors Day'' where-in over hundred students performed the role of 40 different emperors and kings from Indian history.
The effort was undertaken by the Central Public High School authorities in a an attempt to give the children a lesson in Indian History.The students sat on grand decorated chairs donning the cloak of different characters including the Nizams, Asif Jahi, Qutub Shahi, Moghal rulers, Delhi Sultans, Tippu Sultan and other emperors who ruled different parts of the country before Independence.
Different rooms in the school were decorated according to the regime of the king and the name and details of his empire were mentioned on banners, providing ''informative entertainment'' for the children. Further, other students in normal uniforms explained the achievements of the emperors during their tenure.
"Though the schools conducted various programmes and exhibitions but this is the first time in the Old City where the children had an opportunity to gain knowledge about the Indian art and history " the school correspondent Faheem said.
Students from over 40 different schools from the Old City visited the programme, he said. "For the first time, I am seeing such a programme being conducted by any school," Syed Abdullah a parent said.
I have attended several exhibitions but this kind of historic display is some thing new to the residents of the Old City, he said. This helps the children to share political history of the country as most of them are unaware, Abdullah said.
"Though the history books have the content in them, there is a great difference between teaching it in class and displaying it dramatically, where the children live the characters they have only read about," he added.