The students of IVWS along with few teachers visited Fort William, the centuries old famous commemoration built during the colonial period. It was one of its kind experience for them as they walked down the well maintained gardens and reached the three pillared monument signifying the Indian Defence System in entirety – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

Facts, figures and information about the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and the valiant soldiers who contributed towards the victory were displayed all over the walls. As one of the army men took the students for a guided trip of the old fort steeped in history, pupils could comprehend the significance of wars like the Sepoy Mutiny and the Battle of Plassey with the help of maps, murals, pictures and the preserved arms and ammunitions of that era, specially rifles of various kind.The grime and sweltering heat couldn’t dampen the spirit of the young adults as they stepped into the museum showcasing the documents and pictorial accounts of the all devastating World War II. The children were absolutely thrilled and in awe to have a glimpse of old artillery, rocket launcher, shot gun, Persian and Turkish sword, the erstwhile Indian talwars etc. Their excitement knew no bounds as they were led to the prison cell where Netaji was on hunger strike for days together and finally managed to escape.

After the refreshments, the next stop was the enormous well stocked library where the students were allowed to pick magazines and journals of their choice from the racks to flip through them. Finally it was time to bid adieu to the edifice and board the school bus once again with innumerable memories to cherish lifelong.
Debirupa Mukherjee