Janmashtami marked with Aarti and Matki Phod at Kankaria School
Janmashtami celebrations held at Divan-Ballubhai School in Kankaria
Students of Divan-Ballubhai School in Kankaria, Ahmedabad, marked Janmashtami with a programme that brought religious traditions and student performances together.
The celebration included traditional lamp lighting and Aarti, followed by dance performances, a presentation of Krishna Leela and a Matki Phod event. Through these activities, students presented different parts of the story and traditions associated with Lord Krishna.
Janmashtami was observed across Ahmedabad on Friday, September 4, 2026. The festival marks the birth of Lord Krishna and is traditionally observed with prayers, fasting, devotional activities and celebrations around midnight. In Ahmedabad, the main birth celebration was observed around midnight between September 4 and 5.
At the Kankaria school, the programme allowed students to take part in the festival through performances rather than limiting the occasion to a religious ceremony. The dance presentations and Krishna Leela allowed students to portray characters and episodes linked to Krishna’s life, while the Matki Phod added a more active part to the programme.
Matki Phod, also known as Dahi Handi in many parts of India, is associated with stories of Krishna’s childhood and his fondness for butter and curd. Groups traditionally form human pyramids to reach a pot suspended above the ground. The activity has become a well-known part of Janmashtami celebrations in several parts of the country. In 2026, Dahi Handi was observed on September 5 according to the Ahmedabad festival calendar.
The school itself has a long history in Ahmedabad. According to the institution’s official history, the school began on January 6, 1908, under the name The Proprietary High School. It was started by Shri Jivanlal Hariprasad Divan and Shri Balvantrai Thakore. The school later became known as Divan-Ballubhai School in honour of its founders.
The Kankaria connection also goes back several decades. The school’s history records that the institution was moved to Kankaria because the founders wanted a larger open space for students. At the time, Kankaria was described by the school as a relatively underdeveloped area. The move eventually became an important part of the institution’s development.
The school has also remained connected with cultural and co-curricular activities. Its official website says that academics form the main focus, while sports and other activities are also given space. The Kankaria branch lists facilities and activities including cricket, volleyball, table tennis, handball, music and science laboratories.
For students, festivals such as Janmashtami can serve as an opportunity to learn about Indian traditions through participation. A school programme can bring together elements such as prayer, music, dance, storytelling and group activities in a setting familiar to children.
The school’s stated educational approach also gives importance to children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Its Kankaria primary school information notes that cultural activities are organised during the academic year and that students are given opportunities to display their talents.
This approach was visible in the Janmashtami programme, where students took different roles in presenting the celebration. The lamp lighting and Aarti formed the traditional religious part of the event, while the dance performances and Krishna Leela brought a stage-performance element. The Matki Phod provided a physical activity connected with the festival’s popular traditions.
Divan-Ballubhai School is affiliated with the Gujarat State Education Board and has both Gujarati and English-medium education. The school group currently operates branches in Kankaria, Rajnagar and Paldi. Its official website says that more than 10,000 students study across its schools and that its alumni network includes about 90,000 former students.
The institution’s history also links its founders with India’s freedom movement. Its official account states that Jivanlal Divan and Balvantrai Thakore joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March, also known as the Dandi March, in 1930 and were jailed. In 1931, ownership of the school was transferred to The Proprietary High School Trust.
More than a century after the school was established, its Janmashtami programme in Kankaria reflected the continuing place of cultural activities within school life. Students used dance, theatre and traditional ceremonies to take part in the festival and present Krishna-related stories to their school community.
For the children involved, the occasion provided a school-based setting in which religious tradition, performance and group participation came together. The programme also showed how a festival observed in homes and temples across Ahmedabad can take a different form inside a school, with students becoming performers and participants in the day’s activities.
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