Crescenda 38

56 Merchant Taylors’ Prep School Newsletter - 16.12.2022 MTP TPRE&RS Guru Nanak Gurpurab Tuesday, 8th November saw our first religious assembly of the half-term, with our Sikh boys explaining about the birthday and life of Guru Nanak. Ruben Bains (Y8), Ahris Chadha (Y5), Amar Dahele (Y5), Aran Gill (Y8), Ryan Kalyan (Y8), Ranveer Kumar (Y6), Sahib Singh Ahluwalia (Y6), Yuveer Singh Cheema (Y7) and Prithvi Singh Thathy (Y7) led with superb confidence and enthusiasm. The boys shared about the Guru’s life, including his birth, education and the miracles associated with him. We heard about the importance of the Five Rules and the Guru Granth Sahib. We watched a Sikh hymn being sung, and the boys particularly enjoyed sharing stories and family pictures of their celebrations. Thank you to all the boys for presenting so well, and for taking such care in preparing their material. Guru Nanak Gurpurab, Diwali Reflections and Christmas 2022 Guru Nanak Gurpurab 2022 Diwali Reflections Friday, 18th November’s assembly gave us the opportunity to look back at the Diwali celebrations which had been over half-term this year. We enjoyed some classical Indian music entering the Theatre, and then a group of Y8 boys launched into their presentation. Abhishek Shinn and Raam Shah retold the original narrative. Rishi Patel and Joy Golwala explained how Diwali is celebrated in India and the UK. They were quick to note our first Hindu Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak! Ruben Bains and Ryan Kalyan explained the Sikh reasons for celebration at this time. Kayan Chandaria talked about the Jain perspective. Prem Pandya and Rohin Ghiya tantalised us with their descriptions of the food. Dhruv Kotecha , Shrian Patel, Eashan Pindoria and Arun Sharma welcomed us into their own celebrations with family pictures and fun anecdotes. We particularly enjoyed the story about the table collapsing under the weight of the food! Well done to the boys for their maturity in working independently, for collaborating so well on Teams, and for their communication skills on the day.