The Lions Club of Kohima celebrated the 79th anniversary of Indian Independence Day with a special visit to the Cherry Blossoms Inclusive School on August 15. The event was a heartwarming celebration, featuring a range of colorful performances by the students.

The festivities began with the students performing the National Anthem, supported by a music track and sign language interpretation. The program continued with a variety of vibrant performances, including a “Bumblebee” dance and a traditional dance by the CWSN Delhi Troupe from the school.

The Lions Club members expressed their appreciation and encouragement to the students and staff. The visit concluded with a shared fellowship lunch provided by the club for both the teachers and students, further strengthening the bond between the organizations.

Speaking at the event, D Adani, co-founder of Cherry Blossoms Inclusive School, shared the institution’s journey since its founding in 2007. Adani, who established the school with Purnima Kayina to support children with disabilities, explained that the school initially offered classes up to the 10th grade but had to reduce its offerings to grade 2 due to space constraints.

Despite these challenges, Adani expressed optimism for the future. He noted that the school has its own plot of land for expansion and is awaiting the government’s issuance of the land patta.

The current rented facility has become limited but he is hopeful that more suitable accommodation will soon become available.

He also spoke about the school’s commitment to professional development, training its teachers to cater better to the needs of the students while recalling that he himself attended a training in Australia before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adani highlighted the school’s community outreach efforts, which have involved working closely with disabled individuals and their families in villages like Kohima and Chedema. These projects are focused on the Angami region as the school is located in Kohima.

He noted the positive feedback from parents, whose children have shown significant improvement with the support of the school’s faculty. Adani shared that students, despite their impairments, “happily come to school and are improving with the support of the faculty members.”

He also acknowledged the support received from the government, which has enabled students to represent Nagaland at disability-related programs in Delhi.

Adani announced that the school’s students will be performing a traditional dance in Delhi this October at the same program. A preview of this performance, featuring a traditional dance with local musical themes, was presented by the students at the event.

Further, he expressed gratitude to the Lions Club Kohima for their support and acknowledged divine blessings. He reminded the community of the vital need to support children with disabilities and revealed that the school has been receiving support and valuable input from connections both within and outside the North East region.

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Lion Menuse-O Max Marius delivered a message from Lions Club of Kohima President, Lion Oken Jeet Sandham to the school on the occasion. In the message, Sandham reaffirmed the club’s commitment to the institution, noting that this visit marks a decade since their last visitation in 2015.

Sandham, who was unable to attend in person, highlighted the global reach and mission of Lions Clubs International, which has over 1.4 million members across more than 200 countries. He noted that the current International President, AP Singh from Kolkata, is serving for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

“Being a Lion means knowing that kindness matters, belonging to a compassionate community, and making a meaningful impact through service year after year,” Sandham’s message read. He stressed that Lions serve hundreds of millions of people worldwide and are “not slowing down.”

The message outlined the eight global causes that Lions clubs support: childhood cancer, diabetes, disaster relief, environment, humanitarian efforts, hunger, vision, and youth empowerment.

Sandham mentioned about the local impact of the Lions Club of Kohima, which has been actively serving the community since its inception in 1978. He shared a major aspiration of the club to establish an Eye Hospital in Kohima, expressing hope that this vision would soon be a reality.

Sandham thanked the heads of Cherry Blossoms Inclusive School for their warm welcome and assured them of the club’s “enduring service” and future visits, not just on national occasions but throughout the year.