The Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Pune showcased a series of traditional Indian Dances as part of the cultural programme organized in the honour of the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Her Royal Highness was enchanted by the dance and stated, "I always wanted to come to India and no where in the world have I received such a warm welcome".

In her maiden visit to the country, the princess was accompanied by the Swedish Ambassador to India, Lars-Olof Lindgren and Swedish Deputy Ambassador to India Anders Sjoberg. The audience were enthralled by the Thakar, a tribal Dance of Maharashtra and a performance, which was the blend of Kathak and Bharatnatyam wherein Unity in Diversity was depicted.

The principal of the school Nandini Charles emphasized the need for treating each child as an individual and stated, “We have mixed and matched both systems of education .I do not think the Indian system is bad but the Swedish system only adds to it.”

The chairman of the school Ashok Patil spoke at large about the efforts of the Swedish International Development corporation Agency (SIDA), Sweden in developing rural areas, health and education through its projects.
 
The visit of the Crown Princess endorsed the work done by the Chairman of the school in developing a practical system of education where a more practical way of teaching was adopted just like that in Sweden and also to increase institutional collaboration between India and Sweden.

Her Royal Highness said, “I have always known Indians to be the kind of people who always strive for excellence even in adverse conditions. This is one reason I have always wanted to travel extensively in India since there is immense scope of learning.”