Keekli Reporter, 8th May, 2015, Shimla
Inter House Drama Competition Standings — 1st Kasturi; 2nd Toshqui; 3rd Shipkila and 4th Chinar. A few amazing performances were witnessed as each play had a deep underlying message for the viewers.
An entertaining as well as educative morning was spent by the students of St Thomas School as they witnessed immense talent among their peers and schoolmates during the Helen Jerwood Inter House Drama Competition which was organized here today. Principal Auckland House School for Boys, Michael Anil John presided over the function as the chief guest as well as a judge, who was accompanied by two other judges, Ritu Sharma, Vice Principal Monal Public School, Shimla and Sanjay Sood, APRO, DC Office Shimla. The event began as School Principal Vidhupriya Chakravarty warmly greeted the chief guest and all the students present to see the spectacle event. With a lot of draws the chief guest announced the event open as artists from Toshqui House stepped on the stage to give their performance.
Toshqui House first presented the play titled “Abu Hasan and his Wife”. The play reflects upon Hasan’s life and his wife Fatima, who pay off their debts without having to pay any money. Despite wealth, affluence and influence, the Caliph and Sultana were unable to exercise their wisdom to see through the plan and punish Hasan for his conniving ways. Saavi Parmar received the best performance award.
Next play was performed by the students of Shipkila House titled “Refund” — A play about a girl who after 10 years of finishing school goes back to her institute to have her money refunded. A hilarious comedy where Natalia, the protagonist is proved wrong by her former principal and teachers that her education was much more valuable than she thinks. After taking an oral re-exam she passes in flying colours as she is proved to be very intelligent and good at all subjects, hence saving grace for the school as well as for herself. The school is thus saved from refunding her tuition fee. Mridul, who acted as the Math teacher received the best performance award for his impeccable acting.
A very different and elegantly performed puppet dance by the girls was a nice break !
Students of Kasturi House then touched up on a very sensitive issue, “Save a Girl Child”. It depicted the story of a girl Shyama, who is harassed by her husband, mother in law and sister in law who pursue her to abort her girl child. In an imaginative sequence of events, Shyama sees the birth of her daughter in four stages of her life — a small child; as a school going kid, as a college students and then as a professional doctor who sensitizes everyone on the importance of being a girl and the significant role they play in the society. Shyama is shown as a strong woman who is willing to fight for her rights and give birth to her daughter, while educating her family that female feoticide is a crime and girls should be loved and cherished. Taviksha won the best performance award for her heart-rending performance as Shyama and the House Mistress with her team lifted the Running Trophy for the best play.
The last performance of the morning was by the students of Chinar House who enacted the play “The Name Sake”. It reflected on the life long struggle of Gogol Ganguly and an unbridgeable generation gap between him and his father Ashok. Gogol is tormented by his name throughout his life, not being able to understand the real feelings of his father and by the time he realizes his father expires and it is too late for him to mend his way. The best performance award was bagged by Sapna, who acted as Gogol’s mother.
The Chief Guest, Principal John presented the awards to all the winners and lauded the efforts of the House teachers and students for putting up a great show as various standings were just numbers but the whole-hearted participation was the highlight of the event. He said, “The ideas were well presented and executed, and it is a huge opportunity to step on the stage and give performances. This also helps in voice modulation and gives immense confidence to all the students”. APRO Sanjay Sood too addressed the students and while sharing his theatre experience he said, “It was a pleasure to witness students perform so beautifully as even today it is a process of learning for me. It is important to see the relative sequence of events followed through and most imperative is that while performing the students should never turn their back towards the audience”. He also emphasized on strong dialogue delivery and speech, which can gain recognition even when working behind the scenes.
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