Founder's Day 2011

Shubha Mudgal Performs at Concert by The Orchid School

The Orchid School celebrated its Seventh Annual Founder’s Day on August 7th. More than 150 children from grades VIII to IX manifested both the triumph and tragedy of the monsoon. Noted singer Shubha Mudgal opened the concert by regaling an enthusiastic audience with a traditional monsoon repertoire.

When one imagines a high school concert on the monsoon, a vivid montage splashes across the mind. Pleasant pictures of heady festivity, upbeat music, and joyous people dancing amidst vital blue and fertile green hues. While celebration is undoubtedly one aspect of the rains, there is yet another, more sinister avatar.

True art is unafraid to plunge in to the darker side of its muse. Visions of parched land begging for water, cloudbursts drowning the once-vibrant wheat, farmers shaking on the last legs of hope, economies abuzz with a sharp realisation of their fragility, bulky governments rendered brittle. And, the omnipotent question: Will the monsoon be kind to us this year?

This was the idea that manifested itself soulfully through the evening.

At the behest of Lakshmi Kumar, Director of The Orchid School, Shubha Mudgal agreed to be part of the annual celebration. This Padmashri awardee is a legendary artist, and as those given to music often are, she is one greatly inspired by the monsoon. This auspicious alliance came alive on Sunday evening. Shubha Mudgal’s stirring voice resonated in the beautiful auditorium on the premises of the school. Along with her group of musicians, including renowned tabla player Dr. Aneesh Pradhan, she performed several songs dedicated to the rain.

Just prior to her performance, the musicians were felicitated by several members of the organisation’s team, including the Principal Shilpa Solanki. The founder members of the school were, in turn, honoured by Shubha Mudgal and her team. What ensued took the evening to a moving crescendo over the next couple of hours.

Shubha Mudgal was interviewed by a Performing Arts teacher before she began singing. The opinions expressed therein were highly articulate and deeply relevant. She spoke about her upbringing in Allahabad, the “cosmetic” nature of talent shows on television and the importance of openness to different genres of music. The jhoola and kajris in her unmistakable voice were resoundingly fluid as well.

After a mesmerising performance, there was a break in which the audience was able to see the art on display outside the auditorium. An installation in the foyer of the school depicted the rains in all their beauty and cruelty. There was other student art that was proudly displayed in the vicinity.

Close to 120 students then took the stage for ‘Monsoon Mushaira: Ritu Saawan Ki’. The remainder of the children were all deeply involved in activities leading to and backstage ongoings during the show. The Fine Arts and Performing Arts are an integral part of the philosophical underpinnings of The Orchid School. The school is of the firm belief that education must engender children who are globally competent; however, this must occur authentically, without losing touch with the local roots from which they sprout. Consequently, classical music and language were the backbone of the show.

Poetry recitations in Hindi and Marathi, traditional and contemporary dances some of which were set to a live choir composed entirely of children, and powerful narrators were a central part of the show. While each performer was a little maestro, what the audience found most riveting were two sets of drum circles and a surprise segment by the chorus which simulated sounds of rainfall using nothing but a series of clicks and claps. The drum circles were rousing and it was impossible to find a member of the audience not moved by the passionate percussions of fifteen youngsters and on all kinds of drums. Their beats were contagious and the mood they created was remarkable.

A poignant enactment of the poem Kana by Kusumagraj brought the evening to a close. This was backed up beautifully by a choir of over forty fresh voices. It was indeed an inspired artistic session involving children and celebrities alike. The Orchid School, a Pradnya Niketan Education Society venture, looks forward to many such in the years to come.

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