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| Performers at the National Seminar on Pantomime for the Deaf and Dumb, hosted by the organisation Kolkata Anubhav at Tapan theatre. The performances at the seminar were directed by mime exponent Krishna Dutt. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray |
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| The principal of La Martiniere for Girls, Hilda Peacock, gives away prizes to the participants of the Bhasha Utsav. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray |
Students of La Martiniere for Girls organised a two-day Bhasha Utsav to mark their 175th year. The fest included a host of events, including Hindi and Bengali elocution contests, one-act plays, Rabindrasangeet and folk song contests.
The participating schools included The Heritage, St Thomas School for Girls (Kidderpore), St Xavier’s Collegiate School, Pratt Memorial, Ashok Hall Girls’ Higher Secondary School, The Future Foundation School and La Martiniere for Boys.
“We give as much importance to the mother tongue as English,” said Hilda Peacock, the principal of La Martiniere for Girls. The participants — who are usually seen strumming guitars and singing English songs at other fests — happily switched to folk songs. The lokgeet category was a huge crowd puller. La Martiniere for Girls bagged the first prize with a Bhojpuri number (Gulamiya ab hum naahi kariybo).
The boys from Don Bosco, Park Circus, also rocked the crowd with an Assamese song on the Bihu festival.
In the Hindi play category, politics was the main focus. Naya Kadam staged by the hosts explored how veteran politicians refuse to hand over the reins of control to young blood. They won the second prize. The winner was Don Bosco, Park Circus, while La Martiniere for Boys came third.
The hosts also excelled in the Bengali play category with their production, Priyo Bondhu. It dealt with the loneliness of modern times. Don Bosco, Park Circus, and St Xavier’s came second and third, respectively. The fest had a non-competitive section too, where students of Behala Blind School, along with NGOs Reach and Srijan Sobha took part.
“I was tense initially,” said Class III student Mampi Roy of All Bengal Women’s Union, after reciting a poem.
CHIT CHAT
Annual function
The annual concert and prize distribution ceremony of the primary section of Shri Shikshayatan School was held at Rabindra Sadan on August 21. Vice-principal Madhumita Seal started the programme by welcoming the parents and students. Justice Shyamal Kumar Sen, the chief guest, handed over the prizes.
The first item was Saraswati vandana, followed by an adaptation of a fairy tale called The Magic of the Elves. In the musical drama, the elves helped the poor in their quest for a happy life. The skit transported the audience into a world of magical creatures like fairies, goblins, angels and ghosts. The colourful props were made by the primary school teachers.
The next programme was the dance drama Into the Light, a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary through selected compositions by the bard.
Say no to substance abuse
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Apeejay School, Park Street organised an interactive session with students on substance abuse as a part of the International School Award (ISA) programme. The British Council initiative encourages students and teachers to explore beyond school boundaries.
The programme began with our principal Rita Chatterjee talking about the current generation. This was followed by a presentation by students on the issue, with Souma Sekhar of Class IX talking about the major consequences of substance abuse, like hallucination, paranoia and insomnia.
Panelist Amit Chatterjee of the narcotics cell, Calcutta police, spoke about his experiences with drug abuse victims, saying that an addict spends up to Rs 300 daily to fuel his addiction.
Clinical psychologist Satabhisha Chatterjee interacted with students, saying “The biggest worry is that drugs are unbelievably easy to access for teenagers and school children.” The solution lies in reaching out to the vulnerable sections of society, she advised. Andrea Fischboeck, the vice-consul of the German consulate, and clinical psychologist Supriyo Roy were the other panelists.
The students also put up a mime show titled Say No to Substance Abuse.
