For the annual function of Hariyana Vidya Mandir this year, our students presented a slice of every corner of the country.
The chosen theme was “India” and the whole school had been practising for it ever since classes resumed after our summer vacations. Teachers divided students into teams that would represent various states and cities and their culture and heritage.
Being the Head Girl, I often had to help out with the rehearsals, which were as colourful as the final show would be. From resolving disputes to playing Agony Aunt, I had my hands full. One of the lead dancers of the Kashmir group, Ankit Dey, sprained his ankle and Sampurna Basak, on the Bengal team, was buckling under the weight of the chhou masks. The problems were many and various.
Then again there were those like Prapti Mishra of the Lucknow group who were bubbling with excitement. “I am attempting kathak for the first time,” she gushed to me.
Finally, the big day arrived. Cabinet minister of Haryana Ram Bilas Sharma was our chief guest and after a welcome ceremony at school, we headed to Science City auditorium, in school buses for the cultural programme.
After paying our respects to the recently deceased former President APJ Abdul Kalam and distributing prizes to achievers of the year, we began the show. The first act was on Haryana itself and we could see a broad smile on Sharma’s face.
Next came Benaras and Lucknow, from where we got glimpses of kathak, mujra and a performance on the evergreen Khaikey paan Benaraswala. I took a peek at the audience from the wings and could see everyone cheering for this one.
The greenroom however had headless chickens running about. If one boy groaned: “My dhoti is going to fall off!” from one corner, in another a girl cried: “Where are my dandiya sticks?” Then this girl in royal finery, I realised, had lost her group. “Didi, have you seen Chittorgarh?” she asked helplessly.
Still trying to decide which student to help, I heard the chhou music starting, followed soon by loud cheers. The act was a big hit and I saw a smile on Sampurna’s face after getting off stage.
The Maharashtra group enacted the heroics of Chhatrapati Shivaji and the girl in search of the Chittorgarh group, I realised, was playing Rani Padmavati in a drama. It was wonderful.
We laughed as the South Indian group performed Ek chatur naar and Ankit, whose sprained foot had healed, got the crowd dancing in the Kashmir section. We also witnessed the beautiful love story of Salim and Noor Jahan in Shalimaar Bagh.
The Nagaland group had beautiful costumes with feathered headgear while the Gujarat group displayed ghumar and garba. The last group, Punjab, started by chanting the name of Vahe Guru and gave us a glimpse of festivals like Llohri, Baisakhi and even a typical Punjabi wedding.
When I rose at the end of the show to sing the national anthem, I realised that we might be living in different states, speaking different languages and professing different beliefs but our hearts beat as one.
— Arundhati Biswas,
Class XII, Hariyana Vidya Mandir
