Malhaar 2016

The abundance of the Rain Gods marked a time for celebration as The Indian School hosted MALHAAR 2016 on 21 July. 2016. 22 schools of Delhi/ NCR enlisted to contest at the biennial music, dance, dramatics, art and computer animation festival.

Since its inception in 2004, MALHAAR has celebrated a plethora of themes ranging from the Great Mughals to Dilli Meri Jaan, Latin America , The Silk Route and States along the Western Coast of India. MALHAAR has evolved into a veritable celebration of talent. About 400 students from across the Delhi/NCR enraptured the judges and the audience by their vigorous participation.

The momentous occasion was graced by His Excellency Hatem Tageldin, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to India, as chief guest, accompanied by Her Excellency Dalia Tageldin and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Cultural Counsellor Embassy of Egypt.

The grand festival was declared open after the lamp-lighting ceremony, symbolic of dispelling ignorance or darkness and enlightening ourselves through knowledge. This was followed by a rendition of Egyptian instrumental music by the School western music orchestra and a resplendent demonstration of the famous Tanoura Dance by two artistes from the Egyptian Embassy. The performance bewitched the audience, as the dancers tirelessly whirled in their ornate skirts balanced changing combinations of painted tambourines with both hands. Unceasing applause and screams of delight filled the auditorium as the dancers alighted from the stage and whirled their way through the audience even as little light bulbs on their layered costume cam on, making for a truly flamboyant spectacle.

In his address, His Excellency Hatem Tageldin, said he was very pleased to be invited to the School and that he looked forward to a long and close association. Appreciating the performance of The Indian School dance group, he said he felt at home watching them dance to Egyptian music! As a token of appreciation, the dancers were gifted t-shirts by the Egyptian embassy.

A wide array of judges specialising across genres were invited to judge the various competitions. Ms. Jalabala Vaidya, the co-founder and Director of Akshara Theatre with Ms. Sarita Misra- a visionary and versatile theatre personality of high repute adjudged the drama competition. The leading Odissi danseuse and the founder of Odissi Akademi in Delhi, Ms. Kavita Dwibedi adjudged the dance performances along with Mr. Himanshu Chandwara, founder and artistic director of the VOW. Some eminent musicians like Ms. Veena Pahari, working with All India Radio, Mr. Anup Ghosh, recipient of the National Scholarship in Tabla of the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Ivan Rodrick, solo violinist with the Calcutta Symphony Orchestra and the well-known Mr. Sonam Sherpa, member of the rock band Parikrama were also a part of the panel of judges.

The artwork by the budding artists was appreciated by the judges, Mr. Anoop Kamath, who has curated many prestigious exhibitions and conducted many art camps in Egypt, and Ms. Vandana Bist, illustrator for childrens books. Mr. Ojaswa Sharma, assistant professor at IIT Delhi and Ansh Kumar, graphic designer and alumnus of The Indian School, evaluated the entries for the movie-making and PPT presentation.

The auditorium was tastefully decorated and abuzz with activity. The events proceeded smoothly and on schedule. Four different venues were used, namely the auditorium, the computer labs, the gym area and the multimedia room. The entire School was pulsating, as it were, in excitement and anticipation.

The stage was a mlange of colour, with the numerous dance forms of Africa, the steps carefully matching the foot tapping rhythms and the dramatic costumes. Each performance brought its own uniqueness and charm.

The short plays that were based on the socio-political issues relating to Africa were embodiments of research and planning. The music entries had two categories. The western music entries were a tribute to the modern musicians of Africa, while the Indian were soulful renditions of Hindustani Classical music.

Movie-making in the computer animation category was a platform for young participants to put their creativity to display, with their entries on a variety of topics relating to Africa, like The History of Animation in Africa, The Life of African Tribes, Retrieval of Alexandria and Ancient Egypt.

The MS PowerPoint Presentation was nothing short of an explosion of talent too! Here, it was a shift from the fascinating world of Africa into the virtual realm of Google and Chat Sites.

The participants of the Art competition exhibited a palette of rich African Art.

As all good things come to an end so did this eventful day. It was time for the most awaited moment, the results. The anxiety was evident on the faces of the participating students. Finally, the moment came and it was announced that The Indian School had won the first position in three events namely western music, drama and dance.

Birla Vidya Niketan stood first in the category of Indian music and The Indian School secured the second position, whereas Sprindales School (Dhaula Kuan) stood third.

In the western music category, The Indian School stood first, the second position went to K.R.Mangalam (GK-2), whereas the third position was shared by Don Bosco School and Amity International School (Saket).

The artists of Springdales School (Dhaula Kuan) won the art event, The Indian School secured the second position and Somerville School secured the third position.

The dramatics' team of Tagore International School took the second position and K.R. Mangalam (GK-2) secured the third position in the same category. The first prize was shared by The Indian School and St. Georges School.

The computer animation competition was won by The Indian School. The second and third positions were secured by Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar and Tagore International School, East of Kailash branches respectively.

The Rolling Trophy went to Somerville School and the Runner Up was Tagore International School, East of Kailash.

The day drew to an end as the audience left with a lingering memory of the wonderful show that they had witnessed. It had been a day with a lot of fun and excitement packed in good proportion. It was like an exquisite potpourri of dance, drama, music and art.

MALHAAR, once again piqued the curiosity of the students and kindled the imagination in them. The non-winning teams equally benefitted from the event as it provided them a healthy and rich platform for learning.

Reported by Ms. Parul Manchanda and Suhina Roshangar with inputs by Ms. Gandharvi Mukherjee.