Happenings

Exploring Ethnic Weaves

Interested Senior School girls and teachers participated in a 4-day workshop that focussed on the quintessential Indian female garment – the sari. The workshop was conceptualized and conducted by IHS parents Mrs. Shraddha Saawant,​ a sari aficionado​, and Mrs. Prachi Saathi, an accomplished bhartaanatyam exponent. The workshop highlighted different sari weaves and styles of draping, and culminated in a fashion show featuring both traditional and contemporary drapes. Mrs. Saawant spent months sourcing and selecting the variety of saris, as well as appropriate accessories. She even sourced a few junior or mini-versions! For the participants, it was a sheer delight to explore this unique traditional creative expression in its myriad of forms, colours, textures and motifs. Who knew that there were over 108 styles of draping? As the participants took centre stage, it was elegance at its best.

IHS Celebrates Yaksha and Mahashivratri

Yaksha and Mahashivaratri were four nights to remember, filled with enthralling music and dance from distinguished artists from the diverse sub-continent of India and other parts of the globe.
The Yaksha festival, which comprises three consecutive evenings of cultural performances, started with the amazing violin maestros Mysore Nagaraj and Mysore Dr. Manjunath. The music produced from their violins was nothing short of magical and naturally they received a standing ovation for their remarkable performance. The second night was as wonderful as the first. The artiste was Smt. Meenakashi Chitharanjan, a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent who performed along with her dance students. Their performance focussed on stories from the Ramayana. On the final day, the audience was treated to Odissi dance by award-winning artists Smt. Bijayini Satpathy and Smt. Surupa Sen. The performance was indeed captivating and left the audience spellbound.

After the three nights of Yaksha came the grand finale, the unforgettable and sensational nightlong Mahashivratri celebration! On the 24th of February, people from all parts of the world gathered to enjoy and experience the wonders of this night-long festival. The event was inaugurated by the honourable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, who unveiled the colossal 112 ft Adiyogi. The Prime Minister spoke about the significance of yoga and how Adiyogi will be an inspiration for years to come for humanity to turn inward.

After the PM’s departure, the cultural extravaganza began. First up was the folk band, Rajasthan Roots, who successfully got lakhs of people on their feet as they played their upbeat traditional yet contemporary folk rhythms. The crowd’s favourite was the talented Kailash Kher who, among other pieces, performed an original track entitled ‘Adiyogi’ whose lyrics were penned by poet and writer Prasoon Joshi. Interspersed throughout the night was the Sounds of Isha. The night also featured the Rockies Troupe from Uganda, who were awesome with their tribal music and African drums, and Bengaluru-based dance company Nritarutya.

In a nutshell, these four nights were mind- blowing, a cultural cocktail filled to the brim, and a lot of fun!

– Vidhata

Getting Back to Our Rajasthani Roots

On the 15^th of February, IHS students were privileged to have the Rajasthan Roots, a collective fusion band, come and perform in the morning assembly. The artists – Aditya Bhasin, Kutle Khan, Bismillah Khan, Iqbal Gaurav, Priyank Krishna – were from different parts of Rajasthan and combined their diverse folk music styles to create something traditional yet contemporary.

The assembly began with a rendition of a verse from the 16^th century poet-saint Kabir ‘Vari Jaun Re’. This was followed by a piece penned by the Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet Bulleh Shah ‘Chal Bulleya’. The artists then presented a composition that they had penned at 3am that morning, a tribute to Adiyogi. The vocalists sang their heart out.

The students were exposed to new musical instruments such as the ‘dotara’, an instrument which is commonly used in various folk tradition in Bengal, including the ascetic Baul tradition, which resembles a mandolin. They were also introduced to the ‘khurtal’ which essentially are two pieces of strong wood held in each hand that, when hit together, create a captivating beat. The artists treated the audience to a jugalbandi between the khurtal and the dholak.

Rajasthan Roots is an amazing band full of diverse people and spectacular sounds. We look forward to hearing them again on Mahashivaratri.

– Vidhata & Heeya

Pianist Leszek Możdżer Jazzes It Up

On the 18^th of January, 2017, the students of IHS had the privilege of meeting Mr. Leszek Możdżer, a world renowned Polish jazz pianist, music producer and film music composer. He started his formal training in classical piano at the age of five. He graduated with honours from the Instrumental Faculty of the Academy of Music in Gdansk. He is a winner of many music and culture awards, and has collaborated with various musicians worldwide.

Mr. Możdżer’s performance at IHS was his first ever performance in India. He played a variety of pieces spanning over different time periods and genres. He started off with a slow piece, explaining the evolution of the piano, along with Pythagoras’s contributions to the formation of the octave. He then played a piece titled “Svantetic”, composed by the late Krzysztof Komeda, a famous jazz pianist in Poland and one of his inspirations. With simple examples dominant and tonic chords, he then explained to us how the chord progressions in classical music work, and its connection to jazz. In his last piece, called “Suffering”, a historic piano piece, he taped the strings in order to give the sound a dampened staccato effect (where the sound sounds like the strings have been plucked). His performance was nothing short of brilliant.