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| Raganjali Music School Raises $20,000 For Children’s Camp In India |
Press Release
06/22/2011
On
11th June, 2011, Raganjali School of Music, Shrewsbury, MA organized a
musical fundraiser, Swar Lahri 2 (“Cascading Melodiesâ€). Armed with
the theme of time travel with music, Swar Lahri 2 was aiming at several
lofty goals -
- raising awareness for the rich heritage of Hindustani classical music developed over thousands of years
- showcasing students’ training in Hindustani (North Indian) Classical vocal music at Raganjali
- highlighting other genres of this ancient musical tradition, and,
- raising funds for Camp Anjali 2011, a non-profit initiative in India designed to provide opportunities for children (with special needs and from the mainstream) in performing and creative arts.
The chief-coordinator and visionary of Camp Anjali, Dr. Sruti Mohapatra, a larger-than-life personality, a frontline disability activist in India and a humanitarian, presided over Swar Lahri 2 as the Chief Guest. She addressed the audience and encouraged all to respond to the cause of disability and do whatever they can in their own way to make the world a better place for all, especially children.
Swar Lahri 2, i.e. “Cascading Melodiesâ€, was a production involving 40 singers, 11 musical accompanists and over 25 committed volunteers and 6 months of diligent preparation. In March 2010, the announcement for the show was officially launched with attractive posters/fliers, web presence for Swar Lahri 2 on the school website, as well as in Facebook, and ads in the Shrewsbury Public Television.
The program opened with a prayer to the spiritual symbol of Wisdom, Learning and Music - Goddess Saraswati. From there, the story of Hindustani classical music’s time travel began. The musical journey carried with it glimpses of the following -
- compositions in dawn, day, afternoon and night ragas (unique melodic scales)
- the influence of spiritual movement in India on Hindustani classical music
- homage to legendary musicians such as Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Amir Khusro and Tansen
- semi classical genres developed over time such as Thumri, Tappa and Quawali
- instrumental classical music featuring a keyboard and a tabla ensemble
A colorful brochure distributed to the audience revealed the purpose, scope and details of the event, while highlighting the Donors, Sponsors, local businesses and friends of the Raganjali community who supported the event financially. The brochure contained a poem and articles on disability as well as music to further highlight the many goals of the show. Each musical piece was visually embellished by its own colorful slideshow, making the music more meaningful and interesting for the audience.
The seamless flow of the program was a result of co-ordination at many levels. The emcees helped to narrate the story beautifully while ensuring a smooth transition between the opening and closing of curtains. The costume team made sure all singers were immaculately and appropriately dressed for each song. The change-over crew shuttled the participants back and forth between the stage and the Green Room to be ready ahead of time for their next presentation. The artist hospitality team, the ushering team, the ticketing team, the stage and lobby decor team, the dining team, the sound crew, individuals responsible for special seating arrangements for each presentation and for keeping track of time for each item in the show, all did an outstanding job in ensuring all aspects of the program were addressed and executed flawlessly.
Based on audience reactions after the show, the show exceeded their expectations in every manner. Many were overcome by the seamless flow and clockwork precision of the program - from transitioning of items to unique seating arrangements of singers and musicians, from meticulously designed glamorous costumes to seamless costume changes, from flawless vocal presentations to stunning visuals, from perfect co-ordination between narration to opening of a presentation, as well as, from impeccable stage decor to lobby and cafeteria arrangements. Audience members remarked that they lost sense of time and took home with them an unforgettable and uplifting experience. Many had come to attend a school concert and support a cause, but were taken aback by the high quality of the program, which could be compared to any professional audio-visual show.
This is the first attempt by Raganjali School of Music to bring Hindustani Classical Music to the forefront with a worthy cause fueling the vision to its grand completion. Indian classical music, which apparently appeals to a discerning audience, rose above its perceived appeal and engaged and entertained a diverse audience for over 3 hours, leaving most looking forward to the next production.
It is the mission of Raganjali School of Music to serve the people of New England by providing quality education and in-depth training in Hindustani Music. Raganjali strives to promote appreciation for Hindustani Music, and help students achieve artistic excellence.
For more information on Raganjali School of Music, please visit: www.raganjali.org.
More about Camp Anjali..
Camp Anjali is a unique annual event hosted by Swabhiman, a Bhubaneswar (India)-based NGO since 2001. It is a Children’s Festival, bringing special-needs and mainstream children from all across India on a creative platform for 5 days in month of November. In November 2010, in the 9th year since its inception, about 7,500 children participated in Camp Anjali, including children from most States in India.
Camp Anjali has become an important social tool for increasing awareness among children towards challenges faced by children living with disabilities. It is targeting disability education and awareness in India at the most fundamental level - among children, and preparing the future generation to overcome limiting mindsets on this issue.
Camp Anjali is also an attempt to provide an inclusive creative platform for children. Children with special needs work alongside mainstream kids on various projects, including music, dance, art & crafts, carnival, etc. Working together, children continue to erase social and emotional stigmas regarding disabilities.
The 5-day camp is held together by hundreds of volunteers - mostly students from local schools and colleges. The volunteers meet for several months before the event, working in groups to -
- mobilize awareness for the upcoming event
- encouraging local participation
- co-ordinating and conducting all activities and events during the 5-day celebration
For more information on Camp Anjali/Swabhiman, please visit : www.childrenfestival.org.
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