A MUSICAL MEMORIAL ON CHILDREN’S DAY EVE – REMEMBERING CHACHA NEHRU & SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL
Not just an event, but a movement to rekindle the pride and glory of the nation of India through music, song, dance – performing art, visual art, literary art – “The (Little) Thinkers’ Forum”Charcha and “The Thinkers’ Forum”. Over 185 children from across the National Capital Region of Delhi, and the States of Haryana and Rajasthan participated in A MUSICAL MEMORIAL ON CHILDREN’S DAY EVE – "REMEMBERING CHACHA NEHRU & SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL” hosted by Lorraine Music Academy and LAMP Trust on Sunday 9th November 2014, at Epicentre Auditorium, Gurgaon.
The concert had distinguished Guests and members of the community from across the National Capital Region and from other States.
GUESTS OF HONOUR:
- Shri John Samuel, I.P.S., Member – Postal Services Board, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India
- Dr. Raj Singh, Vice Chancellor, G. D. Goenka University
- Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, Executive Director, Pathways World School, Gurgaon, Haryana
- Smt. Sarabjeet Kaur, Principal, Paramlakshya World School, Alwar District, Rajasthan
- Shri Dhirendra Singh, Principal, Sehwag International School, Jhajjar District, Haryana
HOSTS:
- Shri Aubrey Aloysius, Founder Trustee & President of LAMP Trust, Managing Director of Lorraine Music Academy, Chairman of the National Patriotic Project
- Smt. Lorraine Fiona Aloysius, Trustee of LAMP Trust, Creative Director of Lorraine Music Academy
Photo Album:
(Click here to view)
The program included:
- Welcome Address by Shri Aubrey Aloysius, Chairman, National Patriotic Project
(Click here to view the video) - Lighting of the traditional lamp by the Guests of Honour along with the hosts and children
(Click here to view the video) - Group singing of the National Anthem of India – Jana Gana Mana – by the Guests of Honour, the hosts and the audience
(Click here to view the video) - The (Little) Thinkers’ Forum Charcha with children and Shri Aubrey Aloysius
(Click here to view the video) - The Clean India Pledge / Swachchata Shapat taken by the children and the audience
(Click here to view the video) - Choir Performance / Group Singing: “Sing A Song” by students of Lorraine Music Academy
(Click here to view the video) - The Thinkers’ Forum Charcha with Shri John Samuel, Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, Smt. Sarabjeet Kaur, and Shri Aubrey Aloysius
(Click here to view the video) - Piano Performance “Sonatine – Fr. Kuhlau” by Kiyoshi Yakeem, student of Lorraine Music Academy
(Click here to view the video) - Piano Performance “Song Without Words op. 19b no. 1 – Felix Mendelssohn” by Mayuri Gupta, student of Lorraine Music Academy
(Click here to view the video) - Choir Performance / Group Singing: “’Dohas’ from Kabir” by students of Pathways World School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Choir Performance / Group Singing: “Ekla Chalo Re” by students of Lotus Valley International School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Choir Performance / Group Singing: “Hero” by students of Pathways World School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Dance Performance: “Rajasthani Folk Dance – Lagi Lagi Rey” by students of Paramlakshya World School, Alwar District, Rajasthan
(Click here to view the video) - Dance Performance: “Medley of Bengali, Gujarati & Rajasthani Folk Dances” by students of Sehwag International School, Jhajjar District, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Dance Performance: “Folk Dance – Dandiya” by students of Lotus Valley International School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Dance Performance: “Rajasthani Folk Dance” by students of Suncity World School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video) - Dance Performance: “Rajasthani Folk Dance” by students of Rotary Public School, Gurgaon, Haryana
(Click here to view the video)
The concert was dedicated to the National Patriotic Project “Come India Sing Jana Gana Mana” and “Come India Sing For Clean India”. Aubrey Aloysius addressed children, youth and the audience gathered, reminding them of the great sacrifices made by our Nation’s Heroes – Mahatma Gandhi, Chacha Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The gathering paid homage to our 1st Deputy Prime Minister & Home Minister – “Iron Man” Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, commemorating his recent 139th birth anniversary on 31st October as the National Unity Day. An over-filled auditorium of 400+ people consisting of adults, youth & children displayed their unity for our nation by participating in the Workshop on the National Anthem and singing JANA GANA MANA with passion, pride and precision – in 52 seconds.
The gathering also paid homage to the Father of our Nation – Mahatma Gandhi by remembering 12th November as the National Broadcasting Services Day. Aubrey Aloysius reminded the audience that on this day in 1947, Mahatma Gandhi walked into the studios of All India Radio to address the suffering, anguish filled refugees who were camped in Kurukshetra having just faced the agonies and the horrors of partition earlier. Mahatma Gandhi recorded a 5 minute message which was broadcast. Aubrey commended the great yeoman service to the nation being done by Prasar Bharati, All India Radio which reaches out to 92% of the country’s area and 99.19% of India’s total population, and Doordarshan which reaches our people across rural and urban India.
The gathering also paid homage to the 1st Prime Minister of our Nation – Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of his 125th birth anniversary on 14th November. The evening was also dedicated to our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s initiative of “Bal Swachchata” on the occasion of Children’s Day. Everyone present took the Clean India Pledge and spoke out loud the Swachchata Shapat in Hindi, thus committing themselves to 100 hours of service to this cause every year, ie- 2 hours a week; volunteering work for cleanliness in their homes, schools, work places, neighbourhoods; and to encouraging 100 other persons in doing the same. This evening’s group oath translates to a cumulative commitment of 40,000 hours of voluntary cleanliness work and a commitment to encourage another 40,000 individuals to volunteer a total of 40 lakh hours towards this cause over the next year.
At “The (Little) Thinkers’ Forum”, moderated by Aubrey Aloysius, it was evident that children were proud to be Indian citizens and expressed their desire to strive to do their best for (a) protection of women, (b) helping abolish child labour, (c) using their time well and excelling in all they do to make India proud of their achievements, (d) doing something significant for the nation.
At “The Thinkers’ Forum” moderated by Aubrey Aloysius, panellists spoke and shared their views on key topics such as “Are ‘Geniuses born or made” and “Motivating children towards community service and nation building”. The panellists included Shri John Samuel, I.P.S., Member – Postal Services Board, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Government of India, Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, Executive Director, Pathways World School, Gurgaon & Smt. Sarabjeet Kaur, Principal, Paramlakshya World School, Alwar District, Rajasthan.
Pearls of wisdom were shared by our Panellists:
- Shri Aubrey Aloysius: Is ‘Genius’ born or made?
- Shri John Samuel: Genius is all about the level of intelligence that you have or develop. Some children are geniuses in sports, some are geniuses in music, some are geniuses in terms of inventions & science. I will not say geniuses are born. Yes, over a period of time as they develop their own mindset with the help of parents, teachers and the society, along with the individual’s self determination and desire in certain pursuits will help him / her develop excellence. If you are excellent in the area that you are good at, whether in sports or studies or music or any other creative area, you can work towards becoming a genius.
- Smt. Sarabjeet Kaur: I do believe in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. We all have different talents that we are born with. Some are good in music, some in kinesthetic, etc. Then it depends on the level of exposure and support the child receives, determination, will power and the environment around. I believe we all have a genius in us, it all depends on the exposure and opportunity to help us take wings and fly.
- Dr. Sarvesh Naidu: This packed audience come to see children perform is a clear testimony to the fact that all of you sitting in the audience believe in the fact that actually there is a genius in all of us. It is very clear that in all of us there is a lot of talent.it is important to nurture all the talent inside us. It needs an ambience, an opportunity to nuture it and bring it out through occasions like this and many others, you will never know whether your child is a genius. We tend to narrow the definition of a genius. Most of the time we associate it to the filed of academics, but a genius could be in any field on the planet.The important thing is to recognise the talent, start nurturing it on a daily basis.
- Shri Aubrey Aloysius: How do we train the next generation of India to look outwards, to think about the community, their country and not just about themselves? In a highly competitive encironment, how do we make them better human beings, responsible citizens of India?
- Shri John Samuel: it is finally about being a better person, a better citizen. The calling for everybody is to excel, do something noble. We all want to achieve. At the same time we need to achieve in the right way. If Mahatma Gandhi had lived only for himself, probably we would not have got our Independence today. His thinking was very clear. His mission, passion and dream was to get freedom for India, not by the wrong means, but by the right means. Today we need to teach the young and the old the right values so that the world becomes a better place, India becomes a better place. It is not just about achievement, it is about achievement the right way. Are we having the right attitude to achieve the right things? India is looking for people who can do more and more for the betterment of India. The Clean India campaign is all about this. As children, as parents, as elders, we need to be involved in making India a great nation. India which is great, India which is noble, India with the right values. This is what we are really aiming at.
- Smt. Sarabjeet Kaur: As parents we do compare how we spent our childhood and how are children are spending theirs. The question we need to ask ourselves is are we spending that amount of quality time with our children today as parents? Are we investing emotionally in them, then asking them to be a better citizen? Are we portraying an ideal example for them with our own lives? They are going to learn everything from us and by observing us – knowingly, unknowingly, consciously, sub-consciusly. The kind of environment we put up at home and in school is very important. Is it based on competition or is it based on collaboration? If it is a competitive environment, he or she will grow up to be a competitive person, maybe missing on collaborative work. It is important for us to play an ideal role, bethere there for the, with them. There is a saying – spend half the money and double the time with your kids if you want them to grow the wiser.
- Dr. Sarvesh Naidu: A Chinese saying says that if you catch fish and give it to a human being, you feed him for a day or may be two, but if they learn how to do it themselves they will feed them for the rest of their lives. It is pretty much the same with children. We need to help them to learn by themselves. Give them opportunities, give them an ambience and make them aware of the right and the wrong. Kids are pretty good at creating a positive world for themselves. They do know how to give, it is probably society that blocks it. The next generation will take this nation and the world to a far greater place than we perhaps have at our age. I look at the future very positively. They are in the right hands of the youngsters.
Students from Lorraine Music Academy, Pathways World School, Paramlakshya World School, Suncity World School, Lotus Valley International School, Sehwag International School, Rotary Public School expressed their celebration through song, instrumental music, and dance performances. The musical memorial included performances of songs “Ekla Chalo Re”, “Dohas from Kabir” and a medley of our nation’s folk dances, highlighting India’s cultural ethos of “Unity in Diversity”. Lorraine Fiona Aloysius will play on the Piano and will lead a group of singers in singing “Sing A Song”. The musical evening witnessed the launch of the National Singing Project “Come India Sing For Clean India” in support of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. This musical initiative will endeavour to communicate awareness of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan among the children & youth of our nation through music and song. This series of musical initiatives will also communicate the message of “Bal Swachhta” in schools and education institutions.
Aubrey Aloysius, founder of the Lorraine Music Academy and the LAMP Trust, and Chairman of the National Patriotic Project, says “Music is food for the soul. Good food and good exercise gives you good physical stability. A good diet of the right kind of music gives you mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual stability. Music helps the creative process and sparks the imagination and ideas. When this musical imagination and experience of singing our National Anthem is ignited in a group circumstance, we have the most extraordinary power to change young lives for positive living and nation-building. The “Come India Sing For Clean India” musical initiative aims to unite children, youth and their families in the Nation Building task through cleanliness. Music helps to develop and build the scientific temper among children. Music, science and mathematics are co-related. It has been scientifically proved that music develops mathematical skills. When we study music, we have vibrations, frequency, resonance, tension, mass, length, pitch, harmonics, overtones – attributes that connect physics to music!”
The Musical Memorial included a brief workshop embedded in the concert to educate and encourage the audience to abide by the Constitution of India and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem. This included an explanation and training on the proper singing of the National Anthem as per the code as laid out in the Constitution – in the right rhythm, melody and timing.
This concert was arranged in aid of raising awareness, support and resources for the National Patriotic Project “Come India Sing Jana Gana Mana”. The Musical Memorial included patriotic and folk songs / dances depicting India’s cultural ethos of “Unity in Diversity”. The event had a full capacity audience singing our National Anthem with pride, passion, and precision. The National Patriotic Project “Come India Sing Jana Gana Mana” is a clarion call to 1.27 Billion Indians to stand together for one cause – the Unity of India, by singing one song – our National Anthem, in the correct code as laid out in the Constitution of India, which is around 52 seconds.
The event also marked the encouragement of a nation-wide drive to encourage proper singing of our National Anthem the right way as per the code laid out in the Constitution of India across schools and educational institutions. The initiative includes speaking at gatherings of students in schools and educational institutions, during assembly time, in offices and institutions, conducting workshops and training sessions, teaching the correct way of singing the Anthem, with passion, pride and precision, i.e.- in 52 seconds.
Article 51A of the Constitution of India states that “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom; to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;…”.
This event forms a part of the ongoing National Patriotic Project “Come India Sing Jana Gana Mana” that was launched on 15th August 2013, our Independence Day.
The “Come India Sing” Nation-wide Audition and Talent Contest for Music, Art & Culture is open to all. This includes a slogan contest for every Indian citizen to express what the National Anthem means to them. The contest also encourages the practising & the singing of Jana Gana Mana, Patriotic Songs, and Folk Songs among others.
Participation can be as an Individual, as a Family or as a Group of friends, a school, a college, classmates, office colleagues, communities, RWAs…. All one has to do is record on video one’s family or group or oneself singing the song, upload the video to YouTube, complete the registration form on our website, and be a part of the nation-building project. Age is no bar. This contest is open to all ages.
Select participants and winners of the above project will get opportunities to perform on stage before audiences at various venues in the National Capital Region of Delhi and across the country. Winners of the “Come India Sing” Nation-wide Talent Contest will earn the privilege of being invited to sing the National Anthem alongside the nation’s leaders and to receive their award. Individuals and groups whose performance stand out will also be invited to attend or to perform at an enormous annual cultural program depicting India’s cultural ethos of “Unity in Diversity”, in a large venue in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Thousands of the nation’s youth will together in one voice celebrate our great nation by singing "Jana Gana Mana". This event will be broadcast nationally and internationally, giving participants exposure on a grand scale that will, at the very least, leave them with memories that will last for a lifetime and, at the very most, be the key elements in inspiring them realize their greater dreams.
Watch Recent Interviews on Lok Sabha Television:
So spread the word, and join in singing our National Anthem. Other songs – patriotic songs, festive songs, folk songs, pop songs, – can follow as well.
To participate, one can log on to the following website: www.localhost/lma or email: contest@lorrainemusicacademy.com or sms 9910143344.
To participate in or contribute to the nation building project, one can log on to the following websites:
www.localhost/lma
www.Facebook.com/ComeIndiaSing
www.facebook.com/pages/Lorraine-Music-Academy/113247108756592?ref=br_rs
or email: contest@lorrainemusicacademy.com or Aubrey@LorraineMusicAcademy.com
or sms 9910143344.
Conceptualised & Initiated by:
- Lorraine Music Academy
in Aid of:
- LAMP Trust
