It is celebration time again in Sir Sivaswamy Kalalaya

Students dressed up as saints, sages, dancers and the like were walking all around the premises of the Music Academy on the evening of July 22, 2011.

Yes, it was the Annual Day of Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya. The theme for this year was ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – Universal Brotherhood’.

The celebrations began with the choir followed by a play in Sanskrit. The play was about Shakuntala and how a sage advices her to go back to her husband. Shakuntala is dismayed to leave her sisters, the trees, birds and animals she had known for so long. But in the end, she accepts the sage’s advice and goes back to her husband.

The next in the show was the English skit that portrayed the life of Aurobindo Ghosh, his meeting with the Mother, Meera Richard, and how Auroville at Pondicherry came into being.

How would it be if Thaayumanavar, Kunangudi Mastan Saheb, Vallalar, and Veeramamunivar met each other?
This was the central theme of the play in Tamil. It began with a young man named ‘Dhayanidhi’ who lives in the city and hates his, according to him,  old fashioned’, name. He happens to hear certain incidents from the lives of Thaayumanavar, Kunangudi Mastan Saheb, Vallalar, and Veeramamunivar. He then learns the importance of showing love and kindness to every creature, and realises the meaning of his name too – ‘Dhaya’ means ‘karunai’ or unlimited love, and ‘nidhi’ refers to wealth.

The meeting followed next, for which Mr. N.C.Sridharan, Lawyer, NLP Consultant and Educationist, was the chief guest. He said children must know why they are doing about what they do. He spoke about how one book, ‘Unlimited Power’ by Anthony Robinson changed his life.

He said he was impressed by the performance of the students, especially two students who had played the role of a leprosy patient and of a visually challenged person in the Tamil play.

He was also impressed by the lip sync and coordination of the actors and the back stage narrators doing the voiceover. Sridharan then distributed prizes and scholarships to students who excelled in their academic performance.
The post-meeting show commenced with a dance – drama in Hindi showing the human need for spiritual intervention in worldly activities and the final triumph of good over evil.

A Bharathanatyam performance showing certain scenes from the Ramayana, such as the death of Jatayu, Vibhishanan-Ravanan’s brother joining Rama followed.

The school Principal Smt. R.Aruna brought the curtains down by thanking all the students, parents and critics for their valuable feedback.
This year’s Annual Day of the school, a massive effort by 365 students, teachers and entire faculty, came to a close with the National Anthem.