Through its bi-annual event Ninad,Delhi Public School brings its students closer to Indian classical music and our rich cultural heritage Students of Delhi Public School,Nyati County,begin their day with classical ragas like the bhairav,yaman,bhopali and ahir bhairav. From kindergarten till the tenth grade,the young minds are specially trained in classical music,an integral part of the school curriculum. It is an effort to revive Indian classical music and promote it amongst our students, says Neelam Chakrabarty,principal. As a part of this endeavour,the three branches of Delhi Public School in Pune,Ludhiana and Patna,conduct Ninad,a musical programme,twice a year. Ninad provides a platform to the young grass-root level artistes from Maharashtra and we also honour Indian classical musicians on this stage, adds Chakrabarty who has been instrumental in promoting the concept of Ninad in the Pune campus of DPS,since its establishment in 2003. Delhi Public School is a part of Takshila Educational Society (TES),which has,since its inception,endeavoured to promote Indian classical music among students. In an effort to provide holistic education to the students,the school has constantly tried to expose them to different facets of life,including art and culture. Cultural reawakening,not only for students but also for people at large,is an on-going challenge. It is for this that TES organises Ninad twice a year, says Anvita Bharti,head of the department of music of TES. Ninad has had the privilege of honouring several artistes from the music fraternity. From harmonium maestro,late Appa Jalgonkar,sarangi player Raghunath Khadilkar to tabla maestro Chandrakant Kamat. This year,DPS,Pune,honoured taal exponent Pandit Mauli Takalkar on October 16. A house-full audience witnessed performances by vocalist Pandit Vijay Bakshi and pakhawaj player Sukhad M. Munde. This year's Ninad Yugarth was dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Bapu was very fond of classical music and had often used bhajans for his noble cause of non-violence. Apart from the month-long celebrations,our school choir sung special bhajans dedicated to Bapuji , adds Bharti. In 2005,Ninad Jai Jawan honoured widows of two martyrs who lost their lives fighting for the country. Chakrabarty,along with her faculty,wants the students to be proud of their cultural heritage. Though music of any kind is good,we want our students to be well versed in Indian music. It is then that they can appreciate western rock, she adds. The special musical training is imparted to the students by the school's strong faculty of the performing arts department. We have seven teachers who are well versed in Indian classical music,dance and instruments, says Amita Singh,the activity in-charge. Though music is for all DPS students,many are not gifted with the perfect voice to sing. So we help them learn the ragas,enlighten them about great Indian artistes and make them good listeners and appreciators of music, Bharti says.
