Re-creating History

“We had loads of fun trekking the hills and taking lots of photographs. We even took notes and drew sketches for our own understanding,” says Ketan Kondhare,a student of Std IX. The students were divided into three groups – the audio-visual group,the landscape making group and the lighting and other arrangements group. “We made a 40 by 30 feet POP (Plaster of Paris) model of the Sahyadri range and highlighted Unbarkhind,the area where Shivaji Maharaj put up his army to trap and defeat Kartalab Khan’s army,” says Siddharth Karmarkar,a Std VIII student.

The students completed the model in just five days. The audio visual presentation required the professional skill of five electronic engineers to help the students coordinate the visual effects of highlighting parts of the model according to the video. The audio visual informs the viewers about the guerrilla warfare tactics and leadership skills of the renowned warrior king. “It is important to show the students why we praise Shivaji Maharaj so much. The youth will only connect to history if history can be enacted in front of their eyes. This is our humble endeavour,” says Mohan Shete,a history teacher at the school and president of the Itihas Premi Mandal. “We have consulted professor Ke. Ghanekar,the learned historian,on the military aspect of Shivaji Maharaj’s life and he also interacted with the students,giving them an indepth analysis of Shivaji Maharaj’s strategies,” adds Shete.

The Itihas Premi Mandal has also organised a 30-minute programme on what made Shivaji one of the most celebrated warrior kings in history. It will be played in a loop everyday from 9am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm till November 1 in the school’s auditorium. The entry for the show is Rs 5.

The history exhibition is an annual event in the school. “Last year we had done a similar presentaion on Panipat and the year prior to that we made a model of Lal Mahal. Diwali is a time to celebrate achievements in history,” says Harshal Bhalgat,an ex student of the school who is currently studying in Std XI at MMCC.