08
January 2012
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Wilson Co llege St u dent s g ive t h e GLBT Commu nity A Vo ice
When I was contacted about a month back from students of Wilson College about an event they planned to host at Carter Road, I was overtly ecstatic.Living Outside The Closet (LOTC) is a Wilson College TYBMM initiative that looks to change a few mindsets towards the GLBT community. These third year students of Mass Media were to hold a musical concert to celebrate the right to live by your own sexuality. This was their second event, they’re first being a PFlag (Parents, friends and family members) event at the IES Hall, Bandra, which looked to sensitize the family members (of gay and bisexual men and women) as well as people in general on various aspects of sexuality. The reason I was ecstatic was because there is no audience more perfect than that at Carter Road - and no matter the reason, they will always listen with an open mind and accept what is being said without a prejudice. The concert took place on the 23rd December and was attended by over 200 people. The concert included performances by the celebrated Wilson College band, beat boxer
AvinashTewari, Celebrate Bandra dance winners ‘Rhythm and Beats’, the screening of a promo of the film “I AM” and a riveting performance by Meiyang Chang, Monali Thakur and Mohan Kannan (the lead singer of band, Agnee). However towering over all these performances was ‘one stand out moment’ that really resonated the true message that was being put across. It was a monologue by Tushar Matthew, one of the members of the group. What was so brilliant about this monologue was - not only did it both shock and awe those listening, it also got them thinking. This is an excerpt from the monologue “ I am different only because I go against your notion of what “normal” is. For that, I have a very simple solution. Change your notions” The students of Wilson College have a lot more planned in the month of January and judging by the direction this campaign has taken off in, its not long before the GLBT starts to get the respect they have long deserved. Sean D'Mello
Artistic Expressions at Bandra Hindu Association
Artistic Impressions, the art class conducted by art co-ordinator and promoter Mrs. Hansa V Jessani held its annual Student Art Exhibition on Saturday, 10th December,2011 at the Bandra Hindu Association. The exhibition was inaugurated at 10am by Adv. Ashish Shelar and Mr. Ajeet Maniyal, secretary Bandra Hindu Association and the event went on till 8pm. The exhibition was truly a confidence-building exercise planned for the students. It gave them all a platform to showcase their talent and creativity. All the exhibits were categorized, right from toddlers to school level courses and advanced hobby courses. Medals were given in every category,
in appreciation of their creative work. Artistic Impressions- the art class is conducted and managed by Mrs. Hansa V Jessani. The class has a strength of more than 150 students. Art is personally taught by Mrs. Jessani, in batches of 15 to 18 students. The art class offers everything, right from basic drawing to advanced courses in sketching and painting in various mediums like ink, water colours, poster colours, charcoal, oil paints etc. Now, you can Explore the artist within you... Age no bar, 2.5 yrs upwards - Classes throughout the week. For more details, call 9819034634 / 26464249 Ajeet Maniyal
NEWS
Music is what life sounds like
All those present witnessed a vocal musical extravaganza, which began on November 10 and went on right up to November 13, 2011. What an opening night on the 10th with the Instrumental in Classical and Non-classical category! What an age range in participants from bubbly five year olds and above to those golden girls and boys in the 60s and above! What a treat for the music lovers! What musical virtuosos and maestros in the instrumental category and what maestros entertaining the audience with their melodies! The wide spectrum of lilting voices ranged from 8 to 60 years of age, and were divided into their respective age categories of 5-8, 911, 12-17, 18-39, 40-59 and 60 years and above. Every performance was a "KODAK" moment, which enthralled the audience, whose applause would make even an onlooker want to perform. The group singing on Day 3 was loved by all, as the costume and colour co-ordination added an extra special frill to the beautiful harmony. It was nice to see the young, the old and the middle-aged blend their voices to give off their best to see their zones win. The duet singing left our judges speechless, as they saw fathers and daughters singing soulfully among the many others that participated. One of the judges even suggested to the cultural committee that the duet group be divided into two categories so that the kids too would stand a chance to win in their category. The committee noted the suggestion and will make the necessary amendment from next year. It was a treat for one’s senses to see the little one’s in the age group of 5-8 years and 911 years perform on the last day and sing and pitch so beautifully with and without an accompanist. Our accompanists did a fabulous job of supporting our contestants on all days and for this we would like to thank them. Our panel of judges were faced with the herculean task of finding our winners. And a fabulous job they did. Their judgment was taken in good spirit and was something to be lauded. It was truly a proud moment for all our winners. Our judges also gave our participants critical appreciation at the end of each day and tips for improvement, which went down well with all. We thank them immensely. We cannot forget to mention our very ap-
preciative audience, who encouraged all our participants with deafening applause each time they went on and off stage, leaving everyone amazed and inspired by this showcase of great talent. The Cultural Committee is open to any suggestions that you may have and we rely on your feedback dear parishioners to make this Carmel Musical Contest better and better each year, so that we can give you a platform to showcase your God-given talent. Personally, having been a part of the Cultural Committee since its inception, I have seen this contest move from level to level to what it is now. It started off on a trial basis but now has emerged as one that parishioners look forward to each year. I am grateful to my fellow Cultural Committee members for their tireless efforts in making this contest a success. A big thank you to the Parish Fathers team for their constant support and presence on all days. It is encouraging to have our priests with us. Hearty Congratulations to all the winners and the winning zone. You make us proud and encourage us to keep doing better each year. Last, but definitely not the least, our grateful thanks to Furtado’s for lending us their piano year after year and making it the most awaited occasion for our contestants and accompanists. We look forward to having many more take part in this contest in the future and hope you will use this platform to the fullest. Elaine D’Souza