The Road to Delhi Woodstock’s Music Department Travels to Promote New Music Spaces at Woodstock

Katie Jo Walter

In 2022 the timings of Diwali and Activity Week combined with ongoing concerns over Covid to push back campus-based Worldwide Woodstock Day celebrations yet another year. Just as Team Woodstock’s spirits began to sink, Ady Manral made an exciting proposal: “What if, at the end of the school break for Diwali, we host a gathering in Delhi? We can encourage staff travelling through on their way back to campus after the break to attend.”

Soon after the Music Department was brought into the conversation. Department Head Mr Ravi Arthur enthusiastically supported the idea to bring music and other faculty and staff to the Delhi event in order to perform for alumni while promoting the music programme and raising funds towards recent Quad Music Block renovations. Since Mr Arthur was unable to take part, all preparations from the Music department side were handled by Piano teacher Mr Milan Sudzuk.

The Worldwide Woodstock Day event in Delhi was attended by over 80 alumni and saw 21 Woodstock staff join in, many of them travelling nin hours by bus from the hillside to join the event. Woodstock couldn’t have found a better way to celebrate Worldwide Woodstock Day.

The staff took to the stage to perform music of all kinds throughout the evening, including Indian classical, Semi-classical, Rock, Pop, and Latin. Staff attending included Dr Cook, Jamie Williams, Sanjaya Mark (and her husband Ajay Mark ’71), Katie Jo Walter, Bob Shoemaker, Ady Manral, Sanchali Chakraborty, Aastha Bhakri, Milan Sudzuk, Aloke Maiti, Sherin Jacob, Nischith Moses, Theresa Joseph (with husband Vinith Kumar), Clara Astarloa, Maria Lusardi, Cristian Ruiz, Afroz Anjum, Brijesh Tyagi, and Bhaskar Bahuguna.

“I am grateful to all of the alumni and my new colleagues for giving us these three days full of magic and music. May it be repeated a thousand times!” exclaimed Eugenia Lusardi, newly-joined dorm parent and sister of former Woodstock Choir Director Santiago Lusardi.

Sanjaya Mark, Chaplain and Director of Community Engagement, said, “As always it was wonderful for us to meet up with a significant number of Woodstock alumni. It's always so special to catch up on what our students are now doing. The warmth and affection extended to us by them whenever we meet and the stories they share about their lives make us feel privileged to be a part of the Woodstock family. Thank you WOSA India for a lovely, lovely evening. We look forward to your support in whatever way you can do so, for Woodstock. The Community Engagement programme will be most grateful for help towards its ongoing community development projects. Thank you to the Advancement team for organizing this most enjoyable evening in a very magical setting.

We’re looking forward to more such events.”

Distinguished alumnus Ashoke Chatterjee ’51 who was at the event was impressed by the large turnout and took to the stage to help promote giving to Woodstock and supporting the latest Music Block renovations. Sharing a message from distinguished alumna Bhavenesh Kumari Patiala ’50, he spoke about donations the two of them made at the event and made a call to action for more young alumni to show their support for the school.