Children take to stage for a musical performance to rediscover India

At a time when the idea of India is undergoing a sea change the question lsquoWhat is Indiarsquo comes loaded with possibilities Yet for the children who take to stage at St Andrewsrsquo auditorium this weekend it emerges from values such as fraternity equality justice and libertyThis weekend witness The Conference of The Birds mdash a Sufimeetshiphopmusical in English by Teach For India that seeks to educate children on the values and democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution of IndiaSearching for an idealdquoThe musical is a journey taken by children in search of an idea of Indiardquo Shaheen Mistri founder of Teach For India tells us Over two years the team also developed a curriculum mdash India and I mdash along with the play entailing lesson plans for educators focused on constitutional valuesFrom left An actor performs during rehearsal right a girl in costumeThe name for the play comes from the mystic Sufi poet Attarrsquos eponymous 12th century work It tells of 30 birds that set out in search of the meaning of life The poem left a mark on Mistri and when a discussion arose about creating an educational musical she turned to it for inspirationldquoInstead of the meaning of life we decided on children who form a secret club to become birds and fly through four valleys representing the ideals in the constitution In each valley they are confronted with situations that help them understand the conceptsrdquo she saysThe quality productionA key inspiration was a modern take on the American Revolution Taking off from Lin Manuel Mirandarsquos Hamilton Mistri decided to imbue rap in the musical ldquoIn fact the gold in the logo is called Hamilton goldrdquo she points outShaheen MistriWith Anuraj Bhagat and Nimo Patel on the music score Fali Unwala on the set design and Simi Nallaseth mdash animator for The Ice Age films mdash providing costumes it is quite a starry production But ideating is one thing execution is another task altogetherA homecomingThat task fell upon former students An alumnus of the programme Priyanka Patil is the codirector of the play A decade ago Patil was among the children learning at Teach for India She was cast in Maya another musical helmed by Mistri ldquoIt made me more selfaware and kickstarted the identity I hold right nowrdquo she tells usThe 23yearold returned to India after a scholarship term in Italy followed by another to pursue psychology and theatre at Franklin amp Marshall in the United States The last two years she says were part of her fellowship and a homecoming of sortsThe childrenMost of the cast are from the community of Lohiya Nagar in Pune mdash that Patil also hails from They were picked via an open call based simply on their interest None of them had danced or sung before Mistri informs usPriyanka PatilPatil notes ldquoAll these children had huge learning gaps due to the lockdowns Many of the sixth grade children couldnrsquot write let alone rap or singrdquo This is nothing to say of their lack of understanding about the concepts ldquoThey knew little about any facts as to what the country preamble or the constitution isrdquo she observesMistri who also contributed to the lyrics adds that the play thus became a tool ldquoto help them understand these nuanced values and believe in their own agency to bring changerdquoIt seems to have worked Patil shares ldquoDuring rehearsal there was a power cut in the community Children noted that people lacking financial means are suffering the most and began talking about the injustice They were able to make connections to their daily lives and experiences as citizens of this country to the constitutional valuesrdquoMistri calls it the final goal of the performance ldquoPerformance arts need to be at the core of education todayrdquo she notes adding ldquoThey are very powerful as a tool to build collaboration teamwork and build problem solving skills beyond simple knowledgerdquoOn June 3 7 pm June 4 12 pm and 6 pmAt St Andrews Auditorium St Dominic Road Bandra WestLog on to inbookmyshowcomCost Rs 500 onwards