Lucknow, December 19th & 20th, 2015: Study Hall Senior School hosted its Annual School Concert: Peace is my Religion, on the 19th and 20th of December 2015 at Sant Gadge Maharaja Auditorium, Gomti Nagar Lucknow.

The President and C.E.O of Study Hall Educational Foundation, Dr.Urvashi Sahni introduced the theme of the concert -PEACE IS MY RELIGION to draw attention to the importance of global peace. The theme centered around the ethos of Study Hall school which is inclusive and holistic education, creating proactive – lifelong learners, innovators and thinkers who are sensitive to the needs of others in the society. The entire program aimed to answer the fundamental question of understanding the self-

‘WHO AM I AND WHAT IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSE’.

The concert was an initiative to propagate world peace – Our entire School is concerned and involved in finding relevant solutions to the issues concerning the world around this subject. The students had collectively transformed to find answers to bring about peace through social and political consciousness. The students played a key role in conceptualization, scripting and execution with minimum help and guidance from the staff. The Principal Mrs. Shalini Sinha and Vice Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur supported and encouraged the students in taking on such leadership responsibilities.

The concert highlighted “PEACE, JUSTICE and STRONG INSTITUTIONS” one of the sustainable development goals identified by the UNITED NATIONS. Study Hall Educational Foundation through its work, vision and dedication has committed to adopt 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified by the UNITED NATIONS at the UN Summit in September, 2015 in New York City, USA. Key areas where Study Hall Educational Foundation is making an impact and adding to Global Development through its work in India and across the globe are –

Quality Education, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well being, Partnerships for the goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, No poverty, Zero Hunger, Reduce inequalities etc.

The burning issues concerning the world that are threatening global peace are – terrorism, violence, hatred and religious fanaticism and through our concert we propagate a value and belief system centered around peace, love , happiness harmony and compassion for all living beings.

The concert began with a grand performance by the school orchestra where in the promising musicians regaled the audience with a musical symphony, recreating the magic of old melodies, blending together different musical instruments to create perfect harmony on stage. music .Songs like ‘Imagine’ and ‘Together we can change the world’ were presented mellifuously by the students of Class XI creating the hope of a better world, without any boundaries or barriers where all strive towards the realization of the dream of an idyllic world with peace and progress as the guiding forces of humanity. The audience crooned along and shared the enthusiasm of the singers.

Involution or self realization by class VIII drew attention to human kind’s dilemma of conflict, within and without, showcasing the lives of three great men VALMIKI, ASHOKA and NELSON MANDELA who were driven by jungle rule, raw ambition and fettered by tyranny respectively and how they changed for the better, after deep reflection.

Class VII depicted on stage TRIAL AND TURMOIL bringing alive the agonizing moments in life experienced due to external forces and exhorted us to bury the past and to pull the threads of our lives again to enjoy our beautiful world with peace as our religion.

The next presentation by Class XI brought alive a poem- ‘MAUN’ on stage using elements of ‘poor theater ‘. Inspired by Emmanuel Ortez’s poem ‘A MOMENT OF SILENCE’ it touched upon several heart rending incidents of violence and mass destruction witnessed all over the world in the recent history of mankind and urged for self introspection, retrospection, reflection and analysis of our mindless actions to break the barriers that divide humanity and celebrate the beautiful colors of life ushering in progress and world peace. The sound of footsteps echoed for long in the auditorium.

The soul stirring rendition of the song SHOPAIN KA NAGMA by FAIZ AHMAD FAIZ struck an immediate chord with the audience and left them beady eyed as it was a passionate outcry about the futility of war and conveyed that in spite of the death and destruction unleashed by violence, hope lives in human hearts.

‘WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS’ was enacted by the students of class IX portraying and stamping issues of prejudice, racial discrimination and slavery and it paid a glowing tribute to the courage, dignity and endurance of the small rural community of the blacks in the 1930s.

The grand finale was presented by the students of class X who effectively brought out the inner turmoil between the heart and the mind through their dance drama -MAN RE TU SUN ZARA with the strong message that to attain peace and harmony a synthesis of the two is essential and man has to re- establish the essential connect with himself. It gave the audience enough food for thought.

The special children from Dosti participated enthusiastically in several programs with a bright spark in their eyes and a smile on their lips. They were well received by the audience with a thunderous applause.

The colourful costumes, the soothing music, apt lighting and stage setting, the well synchronized, power packed performances, all added to the overall magic created on stage and the message of peace and tranquility resonated in the auditorium.