It was the charm of Rabindranath Tagore’s exceptional literary works that bought together various school participants from across India under one roof at the British Council. The Annual Inter School Drama Festival presented by the British Council and Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, in association with Prabha Khaitan Foundation, saw some of the best upcoming theatre aspirants showcase their talent at a unique occasion — celebrating 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
The seven schools, who were short-listed for the final competition, were Mahadevi Birla Girls High School, West Bengal, DAV International School, Punjab, Vasant Valley School, Delhi, Birla High School Boys, WestBengal, S.N Kansagra School, Gujarat, Calcutta International School, West Bengal and Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Maharashtra. The different school teams performed on different plays inspired by the works of Rabindranath Tagore.
To encourage the school children, actor Konkona Sen Sharma, who was present at the competition to judge the plays, told the children never to give up their dreams. She praised the performers and encouraged them to take up acting as a career.
Speaking on the occasion, she said, “Some plays made me laugh and some made me cry. Some were brief but they still left an impact. We had a hard time debating and deciding who to give prizes to. All of you were so good. I think it is the best time to be an actor and if any of you wants to take it seriously, go for it.”
“Have an alternate dream also, because if you don’t succeed, you shouldn’t feel disappointed. However, I wish that all of you succeed in whatever careers you choose,” she added. The best actor award was presented to Akash Mazumdar of Calcutta International School and Subham Agarwal of Mahadevi Birla Girl School, Kolkata, received the best actress award. The best production prize went to the team from S.N Kansagra School, Gujarat, who presented a play called ‘The bioscope of life’, which was based on Tagore's lecture.