An artistic tribute to Smt. Rajeshwari Paul

Apeejay Svran Global School announced the Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Interschool Competition titled ‘Artistic Impressions’ last month. The competition is held annually in memory of Shrimati Rajeshwari Paul, wife of Founder-Chairman Dr Stya Paul.

Students from a number of schools participated in the competition. Participants were required to e-mail entries in the fields of visual arts, performance arts, culinary arts and sports. Students sent entries in the form of clay models, paintings, music performances, contemporary and folk dance performances and ball juggling acts.

The webinar in which the results were announced was held on November 19. Pandit Deepak Maharaj, a distinguished and a renowned personality in the field of Kathak, presided over as the Guest of Honour.

All the participants were invited to attend the webinar. The webinar commenced with a welcome address conducted by class 11 students Swadha Pandey, Anmol Bansal and Tvishi Vasudeva. It was followed by a floral tribute to the Founder-Chairman, Dr Stya Paul and Shrimati Rajeshwari Paul.  Students performed an invocation to Goddess Saraswati through a classical dance performance by Tanishka Rawat, Saanvi Gupta, Aarna Sharma, Ida Sharma and Kenisha Sondhi, students of classes 4, 6 and 5 respectively.  

Principal, Mrs Deepika Arora, paid tributes to Smt Rajeshwari Paul. She mentioned that Smt Paul was known to all as a dear, motherly figure for her extremely kind, compassionate and loving nature. She also mentioned that Smt Paul possessed in her heart, a deep love towards art and culture and it is only befitting that she is honoured through an inter-school competition celebrating diverse art forms.

Mrs Arora also spoke about Founder Chairman Dr. Stya Paul. She mentioned that Dr Paul was a dynamic personality. Throughout his life he donned many hats. He was a successful industrialist, educationist, philanthropist, philosopher, freedom fighter and a pioneering entrepreneur as well with a far-sighted vision. She urged the students to learn persistence from her exemplary life story to become a beacon of inspiration.

Thereafter, she thanked the Guest of Honour, Pandit Shri Deepak Maharaj, for sparing his valuable time for the programme.

Class 8 students, Jiya Zutshi and Anshika Bhattacharya introduced the Guest of Honour: Pandit Deepak Maharaj, scion of the legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Shri Birju Maharaj. The students also mentioned a few of the national and international awards won by Shri Deepak Maharaj during his illustrious career.

Addressing the gathering, Pandit Deepak Maharaj inspired the students to be dedicated towards art and culture. He said, “It is only through hard work and dedication that perfection can be achieved, and it does not happen overnight. Our language is our art and we express our feelings through it.” This was followed by a video collage of his Kathak performances and iconic footwork and expressions.

Towards the end of the programme, a question and answer session was held.  Students were eager to pose their questions to Pandit Deepak Maharaj. They wanted to know the process of learning the art of Kathak. They also asked Maharaj ji about some of his special memories associated with the art form. Pt Deepak Maharaj answered all the questions of the students. He told the students, “Focus and dedication are the keys to success in every field”.

The event concluded with the Vote of Thanks proposed by class 9 student, Utkarsh.