Tagore through the eyes of children

Young performers of Sir John Wilson School seen with teachers in the background

Through recitation, song, drama and dance the young ones gave a moving portrayal of Tagore's life. The show began with the colour green, donned by the students of Aga Khan School to depict Tagore's early years. Their songs and poems spoke of freedom and ecstasy.

The red of summer and Tagore's teenage years were recreated by Scholastica. The girls' dance with diyas was memorable. This phase of the poet's life covered his years in England and depicted how his exposure to the English culture was to be later transformed into a strong Bangalee musical tradition to create new forms of music. The songs rendered by Scholastica called the new generation to be strong in the face of life's vicissitudes. To give one of these memorable songs: Amra Notun Jouboneri Duut (We are the ambassadors of youth, we are restless, we are an amazing lot).

The International School Dhaka followed next. The theme was blue to mark the season of rain and Tagore's adult years when he moved to Shantiniketan and attained great heights of creativity in his writing. The loss of his wife, daughter and son were a hard blow at this phase of his life but he held strong.

Last in the evening was a performance by Sir John Wilson School. Attired in black, a group of young girls and boys enacted the twilight years of Tagore. The song went as follows: ....My offering will mix with the setting sun

Only then my worship of sorrow will come to an end.

Explains Ann Burghard, principal of Sir John Wilson School, "Our aim was to focus on the final years of the poet's life when he was contemplating his final moment. However, there is also a note of optimism in his work."

A large part of the credit for the superb programme must go to the International School Dhaka, which coordinated the show. Then are the teachers from the three other schools and children who performed with aplomb. In particular, the four performers who enacted the various stages of Tagore's life deserve mention. From Aga Khan School came Zarine Anam Khondaker, from Scholastica there was Imtiaz Zahan Chowdhury, International School Dhaka had Saif Hassan and last was Siddharth Siddik from Sir John Wilson School who enacted the role of the aged Tagore.

The last note rightfully belongs to Liz Carrick, the coordinator of the performance and head of performing arts in International School Dhaka. As she says. "A lot of hard work went into the show. However it was a learning experience for both teachers and students and went a long way in forming friendships. The basic strength of the show was that the four schools did not view it in a competitive spirit but as an opportunity to perform in a fantastic show."