Celebrating stories and those who tell them…
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad hosted the 2017 Hyderabad IB PYP Network Literature and Theatre Fest at its campus in Shamshabad on Friday 17th November 2017. Over 100 students from ten Hyderabad schools – Focus High School, Gaudium School, Meridian School (Madhapur and Banjara Hills campuses), Oakridge International School (Newton and Einstein campuses), Shantiniketan International School, Solitaire Global Schools, Glendale Creative Arts Academy and Indus International School – came together to explore stories and different forms of telling them.
“This is the second year that the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad is hosting the Theatre and Literature Fest to celebrate reading and love of literature amongst primary school students,” said Sreelatha Kumar, Academy Junior School Principal. “The motivation behind this event is to bring together children from different IB PYP schools to collaborate and understand the connection between theatre and literature through performing different genres in front of an audience.”
Students enjoyed a range of activities that allowed them to explore literature and theatre from different angles: prop making, performance poetry, mime and gesture, storytelling through music and re-telling picture books through rhyme and action. The morning’s activities culminated in a series of performances where each group shared what they had worked on with the rest of the students and faculty from the Academy as well as visiting schools. A range of western and Indian stories, songs and poems were drawn upon, reflecting the Academy’s passion for literature from around the world. Students were given a picture book as a token of appreciation for their participation.
The event was inaugurated by Ms. Prachi Joshi Johar, a published author who has to her credit five books on critical thinking for children aged between four and 14. She is also the creator of several board games – Spot’s Ball, Wordplay, Fun Match (published by Frank Educational Aids) and Maths Mania, World Board Game and Space Rescue (published by Scholastic). She has worked as a journalist and editor in various establishments, her latest position being that of an editorial team lead with Way2, a short news app. Her most recent published venture is a book of poems titled Of Desires, Dilemmas and Divinity.
Prachi Johar addressed the participants and through allegory, emphasised the importance of opening oneself up to different experiences without preconceived notions. “It is not your profession which will define you, it’s the books you read, the places you travel to, and the music you listen to that will ultimately shape your person you become,” she said, urging them to dive into literature and stories every chance they got.
Writer: Kamini Menon
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