“It was such an entertaining and different programme… really felt like a part of a big family sitting in the drawing room enjoying and appreciating their kids’ performances. No competition was the best part of it, making it complete appreciation and entertainment,” said the parent of nine-year-old Devyansh, who played the drums to a backing track.
At the Dalhousie Institute, Devyansh was one of the 30 performers at the Amateur Night organised by the entertainment and cultural teams of the institute for the families of the ‘family club,’ as they are known.
The evening, organised by the teams led by Natalie Pote and this writer, was held at the indoor hall on March 22, 2024. It featured members and dependents in an open concert. There was no ‘audition’ or selection, and all who registered participated to showcase their talent.
Just a kids’ event? Not!
You might be excused for thinking that this was a kids event where all the doting parents come to promote their tuneless and driven kids to “perform”. And you would be wrong. From the mother, Mitali Sinha’s introductory dance — Namaskar, choreographed by Tanusree Shankar — to her daughter, Debolina’s soulful and powerful rendition of Taylor Swift’s Long Live, it was an enjoyable evening of pure talent lasting more than two hours, uninterrupted.
L-R: Mitali performs a choreography by Tanusree Shankar, and Debolina singing Taylor Swift’s ‘Long Live’
But there were kids — from six-year-old Vania Malhotra who displayed skills on the Hula Hoop and reciting her own poems to 14-year-old Akshita Maitra on the classical guitar.
L-R: Vania showing off her skills with the Hula Hoop and Akshita on the classical guitar
Adults joined in with Amit Gope, Pallob Banerjee and Wilson Andrews leading the way, though they could easily be mistaken for professional performers judging from the whistling, applause and yells for “more” from the audience.
L-R: Amit Gope sings a Kishore Kumar number, Pallob Banerjee croons a Bollywood number, and Wilson Andrews sings Gospel
We had a batch of singers who used backing tracks with practised aplomb and showmanship that would be the envy of many a seasoned performer. Kids are not inhibited and do not need validation to “do their thing”; though some require the moral support of their friends.
(Left) Ishanvi Maitra reciting and (right) Aria Ireland singing ‘Lovely’ by Billie Eilish
(Left) Sierra Hyrapiet and Vivana Metha rapping ‘Ice Ice Baby’ and (right) Skyla Hyrapiet
Others like Eli D’Souza and Hridyansh Baid sang perfect pitch with and without music. Ishanvi Maitra recited poems she wrote herself. But there was no competition — a blessing for our kids who are constantly under pressure to perform.
Budding musicians
L-R: Farhaan, Suhana, and Urvish play popular numbers
The musicians blew the lid off expectations — from piano recitals, Hollywood and Bollywood, with Farhaan, Aaimaira Gupta, Urvish Misra and Suhana Choudhury to guitar virtuosos Devyansh Kothari and Keane Kennedy, the control over instruments was commendable. We don’t often hear classical guitar played in public concerts so Akshita’s renditions were inspiring.
L-R: Keane Kennedy plays and sings rock, Aaimaira on the piano and Devyansh on his guitar
The drummers, Devyansh and little Kairra Gupta were impressive as were Ari D’Souza on the Ukulele accompaniment to his vocals. And Wilson with his entire set up, echo chamber and all.
L-R: Kairra on the drums, Ari performing with the ukulele, and Devyansh on the drums
To this writer, the embodiment of do-what-you-enjoy was Ariyanah Mehta who did a contemporary dance recital infused with gymnastics! She got quite a round of applause for her handstands and head rolls! Her mother writes, ‘Yesterday was a wonderful evening where all our children were given a chance to shine. Organising such events really brings out the spirit of togetherness & belonging amongst the children & members.’
Ariyanah Mehta during a contemporary dance recital
The space in this write up would not do justice to the plethora of performers and some may not be mentioned but they were nonetheless impressive. Most impressive was the way in which the young hosts, Christabel and Rayed Faiyaz managed the entire show so smoothly, running one item to the next, cueing backing tracks where necessary and glossing over the inevitable technical glitches. Event managers would do well to take notes!
In the words of the Dahlia Lavi’s Love’s Song sung by (possibly) the senior most singer, S V Raman aka Raju —
Once you hear that haunting music,
no one ever wants to lose it,
we are so happy to hear it sound…
We know that the song of love pervades this family club, and we don't want to lose it.
My learning from this two hour, almost impromptu program is that there is hope! Parents are still ready to invest in musical instruments of high quality, encourage their kids to learn music and perform without inhibition. There is hope for our future if we invest in the performing arts alongside the academic monsters we tend to create.
The author is a hobby-musician and photographer who believes that everyone has the spark of a tune in their heads which, if ignited, leads on to surprising brilliance!
