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CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA AT ST JOSEPH’S

BY P S SUNDAR

The cultural week at 127-year-old St Joseph’s Boys’ Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School, Coonoor, titled ‘Cynosure 2015’ gave ample opportunity for the students to express themselves. 

“We conducted several on-stage and off-stage competitions separately for mainstream and ICSE courses helping students hone up their latent talents", Principal Bro Ramesh Amalanathan told  me.

“To inspire students, we staged performances by film and TV personalities including Bharath (film actor), Dhanyashree and Hariharasudhan (TV super singers), Anthony Wong (actor and choreographer), Girish (choreographer), Vignesh Raj (artist), Lokesh Dhamu (photographer) and Golcha (singer)”, he said.

I  declared open the cultural week and distributed prizes to winners in some competitions. 

          

In my address, I stressed the need for distinguishing a cultural programme from a variety entertainment as the former has specific characteristic, regional contours and grammar although both serve to entertain.  

I also emphasised that the week should end on the recognition that dance, music and drama are not culture by themselves but vehicles taking people to the world of CULTURE which is an abbreviation expanding to Care of the needy (including by organ and body donation), Understanding differences in practices, Love of all, Tradition maintenance, Upholding harmony, Respect for cleanliness and Enriching the world with ecology.

Coonoor municipal Chairman Saravanakumar was a Guest of Honour. 

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com).