Author: Chitra Devaraj
“The Art of Teaching is the Art of Assisting Discovery”
-Mark Van Doren
Do we really need a reason to celebrate teachers? We at ShrotaHouse take pride in honoring teachers and the art of teaching through one of the most important traditional occasions of India – Gurupurnima!
Teaching in so many ways is more than just a profession.
A good teacher ignites us with knowledge. Have you ever felt like you have tread off course, and then suddenly remember your childhood teacher’s voice telling you “It’s going to turn out okay”. Well, that is the impact a great teacher has on us, we carry their voice with us always.
A good teacher teaches us about the stuff that matters in life. It’s made of moments, friendships, staying true to who we are, being resilient when faced with adversity and most importantly never giving up on our dreams!
A good teacher kindles our creativity. They don’t provide us with all the answers, but they do facilitate us to find our own answers.
A good teacher instills in us something that no one can ever take away. Wisdom.
We celebrated “Gurupurnima” in the true spirit of thanking Our Gurus. This celebration was also a way to honor the bond between a student and the teacher.
And trust us when we say this, it was nothing short of a magical evening!
If I (a lucky audience member) have to draw an analogy, it felt like open green fields on a warm sunny day, filled with sunflowers. And as you stroll by the open field, you are listening to a soothing melodious raag. That’s how the evening of 24th July felt like. I wish I could relive that evening once more!
Here is an attempt to tell you why our hearts were so light, although words might fail.
The awestruck audience: Have you ever seen a child perform using a keyboard? It’s no ordinary moment because you get to witness several beautiful things at once. You hear melodious tunes played by tiny little fingers, gleaming eyes with hope and hear a voice that carries pure innocence. These wonderful 3-7 year old children of the ShrotaHouse family have been practicing and doing their homework really well, because the performances were nothing short of marvelous!
An evening of Yaman: Raag Yaman is a popular evening raga. Originating from Kalyan thaat, Yaman Raag embodies emotions or rasas such as happiness, prayer, peace & tranquility. Our little ones also performed swars of Raag Yaman. It was a joyous moment for the teacher, Madhumita Bhaskar, to see her students in all their glory.
The love from the Parents: It’s incredible to witness how involved parents are in their children’s lives. At a time when one juggles between hectic schedules between work, family and other responsibilities, our ShrotaHouse parents had taken time off to work with us in making this event a grand success.
Parent involvement in a child’s life is of vital importance especially in their formative years. We just want to take this moment to applaud the parents. A huge shout out to the ShrotaHouse Parent community!
The Chief Guest:
“I must congratulate Madhumita, for lovingly nurturing the potentials of the young ones. This is the correct age for children to be able to understand and be exposed to classical music. The parents are so encouraging as well. The support system becomes essential for the kids to thrive and learn, music being an important medium and a path to grow. You guys are amazing, keep going!”
It was an honor to have with us one of India’s top upcoming vocalists of Jaipur gharana of Hindustani sangeet, Ms. Rutuja Lad. We thank her immensely for her presence and the knowledge she shared with us.
Colorful dresses and Madhu’s Swar Sketches: Our little ones looked dapper as we sat together and witnessed some more magic – Madhu’s swar sketches! All of them were clad in vibrant colored ethnic suits, lehengas, miniature sarees and kurta pyjamas.
Zoom sort of felt like a kaleidoscope that evening!
If you are wondering what is Madhu’s Swar Sketches : KNOW MORE about the program and enroll!
Story Time: What is a ShrotaHouse virtual gathering without a storytelling session?
We had Marcel the monkey, Bambi the Dog, Master Shifu and several other fun characters gracing us with their presence on screen. We all intently enjoyed the story of “How a girl found a magic puppy that sings?”
As the storyteller, I asked the little ones “So tell me what is the moral of the story?”
And they all replied “It is to always believe in yourself!”
This event was made possible with immense effort behind the scenes by the very talented Reshma Binu of the ShrotaHouse team!
At ShrotaHouse we have unique methods to introduce music to kids. This piques their interest in music and builds their curiosity to learn. Want to know more about what we do? Write to us at info@shrotahouse.com and don’t forget to follow us on social media!