ART POETICA
Dr Prem Kirpal Memorial Interschool Art and Poetry Competition
“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.”
– Pablo Picasso
Delhi Public School R.K. Puram hosted Art Poetica, the Dr. Prem Kirpal Memorial Inter School Art and Poetry Competitions, virtually, on 28 December 2021, in loving memory of Dr. Prem Kirpal, the former Chairman of the DPS Society, who is remembered for his love for poetry, art and culture. This annual extravaganza saw students from 28 schools engage in various competitions that were tailored to be at the convergence of distinct forms of art, poetry and performing arts.
Blend Art involved recitation and dramatisation of an English poem on any social issue or theme while capturing the essence of the poem in a painting or a sketch. The online competition was judged by Dr Carreen Pakrasi and Ms Tina Rajan.
Artistic Poesy was a competition wherein a collage of pictures was shared with the students and the students were required to compose a ballad connecting the pictures in any order. The event was judged by Ms Ivy Dasgupta and Ms Anuradha Salhotra.
Lyrical Canvas was an on-the-spot drawing competition wherein participants were given a line from a well-known poem and were asked to create a visual image which accurately captured and depicted the dominant emotion conveyed by it. The competition was judged by Mr Pankaj Guru and Mr Shashi Paul.
In Inverse Rhapsody, participants were given a short poem or lines from a poem to recite twice. First, the participant recited the poem bringing out the dominant emotion as expressed by the poet and then, the participant presented it with an emotion contrasting the dominant one. The event was judged by Ms Nishtha Singhal and Ms Harneet Kaur Chahal.
Poetic Silhouette was an online shape poetry writing competition. Individual participants were required to write a rhyming poem in the shape of the prompt given to them. The entries were judged by Ms Arpita Dasgupta and Ms Tanushree Bhattacharya.
Lime-in-Rhyme was a competition which celebrated and promoted the unique and multi-layered art of limerick writing. Participants were required to write a limerick based on a verbal input and then recite it. The competition was judged by Mr Gautam Nadkarni and Dr Veena Kapur.
The Valedictory Ceremony took place on 11 March 2022 on the virtual platform- Zoom, and commenced with the shloka and the symbolic lighting of the lamp. The Western Music Society then presented a melodious song on the role of inspiration and power of victory.
The Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan, welcomed the Chief Guest, Shri V. K. Shunglu, Chairman of the DPS Society and Managing Committee of DPS R. K. Puram, and Mrs Shunglu. She extended a warm welcome to the Guest of Honour, Honourable Chief Justice Shri B. N. Kirpal and Mrs Aruna Kirpal. She also welcomed the esteemed members of the working committee of the school, Shri B. K. Chaturvedi, Dr Usha Luthra, Ms Vrinda Sarup, Mr Ravi Vira Gupta, Mr Rahul Singh, Dr Kiran Datar, Ms Namita Pradhan and the special guest Shri Kaushik Dutta.
Further, Ms Srinivasan mentioned that during these testing times, art has provided us with much needed solace – be it music, dance, theatre, painting or poetry. She emphasised on how art has the power to heal us and likened it to therapy. She said that art surpasses all man-made barriers and helps people of different cultural backgrounds to connect.. Ms Padma Srinivasan spoke about the success of Art Poetica and congratulated the vying poets and artists for carrying the legacy of Dr Prem Kirpal forward. She concluded by saying that she sincerely hoped that events like this would collectively inspire and instil in the world a love for art, poetry, theatre and dance in the years to come.
The students of the Expressions Theatre Club then presented a gripping courtroom drama, ‘The Twelve Angry Jurors,’ an adaptation of a teleplay by Reginald Rose. The performance captivated the audience with its engaging plotline and a stunning portrayal of the various characters.This was followed by a presentation of the winning performances by various participants and the announcement of winners of various competitions. The overall winner of the event was Delhi Public School, Indirapuram.
The ceremony also witnessed the digital launch of the literary magazine, The Bubbling Cauldron, an annual anthology of creative expression. The launch was accompanied by the recitation of select pieces of prose and poetry from the Bubbling Cauldron by the students from Delhi Public School R.K. Puram and its junior schools, DPS East of Kailash and DPS Vasant Vihar. This was followed by a stupendous e-exhibition of fine arts by budding artists of the host school.
The Chief Guest, Shri V.K. Shunglu addressed the gathering and commended the efforts of the school to celebrate the memory of Dr. Prem Kirpal and expressed his gratitude to the work that Dr. Prem Kirpal has done. He then praised the play courtroom drama, ‘The Twelve Angry Jurors’, and the glimpses of the competitions. Furthermore, he expressed regret on not being able to conduct the ceremony offline due to the unpredictability of Covid. He applauded the Principal, Ms. Padma Srinivasan on her determination to conduct the ceremony despite all odds. He also congratulated the participants for their sterling performances.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr Atika Dayal, Head of the English Department. She appreciated the effort of all the students in displaying their talents through the various competitions and congratulated all of them.. She also thanked all the teachers of the English, Music, IT and Fine Arts departments for their support in making the programme a success.
The ceremony culminated with the National Anthem.
The results of the various events are as follows: