“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ― Pablo Picasso
Delhi Public School R.K. Puram hosted the annual Dr. Prem Kirpal Memorial Inter School Art and Poetry Competition on 22 December 2020 virtually, on Google Meet in loving memory of Dr. Prem Kirpal, the former Chairman of the DPS Society. This event saw the coming together of students from 29 schools across the nation. The various competitions successfully highlighted how instrumental art is to life, and celebrated its multifaceted glory.
In Blend Art, each team selected an English poem of their choice – one student recited and dramatized it, and the other was tasked with depicting its core essence through an original sketch/painting.
Rune Assay was a competition wherein participants were required to critically analyse a poem given on the spot, dissect its poetic devices, and interpret its relevance in present times.
Lyrical Canvas was an on-the-spot drawing competition wherein participants were given a line from a well-known poem and were tasked with creating a visual image which accurately captured and depicted the dominant emotion conveyed by it.
In Inverse Rhapsody, participants were given a short poem/lines from a poem to recite twice. First, the participant recited the poem bringing out the dominant emotion as expressed by the poet and the second time, the participant presented it with an emotion contrasting to the dominant one.
In Poetic Silhouette, an online shape poetry writing competition, individual participants were required to write a rhyming poem in the shape of the prompt given to them.
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 Valedictory Ceremony took place on 6 January 2020 on the virtual platform Zoom, and commenced with the symbolic lighting of the lamp. In her opening address, the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan, extended a warm and hearty welcome to the Chief Guest, Mr V.K. Shunglu Chairman of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS RK Puram and Mrs Shunglu ; the Guest of Honour, Chief Justice B.N Kirpal and his wife Mrs. Aruna Kirpal, and other honourable dignitaries which included Sh. B.K. Chaturvedi, Vice Chairman of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram; Mrs. Namita Pradhan, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram; Professor Dr. Usha Luthra, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram, Sh. Ravi Vira Gupta, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram, Dr. Kiran Datar, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram; Mrs. Vrinda Sarup, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram, Prof. B.P. Khandelwal, Member of the DPS Society and the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram, and Sh. Kaushik Datta, Member of the Managing Committee, DPS R.K. Puram
Further, Ms Padma Srinivasan spoke about the healing and therapeutic powers of art and how it can provide solace in these unprecedented times. According to her, art is a binding factor which brings people together and breaks barriers, and it is this thought upon which the entire event was conceptualized. She also congratulated all the budding poets and artists who participated in the competitions.
In his address, the Chairman of the DPS Society, Mr. V.K. Shunglu, traced the development of DPS Society and how Delhi Public Schools have evolved over the years, adopting newer and better teaching practices. He then paid tribute to Dr. Prem Kirpal, and imparted the message of holistic education by emphasizing that education is incomplete without art, poetry, music and drama. He concluded by reiterating the need to celebrate both cultural and intellectual achievements.
The cultural portion of the event commenced with a riveting performance by the talented instrumentalists of the Western Music Society. The students of the Expressions Theatre Club, in collaboration with the Digex Society, brought the virtual stage to life with an adaptation of the Russian satire, ‘The Proposal’ by Anton Chekhov. The theatrical display thoroughly entertained all present with its engaging storyline, impeccable costumes, and captivating performances.
The event also witnessed the digital launch of the annual literary magazine, The Bubbling Cauldron, which is an 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 the announcement of the winners for the various competitions, and a glimpse at the winning performances. The overall winner of the event was DPS Noida.
Subsequently, a breathtaking painting exhibition was showcased, highlighting the exceptional artistic talent of the students of the host school.
Professor Dr (Mrs) Usha Luthra addressed the audience, commended the faculty and students of DPS R.K. Puram for undertaking the great endeavour of going digital in these trying times, and recited an original poem by Dr. Prem Kirpal titled “A New Year Resolve”.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Atika Dayal, the head of the English Department. Dr. Dayal commended the participants for their splendid performance and thanked the dignitaries for gracing the event with their presence.
The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem.
The results for the various events are as follows –
The overall winner for the event was –
