New Delhi: From captivating music and dance performances to thought-provoking paintings and installations, students of Delhi govt’s Dr BR Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Excellence in Performing and Visual Arts displayed a range of artistic talent at the Lehar exhibition held on Saturday at Shankar’s Centre for Children in Chanakyapuri.
The two-day event offers a platform for students to showcase their skills in music, visual arts, filmmaking, acting and media studies. The exhibition was inaugurated by chief minister Atishi, who engaged with the students and inquired about their artwork. Former deputy CM Manish Sisodia also visited the exhibition and attended live performances of Indian classical and western music by students. Atishi and Sisodia also watched documentaries created by student filmmakers.
Speaking at the event, Atishi said, “The creativity and expression displayed by the students are truly commendable. ‘Lehar’ has not only brought to light the exceptional talent of our children but also fostered their critical thinking and artistic abilities.”
Sisodia recalled the time when he used to visit schools earlier as the education minister. “There were countless children interested in music, direction, visual arts and the performing arts. Yet, regardless of the school they attended, ‘performance’ was always narrowly defined as clearing exams like IIT-JEE or NEET,” he said, adding, “Delhi now has five or six SoSEs offering comprehensive education in the performing and visual arts. Here, there’s no competition for JEE or NEET seats; the only focus is on how exceptional a student’s performance or artwork is.”
The event featured performances, live art displays, and immersive workshops on the theme ‘Parat: Interweaving the Layers of History, Memory, and the Passage of Time’. The exhibition thematically captured the innovative spirit of the younger generation.
Vanshika, Class XI student at SoSE Dwarka, presented a piece of Dhokra art. This traditional metal art form was creatively reinterpreted using papier mache, clay and wires to overcome the challenge of working with metal. “CM was surprised to see how we made this,” said Vanshika.
In another part of the exhibition, Bhumika and Smriti from SoSE IP Extension explained their project on cyanotype printing, a process involving two chemicals that create a unique ink when mixed with water. “This process must be done in darkness, it can’t be exposed to sunlight,” explained Smriti. Both students learned the technique during workshops in their school.
Music was also a significant element in the event. Class XI student Vaishnavi said, “We will be performing in Sufi, western and classical styles. It’s a music and singing piece.”
Among the artists, Preeti of SoSE Andrews Ganj explained the intricate process of creating her layered, carved artwork: “We make four layers of a different colour, and each layer is carved individually. Each artwork takes about four to five days to complete.” Anika, Class X student from SoSE IP Extension, displayed her monoprint. “We took a textured leaf and dried it. Then we used printing ink on the leaf and transferred the texture to paper using a pressure machine,” she said, while showcasing a replication of West Bengal’s Jamdani art done by her and her classmates.
One of the standout installations was a wire fishnet symbolising the growing threat of cybercrime, created by Akansha and her classmates from SoSE Dwarka. “The piece took us 15 days to complete,” said Akansha, saying her group wanted to draw attention to important societal issues through art.
