Amidst the chaos of forming one's own organization, Samir and Ajoy gave us our first stint at "volunteerism", the much beloved Darjeeling Carnival, which sadly, has been discontinued today.
We liked the concept of the Carnival and the ideas along which it had been modeled. Dipang and the rest had been a part of it before but it was my first . Cultural vibrancy, artistic platform and an opportunity for everyone to come together in harmony and work towards one cause, for Darjeeling ...regardless of caste, creed or race.
We organized the Opening and Closing of the event. It was Fun and we had a great team going for us.
Light & Sound: Dipang, Shikhar, Ujjawal & Gatty
AVs: Bhaskar, Ajneesh & Sweta
MC: Sonika & Hemraj
Costumes: Namrata & Smriti
Production: Smriti, Namrata, Sweta, Bibek, Shailu, Dom, Emma.
Concept & Script: Dipang & Sweta
Motivation: Ajoy & Samir!
And of course, all the artists, stage hands and our 9 different Chief Guests who have been integral in our lives and the Darjeeling community.
Please find a rough concept attached below.
Opening Ceremony – Darjeeling Carnival 2006
The mood and the theme of the opening ceremony of The Darjeeling Carnival 2006 are to travel from a somber and reflective atmosphere to gradual but euphoric celebration.
The idea is to touch every Darjeeling heart in an effort to inculcate communal harmony and unity in diversity, to portray a united front against the present adversity, existing discord and to strive towards becoming a model society.
A cultural parade starts from the lower bazaar preferably Bata at 5:30 pm. The parade comprises:
A float of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to commemorate its 150th year anniversary
Children, preferably from Orphanage Homes attired in various guises that are symbolic of eminent and famous personalities of Darjeeling who are connected to the place in some way or the other. For example Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Vivian Leigh, Mark Twain, Jinnah and his wife Ruttie, Paras Mani Pradhan, Louis Banks, Jyoti Brahmin, Mahima Chaudhury, Victor Bannerjee, Sister Nivedita and even Hamjayaga.
Different samities and associations dressed in their traditional garb and holding traditional instruments, as a colorful display of Darjeeling’s unique blend of diverse cultures and ethnicities.
The Police Band for Music
The parade could also consist of children dressed in balloon outfits of the red panda, a tealeaf, Kanchenjunga etc as a depiction of all facets that are characteristic of Darjeeling and its surrounding areas.
Jugglers, fire throwers, circus acts, break dancers.
A mascot is very essential for the Carnival.
As soon as the parade arrives at Chowrasta where the crowd will be gathered to view the opening ceremony, the cavalcade will line up in front of the stage and observe silence as a tribute to Shasheesh Prasad. This year’s carnival is a tribute to Shasheesh and at this cue; Shasheesh’s wife, Ranjeeta will be brought up on stage for the lamp lighting ceremony in his honor and memory. This gesture will be followed by a silent prayer preferably led by Ajay Edwards. Soon after, a flight of white doves, confetti and bunches of balloons will be released into the air as a respectful gesture for Shasheesh, as a symbol for peaceful tides as well as to commemorate the beginning of yet another fruitful Darjeeling Carnival.
Next, the Chief Guests will be called upon and felicitated by the children on stage. There will probably be 7 of them this year and all will hail from different walks of life like a tea garden worker, a traffic cop, a porter, a nurse, a social worker etc. The idea is to celebrate and pay tribute to the abundant contribution these people have made to our everyday lives and yet, have gone unnoticed and unsung. This act will have the monitors screen a short video clip alongside about the concerned person or probably a quote or a line from a song/scripture that is relative to his/her life or profession.
Followed by a sudden black out, Chowrasta will resonate with an audio clip of the Toy Train whistle tracked by diverse sounds that are synonymous to a Darjeeling life. For example, the early morning rooster, the mosque call, the striking of the clock tower, the lower chowk bazaar sounds, the chant of the monks, children’s laughter, church bells, colloquial lingo and so forth. This entire repertoire of sounds will then be closed by a fade out of the chugging of the DHR.A blast and a spectacular banner on all the monitors that reads, “Darjeeling Carnival 2006 begins” countdown (old cinema reel), will take over immediately. Bright lights will go up and various artists who have already taken position on stage will commence with the carnival song immediately, towards the end of which the lights would have dimmed again and everyone would be holding a lit candle. The song will simultaneously feature a montage of Darjeeling’s glorious past and its dwindling present on all the screens.
The rest of the acts will follow suit promptly.
Gopal – We are the champions (Queen)
Meghna Mukhia- Heal the World (MJ)
Sabina, Hemu, Avinash and Priscilla- Can you feel the love tonight? (Lion King)
Ajneeshda – Nepali Song
Lou Majau – Blowing in the wind (Bob Dylan)
Kalaniketan Academy (Phurba)- Cultural dance
Bimal Gurung – Cultural dance
Hemu/Lipok – Drum and light show
We liked the concept of the Carnival and the ideas along which it had been modeled. Dipang and the rest had been a part of it before but it was my first . Cultural vibrancy, artistic platform and an opportunity for everyone to come together in harmony and work towards one cause, for Darjeeling ...regardless of caste, creed or race.
We organized the Opening and Closing of the event. It was Fun and we had a great team going for us.
Light & Sound: Dipang, Shikhar, Ujjawal & Gatty
AVs: Bhaskar, Ajneesh & Sweta
MC: Sonika & Hemraj
Costumes: Namrata & Smriti
Production: Smriti, Namrata, Sweta, Bibek, Shailu, Dom, Emma.
Concept & Script: Dipang & Sweta
Motivation: Ajoy & Samir!
And of course, all the artists, stage hands and our 9 different Chief Guests who have been integral in our lives and the Darjeeling community.
Please find a rough concept attached below.
Opening Ceremony – Darjeeling Carnival 2006
The mood and the theme of the opening ceremony of The Darjeeling Carnival 2006 are to travel from a somber and reflective atmosphere to gradual but euphoric celebration.
The idea is to touch every Darjeeling heart in an effort to inculcate communal harmony and unity in diversity, to portray a united front against the present adversity, existing discord and to strive towards becoming a model society.
A cultural parade starts from the lower bazaar preferably Bata at 5:30 pm. The parade comprises:
A float of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to commemorate its 150th year anniversary
Children, preferably from Orphanage Homes attired in various guises that are symbolic of eminent and famous personalities of Darjeeling who are connected to the place in some way or the other. For example Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Vivian Leigh, Mark Twain, Jinnah and his wife Ruttie, Paras Mani Pradhan, Louis Banks, Jyoti Brahmin, Mahima Chaudhury, Victor Bannerjee, Sister Nivedita and even Hamjayaga.
Different samities and associations dressed in their traditional garb and holding traditional instruments, as a colorful display of Darjeeling’s unique blend of diverse cultures and ethnicities.
The Police Band for Music
The parade could also consist of children dressed in balloon outfits of the red panda, a tealeaf, Kanchenjunga etc as a depiction of all facets that are characteristic of Darjeeling and its surrounding areas.
Jugglers, fire throwers, circus acts, break dancers.
A mascot is very essential for the Carnival.
As soon as the parade arrives at Chowrasta where the crowd will be gathered to view the opening ceremony, the cavalcade will line up in front of the stage and observe silence as a tribute to Shasheesh Prasad. This year’s carnival is a tribute to Shasheesh and at this cue; Shasheesh’s wife, Ranjeeta will be brought up on stage for the lamp lighting ceremony in his honor and memory. This gesture will be followed by a silent prayer preferably led by Ajay Edwards. Soon after, a flight of white doves, confetti and bunches of balloons will be released into the air as a respectful gesture for Shasheesh, as a symbol for peaceful tides as well as to commemorate the beginning of yet another fruitful Darjeeling Carnival.
Next, the Chief Guests will be called upon and felicitated by the children on stage. There will probably be 7 of them this year and all will hail from different walks of life like a tea garden worker, a traffic cop, a porter, a nurse, a social worker etc. The idea is to celebrate and pay tribute to the abundant contribution these people have made to our everyday lives and yet, have gone unnoticed and unsung. This act will have the monitors screen a short video clip alongside about the concerned person or probably a quote or a line from a song/scripture that is relative to his/her life or profession.
Followed by a sudden black out, Chowrasta will resonate with an audio clip of the Toy Train whistle tracked by diverse sounds that are synonymous to a Darjeeling life. For example, the early morning rooster, the mosque call, the striking of the clock tower, the lower chowk bazaar sounds, the chant of the monks, children’s laughter, church bells, colloquial lingo and so forth. This entire repertoire of sounds will then be closed by a fade out of the chugging of the DHR.A blast and a spectacular banner on all the monitors that reads, “Darjeeling Carnival 2006 begins” countdown (old cinema reel), will take over immediately. Bright lights will go up and various artists who have already taken position on stage will commence with the carnival song immediately, towards the end of which the lights would have dimmed again and everyone would be holding a lit candle. The song will simultaneously feature a montage of Darjeeling’s glorious past and its dwindling present on all the screens.
The rest of the acts will follow suit promptly.
Gopal – We are the champions (Queen)
Meghna Mukhia- Heal the World (MJ)
Sabina, Hemu, Avinash and Priscilla- Can you feel the love tonight? (Lion King)
Ajneeshda – Nepali Song
Lou Majau – Blowing in the wind (Bob Dylan)
Kalaniketan Academy (Phurba)- Cultural dance
Bimal Gurung – Cultural dance
Hemu/Lipok – Drum and light show
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