A cultural revival

Music and dance go hand in hand and they have a world of their own with many different forms which can be broadly classified as Western and Classical. While learning western music and dance forms can be a fascinating thing, exploring the classical world of songs and dance is also equally interesting which is exactly what a student pursuing her P.G in English is doing.

 

A classical dancer

Manasa Hegde, a student of St. Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangalore, is pursuing her masters in English and is also a player of harmonium, but she didn’t restrict herself to only that and also went on further to learn the keyboard. She began learning the harmonium at the young age of 10 and then continued with the keyboard, learning it for two or three years. She also learnt Carnatic music for 15 years which she continues till date. She even learnt Bharatanatyam for 10 years

Young Manasa giving a Carnatic music performance

Apart from these two instruments, she also tried her hand at playing flute and guitar. Unfortunately, she couldn’t learn either of them as she could not sing songs at a very high pitch or above ‘C’ pitch as her voice is more suited for classical singing. She also is a Bharatanatyam dancer, but unfortunately she had to discontinue it as her personal issues hampered her regularity, following which she joined Alvas College in Moodbidri for her undergraduate studies. 

 

Manasa singing Classical music

Manasa gave tonnes of music and dance performance before going to Alvas and then in Alvas and in various parts of Karnataka. 

 

Manasa at a music performance

She says, “I look forward to continuing it, but am unable to do so now.” Apart from Bharatanatyam she can also perform other dance styles like Bollywood, folk dances and many more which she learnt all by herself. “I would love to learn western and contemporary dance forms which would be challenging” She says.

 

Manasa in her Yakshagana outfit

She adds “My mom gave me permission to join both singing classes when I was 5 years and dance classes when I was six years old, I love both singing and dancing equally.”  

Heart touching melodies

‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ says an old English saying and the saying is quite true. We all need to balance both work aspects as well as entertainment aspect in our lives. Entertainment in the 21^st century takes many forms, one of them being music. From Bible related music to listening to songs on a headphone, music is an important aspect of human life.

Beautiful music being made via a guitar

Jovita Mishelle Rodrigues, a student of M.Com at St Aloysius College Autonomous, Mangalore plays two instruments, the guitar and the keyboard. She started playing instruments from the young age of 12 starting with the keyboard and then going on to learn the guitar at the age of 18. She admits, “Even though I’m not a professional, I’ve been working hard to improve my skills”
.

Jovita playing the guitar

She used her skills in playing the keyboard at the church since 2010. “My mom was my inspiration in learning the keyboard as she forced me into it, I learnt the guitar because I developed a taste for it” she adds.

Jovita on the Keyboard performing for an audience

“I feel music, I feel love because that’s something I’m passionate about. I forget where I am or who’s watching me when I play the keyboard. I get into the mood of the song or hymn that I play, I try to do justice to it by rendering it the way the original composers rendered it.” she says when asked to describe the emotions and the feelings attached with playing musical instruments.

Jovita performing in front of an audience

She faced lots of humiliations initially with people laughing at what she played but her mom got her through those dark times and kept motivating her. “Today whatever I am, I owe it to her,” she admits. As a beginner, her attempts to play in the church were a failure, but that didn’t stop her from practicing until she perfected it.
 

    

 

 

A Boneless Dancer

Colleges can be a place for many things like the start of new friendship and many other activities. One of the many strengths of a college is its students possess -a number of unique talents like singing, dancing and many other unique hobbies. One such individual possessing a unique talent is Akshitha Sonal Dmello a student of St Aloysius College Autonomous, Mangalore

 

Akshitha doing a Bone-Breaking dance step

Akshitha, who is currently pursuing her M.Com and performs a unique form of street dancing called Bone-Breaking which has its origins in Jamaica and New York. “A friend who is also a dancer told me about Bone-Breaking which aroused my curiosity and I was enthusiastic about learning it,” she says 

Akshitha doing a Bone-Breaking step

She further adds, “It’s a wonderful feeling when you get the knotof flexibility after hours and hours of practice” and “I feel happy to Bone Break, because it is a unique dance which only few people can do. A lot of patience and practice is required to learn Bone-Breaking and learning Bone-Breaking as a girl is extremely rare and I am proud about it.”

Akshitha in a dance competition

Akshitha faces a lot of criticism for pursuing her passion and her parents too aren’t fond of her doing bone-breaking. She says, “People say being a girl and doing Bone-Breaking is funny or weird and to make matters worse people think Bone-Breaking is easy for me as I’m thin, but what they do not see is the amount of practice, dedication and struggles involved.”

                                                  Akshitha live in action

A Priceless Beauty

Students often use paper to make paper planes when teachers are not in class or make balls out of paper to throw at each other. However, paper can be used for something much more creative which can add a touch of elegance in any setting, and unlike most decorations, needs no additional cost. Origami, the skillful art of folding paper and often associated with the Japanese is one such method of adding elegance to one’s setting. Patience is the utmost quality required for mastering the skillful art of Origami.

A Beautiful Rose Made From Origami

Users of this wonderful art perform a marvelous feat and one among many who know this wonderful art is Vinitha Priya Pais, a student of St Aloysius College (Autonomous) in Mangalore pursuing her masters in Mass Communication and Journalism. Vinitha says, “I picked up Origami in arts and crafts class which evolved into my most favorite hobby and I derive great pleasure from Origami.” 

Ms. Vinitha Priya Pais live in actiion

Vinitha also adds that she wasn’t the first in her family to venture down this road. “My mother and grandmother too were talented in Origami and they served as my source of inspiration.” Vinitha recommends that others learn the art of Origami as “Origami develops patience, it helps in the flow of ideas and it also helps others feel creative.
”

Ms. Vinitha practicing her favorite hobby

Vinitha further adds: “Origami gives me a sense a satisfaction. It is something I feel proud about and it never fails to remove me out of my boredom.” While some may make paper planes and paper balls to throw at each other, some others see the potential of turning that paper into a beautiful art of Origami

Beautiful Origami figures by Ms. Vintha

It’s all a matter of perspective. Making either paper planes, paper balls or Origami is a matter of choice in which one may be destructive or littering the surroundings, while others might add a touch of elegance to the surroundings at no additional cost.

                                          The process of making beautiful Origami figures