A musical tribute to Kipling’s Kim

It's a Nobel Prize-winning story of a young vagabond who sets off on a grand adventure with a Tibetan Lama. Rudyard Kipling's Kim has fired the imagination of readers since the 19th century, as did the Chandigarh-based Gursharan Singh's musical staged, on Saturday, at the Indradhanush Auditorium in Panchkula.

The musical was the latest in a long line of tributes to the classic. The musical involved more than 500 students of Dikshant International School and according to Singh, a sitarist and former director (music and theatre department) of Doon School, Kim was a challenging production to stage due to the extensive theme of the novel, musical content of the play and because it involved training many young actors. " Kim is such an extensive book, and getting it on stage needd a new perspective.

The theme and the plot had to be integrated in a manner that the students could connect with and perform with passion," says Singh, who created a musical score using the sitar and conceptualising various dance sequences. Working with young theatre artists, added Singh, was enriching as they had many creative inputs for the production.

ALSO READ

Life of Pi singer Bombay Jayashri to perform in Chandigarh

Theories of Sino-India war far-fetched, says ex-Army chief

HC rejects Punjab plea on Bhattal’s govt house

Civic body moots Rs 616-cr budget, discussion today