WORKSHOP: WORLD MUSIC & DRAMA

With the theme of Partition of India 1947

Topic: Confronting Communal Conflict

(October 2015)

“I came in late, and started when people got in smaller groups to talk about what they knew about partition. I knew a little bit of the story of partition beforehand, but not much, and I learned a lot from that short discussion. After that I believe we came together for the “I’m the boss” activity. I felt like that simple activity taught me so much about politics and power struggles in the way that different people used different strategies to face off against each other. The next game with the blindfolds was fun, but a little less obviously connected to the story of partition, though it made sense when it was explained later. Overall this part of the workshop was very clever and enlightening. The singing and musical performance at the end was beautiful, incredible, very very good. Even though I don’t speak the language it was sung in, there was so much emotion in it that I almost came to the point of tears. Really, it was fantastic. I’ve never seen or heard of a Sarangi before, so that was cool. This was a wonderful experience that I felt very luck to have stumbled upon. I wish I had the opportunity to see Amrit Lohia’s play that she mentioned.”

Chaz Copeland – Student – Princeton University