21 December,2023 07:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Shriram Iyengar
Children perform during the ongoing rehearsals ahead of the performance. Pics/Shadab Khan
Up and down this metropolis of Mumbai are many institutions that predate the modern age. They have outlasted wars and epidemics to craft survival stories of their own. Among them is the 160-year-old bustling campus of St Stanislaus High School. Located on Hill Road, the school has seen generations of stars, Olympians and scholars alike walk through its familiar corridors to emerge as upright citizens. On the occasion of its 160th year, the school will host a musical performance that blends this essence of values passed through history, and the emerging future.
Walk into the vast grounds by 5 pm, and it is the centre of activity. The children are warming up for their upcoming performance, Superstan the Musical. Teacher and show director Annabelle Ferro, tells us that it is a story of young boys taking on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with their unique superpower. She explains, "The story revolves around a battle between AI and simple human values. The only thing that stands in its way are the lessons and qualities passed down through St Stanislaus. Cue, the Superstans."
These values of diligence, discipline and kindness are familiar terms to generations of students. Not surprising since the foundation of the school was laid in April 1852 by Jesuits from Germany with an orphanage in Byculla. Over the next decade, the seminary transferred to Cavel, and the Boys Native Orphanage moved to Bandra in June 1863. This was the beginning of an educational institution that has now become a landmark in the suburban neighbourhood.
This writer cannot help but be struck by the coincidences of the school's connection with history. In January of 1863, the same year in which the school moved to Bandra, former US president Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery in the United States of America. Ferro shares a detail from an old school archive that notes how African natives who were rescued from slave trade by the British Royal Navy were often given shelter and education by the orphanage. Similarly, she remarks that the true heritage highlighted by the performance is the values. "There is the Ignatian concept of Magis - to give more of yourself to every task you take on. That is what makes every student a Superstan."
Principal of the school, sister Arockiammal Anthony explains, "One hundred and sixty years in education is no easy feat. We have sought to give a holistic education to build character among students." This, she adds, reflects in the traditional success of the school in sports, particularly, hockey. From the legendary Oliver Andrade to Olympians in former India captain Viren Rasquinha and Marcellus Gomes, there is a continuing tradition. Sister Anthony notes with pride, "Even now, four of our under-14 boys were selected for the Maharashtra hockey team." Does that make them and St Andrews, their next-door-neighbour, rivals in school tourneys? "Not St Andrews so much. I think Don Bosco in Matunga has a healthy rivalry with us currently," she tells us in jest.
Back on the school grounds, the rehearsals continue under the lights. Auditions began in March this year, and rehearsals followed almost immediately. "We have been lucky to have help from actor and theatremaker Asif Ali Beg. We held over 10 workshops with the students before rehearsals began," she says. The performance will feature 350 members with teachers and students, including past and present âStans'. From singer Shaan - the chief guest and a performer at the event, to Gomes (who will share a video message), the alumni will represent as Superstans. With a blend of original songs and some modern takes on classics orchestrated by composer Kaizad Gherda, the musical offers promise.
But the show is all about the current crop. From the ideation to the conceptual dresses and sketches, the students were the architects. "We realised that every child had something to contribute, whether it was a sketch or a talent. They wanted to draw or add an idea, and were always engaged in the play from day one," Ferro says.
As another year rolls by, it is easy to see how the vast, familiar yellow-and-green façade of St Stanislaus continues to nurture yet another generation. The tradition of this Hill Road landmark continues.
On December 21 and 22; 7 pm onwards
At St Stanislaus High School Grounds, Hill Road, Bandra West.
Call 9833243200 (for registering); or at school counters
Cost Rs 500 onwards
