Only when Urvi Thakurdesai landed in Berlin did it sink in that she was on the last leg of her musical odyssey, which would bring her school and the country international laurels. The Class IX student is the lead singer of the band from EuroSchool Thane, the sole representative from Asia, to record a song for a German album Eine Welt (one world).
“I still keep pinching myself to check if it was real. All the hard work of the 10-member school band, Innocence, has paid off,” Ms. Thakurdesai said.
Selected from among 400 global entries, the German song, ‘ Ich bin ich (I am me)’, will feature among the 23 songs in the album. “I am eagerly waiting for the album to come out. It will be released by the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development in June,” she said.
How it started
It all began in June last year, when the school received a brochure for the German song contest, Dein Song Fuer Eine Welt! (your song for one world). Organised by the German Federal President for Schools, the competition aims to create an album dedicated to world peace and harmony.
The opportunity, the school’s German teacher, Priyangu Savla, said, was enticing. But the challenge was to create a song which was themed around global development, covering issues like racial discrimination, gender inequality, and religious discrimination.
“My responsibility was to create an original composition. The song needed to have original lyrics and original voice composition, without voice enhancements. Hence, the band was set up,” Ms. Savla said.
Within a couple of months, the band had composed the song, ‘ Ich Bin Ich ’, and shared it through the official platform. It bagged two honours: the jury prize and the user voting prize. In the third week of December, the band and the teacher left for Germany to record the song in a professional studio and to attend a workshop.
Broadening minds
For 12-year-old Tanisha Prameet Savla, the pianist on the song, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “The love and attention that we got in Berlin made us feel like stars. Wherever we went, we were addressed as the Indian band.” Representing the continent, she said, was a thrill.
Doorva Pant and Vedanti Raut, the youngest members of the band, said, “The workshop on sustainable development was so informative. Meeting such lovely people from other countries, exploring their food, knowing about their culture, and exchanging thoughts was a memorable experience. We are lucky to have been part of this.”
School principal Rajani Pattabhiraman said it was a proud moment that the students got a chance to showcase their talent on a global platform. “We emphasise balanced schooling, which gives our students the right mix of academic training and co-curricular development that is necessary in shaping their personalities.”
