WildLife Week Festival Concludes in Woodstock School Mussoorie

MUSSOORIE, 22 Aug: A Wildlife Festival week organised by Woodstock School concluded with a mesmerising theatrical presentation performed by school children of Chhoti Haldwani and Kaladhungi, Kathgodam under the aegis of the Jim Corbett Trust, Nainital, early morning, today.
Tom Alter, author and actor from Bollywood was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The children from MGVS High School, Kaphlani near Dhanolti, were invited especially to witness the play on the life of Jim Corbett.
Before the start of the play, Tom Alter addressed the audience on the need to save the tiger, hence saving the environment. He explained that Jim Corbett was a great hunter, who gave up hunting to save the tigers.
Tykee Malhotra, in her address to the school children, said the play was being performed to save the environment. She further said that school children along with the parents collectively could propagate the message of Jim Corbett to save the tigers and in the process save the environment.
The play depicting the life of Jim Corbett was directed by Shivani, a student of Chhoti Haldwani, and captured the imagination of the audience. The school children from Kaphlani were mesmerised by the lively performance. The play also highlighted the problem of superstition prevalent at that time and how Jim Corbett initiated the eradication of such social evils from the villages in Kumaon.
School children aged 9-14 performed the play with complete ease and confidence and the synergy of the children enacting the play was noteworthy.
The musical treatment and incorporation of local elements of the Kumaon region were the highlight of the play.
The school children were assisted by Pankaj Chaudhry, the well Kumaoni film actor.
Dinesh Krishan on Harmonium and Bimal Mamgain provided the musical backup to the play. Shivani Arya, a student from Chhoti Haldwani, recited excerpts from the book “Jeeti Jagti Kahani Jungle Ki”, highlighting the vision and life of Jim Corbett.
Mukesh Mishra as Jim Corbett and Shivani Arya played the lead roles in the play.
The programme concluded with a musical performance by MGVS High School students.
Pankaj  Chaudhary, a senior theatre artist, said he had assisted students in theatre education. He added that although he had worked in Kumaoni films, teaching the kids was an invigorating experience.
He also added that theatre was a medium that could spread any message effectively. Tykee Malhotra, founder of the Jim Corbett Trust, said the performance by the school children was the part of a project run by her trust. The trust was founded in 2006 with the support of the British Government to protect wildlife, forest, rivers of the area. Jim Corbett loved and also inspired the new generation of conservationists throughout Uttarakhand and beyond. She added that preserving tigers was important for the environment as each species was dependent on each other for survival. When asked about the role of Government in preserving the environment she said that the trust’s philosophy was: “If we want see the change, we have to create that change. There was no use in finger pointing. It has to be the concerted effort of all to save the environment.”
Speaking about the performance by the school children, she said that they were from rural schools around Chhoti Haldwani. The village was helped by Jim Corbett before leaving for Kenya in 1947.
The interaction with the children was inspiring as they were more tuned to environmental issues than many in the city. She thanked Tom Alter for giving time to such activities in Nainital and other areas.
Tom Alter told GP that it was an emotional moment for him to be back in Mussoorie and especially, Parker Hall, Woodstock School. Reminiscing about his school days, he added that this was the stage from where he started his acting career 50 years ago under the guidance of Saroj Kapadia, the Hindi teacher. “Every 15th August, we used to stage plays like Shakuntala, Noor Jahan on this very Parker Hall stage.” He added that, today, it was a very special day as the children from Uttarakhand had gathered to remember Jim Corbett and his message to save the tigers and the environment.
Highlighting the role of Jim Corbett in saving tigers, Tom Alter said that Jim was a visionary and realising the importance of Tigers to the environment, he gave up hunting.
He also commended the work done by Woodstock School. The school has been a pioneer in promoting the environmental cause in the area, be it through tree plantation or animal rights issues.
When asked about the condition of the tigers in the country, he commended the efforts undertaken by Jim Corbett Park officials. He commended the role of Forest Guards in the park, which had led to an increase in the number of tigers. He was of the view that the menace of poaching had to be stopped through concerted efforts by all concerned. programmes