City schools shine in 'DHiE Expressions' talent contest

Bengaluru: Songs of various genres — folk, patriotic, devotional, Western pop, Bhavageethe, and Sugama Sangeetha — echoed through Kannada, Hindi, and English as students from schools across Bengaluru took the stage at a packed NGO hall on Wednesday.

The group singing competition was part of the Bengaluru edition of ‘DHiE Expressions’, an inter-school talent contest co-powered by Pilot and sponsored by Wonderla Parks & Resorts and Poorvika Mobiles.

The event featured both senior and junior categories, with groups of up to eight students performing for four to six minutes.

In the senior category, ITI Central School kicked off the performance with a patriotic song, followed by Widia Poornaprajna School’s rendition of a Kannada folk song depicting village life. Jubilee English High School also presented a lively Kannada folk tune. National Public School, Chikkabanavara, delivered a medley featuring popular songs like ABBA’s ‘Voulez Vous’ and Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’, while National Public School, Koramangala, combined Kannada, Hindi, and a Coldplay track. Their counterparts from Rajajinagar also showcased a similar medley.

The South School, JP Nagar, sang a folk tune celebrating Siddappaji, a folk hero, while The Great Eastern International School performed NS Lakshminarayana Bhat’s poetry set to music as Bhavageethe.

RNS Vidyaniketan revived the iconic devotional song “Taravalla tagi ninna tambouri” by Shishunala Sharif. Assumption High School’s all-girls group uniquely performed English devotional songs.

In the junior section, folk songs dominated the performances, with ITI Central School, The Great Eastern International School, and South School, JP Nagar, impressing the audience with their energetic and heartfelt renditions. Devotional music was popular as well, with themes honouring Shiva and Mahadeva, while patriotic songs like “Hum Sab Bharatwasi Hai” and “Jaya Jaya Bharata Mata” resonated through the performances of various schools.

The event concluded with a vibrant Bollywood number from Mother Dolphin English School, “Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana”.