The Journey of Crafting "O Nadi Jharna Sarovar"

On 15 August 2024, singers and musicians from all grades of DLRC gathered at Necklace Point on a bright afternoon, next to the serene Nira River in Alande. They were joined by a team of teachers, student interns, and professional filmmakers, photographers and videographers, to record a music video for DLRC’s newest prayer “O Nadi Jharna Sarovar”.

Students and music facilitators at the video shoot

The song is a beautiful tribute to nature, and the lush greenery at the venue provided a fitting atmosphere for the occasion. Some parents also attended the shoot to watch their children perform.

Parents watching the shoot

Filmmakers Nitin Das and Lutz Konermann guided and directed the shoot with the assistance of video guide Tushar Sarode and the student interns.

Kuldeep Sir, the school’s music teacher, took us through the making of the song. “This is actually a good story. The Hindi teacher in our school, Namita Ma’am — she is quite an experienced teacher – recited this poem to me a couple of years ago when I was new to the school. So, I thought — why not compose it? I talked to her about it, and she said that Arun Singh ji, an old acquaintance of hers, had written this poem for DLRC. Last year, I composed this poem in Raag Des and gave it the form of a song.” *

A few days before the shoot, the song was recorded on campus with the help of sound engineer Kevin who is also a parent at DLRC. It took a couple of weeks of hard work and practice for the team to learn the song, and a few hours to record it, but it was carried out impeccably by the students.

There were multiple retakes during the shoot, and everyone revitalised themselves with snacks and hydration. Fortunately for the team, the riverside offered a peaceful atmosphere with no distractions.

When asked about the overall experience of taking “O Nadi Jharna Sarovar”  to video, Kuldeep Sir remarked, “It was a lot of fun. This was a pretty challenging task, but we did it quite well. We practised with the children who were playing instruments during breakfast time. They did very well and remembered their placements. We also requested all the facilitators to let the singers and musicians practise in the closing circles during school hours. The children practised, sang and completed the task very well. It was a lot of teamwork and the experience was absolutely great.” He further noted that the atmosphere in which the shoot took place added value to the experience. “Recording near the river and in that environment felt amazing. The students were very patient with all the retakes. The overall experience was awesome,” he said.

Both the DLRC music teachers —  Kuldeep Sir and Radhika Ma’am —  enjoyed this experience, as did the community present with them.

Filmmakers Nitin Das, Lutz Konnerman and videographer Tushar Sarode with student interns

The entire process was undoubtedly very memorable for everyone involved. Now, with the professional recording of the song completed, this unique experience is permanently etched in the history of DLRC.

Nira River

Students who participated in performing the song:

G1 Arna, Sharayu

G2 Preksha, Tiyaan

G3 Maahi, Raghav

G4 Ramaa, Daksh

G5 Mriga, Arnav

G6 Ovee, Arnav

G7 Mitee, Anya Kadu

G8 Soumitra, Knishka, Anvi

G9 Param, Nikita, Saanvi, Rishi, Aarav

G10 Tista, Radha

G11 Mihit, Rangoli

G12 Neha

*interview translated from Hindi to English By Nandini Karandikar and Rangoli Garg (G11)