Bombay Scottish Powai - My 2nd home

Today was Freia's 12th and final concert at her school Bombay Scottish Powai. She started at this school at the tender age of 4 and now as a teenager in the 10th, is getting set to pass out after completing her 10th ICSE Board exams.

4 days before her concert, Freia came up with an idea. She felt her school and all of her teachers had been awesome and she wanted to say "Thank You". She wanted to get together with her classmates and create a composition for them and play it out during the concert.

She had several hurdles.
a. There were no lyrics.
b. There was no composition.
c. There were no singers.
d. The concert program had been finalized and all invitations printed. Practice was on for over a week and it was all approved.

Fortunately Freia decided that she had nothing to lose by trying. So she started by writing a few verses. And then spoke to her school coordinator with the idea. Luckily for Freia, she attends a school where her teachers were open minded and always willing to listen. She heard her out and said, 99% No, but if you come back with some lyrics and a tune, I'll speak to the Principal and we can try. The "we" was encouraging.

Freia sat and wrote down a couple of paragraphs. She approached her classmates who were a band. They were initially reluctant as they were performing and had not had sufficient time to practice. However, once again someone up there smiled. And the ever-ready Joshua picked up his guitar and said, "Come, lets do it".

They came up with a tune and once again approached the coordinator. She liked it and called in the Music teacher and the musically talented Ms. Daniel for their opinion. They all liked it enough to try and take the next steps. Try and get permission. 99% No, was now looking better. Something like 98%. In the meanwhile students were contacted to make up the choir. Surprisingly, everyone wanted to be part of this song.

Joshua, Nikita and Freia completed the lyrics. Joshua and his band colleagues Hariharan and Aaron gave the finishing touches to Joshua's original tune. And a song was beginning to take shape. The next day was a dress rehearsal for the concert. And the good news was that the Principal had agreed to listen to the song during the rehearsal and would then decide. Joshua and Freia worked through the night texting each other while finalizing the lyrics and the song.

D-Day -1. A tense ICSE batch go up on stage. And give a pitiful performance with many of the singers not knowing either the song or the tune. Can't blame them. No one had practiced yet and many were seeing and hearing the song for the first time. But each and every one was enthusiastic. And probably the anticipation and enthusiasm made the Principal give her nod. They had got their chance. Could they deliver ?

They practiced and practiced and practiced. And today was the performance. Here's what they said and sang.

The introduction by Freia
Its always difficult to say Goodbye. Especially to your second home, a place where most of us have spent the last 12 years of our life filled with memorable moments. And this has been made possible because of the wonderful people, we've had the privilege of calling "Our Teachers". We dedicate our Swan Song to the awesome people who dedicated their lives to make ours better. Ladies and Gentlemen, we the ICSE batch of 2011 present to you "Second Home", an original composition created by us as our small way of saying a Big Thank You.

Second Home
From caterpillars to butterflies
Its at this school that we learnt to fly
The only reason we’re here today
Is because of you teachers yeah…

Like a parent you taught me to speak
Like a mom so dear to me
Like a dad you corrected me
You were always a friend to me

We call this school our second home
And now as we leave we feel so alone
Cant thank you enough for all you’ve done
In times of trouble,in times of need you were the only one

When we’re so near to depart
Why does it have to break my heart?
Maybe its cause you mean too much
Maybe its cause you cared too much…
Its you who taught us right from wrong
And you helped us grow along
It’s time to give the world a try
And now it’s time to say goodbye…

We call this school our second home
And now as we leave we feel so alone
Cant thank you enough for all you’ve done
In times of trouble,in times of need you were the only one

Its you who taught us right from wrong
And you helped us grow along
It’s time to give the world a try
And now it’s time to say goodbye…
And now it’s time to say goodbye…
And now it’s time to say goodbye…

Being my daughter and her classmates, my opinion is probably biased. But at the end of the performance, most teachers were misty eyed and surprisingly, so were a few parents. This was a reminder that thanking the people who make a difference, makes a BIG difference. To them and to us.