This show has gone down in the history of Holy Name High School because of the tireless efforts and the cooperation of each and every member of the staff.
Overall In Charge
Principal Rev. Fr. Merwyn D'Souza
In Charge of Discipline & Order
Ms. N. L. Merchant (Sec.)
Ms. Stella D'Souza (Sec.)
Ms. Bina D'Silva (Pri.)
Core Team
Ms. Agnes Alvares
Ms. Wilma Fernandes
Ms. Sheila D'Souza
Compere
Ms. Agnes Alvares
Coordinator
Ms. Wilma Fernandes
In Charge of Main Cast
Ms. Sheila D'Souza
Ms. Wilma Fernandes
No.
Groups
Asst. Trainers
1
Choir (Secondary)
Ms. Ethelvina Martins, Ms. Darlene Oliveira, Ms. Shalini Kunder, Ms. Scarlet Fernandes, Ms. Goolcher Kermanian, Mr. Sanjay Dave, Ms. Ancila Fereira, Ms. Regina Dias, Mr. Ryan Savio Fernandes
2
Jungle Patrol
Ms. Wilma D'Costa, Ms. Cecilia Pereira
3
Prayer Dance
Ms. Elizabeth Soosianathan, Sr. Clemy D'Souza
4
Hamasputra
Mr. Bhavesh Thakker, Ms. Sunita Maniyal
5
Sher Khan
Ms. Benaifer Postwala, Mr. Praphull S. Dhumale
6
Naginas
Ms. Gloria Noronha, Ms. Julie Gonsalves
7
Bangalus
Ms. Veena Saldanha, Ms. Blossom Francis
8
Ongolongos
Ms. Christine D'Souza, Ms. Aalia Rafat
9
Baskets of Sweet Fruit
Ms. Rajani Solanki, Ms. Esmie Rodrigues
10
Delicious Honey
Ms. Manisha Srivastav, Ms. Mary Gonsalves
11
Make-up Artists
Ms. Nilam Prabhu, Ms. Esmie Rodrigues
12
Singers, I & II
Ms. Nuzhat Lokhandwala, Mr. Ryan Savio Fernandes, Mr. Gonsalves Jackson J.
Our ex-students - Ms. Margaret da Costa, Mr. Prakash Servai and Mr. Sushant H. Waidande for helping with the make-up.
Our subordinate staff - Mr. Suresh Hate, Mr. Pramod Hate, Mr. Harilal Lilaram, Mr. Sanjeev Chauhan, Mr. Rajesh Ram, Mr. Joseph L. D'Abre, Mr. Robert Mathew, Ms. Urmila Solanki and Ms. Hema Makwan, for their overall support.
Our P.T.A. members - Ms. Sandra D'Souza, Mr. Prakash Ingle
Your Lordship Bishop Oswald Gracias, Rev. Fr. Ivo D'Souza - our Manager, dear Fathers, Sisters, Parents, Well wishers, friends and my dear students, I stand on the stage not to act but to perform the last tasks of the evening. To proclaim a gratitude from my heart. I thank God who has made me an instrument to help bring love, peace and unity.
At the very outset, I must add that this show was meant to express our love and concern for our dear children, and their need to be given a platform to be themselves and express freely.
This idea was conceived a year ago, when we planned that our children need to be educated strongly in the English culture. That was a dream which unfurled when Sister Fiona and Sister Clemy introduced to us Joey Mendonca, a friend and colleague, and the teachers desired to have something special with a large stage involving all the children in the school. The idea took ground and here we are today - 'In De Heart of De Jungle'.
I thank His Lordship for his gracious presence and the exclusive time given to us. It is our pride to have him in our midst. Thank you Bishop Oswald Gracias. And I must let you know that the entire staff and students are so glad to have you in our midst.
I owe my gratitude to our dear Manager Rev. Fr. Ivo D'Souza whose unstinted support and guidance have helped me to be what I am, and focused me on what I should do for the love of the Institution and the dear children.
Thanks to our team of fathers and friends, who gave me plenteous encouragement through prayer. To you my dear fathers, sisters and friends - your presence fills me with awe and admiration.
To you my dear parents, you gave us your children and this is what we tried to make them not animals but humans with a heart to love, share and cherish.
To you my dear students, if it wasn't for you we would not be here today. This show has been possible because of your immense sacrifice, your enthusiasm, your zeal, your hardwork. Where we gave you a platform you performed. It is a dream of life when now you should grow in God's plan and love.
The show was possible because of a band of people. I owe special thanks to the Holy Name Parivar - my dear teachers, the office and support staff. Dear Teachers, please come and take your rightful place on the stage. You have been the backbone of the backstage in carrying out the programme and presenting the children onstage. God Bless each one of you. Of course, not forgetting our PTA - for your time, and again for your support and help.
I have a second special list to thank persons that came into our life - and now go away - but leave behind a memory that will always be etched in the portals of Holy Name High School. It's none other than... As I call your names, please come on stage.
Ms. Vera Correia - who trained the main cast with their diction, articulation and speech.
Ms. Lynette - who trained the girls of the Prayer Dance.
Mr. Darryl Loyola - the choreographer who got the children tapping their feet and whirling around. He also painstakingly got the various casts painted and did their make-up. Of course, he trained the teachers, parents and others to help out.
To Dominic Dias and his troupe of workers - for this beautiful stage, his props and the small nicknacks, the wings, the beaks, the tails, the oars, the boats, the spears, the stars...
For Nestor and Cugan Taites - for their sounds and lights.
To the civil authorities, the costumers, a Big Thank You for your support.
And I haven't forgotten the man of the hour - the man of the day; the one who made our dream come true, who time and again said, "Don't worry, it will happen", the person who kept me on my toes, every phone call went, "Don't worry, I'm there". Yes! Joey Mendonca, a person of heart, a person of will, a person of determination. Thank you so much. God bless you and your family.
Dear teachers, students and staff, for the hardwork you've put in, we have declared a two-day holiday. I will see all of you on Wednesday.
Holy Name High School created history on January 12 and 13, 2007 when they put up a musical entitled "In the Heart of the Jungle" involving a huge cast of 2,077 participants. What was amazing about this musical was that the Principal of the School, Fr. Merwyn D'Souza, with the help of this teaching and non-teaching staff, managed to get every student, from the Jr. K.G. to standard X, to participate in this fantastic performance.
The evening began with a procession, with lamps, by the children of Jr. K.G., the lighting of the Samai by Archbishop Oswald Gracias, and a beautiful prayer dance. This was followed by a welcome song by the Sr. K.G. - the tiny tots were a treat to watch. They danced and sang with great jubilation - waving and sending out flying kisses to the audience. Next came some action songs by the primary section, which served to usher in the musical.
The musical "In the Heart of the Jungle" was directed very skillfully by Mr. Joey Mendonca and his team. He was able to bring out the best in the students and capitalise on their natural talents. The story centered round a little boy Raju who got lost in the jungle and was raised up and taken care of by Mother Wolf, Balu the bear and Baghira the panther. They, along with the other animals, tried to protect the human child Raju from Sher Khan the tiger.
The actors were superb. There was no sign of stage fright in any of the student actors. In fact, they seemed confident and very much at home on stage. Nagina the snake was very impressive, particularly with his hissing sounds; the elephant patrol was a delight to watch; Sher Khan looked truly ferocious and acted very well like a real tiger; Baghira the panther, Balu the bear, the Mother Wolf and Raju the human child - all put up an excellent performance; King Luis, the monkey king, and his band of monkeys were very amusing and could have put the real monkeys to shame with their funny monkey tricks; then there were the vultures who were very fascinating and entertained the crowd with their taunting laughter and comments. The costumes were fabulous and so was the choreography, the stage and the sets, the lighting and the singing. Around 460 students formed the choir. They produced a stereo effect by supporting a smaller group at the mike from the side corridors of the school on the first and the second floors. All in all, it was an enjoyable and a memorable evening. Hats off to Fr. Merwyn and his team for doing a wonderful job of managing such a huge cast so efficiently and effectively.
- Fr. Savio Fernandes, Chancellor, Archdiocese of Mumbai