The Snehanjali Auditorium on Kallai Road resembled a mela recently with more than 300 children and their parents streaming into the place.
Even the organisers never expected the kind of enthusiasm the children showed to participate in the finals of The Hindu Young World painting competition which was being held for the 19th year.
Despite all the hassles like late trains and traffic blocks, children came from as far as Kannur and Nilambur (both around 100 kms away from Kozhikode) to take part in the competition which is considered one of the most prestigious painting competitions in the country.
And what participation! The children set such high standards of talent that the judges Dhanya Sudheesh and Santhosh V.S. had a very tough time selecting the winners.
Winners
Akshay Sanjeev, a Std X student of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Balussery, won the first prize in the senior category of the competition. Interestingly, Akshay was the winner the previous year too. Amaldev Nambiar K.P., a Std VIII student of S.N. Vidyamandir, Thalap, Kannur, and Swetha Sasikumar of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kannur, bagged the second and third prizes respectively.
Amritha Prakash of St. Teresa's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Kannur; Mohammed Akheel of Ace Public School, Manjeri; Induja Rajan of K.P. Choy Memorial Sree Narayana Vidyalayam, Kunnamangalam; Akshay K.C of Nanmanda Higher Secondary School; Amal Prabhakar of Poyilkavu High School, Koyilandy; Amrithavarshini of St. Paul's EMHS, Tenhipalam, and Busoori Al Thousi C.P of Girls Higher Secondary School, Tirurangadi won the consolation prizes in the senior category.
In the junior category, the first prize went to Saniya Mohammed C.M. of Indira Gandhi Public School, Mambram, Kannur. Sreehari Ramdas of Thunchathacharya Vidyalayam, Kannur, bagged the second prize and Sheethal J.S. of Balussery AUP School, secured the third prize. The consolation prizes were won by Indu Santhosh of Good Hope English Medium School, Nilambur; Vignesh Dev S of Jai Rani Sabs Public School, Balussery; Anu Aravind of Girls Higher Secondary School, Kokallur; Abhishek N.K of CCUP School, Balussery; Surya K of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Balussery; Yamini K of JNGHSS, Mahe; and Sion John of St. Patrick's E.M. School, Mananthavady.
Creative platform
Litterateur U.A. Khader, who distributed prizes to the winners, said children nowadays had a lot of opportunities to exhibit their talent and praised The Hindu for providing such a platform to the budding artists.
“ The Hindu has taken root in the cultural life of Malayalis over generations and has played a major role in teaching us how to use the English language. The Hindu is being read in many Malayali households, along with a Malayalam daily, as a means of improving the language. It is also a great encouragement to our children,” he said, adding that encouragement was very important in the development of a person.
The Hindu Young World painting competition was sponsored by MIOT Hospitals, Chennai. Maaza and Nestle were the regional sponsors of The Hindu -NIE initiative.
