For Std IX student Salvya S. Raj, winning the first place in the senior category of The Hindu Young World painting competition 2010 will help her pursue her interest in painting.
Around 600 school children from Stds IV to X participated in the competition which was held in St. Rita's English Medium School in Mangalore recently.
Salvya who had held an exhibition of her paintings in Delhi last May, said, “Getting paintings framed for exhibitions is very expensive.
I will save the money and use it later.” Irfan Ali K.K., who came first in the junior category, said he wishes to buy a bicycle with the money he has just won.
Themes
Children patiently drew and painted for two hours, giving free rein to imagination. Some of the themes given to the students were “Village Scene”, “Travelling By Train”, “My Favourite Animal/ Bird” and “Playing With Friends”. Some of the children painted conventionally.
A few like Alok Bhat, from Shimoga, divided his drawing sheet into five parts, with a circle in the centre, and depicted different aspects of travelling in a train. Salvya chose to paint a man and a girl playing the harmonium in a train in return for money.
Another student chose a novel way to express the topic “Carrying Out Cchool Activities With Friends” using only two colours— silhouetted against a night-blue sky…where two students were shown in a chemistry lab, carrying out experiments.
There was no end to the creativity of children. Three friends Varsha S., I. Tejaswini and Spoorthi K., all studying in Std V, Kendriya Vidyalaya, had chosen to paint cats. Spoorthi, who drew a pair of hands holding up a cat, said “I prefer dogs, but I dint know how to draw it, so I drew a cat.” The other two drew “cats in a basket”.
The overwhelming element in Std VI student Pranav Rao's painting was the black spots circled by a pinkish colour. “I painted a black spot by mistake, so I made this (pattern),” he said.
Prizes
A cash prize of Rs. 5,000 was given away to the first place for Seniors (Stds VII to X) and Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,000 for second and third respectively. The first, second and third place winners in the Juniors category (Stds IV to VII) received prize money of Rs. 3,000, Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 500 each. Each category had seven consolation winners who received a sum of Rs. 500 each.
Sponsors
The national sponsors were MIOT Hospitals, Chennai and regional sponsors were School Book Company and Hangyo Ice Cream. Judge Ganesh Somayaji gave away the prizes to the winners.