Poring over the chart, 14-year-old M. Karthick began making gentle strokes, adding depth and colour to his portrayal of a village — a banyan tree looming tall over a temple, a shepherd and a woman calling out a vegetable seller. With a smile, he said he had his native Tiruvannamalai in mind while painting. A couple of hours later, his efforts fetched him the first prize (senior category) in The Hindu-Young World painting competition held here on Sunday.
“When I become a professional artist after learning the nuances of painting, I want to teach this art to children,” said Karthick, a class IX student of Dr. Vimala Convent Matriculation School in K.K. Nagar. He was one of the 400 children from 350 schools who participated in the painting competition.
12-year-old Esha Gangwar, a long jump champion from St. John’s School in Besant Nagar, who wants to become a scientist, bagged the third prize (junior category) for her lively portrayal of ‘Sports Day’. “I practised for over a week,” she said, visibly happy.
Vishakha Gupta, a Class V student of Kendriya Vidyalaya Air Force Station in Avadi drew a picture of family going on a shopping spree. “While I’m keen to draw and paint, I want to become an English teacher. I love the subject,” she said.
A.Z. Ranjit, a faculty member at M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, who judged the paintings said, “While I expected child-like work from these children, what I saw here today was absolutely astounding.”
MIOT International was the presenting sponsor for this event.
