A young bunch of students treads over a fragile bridge — that spans over a stream — and marvel at the rainbow behind a quiet waterfall. This portrayal of a ‘field trip’ fetched 13-year-old R. Nandakumar the first prize (senior category) at The Hindu Young World painting competition held here on Sunday.
As he wiped the paint stains off his palms, he said, “I have to thank my teacher Mr. Thomas without whose training, I wouldn’t be here. Honestly, I didn’t quite plan how to paint the field trip. But I’m overwhelmed to have got this prize.” Nandakumar, a VIII student of Dr. Vimala Convent Matriculation School in K.K. Nagar, is determined to become a police officer. “But that does not mean I would give up painting,” he adds.
Excitement was in the air as hundreds of children gave wing to their imagination. S. Surendran, a class VI student of Sornammal Matric School in Ayanavaram, bagged the first prize in junior category for his vibrant depiction of a circus. “I have been painting for the last three years now and want to become an artist when I grow up,” he said .
Artist K. Balasubramanian who judged the paintings said the expressions exhibited by the children in their paintings amazed him. “Some children have displayed sheer brilliance. We looked into craft, concept, creativity, confidence and concentration for choosing the winners,” he said. In the junior category, the second and third prizes went to S. Hari Priya and Muni Raja respectively and in the senior category, Rohith and Pradeep Kumar bagged the second and third prize.
While the winners of the senior category were awarded Rs. 5,000, Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,000, those in the junior category were given Rs. 3,000, Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 1,000.
The presenting sponsor is MIOT Hospitals, associate sponsors Amrutanjan and Dabur and the beverage sponsor is Fruitnik.
