The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) brings to mind tense stockbrokers and frantic faces glued to television screens, the iconic building or the statue of the bull. On Sunday, though, the hectic world of finance was replaced by the riotous sounds of children having fun, as the The Hindu ’s Young World Painting Competition kicked off.
Held at BSE’s Dinshaw Petit International Convention Hall, the event saw participation by kids from many city schools. The competition was held in two categories: Junior (Classes IV-VI) and Senior (Classes VII-IX). While the Juniors had to select a topic from among ‘A Trip To Space’, ‘Scenes From A Public Library’ and ‘Fun In The Rain’, Seniors had ‘Save The Girl Child’, ‘Wildlife Safari’, ‘Circus Ground’ and ‘Road Safety Measures’ to choose from. The time limit: two hours.
Divya Singh said her daughter Simran, 12, participated for fun. “Simran has been practising drawing since she was three. She has always been interested in it and she says she wants to get into a designing career,” she added. Simran, who drew a forest scene and won a consolation prize, said she really likes drawing animals.
Parents Vishal Naik and Santosh Dahalae agreed, saying competitions like these boost children’s morale, gives them exposure and an opportunity to enhance their skills. However, some parents like Veena Venugopal said winning is also important as it motivates children. She said, “It’s good that they win. It encourages them and peps them so that they can do better in future.” She says her son, Vinay (11), wants to be a robotic engineer. “He is very moody, so competitions like these would shape him up and streamline his energy and help in creativity,” Ms. Venugopal added.
The entries were were judged by Profs. M.K. Wanjari and Shrikant Jadhav, who head sculpting and painting respectively at the J.J. School of Arts, and Prof. Purnima Sampat, a freelance artist, painter and art educationalist. The event was attended by Sankar Jadhav, head of strategy, BSE, Dr. D.P.N. Prasad, former principal, Bombay Scottish School and M. Santosh, General Manager (Business Development), Thyrocare.
Sponsors included Thyrocare, BSE (exchange partner), State Bank of India (regional sponsor), Kalis Market Creator (beverage partner), Camlin Mechanical Pencils (gift partner) and Nicktoon Shiva (snacks partner).
