This year, when the University of Strathclyde, U.K., hosted their annual Christmas card competition to fund their charity projects, Rhea C. Shah and Eileena Dutta of Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai, came out trumps. Their cards have been used to raise funds for the university’s projects, two of which focus on India: a clinic that supports amputees and those affected by polio and volunteers who install solar PV systems at institutions that work with marginalised communities.
The Christmas card competition has been an annual affair for the last five years. “Last year, we ran a competition at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and the work produced was of a very high standard. So we asked them to run the competition again this year,” says Christine Donald of The Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde, who runs the Charity Projects. “We look for something that conveys Christmas and giving. We find that big, bold images work well. This year, the team of judges had a really hard task to decide as all of the entries were good. Ria's Santa made us smile and we were sure that it would make everyone who received the card, happy. Eelina's Christmas tree was decorated with jewels and draped with print fabric and it reminded us of an elegant well-dressed Indian lady. Both drawings were well thought out and beautifully executed.”
Rhea C. Shah, one of the winners, is a student of class IX and wants to pursue a career in the creative field. “I was surprised and could not believe that amongst all my other artist friends, I was the only one to have achieved something like this, and I was really happy and excited about it,” she says about winning the competition. Eileena, who is in Class XI, reads books and sketches often. “I was overjoyed when I came to know that my work had been chosen,” she adds.
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The cards were popular and sold out in the U.K. in a week. “The sale of the cards raise money and every card that is sent lets the recipient of the card know about our charities. So we need our cards to stand out in the market. We also want the artwork on these cards to reflect the international nature of the charities that we support. Next year, we hope to put them on sale in India as well as in the UK,” adds Christine.