With the anxious exam season almost over, more than a hundred enthusiastic students flocked to the latest edition of The Hindu Young World painting contest at GEMS Modern Academy, Infopark Phase II, Brahmapuram, on Saturday.
Sreelakshmi Jayaram of SDV English Medium Higher Secondary School, Alappuzha, and Gayathri V. Menon of Bhavan’s Adarsha Vidyalaya, Kakkanad, bagged the first prizes in the junior and senior categories respectively.
Abhijith Binoy, Belmont Senior Secondary School, and Arunjith, Santa Maria English Medium School, emerged the first and second runners-up in the junior category.
In the senior category, Joseph Roshan of Santa Maria English Medium School and Theerdha Gopakumar of Vidyodaya, Thevakkal, bagged the second and third prizes.
Peter Lugg, executive director, GEMS Education, and Veeras K.M., AGM, KSFE, gave away prizes to the winners.
In his address, Mr. Lugg emphasised the need for schools to be places for finding solutions.
Sulagna Roul of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ernakulam; Rohith Premjith of MGM Public School, Kandanad; Ciffania Fernandez of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala; S. Niveditha of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ernakulam; Prayagh Krishna of Marthoma Public School, Kakkanad; K. Krishnapriya of SNDPHSS, Udayamperoor, and Alena Elma John of Girideepam Bethany Central School bagged consolation prizes in the junior category.
Alekha Vinod of Gurudeva Public School, Sreeshnav B. of NSS HSS, Thripunithura; Gaadha Gopakumar of Vidyodaya School, Thevakkal; Chris Peter Fernandez of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala; Varsha Anna Abraham of Vidyodaya, Thevakkal; Naslin Salim of Leo XIII English Medium Central School, Alappuzha, and A.P. Prathyush Sankar of Sree Narayana HSS won consolation prizes in the senior category.
L. Vinod, assistant professor, Department of Visual Media, Amrita Vidyalayam, who adjudged the winners, was blown away by the depth of the participants’ works.
“Children trumped the heavy-duty topics given to them. Some works like the first prize winning painting in the senior category that portrayed a gagged young girl in black and white will remain etched in memory,” he said.
Participants of the junior category were given three topics to choose from — ‘the return of the dinosaurs’, ‘fighting terrorism’, and ‘beach cleaning’.
The seniors were given ‘Earth 2050’, ‘stand up against domestic violence’, and ‘portrait of emotions’.
The event was powered by Thyrocare. The regional sponsors were GEMS Modern Academy and KSFE. Best Bakers was the snack partner. Suresh Kumar, senior VP, operations, GEMS Education, and Suresh George, senior DGM, The Hindu , were present.
