Over 800 students from the entire East Godavari and parts of Visakhapatnam districts have showcased their excellence in academics and extracurricular activities as well during the day-long The Hindu Academic Pentathlon, conducted in association with Vignan University on the sprawling campus of the Ashram Public School here on Sunday.
The event was for the students of Intermediate and the judges had a tough time in choosing the finalists from the pool of talent that excelled in the core subjects such as mathematics, physics and chemistry and shown equal brilliance in elocution, singing, dance, mimicry and magic.
The team consisting of P. Sita Rama Harish, Radha Syam, B. Sidwick, Saipraveen Gupta, D. Akhil, Ch. Bagesh, A.V.S.V. Tejaswini, D.L. Krishnapriya, V. Sanjana and P.V.S.L. Sravanthi representing Tirumala Junior College in Rajamahendravaram bagged the winner’s trophy, while the teams from Sri Shiridi Sai Institution, Rajamahendravaram, and Sriprakash Junior College in Payakaraopeta walked away with the second and third prizes respectively.
As many as 80 teams took active part in the preliminary rounds of quiz, while hundreds of students competed with one another in the elocution and fine arts competition. Based on the overall performance, six teams were selected for the regional level finals in quiz, elocution and fine arts that were held simultaneously.
‘Assess strengths’
Kakinada Municipal Commissioner S. Aleem Basha, the chief guest of the event, advised the students to assess their interests and strengths before choosing a career that suits them well. “In the last two decades, the career opportunities have been increased tremendously. Now, sky is the limit for the right candidates to grow in their respective careers. Not just the public service, but the private and corporate sectors too are looking for the right candidates,” he said, while congratulating The Hindu and the Vignan University for coming out with the concept of academic pentathlon.
Nail-biting moment
It was a nail-biting moment for the audience during the last rounds as members of all the six teams were bubbling with enthusiasm.
Quiz master N. Soorya Prakash consulted with a team of experts many a times while giving half marks to the half answers. Chairman of the Ashram Public School D.V. Krishnam Raju, who presented trophies to the winners and the runners-up, advised the students to participate in as many competitions as possible, as it would give them exposure to the world outside and help them choose the right career.
Regional General Manager of The Hindu S.D.T. Rao felicitated the guests.
