Now, a Kannur student’s message on water conservation will be viewed as an animation film by children around the country. Shreya K. of Amrita Vidyalayam, Thalassery, is among the top three students in the country whose storyboards were selected for production as animated campaign videos on conservation of water and its sustainable use as part of the ‘H2Ooooh!-Waterwise Program’ for school students.
The animation works will be unveiled by UNESCO on World Water Day on Monday. UNESCO had teamed up with the animation firm Toonz Media Group, National Mission for Clean Ganga, United Schools Organisation India and the ‘Water Digest’ magazine in connection with the water conservation awareness programme.
Shreya, a Class 5 student whose family hails from Bijapur in Karnataka, says she was given three options for her story idea — sustainable water, water cycle and water pollution. Having seen the environment becoming increasingly polluted, she chose water pollution and came up with a story about two brothers who opted different means of livelihood. While one brother’s activities contributes to pollution, the other lives in harmony with nature. Eventually, the former is helped by the other to check water pollution through various measures. The sibling who has learnt his lesson promises to curb pollution, save water and recycle it.
Green thumbs
Shreya says that her family also endeavours to be environment-friendly. Both her parents are Ayurveda doctors. “We have a farm back home in Bijapur, which I am interested in it. During the lockdown, we grew our own vegetables rather than buying from outside,” she says.
Shreya, also a dancer and swimmer, says she is glad that she got an opportunity to send a message about water conservation to all through her story. A total of 17,000 students from 43 schools across the country submitted story ideas for the initiative. After multiple screenings, 2,000 students took part in a qualifier round.
Of them, 93 students, including eight differently abled students, were shortlisted for a week-long training by Toonz Animation where mentors introduced them to the basics of 2D animation, including script-writing, character sketching and storyboarding, an experience that Shreya describes as “superb.”
The students who underwent training submitted storyboards on water conservation ideated by them. The three selected videos will be available on the UNESCO India website and partner websites after the release on Monday.
