Discarded envelopes and papers crowd her study table, like markers of her future, which, in her words, is to be a lifelong tryst with art. Fifteen-year-old Vaidehi Reddy, who triumphed the ‘Doodle 4 Google’ design competition, calls the event “a watershed moment” in her life.
Vaidehi’s doodle, adjudged the best out of a staggering one million entries from across India, was featured on the Google India homepage on Friday to mark Children’s Day (November 14).
Imagining the Northeast as an exotic Eden, Vaidehi’s doodle titled “Natural and Cultural Paradise — Assam” has a rhino and tiger (visual shorthand for the Kaziranga National Park), bamboo, Bihu dancer, traditional hat and the State’s legendary tea gardens. Her design was chosen from among 12 finalists.
“I was confident of being shortlisted. I agonised over the design for nearly four days,” says this class IX student of the Army Public School, Pune.
The doodle is at once a microcosm of Assam’s culture and its flora and fauna, says Vaidehi, who wants to hone her skills at the prestigious J. J. School of Arts.
“Given that the theme was ‘A place in India I wish to visit’, I drew on my memories of our travels to Assam. Naturally, it was like stepping into another world… the visit made a deep impression on me,” says Vaidehi.
In an age that churns out doctors and engineers by the second, wholehearted parental support is the edifice on which Vaidehi’s dreams rest.
“I’d rather let Vaidehi’s artistic talent blossom than stifle it with mathematical theorems or number crunching. There ought to be a healthy balance between Humanities and Sciences to bring out the best in children,” says Gayatri Reddy, Vaidehi’s mother.
“From an early age, she has had an artistic bend of mind. We are very proud of her achievement and will support her in every possible way,” said her father, Col. Eeshwar Reddy. The drawings of all the finalists were uploaded for online voting. Google’s national jury comprising political cartoonist Ajit Ninan, art director and children’s publishing at ACK Media, Savio Mascarenhas, and Google Doodle team head Ryan Gerick helped select the winner.
All finalists received achievement certificates along with chromebook laptop.
