Kailas Nath of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram; Kailas Govind S. of Anand Bhavan Central School, Anchal, Kollam; and Aleena A.P. of Carmel Higher Secondary School, Vazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, won the first prize in the sub-junior, junior, and senior categories in the regional finale of the JSW Futurescapes Painting Competition organised in association with The Hindu Young World at the Mannam Memorial National Club here on Sunday.
Aashriya Ajeesh of Jawahar Public School, Edava, and Avantika Midhun of L’ecole Chempaka Serene Valley secured the second and third prizes in the sub-junior category; Anugraha V.R. of Amrita Kairali Vidya Bhavan, Nedumangad, and Abhinanda Abhilash of SN Trusts Central School, Kollam, in the junior category; and Ananya S. Subhash of Vimala Hridaya Higher Secondary School for Girls, Kollam, and Maidhila S.R. of Darsana Higher Secondary School, Nedumangad, in the senior category.
The topics for the sub-junior category were ‘Dreamy night sky,’ ‘Animal tea party,’ and ‘A pollution-free world’ and for the junior category they were ‘Adventures in a hot air balloon,’ ‘A perfect dream sequence,’ and ‘Kindness rocks.’ Senior category students could paint a ‘Superhero self-portrait,’ ‘Riding a cloud,’ and ‘Planting a seed of hope.’
‘A wide canvas’
Divya S. Iyer, managing director of the Vizhinjam port and former Pathanamthitta Collector, who was the chief guest at the prize distribution event said art was important as it provided children a wide canvas to make mistakes without the fear of failure. This kind of space was not available in other disciplines of study.
Art, she said, enabled children to discover themselves and draw outside the lines. “Being that parent, teacher, or supporter who encourages a child to draw outside the lines is very crucial.”
She warned against creating artificial constructs and limitations for children when they took up art. Art enabled the children to grow holistically into responsible adults who were not in denial of their mistakes, but wanted to improve upon them. “Art is a very forgiving realm. There is no right or wrong in art,” she said.
Regular attendee
Ms. Iyer said she did not think twice about attending the painting competition because she too was a regular at this event years ago, and had even won a prize once for a painting of the Aranmula boat race, something she recalled when she was the Pathanamthitta Collector and responsible for the smooth conduct of the race.
Gipin Varghese and Manesha Deva Sarma S.N., faculty members of the College of Fine Arts in the State capital were the judges of the competition.
3,700 participants
The preliminary round of the competition was held at the school level in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta, and over 3,700 students participated in them. As many as 307 students were selected for the regional finale. Of them, more than 200 students turned up for the competition on Sunday.
All the participants received certificates of appreciation and medals. The top three winners in each category received a trophy and a certificate, while the next seven winners got the consolation prize, which included a medal and a certificate.
The first prize winner in each category will participate in the national finale, the details of which will be announced later.
The event was sponsored by JSW Paints.
