In the ongoing celebration of its 61 years; The Navhind Times in association with Deccan Fine Chemicals celebrated Children’s Day on November 14 with an art competition for students from grades V to XII. Students from all corners of the state participated enthusiastically in the event which was held at Dempo House, Panaji.
There was a buzz and flurry of activity as students arrived at the venue and registered themselves in the three different categories. Each category was given a distinct topic to ensure creativity and expression at different levels. The categories and topics were as follows:
- Grades V to VII – We are the agents of change
- Grades VIII to X – Hidden gems of Goa
- Grades XI to XII – For every child, every right
The competition began at 9.30 a.m. and participants were given two and a half hours to express themselves through their interpretation of the given topic. From pencils to water/oil colours, crayons, charcoal, etcetera there was a variety of materials used.
Participants worked with single-minded focus to create innovative, colourful and meaningful art work. Their creativity and artistic streak were clearly evident in the final outcome. The judge for the competition was renowned artist Sanjay Harmalkar who had a hard time selecting the three winners in the three categories.
“Each drawing and painting was so unique and beautiful that it was a hard time for me to judge and choose the winners. Seeing the spark of talent in the house was proof of the success of today’s event. I congratulate every artist present here and encourage all of you to grow your talent. Those who feel art is their calling, should pursue fine arts after Class 12,” said Harmalkar, during the prize distribution. “Participation in competitions is as important as winning. I also congratulate the parents and teachers for encouraging and training the children to participate,”he added.
Winners were awarded certificates and the cash prizes were sponsored by Deccan Fine Chemicals Private Limited. The chief guest at the valedictory function was manager- CSR, Deccan Fine Chemicals, Gaurav Kudchadkar. Speaking on the occasion he congratulated all the participants and encouraged the love of art and expression. Also present on the dais were Head, Administration, Navhind Papers & Publications, Gopi Kalwar; editor Navhind Times, Vijay DeSouza and editor, Navprabha, Paresh Prabhu along with the judge for the competition, Sanjay Harmalkar.
The competition instilled an immense sense of competition and creativity while providing the participants the opportunity to exhibit their artwork and gain valuable experience, recognition and appreciation for their efforts. Each participant was thus rewarded with a certificate, which will stand strong in future as a mark of early participation.
After the success of the competition, The Navhind Times is looking forward to the next edition which promises to be bigger and even more unique.
Winners in Grade V to VII category:
- 1st Prize – Falak Ansari, grade VII
- 2nd Prize – Ansh Mardolkar, grade VII
- 3rd Prize – Prachi Gaonkar, grade VII
Winners in Grade VIII to X category:
- 1st Prize – Laxmi Nishad, grade X
- 2nd Prize – Joy Silva, grade X
- 3rd Prize – Shaivi Pai Panandikar, grade X
Winners in Grade XI to XII category:
- 1st Prize – Asila Jacques, grade XII
- 2nd Prize – Afrin Khan, grade XII
- 3rd Prize – Aditi Pednekar, grade XI
Feedback
Thank you Navhind Times for giving our children this opportunity.
Christa Fernandes, parent
The topics were very interesting and creative.
Pooja Naik, grade X
Children are the future of the nation. Thank you Navhind Times for organising such a fantastic and wonderful opportunity for our children. As parents we are overwhelmed. Thank you once again.
Nelson D’Costa, parent
Everything was organised well and the organisers were particular about the time given to complete our art.
Yash Sahu, grade XI
Very well organised, I hope The Navhind Times will continue with more competitions in the future.
Anushka Desai, parent
A systematic and well organised competition
Tejasvani Chari, parent
The Children’s Day special was special for me and all present.
Vimisha Maurya, grade VII
I enjoyed the competition. Thank you.
Rhea Vishwakarma, grade V
I was very excited for the competition and had a good time. Thank you.
Akshad Salgaokar, grade V
It was the most well organised programme.
Vaibhavi Chodankar, parent
It was really good participating in this competition.
Alicia D’Souza, grade VI
Thank you Navhind Times for organising this event and choosing the right topics. Please organise this competition every year as it will motivate our children.
Om Gupta, parent
“This was the second time my son participated in the event. It is a good thing to have such competitions
to encourage children’s talents. My suggestion would be to have the kids work on tables and chairs to
make the process easier.”
Jessinda, parent
“This was my first time participating in this event and I enjoyed it! The theme was ‘we are the agents of
change’. So I drew a robot arm picking up garbage.”
Rachel, Class 6
“It was fun participating for the first time in this competition! I drew a tree in the middle and on one side
I drew the good things and on the other side, the bad.”
Thea, Class 5
“On the theme of ‘We are the agents of change’ I drew the Earth with ropes around it and people trying
to hold on to our planet.”
Yuvika, Class 7
“It was a fun competition and I liked it because it was well organised.”
Luvya Naik, Class 6
“My daughter is an enthusiastic artist who draws on every surface, from walls to books to mehendi on
hands. So when she first told me that she wants to go for an art competition, I was more than happy to
let her participate. The competition was well organised and though she was nervous on the way, she
was fine once she got to the venue, and performed well.”
Tanu Gupta, parent
“My son was among the winners last time and when the competition was announced this year, he was
enthusiastic to participate again. I am an art teacher by profession and I can say that despite less time to
prepare, he did well this year. One of my suggestions would be to have the competition in different
centres or at different levels at a comfortable time because travelling and reaching on time becomes a
big problem for people who live far from Panaji.”
Amir Devali, parent