Young artists have a field day at India Gate
NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the morning chill, more than 1,000 school students assembled early on Friday from various locations of Delhi-ncr to participate in Kaleidoscope 2018 — the annual painting competition organised by HT-PACE.
The participants trooped into the scenic venue of Children’s Park, located near India Gate armed with boards, colours and brushes in the morning. Once there, it didn’t take much to fire their fertile imagination and creativity, which quickly filled up canvases with colourful paintings which contained messages of social relevance.
The junior students (Class 4-6) worked on the theme of My Favourite Sport or Marine Life. The topics for the seniors (Class 7-9) were Say No To Plastic and Colours in Nature. Providing welcome strains of music to the pleasant ambience was the band from Laxman Public School, Hauz Khas.
While the students let their imaginations run wild on canvas, the teachers who accompanied them picked up valuable tips at a workshop on self-defence conducted by Shihan Kalicharan Singh, black belt, 7th Dan, from the World Karate Federation as well as the Karate Association of India.
As soon as the participants had handed in their entries, magician Krishna Gopal opened his bag of tricks to help them unwind, as artists Kanchan Chander and Nupur Kundu assessed their works.
RI Kanishka from DAV Public School, Sector 49, Gurugram, was adjudged the winner in the senior section for her take on Colours in Nature. “I depicted a girl who thinks about tranquility in nature and then tries to find that. I didn’t use any bright colour. Usually it is believed that bright colours lend looks to paintings but I used simple black and white colours in the hope that people will find beauty in the simplicity of the work,” Kanishka said.
Jaskaran Singh from Ryan International School, Sector-25, Rohini, and Pearl Mutreja from Venkateshwar International School, Sector-10, Dwarka, were adjudged first and second runner-up respectively, while Sarah T from Mount Carmel School, Anand Niketan; Suraj from Lilawati Vidya Mandir, Shakti Nagar and Supriya Baital from Birla Vidya Niketan, Pushp Vihar, won consolation prizes among the seniors.
“I chose My Favourite Sports and painted a basketball scene using acrylic and oil pastel colours. I feel on top of the world,” said Laxmipriya from DAV Public School, Vasant Kunj, whose work was adjudged as the winning one in the junior category.
Sreshth Agarwal from Ryan International School, Noida, and Prabhpreet Singh from St Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School, Janakpuri, were the first and second runners-up, while Aryan Mehta from Lotus Valley International School, Noida; Rajrita Banik from Lancer’s Convent School, Prashant Vihar and Kashvi Arora from Bal Bharati Public School, Rohini, won consolation prizes.
Kundu said, “I draw inspiration from the spontaneity found in paintings made by children! I eagerly wait the chance to visit Kaleidoscope almost every year. The quality of the paintings produced by them this year was overwhelming. The way each child interpreted the theme creatively and the variety of mediums used by them with finesse was commendable.”
Artist Chander’s said, “The students have set the standard higher this year. There was a lot of vibrancy. The venue too was amazing and it was like a picnic.”
”This year, we had an impressive turnout. I was delighted to see the creativity and joy with which students made the paintings,” said Annapoorna Sehgal, headeducation, PACE. The winners were awarded trophies and certificates by PACE and gift hampers sponsored by Staedtler, the German fine-writing and drawing instruments major.