Making the nation proud
A NINE-year-old Malaysian from Selangor has done the country proud.
K. Kanniesh Theeran, a Year Three SJK(T) Rawang pupil, clinched the first prize in the 2020 State-Fish Art Contest under the international category.
He won a certificate, letter of achievement and a trophy from Wildlife Forever, the organiser and an American non-profit conservation charity.
The competition saw some 5,000 entries from 47 American states and 32 countries.
Theeran came in first place for Malaysia.
The competition was inspired by a fifth grader’s homework in 1997, according to Wildlife Forever’s website.
“The pupil discovered there was little information on all the different state-fishes in the United
States (US).
“The annual international contest has been around for over 20 years educating kids, teachers and parents on aquatic resources, conservation and fish.”
Theeran’s mother Kangathevi Ponnudorai told StarEdu the pupil always had an interest in arts.
“He planned well, did his homework and completed it in two weeks,” she said.
His winning piece was a drawing of a Chinese Pangasius Catfish, which he also had to write an essay on.
“He wants to join politics when he grows up. He’s always talking about wanting to become a leader,” said the enthusiastic mother.
To add to the family’s pride, Theeran’s younger sister, Kanniesh Shindavy, had her artwork selected as part of the Lucia Bocchino Fund for Promising Young Artists’ 2020 International Virtual Exhibition.
Entering its 12th year, the annual exhibition had more than 150 submissions from over 20 countries.
Each year, the fund holds a contest and exhibition under the theme, ‘Who is a Woman in your life that inspires you?’
“It’s the first time she’s receiving recognition for her artwork so she’s extremely excited.
“It took her about three weeks to finish her piece,” Kangathevi added.
Shindavy is a Year Two pupil from SJK(T) Rawang.
The aspiring lawyer received a congratulatory note and a badge of recognition from the fund.