Keekli Reporter, 26th October, 2013, Shimla
When participation becomes the biggest reward then winning or losing merely become meaningless words and hidden talent is seen in its full magnificence and brilliance. The 5th Padamshree Naina Devi Inter School Talent Contest – 2013 was organized by Chapslee School, Shimla to showcase the immense talent of children from various schools of Shimla as well as neighbouring areas. 14 Schools from Shimla city, Sanjauli, Solan and Totu participated in this gala event — declamation in Hindi and English or Aaj Ki Awaaz; painting competition or Nanhe Haath; sketching or Rekhain; stage presentation or Jhankaar and dry cooking competition or Lazeez-e-Daawat.
Naina Devi, a doyen of music and traditional art form “thumri” who broke the shackles of time to express herself through her passion of song and dance. Not only was she an outstanding musician, her dedication to preserving the delicate music forms, including the vanishing folk art, of which she was custodian, was matched equally by her devotion to the propagation of all art forms. The talent contest instituted by her son Ratanjit Singh in her memory and organized by the Director Principal, Pronati Singh, Chapslee School, Shimla, was another step to revive art/music and give children the platform to showcase their hidden talents. To share with the world their ideas, thoughts, views and expressions through creative art, be it via verbal expression, through pen and paper or stage presentations.
The Chief Guest for the occasion was Deputy Mayor, Shimla, Tikendar Singh Panwar, who was highly pleased to see the performances of the children and congratulated them. He said, “There are no winners and no losers as everyone was a winner today. One should embrace what one feels as Padamshree winner Naina Devi did in whose memory this event is celebrated. Move out of the precedence and follow your own heart, don’t try to copy someone but be yourself and thus you will understand the spirit of culture. The most important thing is to respect and have pride in our own culture and should never cross the limit by disrespecting other cultures”.
The morning began with the Hindi declamation contest for classes IX to XII, with a time limit of 4 + 1 minute to all the participants, one from each school. The topics were Zindagi Zindadili Ka Naam Hai; Avivek Aapatiyon Ka Ghar Hai and Yadi Phool Nahi Bo Sakte to Kaante To Mat Bo. Children were judged on the basis of the subject matter, diction, presentation and memory. Ridhi Pandit from MRA DAV Public School, Solan and Nikhil Chauhan from Chapslee School gave some inspiring speeches. Topics for the English declamation were Laughter is the Best Medicine; Thinking will not Overcome Fear, but Action Will and Life is What You Make It. Divanshu Sharma from DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla, and Rishabh Bhardwaj from Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli grabbed the first and second prizes.
At the same time, little artists were hard at work with their ammunition of paints, pens, pencils, etc. The painting competition was held for classes V to VIII, with a time limit of two hours and the topic for them was Satyamev Jayate. Meanwhile, seniors from classes IX to XII were busy showcasing their creativity by drawing sketches on the theme, Ailing Planet.
Lazeez-e-Daawat, an innovative concept clearly displayed the culinary skills of children. Students from classes IX to XII participated in this event in pairs and were given one hour to present their dish. The challenge was that they could not use any gas or heating stove. All ingredients were to be brought on the spot and assembled, which produced quite a few surprises such as the Instant Dahi Vada made with bread, Dreamland Pudding, Chocolate Cake made with biscuits and much more, and each was as delicious and sumptuous as the other. The judges too had a tough call deciding which was the best dish?
Soon after the lunch break, when students were more than happy to enjoy their pizzas, stage presentations began. Jhankaar was organized to see the talent of students in the field of singing, dancing, stand-up comedy or playing musical instruments. Nearly all schools participated in this event and a maximum of three students were allowed at one time, with a time limit of 5 + 1 minute. Few amazing dance performances were seen on classical and folk music and the highlight of the evening was the stand-up comedy acts by students from Monal Public School and DAV Totu, which left the audience amused and laughing.
The judges for the competition were Ritu Sharma, English Teacher, Dr Seema Batra, Associate Professor in Instrument Music, Suwarchana Gautam, Home Science Professor and Dr Sushil Kumar, Associate Professor in Hindi, all experts in their subjects, from RKMV College, who thoroughly enjoyed the day and had a hard time making some firm decisions while allotting marks.
Schools that participated in various events were Laureate Public School, Shimla, Dayanand Public School, Shimla, MRA DAV Public School, Solan, DAV Sr. Sec. Public School, New Shimla, Auckland House School, Shimla, St. Luke’s, Solan, Rashtriya Military School, H.P., JCB School, New Shimla, Chapslee School, Shimla, Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli, Hainault Public School, Shimla, Durga Public School, Solan, Himalayan International, Shimla and DAV Public School, Totu.
The evening ended with the prize distribution and loud cheers from the students of DAV Sr. Sec. Public School, New Shimla who lifted the Running Trophy.
Proud Award Winners
English Declamation
1st prize – DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla, Divanshu Sharma;
2nd prize – Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli, Rishabh Bhardwaj;
3rd prize – Auckland House School, Shimla, Navanya Sharma;
1st consolation – Dayanand Public School, Shimla, Divya Chauhan;
2nd consolation – Durga Public School, Solan, Rishika Gupta;
3rd consolation – Rashtriya Military School, H.P., Cdt. Thongminlien Kuki.
Hindi Declamation
1st prize (tie) – MRA DAV Public School, Solan, Ridhi Pandit;
and Chapslee School, Shimla, Nikhil Chauhan;
3rd prize – Dayanand Public School, Shimla, Sugandha Thakur;
1st consolation – Laureate Public School, Shimla, Anchal Kashyap;
2nd consolation – JCB School, Rishabh Sharma,
3rd consolation – Auckland House School, Shimla, Yashika Puri.
Painting
1st prize – DAV Public School, Totu Aditya Dhiman;
2nd prize – DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla, Shorya;
3rd prize – Laureate Public School, Shimla, Shubham Rongta;
1st consolation – Rashtriya Military School, H.P., Cdt. Saurav Kumar Kunal;
2nd consolation – Chapslee School, Shimla, Ayush Ranta;
3rd consolation – Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli, Sadhna Bijlwal,
Sketching
1st prize – Auckland House School, Shimla, Shreya Sood;
2nd prize – Chapslee School, Shimla, Himesh Panchta;
3rd prize – Rashtriya Military School, H.P., Cdt. Shaikat Sarkar;
1st consolation – DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla, Jai Vijay;
2nd consolation – Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli, Kanika Sharma;
3rd consolation – MRA DAV Public School, Solan, Manish Ranjan.
Jhankar
1st prize – Himalayan International, Shimla, Shivangi Thakur, Anchal Thakur and Shivangi Sharma;
2nd prize – DAV Sr. Sec. Public School, New Shimla, Tarisha Bhimta, Tivana and Pallavi;
3rd prize – ChapsleeSchool, Shimla, Shimona Prateek and Megha Sood.
Lazeez-E-Dawat
1st prize – Chapslee School, Shimla, Abhilasha Sharma and Anmol;
2nd prize – Himalayan International, Shimla, Nikita Kanwar and Shabnam Rokta;
3rd prize – Auckland House School, Shimla, Anu Nagar and Yuvika Gupta;
1st consolation – Monal Public Sr. Secondary School, Sanjauli, Nitika Verma and Palak;
2nd consolation – JCB School, Riya Bali and Urmil Kashyap;
3rd consolation – DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla, Shreshth and Samridhi.
Overall Standing and Winner of Running Trophy:
First – DAV Sr. Sec.Public School, New Shimla
Second – Chapslee School, Shimla
Third – Auckland House School, Shimla
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