For those of you
that may have missed it, there was a great new step taken this past
week – not just for comic fans and writers, but for free-thinking
and creative kids everywhere.
On the 1st
of September (i.e., last Saturday) at Pragati Maidan, Delhi, the good
folks over at Campfire Graphic Novels hosted the first ever
Campfire Young Writer of the Year Awards. Attendees
were also in for a treat because Sir Mark Tully was the guest
of honour and was accompanied on the stage by Campfire Chairman,
Keshav Thirani. To quote the hosts intent for the event:“It
was a celebration of the creativity of youth.”
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| Sir Mark imparting words of wisdom |
This ceremony was
the first of three which will be carried out across the country –
the other two being in Bangalore and Mumbai – to give all the
winners an opportunity to attend.
The speeches from
Sir Mark Tully and Keshav Thirani gave everyone present an insight
into their thoughts on this competition, and how valuable this kind
of activity is for young people. Children can be encouraged to
explore their creativity through writing; they can discover the joy
of literature through their own hand. Or as Andy Dodd, the
compere of the event said:
“We want to
break open their creativity, throw the shackles off their restraints
once in a while, and let them loose with nothing more than a pen and
a piece of paper – or more likely Microsoft Word and a keyboard.”
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| Sir Mark and the spritely Madirekshana |
Following the
words from Sir Mark, the award presentation began. Although Sahir
D’Souza – the overall winner of the competition – could not
be present, he had pre-recorded a video message which was played for
all to see. After receiving her All-India Class 6 Winner award,
Madirekshana Chakraborty from Step by Step School in
Noida answered questions from one of the competitions’ judges, and
delighted everyone with her softly-spoken and humble, yet cheerful,
answers.
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| The group shot! |
This pan-India
contest, in its inaugural year, received over 5,000 entries from
children across the country. Anyone in classes V to IX was invited to
participate, and when the competition is repeated for 2013, Campfire
is expecting to receive at least double the number of entries.
The editorial
staff at Campfire enjoyed reading every single story that was
submitted. But, of course, some particularly good entries were
received, and there were some winners...
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| Spending time with the bright sparks in attendance |
And so, the title
of Campfire Young Writer of the Year 2012 goes to Sahir D’Souza
from Class VIII, Shishuvan School, Mumbai.
Congratulations
go out to Sahir who will be awarded with an iPad and the coveted
Campfire Young Writer of the Year trophy. And if that wasn’t
enough, he will also get the opportunity to see his story (The
Spirit and the Tree) in print.
Sahir, along with
the four other all-India class winners, will have their stories
adapted into the graphic novel format by Campfire and published as a
compilation. Just before the close of the ceremony, a short
discussion was held, involving the other all-India class winners,
questions were asked live by Andy Dodd and the children answered them
via pre-recorded video messages. Everyone present was pleased to hear
what the children had to say about their love of writing, and how the
Young Writer of the Year competition had inspired, thrilled and
motivated them.
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| A rapt audience included Comic-Con India boss Jatin Varma |
The all-India
class winners for 2012 (who were featured at the event) are:
Class V -
Arohi Purnaye from GG International School, Pune
Class VI –
Madirekshana Chakraborty from Step by Step School, Noida
Class VII –
Rohit Rao from Prakriya Green Wisdom School, Bangalore
Class VIII
(and overall winner) – Sahir D’Souza from Shishuvan School,
Mumbai
Class IX –
Tanuj Lalwani – Inventure Academy, Bangalore
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