Kolkata: An NGO working among children and youth in eastern India has honored 46 students who scored 80 percent and above in the state level board examinations this year.
Kolkata based SAHAY, affiliated to Children International of the United States, also awarded twelve winners in various age categories of the 19th Art Contest organized by Children International (CI) at the Nehru Children’s Museum Hall in the eastern Indian city.
The artwork of these twelve winners will compete with similar entries of other children and youth from eleven countries globally, where CI works.
The final twelve international champions will then be chosen From among these.
The art contest winners, judged from among 1,400, each received a certificate of merit and an art kit. This was handed over by Chief Guest Srila Mokherjee, a founding member of the Indo-Swedish Glass Sambandh. She runs a studio-workshop out of Kolkata and has been a board member of SAHAY since March 2013.
In her welcome address Director, SAHAY, Malika Singh advised the youth present to “imagine” and “strive towards” fulfilling one’s dreams.
The event began with a minute’s silence in memory of the late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a youth icon and role-model.
Educationist, Neena Singh, the Patron-in-Chief at the event urged all the children and youth to “continue excelling” and “keep trying” very much like what the former President of India had advised all young people on several occasions.
Sharing his mantra of success, Tridip Protihar, a twelfth grade examinee who scored 96 percent, said, “Most of the times students forget to revise. If I was to point out a single formula of success, it would be this- revise, revise and revise once again.”
Kousik Karmakar, a tenth grader who scored 95 percent, opined, “It is not about knowing everything in the text books. Practical knowledge and application of the same is also an important aspect.”
While Tridip is pursuing the medical science course from the Medical College and Hospital Kolkata to become a doctor, Kousik is studying science and wants to follow a career in Computer Engineering in the future.
There were 29 students of twelfth grade and 17 of the tenth, each of whom were given a certificate of merit and a copy of Competition Success and the Manorama Year Book respectively.
SAHAY an NGO works with 26,000 children and youth in eight districts of West Bengal implementing the sponsorship program which strives to improve the lives of poor children and youth by providing basic necessities, critical benefits and services, programs that support long-term development and opportunities that prepare them for success.