The Hindu : New Delhi News : Children show the way to a better Delhi

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Saturday, Dec 29, 2007
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New Delhi

Children show the way to a better Delhi

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Dept. of Forests and Wildlife to bring out calendar with “artistic depiction” of Delhi by school children

Each poster will carry a message about the need to be sensitive to requirements of environment
“We are very happy with the understanding shown by the children in their paintings”

NEW DELHI: Reminding Delhiites each month of next year about their commitment to the Capital’s environment will be the works of a group of select Delhi school students who have taken upon themselves the onus of contributing to the task.

In an attempt to rope in children and educate them about the various environmental problems faced by the city, the Delhi Government’s Department of Forests and Wildlife will come out with a calendar of “artistic depiction” of Delhi by the school children. Each of the 12 posters will carry a message to the public about the need to be sensitive to the requirements of the environment and will depict how man shares a symbiotic relationship with nature.

Said a senior Forest and Wildlife Department official: “This is the second such attempt by our department and we are very happy will the quality of work that we have got and also the depth of understanding shown by the children in their paintings.”

The 12 prize-winning posters were selected by a panel of judges from Delhi College of Arts, PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry and a non-government organisation.

“This year we had 2,500 to 3,000 entries for the poster-making competition from schools across the Capital. The topics that were highlighted included waste management, air and water pollution, energy conservation, global warming and rising pollution levels in Delhi.

The top three prize winners were awarded Rs.25,000, Rs.15,000 and Rs.10,000 respectively.

Also nine consolation prizes of Rs.5,000 were awarded to winning entries. “These will now be used in our calendar for the year 2008 and will serve as a reminder about how children view the environment and how we should work harder and live more responsibly to ensure a clean and environmentally healthy Delhi for them.”

Said the first prize winner of the competition, Gulnaz Praveen of Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya, Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan: “In my painting I have depicted green Delhi. I worked on the concept and was helped by my teachers, parents and tutor who guided me through my work.”

Adds this Class XI arts student who wants to become a history teacher:

“Delhi faces several environmental problems including high levels of air and water pollution, rising vehicular load and rapid growth of human population which is eating into our greens and containing it to small parks and pockets of wooded areas.

We as youngsters understand the need to work toward a better future because we are the ones who will have to live through high levels of pollution and with depleted natural resources.”

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