The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : INTACH’s awareness drive draws good response

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Tuesday, Feb 09, 2010
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INTACH’s awareness drive draws good response

Correspondent

Some 700 students from 50 schools take part in competitions

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

ENGROSSED: Children taking part in a drawing competition organised by INTACH in Bhubaneswar.

BHUBANESWAR: As part of its country-wide silver jubilee celebrations, the Bhubaneswar Chapter of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) hosted a heritage awareness campaign for school students here on Sunday.

Nearly 700 students from 50 schools of the capital gathered at the Mother’s Public School (MPS) at the heart of the city to participate in three competitions -- on-the-spot painting, essay-writing and eloquence. “The thrust was on making the young minds think of issues related to their culture and heritage about which they are rarely been told in schools or at home,” explained chapter convener S.K.B.N. Das.

“The event received rave response. While we were expecting about 500 participants, they came in large numbers and even from far off places across the city,” stated an elated Jayant Das, the chief coordinator of the competitions.

Many participants

While 500 students took part in the painting competition, easy-writing and eloquence segments got participation of 100 each,” he added. The topic for the competitions dwelt on the role of children in conservation of cultural heritage besides Bhubaneswar as a city of tourism and culture. Educational institutions can play a pivotal role in promotion of awareness about the capital’s character as a city of culture and heritage, said MPS director Poly Patnaik. “Besides grooming students for excellence in academics, schools should mould the young to take keen interest in arts, culture and heritage. Organisations like INTACH and SPICMACAY collaborate with schools for cultural awareness,” she said.

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