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Brain power to the fore
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School children showcased their talent in the Chennai edition of Horlicks Wizteam 2006
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PHOTO: K. KARUNAKARAN
SMART REPLIES The winners from Chennai S. Pragadeesh and Deepika Eashwaran
Freedom from affectation, composure during critical situations and belief in one's abilities are winning attributes — anywhere and in any field of activity. Horlicks Wizteam 2006 (flagship programme of the Horlicks Wiz Kids, an annual event that includes a variety of contests and is conducted in all major cities in the country) tests school children for these qualities.
The Chennai edition of the contest, especially the finals, lined up children who manifested high mental aptitude and emotional balance.
Five children from the junior category (from Standards V to VII) and another five from the senior category (Standards VIII to XII) were in the finals, which required them to introduce themselves, display a talent and answer questions from a panel of judges (singer James Vasanthan, actor Narain, Raees Ahmed, who is from the fashion industry, and Reena Srinivas, who heads a leading company) .
Neha from Doveton Corrie recited "Taj Mahal", a gushy and unrestrained love poem that came from the pen of Mary Dobson. She floundered in the question round. She expressed her wish to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, who is a doctor. When asked if the motive was to earn lots of money or serve people, she pointed to the latter. But she could not spell out how she was going to help the underprivileged.
Vani Rao from Vidyodaya imitated VJ Shanaz. Although she admitted that she was once a diehard fan of the jockey, she discouraged the other kids from entering the field. "It is all fake." For herself, she has chosen politics. When asked if she did not find a role model in politics to emulate and "imitate on the stage", she said, "At present, there is none. That is why I see the need to enter politics. If I do, there will be a role model for others to emulate."
Confident answers
Pawan Kapnadak of Kola Saraswathi was billed the favourite, having made it to the national finals in the last two years. Wearing the trademark Vivekananda turban, he delivered a famous passage from the Swami's works. He was clueless about the seer's original name. However, he tackled the situation with a brilliant answer — "I draw inspiration from Vivekananda's teaching and not his personal life." He fended another difficult question — "As Swami Vivekananda is your idol, you must be bold as a lion and therefore, why don't you boldly point out what your school is lacking in?"
Pawan rose to the occasion: "I'll have to rack my brains to come up with a negative about my school. I like it the way it is. Moreover, I always try to focus on the strong points, and not the weak." Brilliant answers both, but surprisingly not good enough to fetch him a place in the national finals.
Of the other three brilliant performers — Sachin Ravindran (Chettinad Vidyashram), S. Pragadeesh (Velammal Matriculation) and Deepika Eashwaran (Chettinad Vidyashram) — the last two made it through to the Bangalore event, which will have two winners from each of the other 24 cities where the Horlicks Wiz Kids 2006 is being conducted.
Brilliant lines
Sachin delivered brilliant lines in his speech about the importance of sports in building character. The pick of the lot: "Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but the breaths you hold". He finished impressively — "All work and no play makes Sachin a dull boy." The youngster aspires to be the youngest grandmaster in the country.
Pragadeesh (winner from the senior category) urged all the kids, "Let us together make India a superpower by 2010." He had a request, in connection with a discussion on averting bomb blasts like the one that took place in Mumbai recently. "VIPs should also be checked, everyone is equal in the eyes of law". Deepika (winner from the junior category) danced her way to victory, performing a Bharatanatyam piece that depicted an episode from Lord Krishna's life.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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