Manama:The winners of the inter-school painting contest, ‘Aalekh ’24’, were honoured at a grand finale held on Friday at the Jashanmal Auditorium of The Indian School. This event marked the first edition of the art carnival Aalekh ’24, which took place at the ISB campus in Isa Town. The competition which saw the participation from around 3,000 students from various schools, was organized by the school’s Art Education Department.The prize distribution ceremony was graced by Chief Guest Nayla Shakeel representing the Title Sponsors Shakeel Group, who distributed trophies and cash awards to the winners. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including ISB Hon. Chairman Adv. Binu Mannil Varughese, Hon. Secretary V. Rajapandian, Hon. Vice-Chairman Dr. Mohammed Faizal, Hon. Assistant Secretary Ranjini Mohan, and Hon. Executive Committee Members Bonny Joseph (Finance & IT), Mithun Mohan (Projects & Maintenance), Principal VR Palaniswamy, Junior Wing Principal Pamela Xavier, Staff Representative Parvathi Devadas, Senior School & Academic Administration Vice-Principal G. Satheesh, Middle Section Vice-Principal Jose Thomas, Junior Wing Vice-Principal Priya Laji and Head Teachers.The winners were announced in different categories based on age groups.
- In Group 1 (Drishya, ages 5 to 7), the winners were: 1. Hannah Bright (The Indian School), 2. Ardra Rajesh (The Indian School), and 3. Mohammed Eisa Navas (Ibn Al Hytham Islamic School).
- Group 2 (Varna, ages 8 to 11) winners were: 1. Srihari Santhosh (The Indian School), 2. Adhuna Banerjee (Bahrain Indian School), and 3. Andrea Shervin Vinish (New Indian School).
- In Group 3 (Srushti, ages 12 to 15), the winners were: 1. Vaigha Vinod (The Indian School), 2. Mathumitha Natarajan (The Indian School), and 3. Elina Prasanna (The Indian School).
- Group 4 (Pragna, ages 16 to 18) winners were: 1. Theertha Sabu (Asian School), 2. Anghana Sreejith (The Indian School), and 3. Devkrishna Rajendra Kumar Vadayil (The Indian School).
- In the Group Painting Harmony category, the winners were: 1. Anannya KS, Sree Bhavani Vivek, Asita Jayakumar (The Indian School), 2. Hena Khadeeja, Sana Ashraf, Agneya Rejeesh (Ibn Al Hytham Islamic School), and 3. Satakshi Dev, Vaishnavi Guttula, Eleanor Shyju Mathew (Bahrain Indian School).
- For the Art Wall category (above 18), the winners were: 1. Jesus Ramos Tejada, 2. Vikas Kumar Gupta, and 3. Avinash Sadanandan.
Principal VR Palaniswamy welcomed the gathering, emphasizing that as per CBSE guidelines, art integration enhances student learning by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, making education engaging and relatable, and encouraging holistic development. Hon. Chairman Adv. Binu Mannil Varughese remarked that the painting contest stimulated students’ creativity by providing a platform for self-expression and imaginative exploration, enhancing their artistic skills and boosting confidence through public recognition. Hon. Secretary V. Rajapandian, in his vote of thanks, noted that participating in such events fosters a sense of achievement and can inspire further interest in arts and related fields. He thanked the Title Sponsors Shakeel Trading Company and Bahrain Pride, Presenters FOGG,Platinum Sponsor National Transport Company,Diamond Sponsor Medimix,Gold Sponsor Cholayil and BFC.
The cultural programmes included a band performance by students Adwaith Shanil, Amit Devan, Arshin Saheesh, Dhyan Thomas Arun, Jeswin Jose, Kailas Balakrishnan, Rithukeerth Vineesh, and Tanmay Rajesh and dance performances by students from both campuses. The success of the contest was attributed to the hard work of the School’s Art Education department, led by HoD Lekha Sasi and staff members Satheesh Paul, Deepak A, Urmila P, Majisha D, Reetha Raju, Arul R, Pratibha A, Fahima B. Rajab, Rushikesh L, Babitha C, V. Chitralekha, Kavitha Sanjay, Mariam, Seddiqa M, Shajini B, Vimitha S, Reshma A and a volunteer committee led by Vipin PM and teachers.
