Chandigarh : Strawberry Fields World School and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, INTACH, organized an Essay Writing Competition, Harit Sankalp – Care For Nature, on Saturday, 8th December 2012 at the serene and sylvan environs of the Strawberry Fields World School campus at Sector 26, Chandigarh. Students of Classes 6 – 9 from various schools, like Bhavan Vidyalaya, St. Kabir, Vivek High, Sacred Heart, Saupins, St Xaviers, Gurukul and Strawberry Fields World School participated in this cultural event. INTACH Chandigarh, in recent years, has developed a comprehensive and detailed listing of all Heritage Properties in the region, organised INTACH workshops and talks on Heritage, national level Crafts Festival at the Rock Garden, in addition to several Heritage walks, on the spot art competitions, musical evenings and interactions between various sections of society. They have also highlighted the Modern Heritage of Chandigarh as well as the ancient heritage of the nearby Bhima Devi Temple, the Jayanti Devi Temple and the Mani Majra Fort as part of their endeavours.
The competition was specially designed to promote amongst these young, art and literary enthusiasts, INTACH’s global mission aimed at promoting the spirit of appreciation, exploration and cultural education.
The objective of the event was to give an opportunity to school students from across the city to prepare an interesting write – up or essay on the natural heritage of their city and how they can help to save this unique natural feature. This could include a water body, a tree, group of trees or an animal. Each participating student from classes 6 – 9 needed to support his/her write–up with an original creative piece pertaining to his/her chosen topic. This could be in the form of a painting , poster, collage, a short 2 – minute video or photographs.
The event commenced with a welcome note by Ms Sidhu, Principal, SFWS and was followed by an inspiring address by the Chief Guest Mr Ramesh Vinayak, Editor — HT. The occasion was also graced by Mr. V.K. Kapoor, Convener of INTACH, Mr Vivek Atray and various other members of the organization. The programme witnessed a confluence of art and culture with a musical recital by the SFWS school choir, which set the tone for the day and its proceedings. About a 100 students participated with great enthusiasm and fervor in the competition. These young participants from across the city spent the morning penning down and creating their masterpieces, both literary and artistic under the warm December sun, adding yet another milestone to the long and arduous journey undertaken by INTACH, towards preserving our natural heritage.