Date:04/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100415720400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

City student wins five-day trip to Singapore

Kannal Achuthan

K. Priyanth Kumar

Chennai: K. Priyanth Kumar, a student from P. S. Senior Secondary School, has won a five-day trip to Singapore.

Priyanth is the Tamil Nadu winner of the Race for Awareness and Knowledge (RANK) award, instituted by Air India to recognise good citizenship among teachers and students. During his trip to Singapore, he will get the chance to interact with 31 award winning students and 32 teachers selected from different States of India.

As part of the contest, Priyanth had to design a flag for the `Republic of Consideration' and frame 10 rules that would qualify a person to become a citizen of that country. When asked to name which country he liked best, Priyanth chose Vietnam for "the people's pride in their country and their indigenous crafts".

The winners will visit Sentosa, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo Night Safari, Sentosa Underwater World and the National University of Singapore. The teacher selected from Tamil Nadu for the Broad Outlook Learner Teacher (BOLT) award is J. Josephine Mary Nirmala. She is from a Panchayat Union elementary school in Tiruchirapalli district and was chosen for her creative teaching methods.

The winners from Puducherry are S. B. Vishnue Prasad of Petite Seminary Higher Secondary School, and Z. Zayapragassarazan, a lecturer from Pope John Paul II College.