Date:01/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110158170200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A riot of colour at museum gallery

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.Thanthoni

Dash of colours: Participants at the painting competition engrossed in their work in Chennai on Friday.

Chennai: Red brush strokes on the petals, thin green strokes on the leaves. Green hills overlooking rows of houses or small boats floating in deep waters. It was a brush with creativity for many students of primary and secondary schools in the city on Friday.

With Children’s Day round the corner, the Government Museum organised a painting competition for children from the city schools.

The archaeology gallery in the Egmore museum campus for a change was filled with a splash of colours.

Students from classes L.K.G to XII, divided into two batches, were sketching and colouring pictures of vegetables, flowers, nature, harbour, etc. – the themes given to them depending on the class they belonged to.

Any number of painting competition cannot get mundane was quite evident as eager parents were seen peeping from the grilled windows of the gallery to see how their children were colouring.

Around 350 students took part in the competition. Though you might see a majority of them drawing the same vegetable or scenery, at the end of the day it is going to be a tough task for the judges. “Though the themes might be quite simple, judges will be looking at colour coordination, strokes, presentation and other aspects,” said Mythili T, a member of Friends of Museum, which is coordinating the event.

Winners of the competition will be announced during the Children’s Day celebration, to be conducted at the Museum Theatre on November 13.