Vivid brush strokes and thoughtful art work come as a beacon of hope from children. It has always acted as a medium to connect different genres and age groups without any ethnic or class barriers. The inaugural Mihira Bruhaspathi Children’s Art Competition was organized with this aspect in mind. It is sponsored by Ranpath Paper Pvt Ltd.
The brainchild of Bruhaspathi Academy Head Harish Walpola, the Mihira Bruhaspathi Children’s Art Competition garnered a huge response from tiny tots and well as school goers. The academy supports individuals from different age groups to develop their aesthetic skills, such as, art, music and dance, free of charge. More than 1, 000 entries were received before the closing date of entries for the competition. Joining hands with Sri Lanka’s oldest children’s weekly newspaper, Mihira, Walpola hopes to make it an annual event which will “inculcate aesthetic values in the younger generations, to help them become balanced individuals and holistic citizens”
“The competition also addresses the parents to make them realize the importance of aesthetics in holistic living,” he added.
The awards ceremony of the Mihira Bruhaspathi Children’s Art Competition 2018 will be held at the National Library auditorium on August 11 at 9 am. Held under three age categories: seven to 10 years, 11 to 14 years and 15 to 18 years, many stunning paintings drawn by budding young artists were entrees to the competition. Each winner of the three categories will receive a Vincent Van Gogh Award along with a cash prize of Rs 25, 000 and one year’s subscription of Mihira Newspaper.
The event is a prelude to a project which will be held across the island. Art workshops will be held at district level. The team will follow up on the winners and participants, encouraging them to hone their skills via the project. Two members in the jury have already given their green light to support the cause. Individual attention will be given to participants at the event and many renowned artists in Sri Lanka will be a part of the event.
Speaking about the link between art and youth Walpola said that there seems to be a dearth of artists among the younger generation.
“It is time consuming to become a good artist as you need to possess other qualities like commitment, courage, effort and skill. Our aim is to help these individuals develop their artistic streak and nurture a generation of good artists,” he noted. Mihira Editor Jagath Hewapanna said that Mihira has always strived to give a quality and meaningful output to its readers.
“This initiative fulfills a void in Sri Lanka at a time the younger generation is moving away from art. Our goal is to produce many a new generation of gifted artists islandwide,” he commented. Ranpath Paper Pvt Ltd Managing Director Niroon Buddhasiri said that space has been created for 10 winners with the aim of treating their talents equally. Elaborating on the Vincent Van Gogh Award he stated that though the society during his time considered Van Gogh as a failure he was later globally recognized as the best impressionist.
“In life there are no failures. You need to motive yourself to look for your identity and develop skills related to it. I would also like to express my gratitude to parents who encouraged their children to take part in the event. It is heartening to see note that there are those who motivate children to engage in aesthetic activities rather than merely push them towards academic achievements,” Buddhasiri opined.
The identity of a country rests on its culture and history. If art and culture demises, our identity too will be wiped out. Buddhasiri says that he believes that it is a corporate citizen’s duty to protect the identity of a country by preserving its culture. This is mainly why Ranpath Paper Pvt Ltd sponsored the event.
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