Creative minds come together

Fourteen-year-old Meghna Kamath has a dream. She aspires to spread the spirit of camaraderie and happiness by spreading something as simple as a smile. “She needs a platform to express her thoughts and creativity,” said her mother Anuradha Kamath.

Meghna along with 850 other children participated in what they thought was most creative at the Big Idea Wizkid 2012. Organised by event management company Big Idea, the second installment of Wiz Kid encouraged students from KG1 to Grade 13 to participate. The theme of the event was Concept, Culture and Creativity and the finalists gathered together at the Knowledge Village Auditorium on Friday, June 29. Participants presented their concept, culture and creativity in the form of paintings, poems or stories based on various sub-themes like Unity in Diversity, Environment, Values, UAE-My Pride, World of Tomorrow and Aspiration.

Finalists Neha Rathi and Aditya Rathi from Delhi Private School, Dubai and Aaditya Singh from Delhi Private School, Sharjah were inducted into the Big Idea Wizkid- 2012 Hall of Fame. Their entries for all three categories — painting, writing and recitation — were judged the best among all the entries. The organisers said that the Hall of Fame is a new concept at Wizkids and the students selected for the award are all-rounders in their respective schools as well. They walked away with the Emax Big Idea Wizkid 2012 — Hall of Fame Awards. Also, 27 participants were conferred Emax Big Idea Wizkid 2012 Awards.

Reena Banerjee, Founder and Idea Director of Big Idea said: “Wizkid 2012 is an endeavour to bring out the creativity in young minds. The theme of the event was derived from the three pillars, Concept, Culture and Creativity, guiding the students at various stages. We had about 850 entries from 50 schools cutting across all nationalities.”

She added that the event is something of a family carnival. “Parents bring in their kids and stand by them watching them perform. Since the atmosphere is very casual, the children are confident when they are on stage. This is the kind of platform kids need today and the response has been fantastic,” she said.

The event also released Wizkid 2011 souvenir, ‘the future is bright, the future is you’ a collection of poems, paintings, stories and ideas of school students across UAE who participated in Big Idea Wizkid 2011. “It is an endeavour to bring out the creativity in young minds,” Banerjee added.

Anuradha Kamath, a parent who attended the event said that such events expose little ones to a sea of opportunities. “When kids are given the opportunity to express their thoughts, they do it without inhibitions. It’s beautiful, even adults can learn from them.”

Finance professional Srikrishnan Pattabiraman’s five-year-old daughter gave a painting for the event. “It builds a creative spirit among children. It is also really exciting to watch so many kids display such bright ideas,” said Pattabiraman.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com