Deepika Eashwaran
Deepika Eashwaran was adjudged one of the two winners in the junior category of the Horlicks Wiz Kids 2006 national finals held in Bangalore in November last year. A class V student of the CBSE-affiliated Chettinad Vidyashram in Chennai, Deepika is an accomplished orator, Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic music vocalist and tops it all off with an excellent academic record. Her well-rounded personality enabled her to sail through a gruelling four-day evaluation process comprising several selection rounds. Deepika flew to the Philippines this month (January) as a member of the Horlicks Wiz Team 2006, sponsored by consumer healthcare major Glaxo Smithkline and managed by the Bangalore-based event management company, The Activity. The Horlicks Wizkid contest is conducted annually to provide a platform for children to showcase their extra-curricular talents. This year the three-level (school, city and national) contest attracted entries from 200,000 students from 1,500 schools in 25 major cities across the country. Deepika was nominated by her school for the contest held in July in Chennai and simultaneously in 24 other cities. After an arduous selection process which included a written test, an interview, a talent round and a question-answer session, she was adjudged Chennai’s best to qualify as one of 50 finalists from 25 cities who were invited for the national final in Bangalore. In Bangalore Deepika excelled in psychometric tests, a quiz on India and creative writing.
Subsequently she charmed the jury with a Bharatanatyam and folk dance performance, and responded spontaneously and confidently to questions posed by a panel of judges. The highlight of the contest was Deepika’s project on road safety. "My Black Spot campaign involves sticking black spot stickers on the headlights of vehicles to reduce their glare and thus reduce road accidents. The campaign was jointly launched by Satyam Foundation and Women’s Christian College, Chennai with the support of the city’s police force. I actively campaigned in educational institutions in Chennai and submitted a 40-page project report on the subject. I plan to continue spreading awareness of road safety in my city," says the young crusader for civic causes.
An avid reader of Enid Blyton and J.K. Rowling, Deepika is accustomed to walking away with awards and accolades. Though artistically talented with a flair for French and English, she eventually wants to qualify as a scientist. But as she proved to the judges’ panel, she is good at whatever she does.
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
Vineeth John
Although only 12 years of age, he has penned seven novels, won a slew of literary awards and is the proud recipient of this year’s National Award for Exceptional Achievement instituted by the Union ministry of human resource development. Meet child prodigy Vineeth John , a class VII student of the Peringom Government High School, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, who has set his sights upon being bracketed with literary giants Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle among others.
Already the author of Black Danger, Baton Colors and several other titles, Vineeth debuted as an author with a 55-page novella, Lion Fossil, when he was merely eight years old. Like many famous Indian writers (Arundhati Roy, Vikram Seth, Kiran Desai), he shuttled from one publisher to the next until a local publisher — Lotus Publications — wrote him a contract.
"We really struggled hard to find a publisher for Vineeth’s first book," recalls his father James John, a school teacher. But once Lion Fossil started receiving favourable reviews in the local press, the young author was showered with encomiums. "We’re now working with some of the most renowned names in book publishing to showcase his work," says John.
Vineeth’s literary talent was first discerned by his parents when he was barely six. Much to his mother Kulamma’s consternation, the little boy would skip meals and write for hours locked in his room, while mounds of crumpled paper kept growing next to him. Academically bright, he is also a regular contributor of short stories to some local newspapers and magazines in his native Thiruvananthapuram.
Fittingly, Vineeth received his national award on Children’s Day (November 14) last year. He continues to read prodigiously, loves to travel, bounces story ideas off his twin brother Vivek, a budding poet. The two of them brainstorm incessantly while discussing themes and turns of plot. "The first rule of writing is to start writing. Quality improves with perseverance and the passage of time. And with patience and persistence come the accolades," he advises.
Quite obviously a youngster who practices what he preaches.
Neeta Lal (Delhi)