News and Events 45TH ANNUAL NEHRU BAL MELA AWARDS & PRIZES PRESENTED

New Delhi, January 25, 2008: :: Over six hundred school children were honoured for their excellence in literary skill, painting, dance and music at the 45th Annual Nehru Bal Mela Awards & Prizes presentation function, jointly organized by the Russian Centre of Science & Culture (RCSC), Nehru Bal Samiti and the Indo-Russian Council for Child Development, at the RCSC, 24, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi, on January 25, 2008. The colourful function was attended by a large gathering comprising school children and parents from Delhi, Noida and Faridabad and their teachers.

About ten thousand children from Delhi, Noida and Faridabad had participated in the 6-day long Nehru Bal Mela/Children's Creativity Festival, organized in connection with the International Children's Day coinciding with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday, in various competitions like stage programmes of dance and music, literary competitions and painting competitions from November 10 to 14, 2007 and the Walk for Nehru's Ideals on November 15, 2007.

The Lt. Governor's Trophy for the highest credits in the stage performances was presented to Shivani Vidya Niketan, Chhatarpur, New Delhi. The Samiti's prestigious Kala Shree Awards in Painting was presented to 12 children. The Village Masjid Moth Centre got the highest number of prizes in painting, that is, 130 prizes; the Faridabad Centre claimed 92 prizes; the Noida Centre claimed 53 prizes. In all, over 600 prizes were distributed.

Mr. T. R. Gupta, Ex-President of Nehru Bal Samiti, welcoming the gathering, said that the school children through their artistic and literary endeavour bringing laurels to the NBS fulfilling the dream of the architect of free India Jawaharlal Nehru. He lauded the spirit of Mr. S. P. Govil and the gesture of RCSC in promoting young talents through such events. Mr. K.M. Govil, Member of Executive Council, NBS, and Artist Mr. Roop Chand attended the function.

Dr. Sergey V. Cherkas, Deputy Director, RCSC, presented a set of paintings from Local Russian City Penza Art School to NBS. Making his keynote address on the occasion, congratulated the aspiring and budding young artists for their excellence in not only their studies but also in the artistic activities. He welcomed the students to take part in the painting exhibition during the International Book Fair at the Pragati Maidan on February 2-8, 2008 in which Russia is a major participant.. Dr. Cherkas said that Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Victor Zubkov, will inaugurate the Year of Russia in India in the Capital on February 13, 2008.

Mr. S. P. Govil, Freedom Fighter, Hony. Secretary & Director, Nehru Bal Samiti, was al praise for the sincere initiative and hard efforts put in by children to make the Bal Mela a magnificent success. Tracing the background of the decades-long activities of NBS catering to the needs of the children, particularly promoting the cause of the poor and the down-trodden, he emphasized the need for added efforts to sustain the will of young generation who are the promise of our country.