Children paint for cancer awareness

CHENNAI: Students of the St Louis Institute for the Deaf and Blind stole the show at a painting competition held in the city on Sunday morning. They bagged two first prizes in the middle and secondary school categories and one second prize in the primary category.This was the first time that students of a school for differently-abled had won so many top prizes in the annual competition conducted by the Vasantha Memorial Trust to create awareness on a cancer-free tomorrow based on lifestyle changes. More than 400 students from close to 60 schools in the city gathered at the Rosary Matriculation School to participate in the competition.Students from primary classes to Class 4 were given topics based on how food can cause intake of carcinogenic substances. Students from classes 5 to 7 were asked to portray various aspects of cancer caused by smoking and second-hand smoke. Students from Classes 8 and above focussed on the importance of exercise as key to a healthy life.Many innovative ideas were put to use, as children depicted their chosen theme using crayons, water colours and oil paints. The styles ranged from literal to abstract, and some truly artistic talents were on display. Children had been informed of the broad theme beforehand, and they came prepared.The winners were chosen by cartoonist Madhan, cartoonist and painter Keshav and art expert Usha Elangovan. During the hour-long competition, a presentation on cancer awareness was conducted for the parents by Dr Ramanathan Jayaram, oncologist and Managing Trustee of Vasantha Memorial Trust.