Mohali school lad wins national essay contest

Sahib Sharma from Learning Paths School, Mohali, walked away with the first prize and a trophy at the 6th Nanhi Chhaan National School Essay Contest 2019s held  at The Kalyani School, Pune recently. The contest saw 17 finalists from schools across 9 states fight it out for the top slot. The second prize was bagged by Viraj Lohia from Welham Boys School, Dehradun. The chief guest for the event was Baba Kalyani, Chairman, Kalyani Group.

The national-level school essay contest is an initiative of the Nanhi Chhaan Foundation to promote lateral thinking at the grass-roots level by creating awareness of social issues and concerns. The objective of the initiative is to develop and create well-informed leaders of tomorrow to build a socially conscious, inclusive and vibrant community. 

The topic for this year's contest was 'How to create greater harmony among different religions' and saw participation from 50000 students representing 2000 schools spread across the length and breadth of the country. Students from Class XI and XII sent entries for the national-level contest. Two essays from each school were selected after independent assessment, and shortlisted essays were then assessed by professors of the Delhi Literature Society and a team from the leading audit firm in the country. The semi-finalists were shortlisted on September 26, wherein the students had to write an essay on a topic given on the spot'.  For the grand finale, the participants were assessed basis a panel discussion on the same topic. The finalists showcased exceptional oratory skills during the group discussion and displayed immense understanding and sensitivity on the issue. — TNS