The Curtain Falls
On
The 2nd Primary PLUS Multiple Intelligences Awards Contest, 2007

Conceptualized by our Editor-in-Chief Mr. Manbir Bedi, the past eight hectic months of relentless hard work by Primary PLUS, ambitious participation by thousands of primary school children from across the length and breadth of India and sincere support by our sponsors Zapak , Big FM 92.7 , Firefox , Dr. Wood Marketing Pvt. Ltd. , JK Paper Ltd , Malaysia Tourism. - a healthy mixture of these culminated in the successful finale that took place on 9 th February, 2008 at the Air Force Auditorium, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. It was a grand finale that was appreciated by all the guests, parents and teachers who graced the occasion. Hosted by Steven Rudolph , the Guru of Multiple Intelligences and co-hosted by the famous Mallika- e –gazal Penaz Masani , the show was replete with fantastic dances by the semi-finalists of the contest, exotic dance performance by a Malaysian troupe , an exquisite dance by Ludhiana children organized by Madam Walia of GNPS, a magic show by Satyajit Datta , and a superb ventriloquist performance by Raja Rancho . Besides the above, there was a bewitching performance by Shibani Kashyap that left the entire audience craving for more. Penaz Masani was at her best with her heart-rending songs which left the audience spell-bound.

The primary city rounds of this contest started in Bangalore and spread all over India , fanning across Varanasi , Amritsar , Ludhiana , Chandigarh , Ajmer , Greater Noida, Faridabad and Delhi . 56 children qualified from these centres and took part in the three-day camp that was organised in the Dum-Duma tourist complex from 6 th to 8 th February. Many interesting activities were organized in this camp and the participants had a very interesting and educational stay which they enjoyed thoroughly. The children were completely fascinated by the famous artiste Shyama Prasad who taught them the skills of pottery making, sculpture and photography. The various workshops held by him were a hit with the children who were completely engrossed in learning these skills. The children were also taught dancing skills by Savoir Vivre , a dance troupe and by Mrs Kalia Sr. Dance teacher of DAV Pushpanjali . The highlight of the camp was the multiple intelligence activity of creating a new country, giving it a name and illustrating it on a sheet along with all its features such as flag, national anthem, currency, national bird, rights and duties of the citizens etc. The participants spent one night thinking about it and in the morning all their creative fluids were agog with enthusiasm and it took less than two hours for them to make their presentations. The assessment of this creative work was a part of the selection process which paved the way for choosing the 16 semi –finalists.

The performances of the various artistes on the Grand Finale event were loudly applauded and appreciated by everyone present. Finally, the time came for the announcement of the 16 semi-finalists, when their names were announced. Mr. Gurpal Singh, the famous actor/director from Mumbai was present on the stage to test these children in order to pave the way for the selection of the final five winners. Each semi-finalist was asked to introduce himself/herself and perform on the stage for about a minute. On completion of the performance, Mr. Gurpal Singh posed interesting questions to each participant testing their confidence, spontaneity and intelligence. Their reactions were assessed by a panel of judges comprising of Mr. Gurpal Singh and Ms. Rosetta Williams, noted educationist and Principal, DPS International.

The show was a grand success which was keenly contested and loved by the children, and relished and thoroughly enjoyed by the guests, parents and teachers. A special mention must be made of the way in which Mr. Steven Rudolph conducted the whole show along with his personal performances including a group song performance with all the 56 children and a solo Hindi song.

Arun Sobti
Editor