Syeda Amtul

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — On the occasion of Saudi Arabia’s 84th National Day, children from different nationalities participated in an inter-school art competition dubbed “Saudi Cultural and Artistic Drawing Competition.” The competition was organized by Khak-e-Taiba Trust at a local restaurant here.



Participants were divided into two age group: those who were in the age group of 6 - 8 had to simply showcase their coloring abilities, while those who were in the age group of 9 -12 had to unleash their creativity further and demonstrate their drawing and coloring of different heritage and cultural sites of Saudi Arabia.



The young creative participants were given 45 minutes to complete their artwork, which was judged by a panel comprising five judges — namely, Fauzia Iqtedar, International Indian School Jeddah; Anzar Ahmed, Al Falah International School - DPS Jeddah; Fouzia Mujeeb, Mahd Al Uloom International school; Syed Jamalullah Qadri, president of Urdu academy Jeddah; and Hasan Bayazid Ather.



Mujeeb said: “It’s a very nice thing that children living in Saudi Arabia are being exposed to its culture and I appreciate the effort done by KTT.” The judges carefully scrutinized each drawing to see if the participants had complied with the theme given, their work was original and portrayed aesthetic appeal.



Artworks of all the children were worth of praise, but those who made spectacular drawings of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah received accolades from parents, judges, and visitors.



It was difficult for the judges to choose the winners from the wide array of drawings. After much consideration, the judges gradually narrowed down their choices before they chose the three winners from each category. In the junior category, Zuneira Fatma, Safia sadiya and Misbah Sadiya from International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ) bagged the first three position holders respectively. In the senior category, Hana Faisal, a grade six student of IISJ, was awarded the first prize.



Faisal’s painting depicted the strong Saudi-India relationship. “I love Saudi Arabia where I was born and brought up but I love India too. I tried to show my love toward both countries in my painting and I am very happy to receive the first prize,” she said.



Faisal was followed by Zeba Jabeen, an eighth class student of Dauha Al Uloom International School, on the second position while Nida Rehman, a grade six student from IISJ, stepped in third.



The first position holders pocketed a check of SR 500, second position holders SR300, and third position holders SR200.



Aleem khan Falaki, a senior member of the trust and a social activist, was the convener of the program.



Jamal Qadri said: “We are happy to see enthusiasm in children, as we know some of them are not perfect in art but they wanted to create something.”



He added: “This is their right to know everything about the host country where they are living, and I think it is a good effort to encourage them to learn about the culture and heritage of the country.”



KTT Trustee and general secretary Syed Khaj Viqaruddin said: “First of all I would like to congratulate all Saudis and expatriates on 84rth National Day. We organized this competition to encourage our youth to know about the culture of the country where they were born and brought up.”



Viqaruddin added: “KTT Jeddah always strives to impart educational activities among young children.”



Earlier, an on the spot speech contest was also held where children expressed their thought in a short period of time.



The speech contest was won by Yahya Syed from DPS and Mohammed Muddasir from IISJ.



Syed said: “I am very happy to won the prize though I was not prepared but I think I did a great job. My topic was ‘obedience of parents’ and this prize is also a blessing from my parents.” “I love my parent and dedicate my prize to them,” he added.