The Leading Reading Schools of India Award, an annual award was established in 2013 by Young India Books; India’s foremost review site of children’s books, to recognize and honour the five leading schools of the country; schools that believe in the power of the written word and inculcate a love for books and reading.
Theme for 2015: Wild about Wildlife
Raza H. Tehsin, Naturalist, Explorer & Hon. Wildlife Warden, Udaipur said about the awards:
“The Leading Reading Schools of India Award is an excellent initiative. Hope it encourages more and more children to discover the joys of reading and be, Wild about Wildlife.”
Books that showcase Indian wildlife; a fast dwindling heritage, had been recommended for the reading list.
Children let their imagination go wild!
The little ones wrote about a day in the life of an animal, or, illustrated a scene from the book.
Older children beautifully placed themselves in the animals shoes and came up with some very touching work. Their passion for the animals, concern for the loss of habitat and poaching is remarkable.
Panel of Judges
Winners were selected by an esteemed panel of judges.
Akbar Padamsee: Renowned International artist, for illustration of scene and story board
Chelna Desai: Graphic designer: Winner of many awards and accolades for the cover design
Uma Krishnaswami: US based writer. Renowned author and winner of international awards judged the senior category
Varsha Bajaj: US based writer, who has won great acclaim for her picture books, judged the junior category
AND THE WINNING SCHOOLS OF LRSIA 2015 ARE...
Vidyashilp Academy, Bangalore
Bombay International School, Mumbai
St Kabir School, Vadodara
Shishuvan, Mumbai
Bal Bharati Public School, Delhi
AND THE WINNING STUDENTS OF LRSIA 2015 ARE...
Junior Category: Illustration
1st Prize: Varun Sumer Chanda. Shikshantar School, Delhi
Book selected: Lapalang
2nd Prize: Kimaya Sheth. Bombay International School, Mumbai
Book selected: Baby Beboo Bear
Jt 2nd Prize: Jahaan Sanghavi. Don Bosco International School.
Book selected: Ira, the Little Dolphin
3rd Prize: Ananya N. Nair. St Kabir International School, Vadodara
Book selected: Little Flamingo Searches for Food
"As a painter, what impressed me most was freshness of the imagery of these young people. I am amazed to see how they have applied their imagination around the themes of environment and animal conservation." Akbar Padamsee.
Senior Category: Writing
1st Prize: Myrra Arya. The Cathedral and John Connon Middle School, Mumbai
Book Selected: Chained
2nd Prize: Simran Zaveri. JBCN International School, Parel, Mumbai
Book Selected: The Jungle Omnibus
3rd Prize: Aniruddh Jhunjhunwala. JBCN International School, Parel, Mumbai
Book Selected: Tigers For Dinner
"It was a delight for me to read the entries for Leading Reading Schools of India 2015. The voices in every one of them were fresh and filled with energy. All the young writers had read their selected texts carefully and with interest, and all of them had something important to say. It was hard to choose." Uma Krishnaswami
Senior Category: Cover Design
1st Prize: Sachi Guru Dowad. Gundecha Academy, Mumbai
Book selected: One Night in the Sunderbans
Jt 1st Prize: Aarohi Mehta. St Kabir School, Vadodara
Book Selected:One Night in the Sunderbans
2nd Prize: Priyam Singh. Shikshantar School, Delhi.
Book selected: Chained
3rd Prize: Diya Chitrabanu. Bombay International School, Mumbai
Book selected: One Night in the Sunderbans.
"These entries are good enough to go into print! You have successfully envisaged the essence of the story and depicted it very artistically." Chelna Desai.
Senior Category: Story Board
1st Prize: Sirat Bhalla. Bal Bharati School, Pitampura
Book selected: Chained
2nd Prize: Trigoona Anand, Bal Bharati School, Pitampura
Book selected: Mother is Mother
3rd Prize: Jeel Nrupesh Patel. St Kabir School, Vadodara
Book selected: One Night in the Sunderbans
"To be a good writer, be a good reader, a voracious reader, and above all, a thoughtful reader. I hope lifelong reading expands your horizons and helps you to remember that treating animals with dignity and respect makes us better humans." Varsha Bajaj.
A Big Thank You
To all schools for your enthusiasm and keen participation and to their librarians.
Crosswords for the generous offer of Gift Vouchers for the winners
BNHS for gift and support.
NIE, Robin Age, Rivo Kids for Media support.
Esteemed judges for their valuable inputs and time.
And last but not the least to all schools and their librarians for their enthusiastic participation.
To participating publishers: Puffin, Hachette, Katha, Pratham Books, Scholastic, Rupa & Co and CBT for your contribution.
Thank you also to team LRSIA:
Donna Reen, Ruhi Gurjar.
Mr Michel Maurivard for technical support.