The Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021
Out of Print is honoured and delighted to be publishing the prize-winning entries of the Kodaikanal Gandhi Prize 2021. The published works include:
• the shared first, second and third prizes in English
• the Creative Expression prize sponsored by Out of Print
• the first and second prizes in Tamil
• the six honourable mentions
The prize winners, along with links to their prize-winning entries are listed at the end of this article.
The Kodaikanal Gandhi prize was initiated and founded in 2019, the year of Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, by Radha Kumar who is also the principal donor, and instituted jointly by the Gandhi Peace Foundation, the Kodaikanal Fellowship Library and the literary journal Out of Print. This year, the Kodai Chronicle joins hands with the organisers. The prize is open to students aged sixteen to eighteen, although submissions from younger applicants are also be considered. Students are asked to submit either a written or a multimedia presentation in English or Tamil in response to one of the following questions:
1. Gandhi viewed non-violence as an active form of resistance. Looking at contemporary injustices, does non-violence work. State your points with examples.
2. Gandhi labelled himself a ‘practical idealist’. What does that label mean to you? Describe another practical idealist you admire.
3. Gandhi once said, ‘Our salvation can only come through the farmer’. Does this idea hold through in India today? Why or why not?
4. Why did Gandhi consider cowardice and apathy even worse than violence? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
5. Gandhi’s philosophy of truth in practice led to India’s motto, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ – ‘Truth alone triumphs’. What meaning does it have in an era of fake news? How would you restore this ideal in public opinion?
It was profoundly heartening that submissions came from a wide range of schools, urban and rural, elite and under privileged. In all, there were close to two hundred and fifty registrations from forty-six schools and eleven states over a hundred of which resulted in submissions. That more than one hundred students in their final years of high school reflected deeply on Gandhi and his relevance today is extremely encouraging. It suggests that a number of India’s millennials are indeed engaged in thinking about political issues and questions of injustice.
A report on the awards ceremony that took place in Kodaikanal on October 2nd, Gandhi Jayanti, was featured in the Out of Print blog. Satish deSa, children’s editor of the Kodai Chronicle, and the Chronicle staff also wrote about the evening, featuring excerpts from the prize-winning works. The prize-winners, with links to their published entries, are listed below.
The Prize Winners with Links to their Published Entries:
First prize (shared):
Fravashi International Academy, Nashik
• Nikhil Joseph (withdrawn)
Hebron School, Ooty
Creative Expression prize:
sponsored by Out of Print
Delhi Public School Srinagar
Second prize (shared):
Delhi Public School Noida
The Neev Academy, Bangalore
Third prize (shared):
The Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul District
The Kodaikanal International School
First prize (Tamil):
• Abitha A
The RC Higher Secondary School, Trichy
Second prize (Tamil):
Fairlands A Foundation School, Puduppatti, Theni District
Honourable Mentions:
Hebron School, Ooty
The Kodaikanal International School
Neev Academy, Bangalore
The Delhi Public School Noida
The Delhi Public School Noida
Fairlands A Foundation School, Puduppatti, Theni District
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