A One-Day District Level Inter-College Painting Competition was organised by Amar Singh College on 12-06-2023 under the aegis of Vitasta Festival. A good number of students from various colleges of the district Srinagar participated in the event. As the theme of the competition was the River Jhelum, known as Vitasta in the Rigveda, the participants painted beautiful pictures reflecting the socio-cultural and historical legacy of the river and its impact on the life and imagination of the people of Kashmir.
The event started with a welcome address by Prof. Ajaz Bashir, Principal, Amar Singh College. He shed light on the relevance of the event and the historical role of the river Vitasta in supporting the life and civilisation in Kashmir from the prehistoric to the present times. He encouraged the students to participate in such extra-curricular activities where they can showcase their talents. Prof. Ajaz Bashir also raised some practical concerns with regard to water pollution and the role that youth can play in keeping the water bodies clean.
At the outset of the programme, Prof Henna Amin, Convenor, Cultural Committee, Amar Singh College, welcomed the guests and the participants. She gave a brief introduction of the judges, Mr. Masood Hussain, the renowned artist of the valley, Prof. Arshad Sauleh, the acclaimed artist and Professor, Department of Art, IASE, Srinagar, and Dr. Abdul Waheed Bhat, Head of the Department of History, Amar Singh College, Srinagar. The Principal presented the judges with mementos.
After a thorough scrutiny of the paintings, the judges nominated the three winners. Arsalan Tawheed Khan, a UG 4th Semester student from S.P College scored the First Position. The Second Position was bagged by Nida Masoodi, M. Ed 1st Semester student from IASE, Srinagar, and the Third Position went to Gousia Farooq, a 7th Semester PG student, from Amar Singh College. All the participants were presented with certificates of participation.
Before the programme ended, Mr. Arshad Soleh offered some technical insights on various aspects of Fine Arts, whereas Mr. Masood Hussain shared his experiences and observations regarding the techniques employed by the participants in their work. Dr. Abdul Waheed Bhat shared his opinion regarding the historical background of Art in the valley and offered valuable advice to the participants with regard to the need of preserving it.
The vote of thanks was presented by Dr. Asma Hassan from the Department of EVS, Amar Singh College. She expressed her gratitude to Prof. Ajaz Bashir, Principal, Amar Singh College for hosting the event, and also thanked the participants as well as the honourable judges who graced the occasion with their presence. Dr. Asma Hassan thanked the Convenor, Cultural Committee, Prof Henna Amin, the Convenor, Eco-Club, Dr. Bazigha Badar and all members of committees for making the event successful.
