The 14th R.L. Chopra Memorial Creative Writing and Book Discussion Competition (2022-23)

The 14th R.L.Chopra Memorial Inter-School Creative Writing Competition was organized by New Era Public School, Mayapuri on 18th August, 2022. This literary event was instituted in the memory of Late Shri R.L.Chopra, the founder chairman of New Era Public School. Mr. Chopra, an avid reader himself, was of the firm belief that reading leads to refinement and enrichment.

This one day literary festival witnessed participation from the leading schools of Delhi NCR. The occasion was graced by the Founder Principal and Director Mrs. Usha Chopra, and the Principal Mrs. Vandana Chawla, who welcomed all the participants and encouraged them.

The book chosen in English was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It depicts pre-colonial life in the south-eastern part of Nigeria and the invasion by Europeans during the late 19^th century. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first to receive global critical acclaim. The book chosen in Hindi was Hind Swaraj by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, which reflects his views on Swaraj and modern civilization.   

In the Creative Writing Competition, one student from each participating school had to express their thoughts on a topic/question, based on the selected novel, given on the spot in 600-800 words approximately. The aim is to allow students to engage with the chosen work of literature deeply and test their analytical and critical skills, as they express their thoughts on the given topic/question. The Results of the Creative writing are as follows:

English

S.no	Name of the participant	School’s Name	Position
1.	Sumaya Beri	Vasant Valley School, Vasant Vihar	First
2.	Pratyush Saini	Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar	Second
3.	Yash Kumar	St. Mary’s School, Dwarka	Third
4.	Synah Kaur Swahney	K.R.Mangalam World School, Vikaspuri	Consolation
5.	Ananya	St. Thomas’ Girls Sr. Sec. School, Mandir Marg	Consolation
6.	Rudrakshi Dogra	St. Mark’s World School, Meera Bagh	Consolation

Hindi

S.no	Name of the Participant	School’s Name	Position
1.	Rudransh Singh	New Era Public School, Dwarka	First
2.	Varchasva	New Era Public School, Mayapuri	Second
3.	Simran	Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar	Third
4.	Rounak Sheoran	The Airforce School, Subroto Park	Consolation
5.	Vridhi Bajaj	KIIT World School	Consolation
6.	Manmeet Kaur	St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Janakpuri	Consolation

In the Book Discussion Round, the participating students were divided into groups and asked questions on the novel by the moderators. The results of the Book Discussion are as follows:

I Prize- Nandini Duhan- Navy Children School, Chanakyapuri

II Prize- Yashvi Bansal- New Era Public School, Mayapuri

III Prize- Sara Jayakumar- Vasant Valley School, Vasant Kunj

Hindi

I Prize- Panika Bhatia- K.R. Mangalam World School, Vikaspuri

II Prize- Harshal Siddhu- St. Marks World School, Meera Bagh

III Prize- Mehak, Navy Children School, Chanakyapuri

Eminent personalities judged the book discussion event in both English and Hindi. For Hindi Mrs. Kiran Nanda (Retired Associate Professor, Kirori Mal College, Delhi University) and Dr. Vibhas Chandra Verma (Associate Professor, Deshbandhu College, Delhi University) and for English, Ms. Angeleen Mitchell and Ms. Nikita Dutta Gupta, both experts in the field of education and publishing, graced the event as judges.