Click a Smile Winners
We are pleased to announce the winners of Akshaya Patra’s ‘Click a Smile’ photography competition, the theme of which was ‘smiling children’. Participants were asked to enter three pictures for the contest and the person with the best entry would go on to win an adventure trip with Senthil, one of Asia’s most influential photographers. Over the course of the contest, we received nearly 250 registrations across India, with over a 100 photographs, each one beautiful and unique in its own way. We thank you for this overwhelming response.
The best photograph goes to:
Winner Sudipto Das, of Kolkata
“This photo was taken in a village called Manikpur at 24 Parganas (South) in West Bengal. It was 26th January afternoon, Republic day, so everyone was in a holiday mood. Rural children enjoy playing cricket while an elderly woman also joined them, which makes [it] more interesting to me.”
Mr. Das is a self-taught photographer currently working for a leading news daily in India as senior photojournalist. Previously, he worked for the Associated Press, the European Press Photo Agency, BBC News online, SPAN (India) and India Today. His works have appeared in publications such as CITY (USA), MILK (New Zealand), The National (Dubai) and Passport Magazine (Singapore). Recipient of several national and international awards, he has showcased his work in collective exhibitions in USA, Netherlands, UK, Portugal, Indonesia and Singapore.
1st Runner up: Priya Prakash
“I started shooting people, and everything around them, about a year back and fell in love with the world that I’d missed out on. Photography, for me, is not just about camera and science. It is about all the efforts and emotions gone behind capturing a moment. [The photograph] was shot on 15 August 2009 (Independence Day), in a Government Model Primary School in Bangalore.
This image, for me, depicts the simplicity, innocence and the joy of schooling in India. The glistening eyes of the girls, the ‘question mark’ bindi and the window rod running through the frame against their mouth, is what gives me immense space to think, & reflect upon.”
Ms. Prakash, a 19 year old student residing in Bangalore, is currently pursuing an Engineering degree from PES Institute of Technology.
2nd Runner up: Prasad. S
“I took this picture at a tribal camp at Dandehli (near Hubli ). I decided to spend some time with tribal children over there. During the time I spent with the children, I played some games, sang a few old rhymes, danced , smiled for few hours and took a few photos as well. This particular picture was taken when the little cute girl was patriotically singing the National Anthem in front of her government school.”
Mr. Prasad, a software professional working at IBM, Bangalore, as R & D engineer, took up photography 2 to 3 years ago as a hobby. He loves to click pictures of children, friends, landscapes and abstract objects
“Life and its expressions are what I try to capture in my photographs. I shot this photograph at Jais, a village in Rae Bareli District of Uttar Pradesh. Children represent what is best about us, before we grow up and become self conscious and lose our imagination.”
Mr. Kabir, an undergraduate student in Psychology at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, is fascinated by people, culture and places.
An exhibition will be shortly conducted to showcase the best entries of the ‘Click a Smile’ competition. We will keep you posted on the event.
