Amitabh Bachchan (top) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Faces for the future

India may be shining bright, but who does Generation Y see as its natural leader? Is a change of guard in order, or are we happy with the powers that be? Young Metro suggested that it was Time to Talk about politics, asking the question: Who would you want as Prime Minister (politician/non-politician) and why?

A common man, who would understand our views and needs. He or she would work towards the betterment of the country by wiping out illiteracy and helping everyone become financially stable. He would also deal with foreign affairs efficiently. Above all, he has to be honest. But I’m afraid I am yet to meet such a mettlesome person.

Shreya Bose

Amitabh Bachchan would be my ideal choice for Prime Minister of India. He is the quintessential Indian ambassador, possessing a dignified and cordial personality with just the right dose of aggression and enthusiasm. He will surely be able to steer India to a position of leadership.

Md Tarique Nisar,
IInd year, St Xavier’s College

The most suitable Prime Minister would be Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A country of one billion people fraught with numerous problems needs a dynamic leader to tackle the issues. Vajpayee is one person who has handled all of India’s problems with dignity and wisdom. Not only has India’s relations with neighbours improved considerably, the country has performed well in terms of economic growth, too. Now, in the 21st century, we need a leader like Vajpayee to guide us down the path to economic development.

Roshni Sengupta,
IIIrd year, Lady Brabourne College

It’s true that the common people can’t trust politicians. Whenever we have backed someone who says they wish to do something for the betterment of the country, they don’t keep the promises made before the elections, and seem to spend all their energy on corrupt practices. But if we say a non-political person could be a better choice than what we have so far, we may be grasping at straws. This could prove to be more of a threat than what we now have.

Tanmoy Ghosh,

The elections are nearing and all the candidates are gearing up. But one person need not indulge in all such activities, and that man is our reigning Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He has proved his worth well enough to satisfy his critics. The nuclear test, the refusal to bow down to the CTBT, the Kargil face-off and negotiations with Pakistan assure us of his political skill and intelligence. The BJP has a powerful candidate in him and my vote will always go to the man who has successfully upheld the dignity of our country.

Shreya Chakraborti,
Class XII, G.D. Birla

The only name that comes to mind for the post of Prime Minister is Atal Bihari Vajpayee. No one else is as able or competent as he is. His policy — national or foreign — is praiseworthy. He is the only reason why relations with Pakistan have improved. Opening the new bus route has brought the people closer. He has achieved excellence even in economic policy, accelerating growth. He has kept a strict vigil on his ministers’ performance. His ability has kept the members of the NDA in check as well.

Sharmistha Dan,
Class XII, Shri Shikshayatan School

Peace talk

The Telegraph in Schools peace ambassadors held an interactive session with students and teachers of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy on February 5 about their recent trip to Pakistan. Organised by Nihar Jain, a student of the Alipore school, the panel of peacemakers also included Pooja Gupta and Ankita Rathi (Mahadevi Birla Girls’ school), Ansh Sahai (Birla High School, girls), Krishnendu Chakraborty (Kalidhan Institution), Gangotri Bajpai (Army Public School) and Anand Saraf (St Xavier’s College).

The delegates wanted to clear misconceptions about Pakistan. Questions came up about the lifestyle and the attitude to education there. English teacher Mr Routh asked if, given a chance, they would settle in Paksitan. Ankita was quick to reply that she wouldn’t leave India at any cost. The peace ambassadors shared anecdotes and sang a dosti song learnt in Pakistan along with the audience.

Creative call

The Jadavpur University arts faculty fest, Sanskriti, took place from January 27 to 30.

Language constraints were removed from the creative war. Creative writing, slogan-and-poster-making, elocution and extempore competitions saw participants display talents in Hindi, Bengali and English. Fib-2-Minutes, an event that required participants to continuously lie for two minutes brought much humour to the programme. The quiz and antakshari drew the most participants. But the choreography competition was, predictably, the best attended, with the audience spilling out of the auditorium at the Open Air Theatre.

Emphasis was laid on music, with contests in many categories. Netajinagar College won most of the solo vocal events. The group song laurels went to the home team, as did all the first prizes for the team events of quizzing, antakshari and choreography.

Guest performers entertained the audience in the evenings. A Bengali play was performed to end the first day, with Dohar concluding Day II. Indrani Sen and the band Saptak charmed the crowds the following night. The finale on January 30 featured bands Lakkhichara and Bhoomi.

The arts faculty also hosted some sporting action, with ESPN-Star Sports and Unish Kuri magazine bringing in the Soccer Rocker contest. Competitions and quizzes earned several students English Premiere League calendars and Unish Kuri T-shirts. A student sextet chanted its entry, ManU Rocks, dedicated to Manchester United, while Lakkhichhara provided the music.

— Adwaita Das,
English, Jadavpur University

Rhythm rage

Loreto House presented an annual show on January 31. Pradip Kumar Mohanty, director, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, was chief guest. The dance programme choreographed by Dhiman Sankar showcased dance forms of India. A north Indian tribal dance was put up by the students of Class VI. Class VII celebrated the advent of spring in their Bihu dance while the rest delved into the cultural heritage of Bengal, dancing to Dhitang dhitang bole. A Bharatanatyam performance was up next, followed by a Maharashtrian folk dance. The Class XIs presented Ghoomar, a folk dance performed by women on happy occasions. This was followed by dandiya and bhangra.

— Suchi Arya,
Ist Year, English, Loreto College

Heritage trip

Around 1,400 children from underprivileged backgrounds visited Victoria Memorial to attend Know Your Heritage and Culture, an event organised by Smilearth Foundation. The kids, from the slums of Kalighat, Tiljala and Topsia and the Calcutta Muslim Orphanage, participated in a fancy dress competition. They had to explain their costumes to the audience. Titli Das, 9, Shivika Jagwani, 7, and Titir Das, all of four years, formed a panel of judges. Painter Wasim Kapoor and dancer Thankamani Kutty were guests. Kapoor sketched with children from each area. The canvas was converted into a collage that will be kept at the Victoria Memorial.

The fancy dress contest at Victoria Memorial. Picture by Amit Datta

Kids in fray

The Alpha Kidzee Talent Hunt played out on Saturday at the Bhartiyam Cultural Complex. From toddlers to tweens, all had a blast, battling it out against participants from around 20 city schools, with kids between one and 12 years joining in.

Colour Your World had children, colouring the city and A Day in a Zoo, judged by painter Suvaprasanna. Siddhartha Ray, lead singer of Cactus, anchored Mastermindz, the quiz competition. Satwik Dutta and Oishali Mookherjee of Hartley’s High School won.

In Chance to Dance, children from Pretoria High showed ’em how to shake a leg to the top. In Baby of the Year, infants as young as eight months were on stage, being quizzed by anchor Jojo. Some could answer, others could not. The Tollywood panel included Parambrato Chatterjee, Koneenica Banerjee and Debolina Dutta, amongst others. Riya Biyani took the crown home. Mandavi Pathak won the most photogenic baby crown, while Aquib Salman Khan was declared the best dressed. Jainil Damani’s million-watt grin won him the award for the best smile. Aryan Siddharth’s was named the cutest family.

— Sangeet Shirodkar,
Apeejay School

Ask green: Calcutta schools tested their grip on environmental trivia at the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad auditorium on Saturday for the the Euro Enviro Inter-School Quiz. Calcutta Boys’ School walked away with the honours.

Get-together: Rani Birla Girls’ College Alumni Association reunion on February 14, 3 pm to 5 pm. Register at the college (2247-5509) by February 13.