Soumitra Thakur, one of the students to have bagged the cultural talent search scholarship. Picture courtesy: Gharowa

Ranchi, Sept. 6: Seven children from Jharkhand have earned cultural talent search scholarships from the central government this year.

Though the children are yet to receive any communication to this effect, the official website of Centre for Cultural Research and training (CCRT) has posted the names of those who won the scholarships after selection tests held in June.

Instituted by CCRT, which functions under the aegis of the Union ministry of culture, the scholarship is meant for children aged between 10 and 14 years. Excellence in the fields of Hindustani classical music, Odissi, Chhau and painting has been considered.

The scholarship is offered in various art forms to children who go through the national-level selection process. But they have to be students of recognised schools or belong to the families practising such art forms.

While Nayonika Roy clinched the scholarship for Odissi, Ashmita Mukherjee and Samrat Chakraborty bagged it for vocals. Soumitra Thakur, for sitar, Sandeep Das for painting and Shalini Mohanty and Shekhar Melgenda for Chhau.

These children would receive a monthly stipend of Rs 300 till they attain the age of 20, subject to review every two years.

Among the successful children, two were identified as Nayonika Roy, a Class VII student of Loreto Convent, Ranchi, who bagged the scholarship for Odissi and Soumitra Thakur, a Class VIII student of Kairali School, for sitar.

Narrating his experience at the selection test held in Calcutta in June, Soumitra said: “Within a stipulated period I was asked to play sitar in both druta and bilambita laya in tintaal and also jhala before the judges, including Pandit Manilal Nag, who asked me a few questions.”

Nayonika said she was told to present glimpses of various aspects of Odissi. Her achievement is remarkable as the Odissi form was not quite popular in Ranchi until a well-known artiste, Sabita Mishra, began training young girls in this dance form.