Actor Victor Banerjee gives the first prize to Chowringhee High School at Science City. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, Feb. 2: An evening dedicated to young heroes in uniforms battling not just for a better Calcutta but for a better world — that was the award ceremony for Better Calcutta Contest 2007-08.

An initiative of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Calcutta Foundation supported by The Telegraph and the Art and Heritage Foundation, the contest was a tribute to over 100,000 students from more than 40 schools who have done their bit for their city.

Through art competitions, posters, exhibitions, plays and rallies, and projects like organic farming and installation of solar streetlights, the schools spread awareness about global warming, the theme this year.

Snapshots of the effort put in by the students, on show at the Science City auditorium this evening, made the guest of honour wish she was back in school. “Can I be admitted to school again? I never had the opportunity to learn all this when I was in school,” said Bharati Ray, the former Calcutta University vice-chancellor.

Chowringhee High School not only walked away with the first prize, the ICC Trophy and Rs 20,000, but also bagged the award for extraordinary involvement for its year-round effort to create awareness among parents and local people.

The second prize, The Telegraph Trophy and Rs 14,000, went jointly to Aditya Academy Senior Secondary and St Joseph and Mary’s School.

Aditya Academy had con-ducted street plays and tried to keep the environment clean and reduce green house gases. St Joseph and Mary’s had visited Botanical Gardens and the Agri-Horticultural Society to learn first-hand how trees can prevent global warming.

The third prize, the Art and Heritage Foundation Trophy, went to Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School, which carried out an energy audit that showed the school could do without 113 lights. The students have urged the school to ensure that the lights are not used.

“We were absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of work all the students put in,” said Rakhi Sarkar, trustee and honorary general secretary, ICC Calcutta Foundation.

As students rooted for their schools, chief guest Victor Banerjee had a word of advice. “The seeds of awareness have been sown but now it is time to build upon them,” he said, thanking the students for “showing us what we should be doing and what we have not done”.

The evening, anchored by Barry ’ Brien, came to an end with a vote of thanks by ICC secretary-general Rajeev Singh and a performance by dance troupe Hritaal.