Scene from a play being staged at The Milanne by schoolchildren. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, Jan. 10: Presence of mind led Kerala Samajam Model School (KSMS) students to earn first place — at least as the winners of the inter-school drama competition organised by the Jamshedpur Theatre Association (JTA) this evening.

A three-member panel of judges declared the KSMS as the winners for their play, “The Pie and Tart”, a story of two vagabond boys outwitting others with their presence of mind to make ends meet.

Chinmaya Vidyalaya was adjudged the runner-up while NHES finished third.

The plays won applause from a packed audience, at the Milanee, who watched the talents of budding stage artists competing to outwit each other at the event.

Though six schools, KSMS, Narbheram Hansraj English School (NHES), Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Mount View School, Kerala Public School, Mango and Daffodils School had entered their names for the competition, only the first three turned up.

The theme of “The Pie and the Tart” carried a special meaning as it managed to convey the message that presence of mind is a must in today’s world, played by SouvikMajumdar and Kumar Ritwik as the two vagabonds. D. Ritesh Kumar and Sneha Mishra were the other principal characters in the play.

“The idea of organising this competition was to sensitise the school students,” said JTA president G.M. Sharan.

He added that similar competitions would be held on a regular basis.

Chinmaya Vidyalaya students displayed the problems they encounter daily. Titled Homework, the play pointed out the lack of responsibility of parents and teachers towards students.