Such a washout was the weather outside that it wasn’t a surprise to see so many children choose to depict “a rainy day” at the sit-’n’-draw at Swabhumi on Sunday. The event was organised by Utkala as part of the Odisha Festival. 

“Coming to the venue I saw cars stuck in water-logged streets and people wading in knee-deep water. So when the organisers said we could draw whatever we wanted, that’s what I chose to draw,” smiled Sayan Biswas, who had come from Sinthi more. He finished second in the six-to-nine year category.

Mainak Deb, who came first in the nine-to-10 year category, had drawn a rain-swept village. “My father is an artist too and I learn from him,” said the boy from Habra. Participants may have been scanty from the neighbourhood but lots had come from the districts. “It took us three hours to get here but we had to come,” smiled Mainak’s father Mrinal Kanti Deb. 
In the 10-to-16 year age group, students had to draw Rathayatra or an accident scene and Amrita Rudra had chosen the latter. “I drew an accident like the one in the movie Bojhena Shey Bojhena, except that I didn’t show any casualties,” said the girl who came third. 

Ishita Das is scared of riding the Ferris wheel at the Rather mela but she drew it as it would add colour to her picture. Utsav Das came second by painting a beautiful image of a Rathayatra and the first prize was won by Nabanita Dutta of Serampore. “My biggest attraction about Rathayatra are the jilipi and toy stalls so I drew them in the foreground and showed devotees pulling the chariot towards them,” said the Class VIII student. 

The judges were delighted with the paintings. “Children are way more original than adults and should retain that quality rather than copying others,” said Samir Kumar Ghosh, art restorer and one of the judges. 

Co-ordinator of the event, Safalya Kumar Nandi, said the weather was to blame for modest participation. “We usually have more than 100 participants but this year we only had around 30. Many women were also busy with Tarini puja today, which falls on a Tuesday or Saturday between Rath and Ultarath, and so could not bring their wards over.”