New Delhi: The UK High Commission here has joined hands with the British Council to launch an online competition for schoolchildren in India to mark the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi's bronze statue at London's historic Parliament Square.
The much-awaited statue, to be unveiled by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on March 14, is being used as a means to encourage students to feel part of an historic event.
All participants, ranging from standard 1 to 12, will receive a certificate of participation jointly from the British High Commission and the British Council.
Three top submissions under each category will receive book vouchers as prizes.
"Shortlisted submissions will be showcased in the online space to be appreciated by digital audience. Selected submissions (paintings and collages) will be digitally published by the British Council and shared with digital audience," the British High Commission said in a statement.
The four categories include paintings on the theme 'Life of Mahatma Gandhi' for classes 1-5; classes 6?8 are invited to submit collage on the theme 'Indian Independence and Mahatma Gandhi' while classes 9-12 are invited to submit a 30-second video message on the theme 'What message would Gandhiji give to our country if he was alive today?'.
Schools are also invited to submit a presentation showcasing any event conducted in the institution in 2014 on the theme of Mahatma Gandhi.
Schools can submit entries in either one or all the categories and any number of students can participate from them.
The Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust has been raising funds for the sculpture, created by leading British sculptor Philip Jackson, to go up alongside other iconic figures on the Parliament Square like Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.
The statue will be the focal point for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's return to India from South Africa to kick-start India's independence movement.
Donations from around the world crossed the 1-million pound-mark with Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal among some of the many donors.
