Art contest at Taj Mahal draws over 400 students during World Heritage Week

Agra, Nov.22 (ANI): Over 400 schoolchildren participated in a drawing competition on the grounds of the Taj Mahal Monument here, as part of the World Heritage Week celebrations.

The students sketched and coloured their impressions of the monument, while putting across a message for its conservation.

The event was organised by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and was part of events to organised at historical sites across the city from November 19 to 25.

ASI Superintendent N. K. Pathak lauded the increased awareness among the current crop of school students, saying that they had been given a free hand to draw as they chose.

"Children in today's schools are taught to be aware of various aspects of daily life, and express it through various means. Today, we have left them free to express themselves and send out a message," Pathak said.

The children's drawings drew on themes such as pollution and the defacing of monuments, their message being to protect heritage sites from such problems to ensure their longevity.

The event created interest among many of the tourists visiting the Taj, who stopped by to look at the pictures and photograph the participants at work. (ANI)