Chennai boy wins Start Your Story Contest

Monday, March 06, 2006

Mumbai (UNI): Samrudh Canpadee, a 10-year-old student of Chettinad Vidyashram School in Chennai has won the ''Start Your Story Contest'' organised by Microsoft XP and Disney Channel in November last year.

Out of over 25,000 creative stories sent in by kids from across the country, Samrudh's simple story 'Leafy and Frens', based on the life of a leaf has won him and his family the trip to the Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

Speaking about his story, Samrudh says, ''I have read stories of animals, kings and queens as heroes but I have never read a story where a leaf is a hero. So I wrote the story 'Leafy and Frens' where the leaf is the hero of the story. ''I like writing stories. A lot of my ideas come in my dreams,'' he adds.

''If Samrudh goes out to be a storywriter or a novelist, we would feel greatly honoured. He is a good novelist in the making,'' said Mr Bhavanishankar, Principal, Chettinad Vidyashram (CVA).

Samrudh's Headmistress and English teacher Amudhana Laxmi added, ''Samrudh is a very focused and disciplined child. Shy but a very good observer and a good writer.'' Samrudh's father, Uday Kumar, says, ''Samrudh has always been writing stories and small snippets in his notebook and drawing caricatures behind his test papers. I used to always scold him for that and ask him to spend that time to go through his answer sheet.

But thanks to his talent, my dream of going to the US is coming true.'' ''Storytelling is an important part of Disney's heritage. We aim to encourage storytelling and creativity in kids by nurturing their love for fantasy and imagination. Through this contest on Disney Channel, we have been able to provide an exclusive platform that empowers kids to express themselves,'' said Tushar Shah, Director Marketing & Communications, Walt Disney Television International (India).

''The initiative has inspired kids to demonstrate talent while fostering the creative usage of latest technology. I am certain that it has been a unique brand experience for the viewers and marketers alike,'' he added.

Rishi K Srivastava, Director, Windows Client, Microsoft India said, ''The magic of software is in redefining the computing experience today, enabling more and more individuals across age groups to do more things with their PC and explore new ways to ultimately realise their full potential with technology.'' ''In sync with this belief, while conceptualising this innovative contest with Disney our singular focus was on encouraging greater creativity and imagination by young minds and introducing them to the rich and collaborative environment of Windows XP which enabled them to bring their stories to life. We are extremely excited by the tremendous response that the contest has generated,'' Mr Srivastava added.

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