The Competition Structure :

The essay competition is a two-phase activity across all the participating schools in the country for students of classes 6-12. The first phase consists of exposing these young minds to inspirational Tata-linked films which stimulate them to think about the nation. Following this, students are asked to write an essay on a given topic of national significance.

To ensure a level playing field, the students are divided into 2 participating categories across all languages (Junior - class 6-8 and Senior - class 9-12).

The Tata-linked films being shown this year are:

• Tata Building India introduction documentary, based on the previous years’ Tata Building India school essay competitions
• Speak for Earth - Which is about some of the initiatives that Tata companies have taken to preserve and nurture, nature and habitat.

Topic of the Essay Competition:

The underlying theme of the topic is always nation building. The topics are carefully chosen for students to be creative, insightful and genuine. The theme of the 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”.

Some of the previous years’ topics were:

• What should India do to win 20 gold medals in 2016 Olympics?
• If I were the Prime Minister of India what would I do to make India a super power by 2020?
• What should we do to make our education system prepare us for a better tomorrow?
• What would you do to make India a happy country?
• What we can do as a country and citizens to reduce poverty and ensure basic amenities for every Indian?

 

Judging Process:

The essay, written only once by the students, is evaluated at 3 levels: School, City and National level

• Essays at the school level are shortlisted by the identified judges within the school, the school level winners are indentified.
• The essays of the school level winners across the schools from each city are collected and evaluated by a panel of 3 judges from the academic and the journalism fields, for city level recognition as winners from the respective cities.
• The best essays from each city are finally judged by an elite panel comprising of eminent people to choose the national winners. It would be of interest to note that the essay is written by the child only once and is evaluated at three levels.

In the past, the national jury included judges like the Vice Chancellor of Delhi university, Heads of departments of English from Mumbai and Chennai universities, Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur university, eminent personalities in journalism, etc.

 

Rewards and Recognition :

The winners are rewarded at each level and special functions are held to felicitate city level winners and the national level winners. Prizes at the school level include certificates, trophies and special Tata Building India merchandise. The city winners and the runners-up receive gifts like handycams or digital cameras. The national level winners receive laptops as the grand prize.

The crowning moment for the national winners and the runners-up is the expected visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and a face-to-face meeting with a national dignitary like the President of India / Vice President of India.

The support and feedback of the teaching fraternity, school authorities, parents and students has always been forthcoming and is very valuable, which makes this initiative truly meaningful and successful in igniting young minds for the progress of the nation.

According to the Honourable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil, “Education is a 'wealth' which will remain with these students forever. The effort taken by the Tata group to inculcate the sense of nation building is commendable. I appreciate the talent of the winners who participated in this competition and have the capacity to think about  the problems and solutions for the country. With such capabilities the students from different parts of the nation will bring about an inclusive growth in the country.”

Congratulating the winners of the Tata Building India Essay Competition Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam said, 'The ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth and under the earth….' 

The Competition Structure :

The essay competition is a two-phase activity for students of classes 6-12 in Hindi medium schools in North and Central India. The first phase consists of exposing these young minds to inspirational Tata-linked films which stimulate them to think about the nation. Following this, students are asked to write an essay on a given topic of national significance.

To ensure a level playing field, the students are divided into 2 participating categories across all languages (Junior - class 6-8 and Senior - class 9-12).

Topic of the Essay Competition:

The underlying theme of the topic is always nation building. The topics are carefully chosen for students to be creative, insightful and genuine.

The theme of the 2011-12 competition is 'Swatch aur harit rastra'.

Some of the previous year's topics were:

• 'Agle paanch saalon mein khushaal aur surakshit desh banane ke liye Bharat ko kaun se kadam uthane chaiye’
• 'Yadi 2016 Olympic mein hamare desh ka lakhshya 20 swarn padak jeetena ho, to hamein uske liye kya karna chahiye'
• 'Yedi mujhe Bharat ka Pradhanmantri banaya jaye, to mein apne desh ko 2020 tak Mahashakti (superpower) banane ke liye kya karoonga (/karoongi)'

Judging Process:

The essays of the students are screened at 3 levels: School level, City level and National level

• Essays at the school level are shortlisted by the identified judges within the school, and the school level winners are identified.
• The essays of the school level winners across the schools from each city are collected and evaluated by a panel of 3 judges from the academic and the journalism fields for city level recognition as winners from the respective cities.
• The best essays from each city are finally judged by an elite panel comprising of eminent people to choose the national winners. It would be of interest to note that the essay is written by the child only once and is evaluated at three levels.

The national jury for this diverse competition has included eminent panels of judges from journalism, literature and academia.

(Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Oriya and Tamil) Along with the English and Hindi editions, Tata Building India School Essay competition is also conducted in 6 regional languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Oriya and Tamil.

The Competition Structure :

The essay competition for the regional languages follows the same pattern of English and Hindi languages. Only difference is that the competition is organized in the Language Medium schools in the respective state where the language is spoken, and the Language winner is selected from that state only.

The competition is conducted in two-phase activity across all the participating schools in the state for students of classes 6-12. The first phase consists of exposing these young minds to inspirational Tata-linked films which stimulate them to think about the nation. Following this, students are asked to write an essay on a given topic of national significance.

To ensure a level playing field, the students are divided into 2 participating categories across all languages (Junior - class 6-8 and Senior - class 9-12).

Judging Process:

The essays of the students are screened at 3 levels: School level, City level and National level

• Essays at the school level are shortlisted by the identified judges within the school and the school level winners are identified.
• The essays of the school level winners across the schools from each city are collected and evaluated by a panel of 3 judges from the academic and the journalism fields for city level recognition as winners from the respective cities.
• The best essays from each city are finally judged by an elite panel comprising of eminent people to choose the state / national winners. It would be of interest to note that the essay is written by the child only once and is evaluated at three levels.

The national jury for this diverse competition has included eminent panels of judges from journalism, literature and academia.

Rewards and Recognition :

The winners are rewarded at each level and special functions are held to felicitate city level winners and the national level winners. Prizes at the school level include certificates, trophies and special Tata Building India merchandise. The city winners and the runners-up receive gifts like handycams or digital cameras. The national level winners receive laptops as the grand prize.

The crowning moment for the national winners and the runners-up is the expected visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and a face-to-face meeting with a national dignitary like the President of India / Vice President of India.

Hindi

2011-12
The 5th edition of this competition in the Hindi language was launched in September 2011. Nearly 0.5 million students are expected to participate across 27 cities and 1000 schools. The cities are : Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Amritsar, Patna, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bhagalpur, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Indore, Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhopal, Gwalior, Agra, Bareilly, Varanasi, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gaya.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 4th edition of this competition in the Hindi language was launched in September, 2010. Nearly 5 lakh students participated across 27 cities and 1000 schools. The cities were Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Pathankot, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Faridabad, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Noida, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Bilaspur, Bhopal, Indore / Gwalior, Shimla, Jammu, Bhagalpur / Muzaffarnagar, Gaya, Patna, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur.

The theme for 2010-11 was “Garibi Hatao”.

2009-10
The 3rd edition covered 18 cities where nearly 4 lakh students across 600 Hindi medium schools participated. The theme of the competition was 'Future India'. Three regional felicitation events were conducted to felicitate the city winners. The national level winners have been announced and will be felicitated by Dr. E Shreedharan at Delhi.

2008-09
In its second year the essay competition for the year 2008-09 was extended to 12 cities compared to 8 in the first year. More than 2.5 lakh students participated from around 400 Hindi medium schools across the Hindi belt of India in cities like Delhi, Patna, Bhopal, Raipur, Jammu, Ludhiana, Ranchi, Udaipur, Kanpur, Varanasi, Haridwar and Hissar. Four Regional awards ceremony (Bhopal, Patna, Kanpur, Ludhiana) were organized to jointly felicitate the city level winners from the cities.

Finally 2008-09 national winners from English and Hindi were jointly felicitated at a gala function in May 2010 in New Delhi.

The high-point of the achievement of these winners was the once in a lifetime opportunity that they got to interact with the Vice President of India, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari along with a guided tour of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

2007-08
Buoyed by the encouraging words of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and the tremendous response received from the schools in the first year, the Tata group of companies extended the competition in 2007-08 to Hindi medium schools across North and Central India. The first edition received entries from over 1.35 lakh students from 243 schools across 8 cities (Agra, Amritsar, Delhi, Indore, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and Patna). The city level winners were felicitated in an award ceremony in all these 8 locations which was covered well by local media also. The national winners of the Hindi essay competition along with their counter-parts from the English essay competition for 2007-08 were felicitated by the Honorable President Mrs. Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The children along with the parents spent some time with the President and also got a once in a life time opportunity to see and admire the Rashtrapati Bhavan as a special guided tour was arranged for them.

Gujarati

2011-12
The 3rd edition of this competition in the Gujarati language has been launched in October 2011. Nearly 2 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 group of cities and 400 schools. The cities are Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda / Anand, VallabhVidya Nagar Rajkot, Valsad / Vapi / Navsari, Mehsana / Palanpur, Jamnagar / Mithapur, Porbunder, Bhavnagar.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 2nd edition of this competition in the Gujarati language was launched in October. Nearly 2.61 lakh students participated across 12 group of cities and 400 schools. The cities were Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda / Anand, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Valsad / Vapi / Navsari, Mehsana / Palanpur, Gandhidham / Bhuj, Jamnagar / Mithapur, Porbunder / Dwarka, Bharuch / Ankleshwar, Bhavnagar, Limdi / Surendranagar, Junagadh

2009-10
Tata group reached out to students in Gujarat for the first time in 2009-10 with this competition. The competition was conducted in over 400 Gujarati medium schools across 9 clusters of cities. 3 regional felicitation events were conducted for the city winners. Finally, 2009-10 state level winners from Gujarat along with winners from 6 languages will be jointly felicitated at a gala function by Dr. E. Shreedharan at Delhi.

Bengali

2011-12
The 4th edition of this competition in Bengali language is being launched in October, 2011. Over 1 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 group of cities and 400 schools. The cities are Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, 24 Paraganas (North), 24 Paraganas (South), West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Bankura, Burdwan, Murshidabad, Maldah, Jalpaiguri.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 3rd edition of this competition in the Bengali language was launched in September. Nearly 1 lakh students participated across 14 groups of cities and about 360 schools.

2009-10
The second edition of the Bengali edition of this competition was conducted in 14 cities where around 1 lakh students from 300+ Bengali medium schools participated. Two regional felicitation events were conducted where the city winners were felicitated. Finally, 2009-10 state level winners from West Bengal along with winners from 6 languages will be jointly felicitated at a gala function by Dr. E. Shreedharan at Delhi.

2007-08
Inspired by the encouraging words of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and the tremendous response received from the schools in the first year, the Tata group of companies extended the competition in 2007-08 to Bengali medium schools across West Bengal. In the first year, the competition attracted participation of nearly 1 lakh students from 300 schools across 11 districts. The city level winners were felicitated in an award ceremony in all these 8 locations which was covered well by local media also. The state winners of the Bengali essay competition along with their counter-parts from the English and Hindi essay competitions for 2007-08 were felicitated by the Honorable President Mrs. Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The children along with the parents spent some time with the President and also got a once in a life time opportunity to see and admire the Rashtrapati Bhavan as a special guided tour was arranged for them.

Marathi

2011-12
The 3rd edition of this competition in the Marathi language was launched in October 2011. Nearly 2 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 cities and 400 schools in Maharastra. The cities are Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Solapur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Akola, Latur, Satara, Sangali, Ratnagiri.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 2nd edition of this competition in the Marathi language was launched in October. Nearly 2 lakh students participated across 12 cities and 400 schools in Maharastra. The cities were Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Solapur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Akola, Latur, Satara, Sangali, Ratnagiri.

2009-10
The TBI competition was extended to Maharashtra in 2009-10 for the first time. This competition in the Marathi language at Marathi medium schools was held across 12 cities in Maharashtra where almost 2 lakh students across 400 Marathi medium schools participated. Two regional felicitation events were conducted around October-November where the city winners were felicitated.

Tamil

2011-12
The 3rd edition of this competition in the Tamil language has been launched in October, 2011. Nearly 2.5 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 cities and 400 schools in Tamil Nadu. The cities are Chennai, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari / Nagarcoil, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Vellore, Erode, Salem, Tuticorin / Kancheepuram, Virudhunagar, Tanjavur.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 2nd edition of this competition in the Tamil language was launched in October. Nearly 2 lakh students participated across 12 cities and 400 schools in Tamil Nadu. The cities were Chennai, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari / Nagarcoil, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Vellore, Erode, Salem, Tuticorin / Kancheepuram, Virudhunagar, Tanjavur.

2009-10
The first edition of this competition for students of Tamil Nadu was launched in 2009-10. This competition in the Tamil language at Tamil medium schools was held across 12 cities in Tamil Nadu where over 1.5 lakh students across 325 Tamil medium schools participated. Two regional felicitation events were conducted where the city winners were felicitated.

Kannada

2011-12
The 2nd edition of this competition in the Kannada language has been launched in October, 2011. Nearly 2 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 cities and 400 Kannada medium schools in Karnataka. The cities are Bangalore, Hubli - Dharwar, Mysore, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Mangalore, Davengere, Bellary, Shimoga, Tumkur, Bijapur, Raichur.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 1st edition of this competition in the Kannada language was launched in October. Nearly 1.5 lakh students participated across 12 cities and 400 Kannada medium schools in Karnataka. The cities were Bangalore, Hubli - Dharwar, Mysore, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Mangalore, Davengere, Bellary, Shimoga, Tumkur, Bijapur, Raichur.

Oriya

2011-12
The 2nd edition of this competition in the Oriya language is being launched in October, 2011. Nearly 1 lakh students are expected to participate across 12 cities and 400 Oriya medium schools in Orissa. The cities are Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Nayagarh, Phulbani, Chhatrapur, Sonepur, Angul, Keonjhar, Baragarh, Jharsuguda.

The theme for 2011-12 competition is “Clean and Green Nation”

2010-11
The 1st edition of this competition in the Oriya language was launched in October, 2010. Nearly 1 lakh students participated across 12 cities and nearly 400 Oriya medium schools in Orissa. The cities were Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Brahmapur, Khurda, Rourkela, Puri, Sambalpur, Baleshwar, Baripada, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Dhenkanal.