‘New India: A Cultural Superpower’ Painting Competition Award Ceremony Concludes — Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar

Mumbai, Nov 2025 — Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar stated that the ‘New India: A Cultural Superpower’ painting competition, organized during the Seva Parv by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was truly historic. The award ceremony for the competition, jointly organised by the Cultural Affairs Department, the P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy and the BMC, was held today at the P. L. Deshpande Art Academy with great enthusiasm. The competition was conducted as part of the Seva Pakhwada initiatives from the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (17 September 2025) to the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 2025). Minister Shelar was speaking on the occasion.

Also present were Prachi Jambhekar, Deputy Commissioner of Education, BMC; P. L. Deshpande Art Academy Director Minal Joglekar; Sujata Khare from the Gurucharan Singh Sindhu Nirmiti Pratishthan; along with various education officials and committee members.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Shelar said, “I am delighted to see the confidence with which the children presented their work. If the coming generation continues to progress in this way, India will certainly become a ‘Vishwaguru’. To celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, we decided to organise the Seva Parv, under which several initiatives are being implemented to ensure public participation. Digitisation of 14 crore documents, exhibitions of historic records, publication on heritage structures, and a display of 75 traditional instruments of the state — all these efforts represent a new direction in cultural conservation.”

He further added, “These competitions were organised to encourage the artistic talent of young children, and this has turned out to be the biggest competition under Seva Parv. This painting competition has created history. Identifying children’s artistic qualities and giving them opportunities is true democracy.”

Praising the glorious legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Minister Shelar said, “India’s cultural heritage is magnificent and unparalleled. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken significant steps to preserve and present this heritage to the world. Competitions like these will help nurture exemplary personalities for the future.”

A remarkable 75,000 students from 400 schools participated in the competition, and 80 judges evaluated the entries over two days. The names of the first-prize-winning students, along with their schools and art teachers, were announced during the ceremony.

While appreciating the students’ exceptional artwork, all dignitaries emphasized the need to promote such competitions on an even larger scale in the future. The programme began with introductory remarks by P. L. Deshpande Art Academy Director Minal Joglekar.