Imphal, January 17: Ultimately what mattered to the organisers of the spot painting competition, held inside Kangla on January 16, was not the competitors, or even the theme of the competition but about trying to please the honourable politicians, read the Chief Minister, Art and Culture Minister Ph Parijat and Lok Sabha MP Dr T Meinya.

Forget the children, what matters is the VVIPs, seemed to be the mantra of the organisers, who claimed that their organisation is an all India body with its branch opened in Manipur only recently.

As stipulated by the high and mighty organisers, who looked more like some badly painted political figures, the children and their guardians and parents trooped into Kangla before 9.30 am.

The competition was to start at 9.30 am but as the VVIPs or the �honorables� forgot all about meeting deadlines, the children went around Kangla soaking in the splendour of the historic place.

The clock soon struck 10.30 am but still then there was no sign of the honorables while the organisers strutted around announcing the rules of the competition, which only added to the confusion as not one of them spoke similarly about the rules and regulations.

What made the situation all that more unappetizing was the fact that the most of the children had come without their food or at best some of them could have eaten something rustled up in a hurry by their mothers.

Hunger had to wait and the deadline can be consigned to the dust bin, seemed to be the attitude of the organisers as they brusquely brushed aside all queries from the parents.

However as things turned out, the honourable Chief Minister did not turn up.

This was announced by the Art and Culture Minister Ph Parijat who said that the honourable CM was indisposed.

After a brief talk, the chief guest, Ph Parijat, announced the start of the competition.

The children who had been waiting since 9.30 am then took their seat for the competition at 11.30 am.

Their task was to finish the job by 11.45 am.

Three categories were worked out.

Group A for upto Class V, Group B for Class VI to VIII and Group C for Class IX to XII.

As things turned out, Group B was again divided into two groups.

One was made to seat under a Shamiana while the other group was made to sit on the road inside Kangla and told to paint the Brindamachandra Temple.

What was disgusting was that the students were made to under the sun and to face eastward.

The little children started painting with some trying to shield themselves from the sun with their little hands and at the same time studying the structure of the temple against the glare of the sun.

Not surprisingly a number of guardians saw red over the shoddy treatment meted out to the children but all their complaints were brushed aside rudely.

Some of the more enterprising members of the organisers even threatened to call in the security personnel and stop them from hovering near the place of the competition! Sounded fantastic.

A number parents were accomplished painters and artists in their own right and they opined that making the children of Group B draw two different things will come in the way of awarding the marks.

Moreover, they said that it was not a good idea to make the children paint the temple by making the children sit in front of it, reasoning that the temple is a big structure.

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