Now
When a person is treated unfairly or differently because of their skin color, gender, age, or beliefs, this is known as discrimination. Everyone, regardless of ethnicity, has the same rights and standing. Despite the fact that many people strive for equality, a small fraction of the population believes otherwise. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on March 21 around the world, emphasizes the necessity of eliminating racism as a positive step toward equality. ANTARAL - Pause and Be the Change has made a little step to raise awareness about equality as part of this day.
ANTARAL, the student body of JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), School of Commerce, on March 22, 2022, organized KAMYATA, an event commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The included two competitions to raise awareness about racial discrimination, which included:
Photography
The competition began at the Jayanagara campus about 10:30 a.m., with the contestants being given a description of the concept for the photographs to be taken. The theme was, ‘I am not my hair, am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within - let's restructure the mentality.’ The rules, regulations, and criteria for judgment were explained to all. The participants were given 1.5 hours to click the pictures and submit them.
Ms. Preethi Sriram was the judge for the competition. Preethi Sriram is a member of the International Newborn Photography Association and is certified by the Accredited Professional Newborn Photographers International. Her photographs are distinguished from those of other accomplished photographers by their original and innovative concepts.
The following is the list of winners in the Photography contest:
| Position | Contestant Tag Number | Name | Year/Class/Course |
| 1st position | 14 | Visist Agarwal | 6 B.Com |
| 2nd position | 7 | Collin T James | 4 B.Com A |
Face Painting
Another yet different way of creating awareness of racial discrimination was face painting. The theme for the competition was the same as photography, ‘I am not my hair, am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within - let's restructure the mentality.’ At 10:30 a.m., the competition began, and each competitor brought their materials as well as a partner whose face had been painted. The participants had two hours to complete the face painting on their partner. Each participant came up with unique ideas to support the event's purpose and theme.
Ms. Tania, an artist by passion and an IT expert working for Yahoo, was the face painting judge. Her paintings have been sold all around the world, and her work has been featured in numerous publications. Ms. Tania is a brand ambassador for Menorah Stationery and scooboo.in, two of the most popular stationery products in India. The gathering was a big success because everyone was enthusiastic about the cause.
The following is the list of winners for the face painting competition:
| Position | Contestant Tag Number | Name | Year/Class/Course |
| 1st position | 4 | Shreya A J | 4 BHIFA K |
| 2nd position | 10 | Vaishakhi Das | 4 BHIFA K |
It is possible to get rid of racism in our society if we develop a sensitive approach. The event was a small step towards a world free of discrimination.
The quickest way to solve racism is to educate people on the values of acceptance and understanding, teaching love instead of hatred against one another.
