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West Bengal Lok Bhavan Announces Statewide Essay Competition
West Bengal Lok Bhavan is starting an essay contest for students across the state.
School students in Classes X to XII will write about the 1946 Calcutta Massacre.
College and university students will write about Direct Action Day.
Students can submit essays in English or Bengali.
The contest has cash prizes, and each language will have separate winners.
Essays must be submitted by November 15.
The rules say students cannot use AI tools to write their essays.
Some political leaders criticized the contest, saying it promotes a BJP political message.
The winners will be honored at Lok Bhavan on January 26, 2027.
West Bengal Lok Bhavan will hold its first state-level essay competition for school, college and university students.
The competition is open to students at educational institutions in West Bengal, with entries accepted in English and Bengali.
School students in Classes X to XII will write about the 1946 Calcutta Massacre; college and university students will write about Direct Action Day.
Prizes range from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, with separate awards for English and Bengali essays in each category.
Entries are due by November 15, and TMC leader Kunal Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty criticized the initiative as promoting a BJP political narrative.
- Who
- West Bengal Lok Bhavan is organizing the competition for school, college and university students studying in West Bengal.
- What
- The state’s first state-level essay competition, with topics assigned by student category and language.
- Where
- West Bengal; winners will be felicitated at Lok Bhavan.
- When
- Entries are due by November 15; winners will be felicitated on January 26, 2027.
- Why
- The articles do not state a specific reason for holding the competition.
Critics
Lok Bhavan
Purpose and political framing of the competition
Critics
Kunal Ghosh and Sujan Chakraborty accused the governor of acting like a BJP representative and promoting a political narrative. Chakraborty said the governor should act as a representative of the Constitution.
Lok Bhavan
Lok Bhavan announced the competition, its essay topics, eligibility, judging criteria and rules. The report does not include a response from Lok Bhavan to the criticism.
Key facts
- Organizer
- West Bengal Lok Bhavan
- Eligible students
- Students in educational institutions in West Bengal
- Essay languages
- English and Bengali
- School topic
- “Calcutta Massacre, 1946 – Causes and Consequences” (English topic as stated)
- College and university topic
- “Direct Action Day by All India Muslim League – A Fatal Assault on Civilisational Bharat” (English topic as stated)
- Prize amounts
- School: Rs 50,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 25,000; college/university: Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000. Prizes are awarded separately for English and Bengali essays.
- Deadline and ceremony
- Entries due by November 15; winners to be felicitated on January 26, 2027, at Lok Bhavan’s At Home Reception.
- Essay rules
- Plagiarism and AI-generated writing or generative AI tools are prohibited.
Quotes
Sujan Chakraborty
CPI(M) leader who criticized the governor’s role in the initiative.
“If the governor, instead of acting as a representative of the Centre or the Constitution, behaves like a representative of the BJP and tries to promote its political objectives, then questions arise about the relevance of this post.”
theprint.in
“The main responsibility of the Lok Bhavan is to monitor whether the Constitution is being properly followed in the state. The governor is expected to discharge his duties as a representative of the Constitution.”
theprint.in
Sources
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