LAUGFS nurtures artistic talent with ‘Pehesara’ Art Competition for 3rd consecutive year

LAUGFS held the ‘Pehesara’ Art Competition for the third consecutive year with the enthusiastic participation of LAUGFS employees’ children island-wide in celebration of World Children’s Day 2017. Participants submitted over 170 works of art in the Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories. LAUGFS team organised the competition in a bid to further enhance engagement with employees and family members by offering the children a chance to display their talent.

Winners of the competition received awards at a ceremony held at the LAUGFS auditorium with the participation of Chief Guests LAUGFS Holdings Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya, Group Managing Director Thilak De Silva, Sector Managing Director Asanga Ranasinghe and Group Finance Director Dilshan Perera. The winners received valuable certificates, prices and cash prices. Adding vibrancy to the occasion, the ‘Young Players’ drama group performed a short stage drama at the awards ceremony.

“In our own corporate culture, creativity is a valued asset. Organising ‘Pehesara’ Art Competition for the third consecutive years was our way of encouraging and recognising creativity through artistic expressions amongst children of our employees. Within our diverse employee base, we consistently strive to foster a culture that values family and close connections. This annual event is yet another part of that drive. The future of humankind depends on the creativity of its members. We were pleased to witness the talent that the younger generation possess. It was a good opportunity for LAUGFS as a leading Sri Lankan corporate entity to encourage children’s imaginative powers and love of art,” commented Director/Chief Human Resource Officer Dulani Nissanka. 

The young competing artists submitted their work in four age categories. Primary category participants (Grade 1-3) were allowed to submit artwork depicting any theme that each child preferred while the junior category (Grade 4-6) drew paintings depicting a ‘Kite Festival’. Children in the intermediate category (Grade 7-10) submitted work that illustrated the concept of ‘Green Sri Lanka’ while the senior category (Grade 11-13) expressed their artistic skills through imagining and painting ‘how they see their village/town in 2050’. The judging panel shortlisted 80 works of art and announced the winners at the awards ceremony. 

The judging panel comprised of a team led by Prof. M.R. Podinilame, Dean of Faculty of Visual Arts, University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Sri Lanka. Following a tough competition, H. M. Adheesha Induwara Herath of Oxford International College – Badulla won the first place in the primary category while A. Ranudi Pevinya of St. Anthony’s Girls’ College – Kandy won the first place in the junior category. The other two categories were equally competitive with W. D. Kavitha Amandhi of Thakshila Central College – Horana winning the first place in the intermediate category and H.M. Chamalka Lakshani Weerawansha of Dudley Senanayake Central College – Tholangamuwa emerging the winner in the senior category. 

LAUGFS is one of the largest diversified business conglomerates and a trusted name in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1995, LAUGFS today has expanded across 20 industries in Sri Lanka and overseas, establishing a strong presence as a leader and pioneer in the power and energy, retail, industrial, services, leisure, logistics and real estate sectors. With over 4,000 employees and an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 28 billion, LAUGFS continues to expand and empower millions as a trusted Sri Lankan brand.