Globalisation has led to the mingling of cultures and a readiness to explore hitherto unknown traditions and art forms. Japan’s Origami is an art that can be simple paper folding fun for a small child or complex enough to challenge experts. Tagore International School,Vasant Vihar, has explored the fascinating world of origami earlier too. This year the theme for our annual competition, held on 14 October 2022, was ‘Celebrations’ and it was a day full of happiness for participants and viewers alike. No less than 28 schools participated and they were given various topics based on the age group. The young paperfolders used the origami paper supplied to unleash their imagination and create an amazing variety of scenes and objects. Hinamatsuri (Dolls Festival) Umi No Hi (Marine Life) Midori No Hi (Greenery Day – a tribute to plants ) Sports Day, Tsuyu (Rainy Season) Chanoyu ( The Way of Tea) were some themes where their creativity was in full flow. There was an opportunity for teachers to show their paper folding skills too, the theme being Snow Festival. The judges were Mrs Matsuyama from the Embassy of Japan, Mr Koji Sato from the Japan Foundation and Ms Sandhya San, a member of the Oritai Origami Club. Each of the completed models showed such patience, precision and a delicate artistry that it was a challenge to select the winners ! Truly a beautiful way to channel one’s creativity using just a simple square of paper.
