By Bavinee Shrestha Thapa

Buddha Jayanti, also referred to as Buddha Purnima, is widely celebrated in Nepal during the full moon day in the month of Baisakh (April / May). It is celebrated by both Hindus and Buddhists in East Asia and South Asia. It is a celebration of the intriguing life of the revered Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Lord Buddha), which incorporates three major events such as his birth, enlightenment, and death: each falling on the Purnima (full moon day). Premier International IB world School held an art competition for PYP and MYP students to commemorate all of Lord Buddha’s significant life events in honor of ‘Buddha Jayanti.’

Siddhartha Gautam was born as the prince of Kapilvastu, Nepal. There were Forecasts made before his birth saying that the child will either be a great ruler or a prominent monk. In dread of losing the crowned prince of Kapilavastu, Buddha’s family limited him to the doorways of the palace. As he turned 29, he was able to see life outside the palace and lived life with peace. As a result, he left the materialistic and luxurious world to pursue the truth about the suffering of human life. After six years of hardship in seeking the truth, he attained enlightenment under the shade of a Bodhi tree and became Buddha. He continued preaching the truth for 45 years and he passed away on the full moon day of May when he was eighty. Essentially, he taught that desire and ignorance are the root causes of human suffering and that it leads to materialism. It is said that Lord Buddha also guided the path to Buddhism and taught various morals to Buddhists which is still practiced in today’s world. Lord Buddha also advocated for non-violence, harmony, and kindness and believed that the way to find the truth was to give up one’s desires. 

Hence, during the local election break, students were given the task of creating posters celebrating Buddha Jayanti on the theme “Peace.” When school resumed, all the art pieces were handed over to the art teacher and the winners were selected and issued awards. The art competition results for their outstanding artwork are as follows:

Grade 6

Ojaswi Shrestha 1st (6B)

Anya kasyap 2nd (6B)

Apekshya Shrestha  3rd (6B)

Grade 7

Aadhya Dhungala 1st (7B)

Saachi Kedia 2nd (7B)

Nilima Barakoti  3rd (7Y)

Grade 8

Aadi Dev Rauniyar 1st (8B)

Harsh Ghiraiya 2nd (8Y)

Samyog Dhakal 3rd (8B)

Grade 9

Bavinee Shrestha Thapa 1st (9Y)

Subikshya Vaidya 2nd (9B)

Aadesh R. Gurung 3rd (9B)

Grade 10

Arom Pradhan 1st (10B)

Rayna Singh  2nd (10B)

Shamvabhi Acharya 3rd (10Y)

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