Cooperative Living July 2021 - 11

CoverFocus | by Laura Emery, Staff Writer
An Eye for Detail
Honors mount for art contest winner
W
hether it is in the stroke
of a paint brush on
canvas, the placement
of a Lego block, the movement
of a chess piece or the strike of a
piano key, you can be guaranteed
that 8-year-old Vihaan Panjwani
of Ashburn, Va., has put a lot of
thought into it.
That extra thought caught the
eye of this year's annual Cooperative
Living Youth Art Contest judges.
The judges knew they had found
a Best in Show winner in Vihaan's
precisely penciled art contest
submission. The winning artwork,
created with art pastels and colored
pencils, addressed this year's theme
of " How Pets Make Life Better " in four
ways. " They help you stay fit, they
help you be more responsible,
they help keep you safe from
strangers and they give you
company as a friend, " Vihaan wrote on
his art that was divided into quadrants.
Vihaan, however, has only ever
had a pet fish.
" I was inspired by the things around
me, " says Vihaan, a rising third grader
at Madison's Trust Elementary School.
" For example, my neighbor had a cat
named Huggy Bear that used to always
roam around on our deck. That helped
me understand how a cat can be like
a friend. "
He also notes observing another
dog-walking neighbor and how those
same dogs bark when strangers get too
close to their owner's home. " I saw
how dogs can help people feel safe by
guarding their owner's house, " he says.
And, of course, Vihaan knows firsthand
that being a fish owner requires
responsibility. " I have a pet fish,
Zingy, and so I know how
important it is to feed fish on
time every day, " he says.
He is the son of Manish Panjwani
and Deepa DharmadhikariDharmadhikari,, NorthernNorthern
co-opliving.com
and Deepa
and Deepa Dharmadhikari, Northern
BEST
IN
SHOW
Vihaan Panjwani
Ashburn, Va.
Virginia Electric Cooperative members.
" Vihaan is very creative, hard-working
and intelligent, and he puts his heart into
whatever he does - and we are very
proud of him, " says his mother.
His father, Manish, says. " Our son,
Vihaan, is extremely talented and has
been from a very young age. He's always
been very interested in art. Our entire
home is covered with his art, especially
sunsets. We are grateful to NOVEC
and Cooperative Living magazine for
providing this wonderful avenue for
the kids to show off their artwork. "
When he's not focused on his
schoolwork, or sitting near a chess
board or a piano, Vihaan enjoys riding
his bike and tossing a flying disc in the
backyard with his parents. He also has
a deep interest in all thing space-related,
as well as in building intricate and
complex Lego creations.
But his artistic endeavors truly
calm him, according to his mother. His
artistic depiction of the International
Space Station was chosen to be featured
in the 2021 Children's Artwork Calendar,
produced by NASA. For the young space
loverlover, this was a huge deal. " He was over
lover, this was a huge deal. " He was overover
this was
huge deal. " He was
"
the moon with excitement on winning
that honor with NASA, as well as the
Cooperative Living Youth Art Contest, "
Deepa says.
More than 50 student-artists from
kindergarten through fifth grade
entered the annual Cooperative Living
Youth Art competition, which was
judged by staff at the Virginia,
Maryland & Delaware Association
of Electric Cooperatives, publisher
of Cooperative Living. First place
in each grade category received
a $25 cash prize, and Vihaan's
Best in Show work earned him
a $100 prize.
" Congratulations to all whose work
was selected in the judging process.
Again this year, we want to thank all
the young artists who sent in their
artwork for judging, " says Editor
Steven Johnson.
When asked how he will spend
his winnings, Vihaan doesn't hesitate.
" I might donate some of it to charity
and use the rest of the money to buy
some art supplies. "
Then, with a sheepish smile, he
a " ... and possibly
adds
adds, " ... and possibly a toy. " toy. " 
July 2021 | Cooperative Living | 9
PHOTO BY LAURA EMERY
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2021

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