Press Release

December 24, 2025 | M.M. Public School, Pitampura, New Delhi

Felicitation Ceremony Concludes the 2nd Ukraine–India Students’ Writing Contest “With Love to Ukraine”

Following the success of the inaugural edition, the 2nd Ukraine–India Students’ Writing Contest “With Love to Ukraine – З любов’ю до України” was successfully conducted, further strengthening educational and cultural dialogue between Ukraine and India.

The Felicitation Ceremony took place on December 24, 2025, on the eve of Christmas, at M.M. Public School, Pitampura, New Delhi.

The contest was jointly implemented by the East European Development Institute (EEDI) and PT GLOBAL EDU, within the EEDI project “Ukraine and South Asia: Open Dialogues”, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India facilitated liaison and coordination and actively participated in the implementation of the project, including the Felicitation Ceremony.

Contest Structure

The contest was organized in two age groups:

• Junior Group (Grades 6–8): “Ukraine in My Dream” and “To My Ukrainian Friend”

• Senior Group (Grades 9–12): “The Beauty of Ukrainian Culture” and “For a Strong Ukraine–India Friendship”

Winners across all categories were honoured during the ceremony. School principals and teachers received Certificates of Appreciation in recognition of their guidance and support.

In his address, Dr. Oleksandr Polishchuk, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of India, congratulated the students on their achievements and praised their creativity, curiosity, and openness to learning about other cultures. He encouraged students to value education and to make full use of the opportunities available to them.

The Ambassador emphasized that peace is a fundamental condition for education and stressed that, due to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian children are deprived of the opportunity for peaceful schooling, with education frequently disrupted by air-raid alerts, shelling, and damage to civilian infrastructure. He urged students to cherish the peace in which they live and to make the most of their educational opportunities, as peace enables proper learning and personal development.

Members of the Distinguished Jury participated online. The Contest Jury comprised of: Dr. Alla Shuhai, Iryna Semiankiv, Svitlana Tsilmak, Ananda Ghosh, Yulia Fil, Mariya Fedoriv, Oksana Kharchenko.

However, not all jury members were able to join the ceremony live due to constant Russian shelling across Ukraine, which has led to serious disruptions in electricity supply and recurring power outages in different regions. These conditions made stable online participation impossible for some members at the time of the event.

Dr. Alla Shuhai, Member of the Jury, attended the ceremony online and greeted the winners on behalf of the entire jury, conveying congratulations and appreciation for the students’ thoughtful and heartfelt essays.

Dr. Mridula Ghosh, Chair, East European Development Institute and Project Curator from the Ukrainian side, together with other EEDI representatives, joined the event online and took part in the jury’s work. The jury reviewed and evaluated all submitted essays, and we express our sincere gratitude for their professionalism, dedication, and careful assessment under extremely challenging circumstances.

As part of the felicitation ceremony, participants also had the opportunity to visit a photo exhibition dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ukraine, specially prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The exhibition, thoughtfully displayed on the school premises, presented Ukraine’s rich cultural and natural heritage and added an important visual and educational dimension to the event.

In addition to certificates, medals, gifts, and Grand Prix awards, the programme featured a special Christmas creative workshop. Ms. Tetiana Sharma, Third Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in India, conducted a hands-on workshop on making traditional Ukrainian motanka dolls, handcrafted by the students themselves—making this activity a meaningful and personal highlight of the celebration.

Among the highlights of the event was a selection of traditional Ukrainian festive delicacies prepared by Ukrainian baker and confectioner Julia Danylenko. Guests enjoyed Christmas Kalach (traditional Ukrainian Christmas bread) and pyrizhky with cabbage and with cottage cheese.

The festive table’s centerpiece—the true cherry on top—was the iconic Kyiv cake, specially prepared for the occasion. Through these traditional dishes, guests experienced the atmosphere of a Ukrainian Christmas and an authentic taste of Ukraine’s culinary heritage.

Acknowledgements

We express our sincere gratitude to PT GLOBAL EDU and personally Mr. CN Patel, East European Development Institute and personally Dr. Mridula Ghosh, and the respected Contest Jury for their vital contribution and insights. You did an amazing team work to make this project a reality.

We thank all the winners and their parents, teachers and principals for finding time to come to Delhi for this remarkable event.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the administration and team of M.M. Public School, Pitampura, for their warm hospitality and for kindly hosting the event and beautifully prepared and executed performances during the Felicitation Ceremony, in particular Mrs. Rooma Pathak - Principal and Mrs. Tanpreet Kaur - teacher-curator. We are also grateful to the school choir, which opened the ceremony with Christmas carols, setting a festive and uplifting tone for the event. As the celebration took place during the festive season, this musical opening added a special sense of warmth, joy, and shared celebration to the programme.

We also highly appreciate the help provided by the interns of the Embassy - students of O.P. Jindal Global University,

Together we made it really unforgettable experience and we look forward to the Contest 2026 and further partnership and friendship with all!