Winners of the competition across the three categories were as follows. At the junior level (Standards 6-8), Disha Verma from Modern Shool (Delhi) was the overall winner, followed by Madhura Dutta Gupta from St Paul's Boarding & Day School, Kolkata. At the middle level (Standards 9-10), Madhurima Mukherjee of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mumbai stood first, followed by Farha Khanam of St. Dominic School, Kolkata. At the upper level (Standards 11-12), Tanushri Bhandari of Indus International School, Bangalore stood first, followed by Anukriti Kumar of Air Force Golden Jubilee School, Delhi.

Each of the winners received a laptop computer along with a glittering crystal trophy and a certificate, while the runner-ups received a desktop computer along with a trophy and a certificate. The winners and the runner-ups also got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with the president of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who congratulated them on their achievement.

During his interaction with the children, the president said that the ignited minds of the youth were the most powerful resource on earth, above the earth and underneath it. Congratulating the winners of the essay competition, he encouraged them to strive towards an India whose real heart and soul was her rural population. Sharing his thoughts with the children, he also said his dream, like those of the children, was to see a corruption-free India by 2020, and he believed that one of the best ways it could be achieved was to use 'love'. He considered it the greatest tool that all of us had, to teach people to be honest in the way they do things, and conduct themselves. He also said that we needed to start at home and that if the children can start it themselves, then it would be a big beginning by itself.

The 'Tata Building India' national essay competition is an inspiring initiative by the Tata Group, providing a unique platform to encourage the young leaders of tomorrow to showcase their expressions on nation building initiatives. Launched in February 2006, the competition was held amongst key English medium schools across six major cities of the country - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Speaking at the national awards function, M A. Pathan, director, Tata Industries, said:

"We are delighted to see the enthusiastic response received from across the country and the spirit displayed by the young minds today. This new initiative from the Tata Group to mould the young minds towards a positive direction has been successful in directing the youth and the future of India to think on the lines of strengthening the nation. The patriotic spirit in the hearts and minds of the youth of India, like these little masters along with their significant talent, will go a long way in helping the nation achieve the status of a nation of importance in the world."

After a rigorous judgement at three levels - school, city, and national level - competing with more than 1,00,000 school children from 240-plus schools, the national winners showcased their thoughts on the following topics:

• If I was the prime minister of India, what will I do to make India a super power (for middle and upper levels)
• What should be done for India to win 16 gold medals in 2016 Olympics (for junior level)

The panel of national judges comprised of R M Lala, eminent writer and biography author, Dr Anil Wilson, vice chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, and Prof Suma Chitnis ex-vice chancellor, SNDT University Mumbai.