Arushi Sarangi, 13, from Bangalore Steiner School, showed humour and insight in her piece, taking us on “a path straying far from ordinary”. Bombarded as we are by official statistics on how many have recovered from Covid, Arushi articulates what is unsaid, speaking for the dead: This “is not a triumphant number,” she writes. “It’s a massive amount of pain and loss.” To see the spaces in between statistics, to empathise, to assess events from a bird’s-eye perspective and understand the positive learning experiences while mourning with those who have suffered, to leave the reader with lifted spirits when they would never have thought that possible, that is what makes Arushi’s work evolved and memorable.

Kathir Kumar, 13, submitted a well-thought-out essay as did Kashish Attar, 16, whose “How to be a hopeless optimist” section could well be the title of a whole novel.

Special mention has to be made of Ridhima Angelina, 14, whose lines make you echo the sentiment “the kids are going to be alright”: “I don’t know if God exists but I do know that hope exists,” she writes, weighing that statement for what it is when she correlates the two. She notes how Covid “can’t define us. WE define us”, which is possibly the entire pandemic experience in a nutshell. For the survivors, the question will be: Did you rise to meet its challenge, or did you fall?

The YWCA thanks these teenagers who rose. We hope to continue to see your rise in the years ahead.

Participation Certificates were awarded to all entrants.