Liberty Institute is organising the second all-India The Fountainhead Essay 
Contest for students of classes XI and XII and their equivalent. The details
of the contest are given below. These and other information about this 
contest is available at our web site 
www.angelfire.com/mi/libertyinstitute/essay1.html
You will find the complete list of winners in 1998, and also the first prize
winning essay. Please visit our site, and participate in this uniquely
stimulating contest.

                            READ AYN RAND'S NOVEL

                              THE FOUNTAINHEAD
                        Win Prizes Worth Rs 17,000/-
                     1999 ESSAY CONTEST FOR STUDENTS OF
                               CLASS XI & XII

                    First Prize: Rs. 5000/-   cash award

                      3 Second Prizes: Rs. 2000/- each
                      6 Third Prizes: Rs. 1000/- each

The topics:

1.    The theme of The Fountainhead, said Ayn Rand, is "is individualism
versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man's soul." Explain how this
is brought out in the novel.

2.    What is the one essential difference between the heroes and villains
in The Fountainhead?

3.    For each of the following quotations, from The Fountainhead, explain
its significance in the story, and their general implications.

     a. Roark: "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and
     value. What a man is and makes of himself - not what he has or
     hasn't for others."

     b. Dominique: "Roark, I can accept anything, except what seems to
     be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the
     just-about, the in-between."

     c. Keating (to Roark): "When I' m with you - it's always like a
     choice. Between you - and the rest of the world. I don't want
     that kind of a choice. I don't want to be an outsider. I want to
     belong."

Special Prizes for Schools

       1. A. The school that sends the maximum number of entries,
          which are of acceptable quality, will receive a set of Ayn
          Rand's fiction and non-fiction books.
       2. B. Two runners up schools will receive a set of Ayn Rand's
          fiction.

 Send your entries to -
                       The Fountainhead Essay Contest
                             LIBERTY INSTITUTE
            259,  (2nd floor), J-Block, Saket New Delhi 110 017
     Tel: (91)-(11) 6512441/ 6528244; Fax: (91)-(11) 6856992 / 6527868
                    E-Mail: liberty@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in

Rules  and Conditions:

   * 1. The participant must be a student at the Higher Secondary
     level (i.e., class XI or XII) or its equivalent..
   * 2. Essays must be typewritten or legibly hand written on one side
     of the page with double line spacing, and must not exceed 1200
     words.
   * 3. Essays must be sole work of the participant.
   * 4. Essays must reach us on or before October 30, 1999.
   * 5. Decision of the judges will be final, and winners will be
     notified by November 30, 1999.
   * 7. All entries will become the property of Liberty Institute, and
     will not be returned.
   * 8. Important: Entries must include a stapled cover sheet with the
     following information

        * (a) Participant's Name and Address;
        * (b) Name and Address of the school;
        * (c) The topic selected; and
        * (d) A photocopy of the participant's school Identity
          Card.

Attention Teachers:

     1. Copies of Teacher's guide to The Fountainhead, prepared by Dr.
     Andrew Bernstein, professor of philosophy, are available on request
     for teachers who would like to encourage their students to participate
     in the contest.
     2. Copies of The Fountainhead are available for purchase at a special
     price by school libraries, teachers and students.
     3. On request from teachers, Liberty Institute could help organize
     video screening of The Fountainhead.

                               About Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905-82) is one of the all time popular authors in the world. Two
of her best-selling novels are The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged
(1957). Over 30 million copies of her books have reportedly sold world wide
so far. In the early 1990s, an opinion survey by Gallup for the United
States Congressional Library found her to be the most influential author,
second only to the Bible. Her books, particularly the fictions, are widely
available in Indian bookshops. However, the most telling evidence in
support of her popularity in India can be found in the availability of
pirated edition of her works, including non-fiction, on the streets of most
major cities! This year a documentary feature made on her life - Ayn Rand:
A Sense of Life - was nominated for an Oscar in that category.

                          About Liberty Institute

The Institute is a non-profit, public policy research and educational
organization dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of liberal,
free market ideas. It organizes seminars and workshops, maintains a
resource centre where a wide range of relevant literature and audio-visual
material from around the world are available for reference, participates in
book fairs to expose readers to such literature.

The essay contest seeks to introduce young people to stimulating
literature, so that they may develop their critical faculties, be well
informed about some of the very basic issues of life, and live up to their
full potential in their own chosen fields. For over a decade the Ayn Rand
Institute has been organizing similar essay contest is being held in the
United States, attracting thousands of participants each year.
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