Historic event of AIU at USTM: Gajendra Phogat
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 5: The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) campus was electrified on Thursday with the energetic cultural showcasing by youths from various universities of the north-east region who have gathered here to participate in the 36th Inter-University North East Zone Youth Festival “YUVA PRATIBHA” organised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) New Delhi and hosted by USTM. The festival began on Wednesday and will continue till Sunday, the 8th of January, at the campus of USTM, a release stated.
Speaking on the occasion, jury member of the Youth Festival, Gajendra Phogat, regional director, Haryana Kala Parishad & OSD to CM Haryana, said, “Being one of the judges, I think that it is a historic event here at USTM. Youths of North East have much more potential, and Bollywood is also picking many talented youths through various reality shows.” Phogat said that as an artist, he had never felt this type of vibe elsewhere. “Here, everyone is feeling free, and no pressure of competition is on the faces of the students,” he added.
Mahbubul Hoque, chancellor of USTM, on the occasion stated, “We are happy to host this prestigious cultural event of the Association of Indian Universities at USTM. Our University is on a mission to promote sports and cultural activities.”
A panel of 20 esteemed and expert jury members from across the country are at the venue of the Youth Festival to judge the various cultural and literary competitions. The jury members include Prof S. K. Sharma, IIT(BHU), Varanasi; Rajeev Raj Srivastava, deputy director, Doordarshan, New Delhi; Dr. K. P.S. Shante, Quiz Master; Dr. Peter Lobo, Freelance Wildlife Photographer; Dr. Bala Lakhendra, associate professor of Mass Communication & Journalism, Tezpur University; Gajendra Phogat, regional director, Haryana Kala Parishad & OSD to CM Haryana; Prof Sanjay Bhasin, chairman, Haryana Kala Parishad, Chandigarh; Dr. Vijaya Sharma, Professor Dance Department, Govt MLB College, Bhopal; Pt. Madhusudan Nag, Music director.
Thursday’s competitions included Western Song (Solo), Western Instrumental (Solo), Western Song (Group), Classical Dance, Classical Instrument Solo (Percussion), Group Dance (Folk/Tribal), Skit, Poster Making, Mehandi, On the Spot Painting and Elocution.
Competitions that are scheduled for Friday are One Act Play, Classical Instrument Solo (Non-Percussion), Classical Vocal Solo (Hindustan/Karnataka), Light Vocal Indian, Group Song (Indian), Collage Making, Spot Photography, Clay Modelling and Debate.
The participating universities at this 5-day-long youth festival are Gauhati University, Cotton University, Bodoland University, ICFAI University, Tripura, Tezpur University, Dibrugarh University, National Sports University, North Eastern Hill University, Rajiv Gandhi University, Dhanamanjuri University, Manipur University, Manipur University of Culture, Royal Global University, Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati, and the host USTM.
