Youth Festival - 2023

Youth Festival 2023 - Manbhavan Yuvak Mahotsav

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University organised the 31st Youth Festival from 2nd to 5th November 2023. It was hosted by the Physical Education Department. The central theme of the Youth Festival was “Nari Shakti Vandana”. It was inspired from the Women’s Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandana Adhiniyam) that was recently passed in the Parliament. So the core team of this youth Festival was Women Empowerment. 

Here are the events that took place in the Youth Festival:- 

Kala-Yatra

Before the Youth Festival competitions begins, a Kala-yatra was organised on 2 November 2023. Kala-yatra is a rally in which participants of different colleges and departments showcase their artistic qualities.
You can watch Kala-Yatra here:-

The Major Themes of Kala-yatra

Women Empowerment -

Women Empowerment was the most common theme. Many tableaux displayed women dressed in different career uniforms, to signify that women are contributing in all the careers. Additionally, many participants were dressed as Hindu war goddesses, to show worship of women, as the theme was "Nari Shakti Vandana".

Chandrayan -

Chandrayan and the development of Space research was also a popular theme this year. Many big models of the Chandrayan rocket were displayed. Some students were dressed as astronauts. Many participants dressed as famous Indian scientists, like APJ Abdul Kalam and Vikram Sarabhai. The journey and development of indian space programme was shown.

Ill effects of technology -

There was even a display on the ill effects of technology. This was done through intricate costumes to show how phones trap its users.

Oppression to Freedom -

We, at the English Department, presented women development, and the journey of women from oppression to freedom. We presented some oppressed women being trapped in society. Various societal problems like Child marriage and not allowing Widow remarriage were discussed.

Additionally the challenging life of mothers and working women was also portrayed. In the outer circle, free from societal burden were the modern women. They were presented in different career paths. Students dressed as Lawyer, Cricketer, Doctor, etc.

You can watch our our performance here:- 

Here are the participants of Kala-yatra:- 

Day - 1 

On the first day, 3rd November 2023, we started with the opening ceremony. M. M. Trivedi, Sagardan Gadhavi, Jayveersinh Gohil and Bhartiben Mehta were some of the chief guests present. The entire ceremony was hosted by former students of the university. The guests talked about education, female empowerment and student welfare. You can watch the entire opening ceremony by clicking here:- Opening Ceremony. 

Quiz 

One of the first event of the day was quiz. I, along with my classmates, Aakash Chavda and Kusum Sarvaiya, participated in the quiz. We were given an hour for 25 questions. They were MCQ type questions on current affairs. We had to answer the questions after discussion with our teammates. Unfortunately our team was not selected for the next round. However, it still was a wonderful learning experience.

Mimicry 

Mimicry competition was a lively event, where participants showcased their talent for imitating, voices, accent, sounds, and mannerisms. The event was not only about imitation, but also creativity, humour, and the ability to captivate an audience through skilled mimicry. The atmosphere was filled with laughter, amazement and appreciation for the diverse talents displayed on the stage. Participants imitated cartoon characters, famous personalities, animals, different vehicles and much more. Jay Solanki from English Department participated in this competition. 

You can watch that event here:- 

Skit 

A Skit is a short theatrical performance that aims to entertain, convey a message or evoke laughter, within a brief time frame. Typically, Skits can cover a wide range of themes, from comedy, satire to social commentary. The Skits presented in the Youth Festival can be seen here:- 

Themes presented in Skit:- 

The different skits skilfully presented various critical themes. It began by honouring India’s space achievements, notably Chandrayaan. Then it addressed pressing issues such as unemployment and educational hurdles. Specific regional concerns in Manipur were discussed and intricate discussion surrounding the name ‘Bharat’ were presented. Furthermore, alcohol bans, various superstitions and the deteriorating state of roads in Bhavnagar were critiqued. The skit humorously depicted the apparent inactivity of the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation, turning the city’s construction process into a playful spectacle.

While highlighting the gravity of these issues, the skit cleverly interjected humour by showcasing ironic job opportunities arising from public inconveniences. It subtly conveyed how challenges, while burdensome, inadvertently create employment in sectors like tire repair, car maintenance, and construction work. Sensitive topics like corruption, challenges of inflammation and Nepotism were fearlessly discussed. Questioning the efficacy of democracy, the skit delved into the aftermath of demonetisation and the intricate web of pollution-related problems

The performance adeptly navigated through diverse themes, examining the importance of traditions, concerns about pollution and disorder, the menace of online fraud, and the persistent issue of wandering cattle. It also shed some light on positive aspects of India’s policies. 

This competition presented some captivating performances that encouraged introspection. The skits undoubtedly left a profound impact, prompting the audience to contemplate the complexities defining our shared reality.

Bhajan

Bhajans are devotional songs that hold significant cultural and spiritual value in various traditions, particularly in Hinduism. Students are encouraged to show their skills in such area by a Bhajan competition. Many participants displayed their musical abilities and performed several Gujarati Bhajans. Popular Gujarati Bhajans like “એકલા આવ્યા મનવા, એકલા જવાના”, “વીજળીને ચમકારે મોતીડા પરોવોપાનબાઈ” and “કર્મનો સંગાથી રાણા મારું કોઈ નથી”, were skilfully presented. Rinkal Danger from English Department participated in this competition. 

You can watch the Bhajan competition here:- 

On The Spot Painting 

On the spot painting is truly the test of an artists. Participants are provided with a subject and a limited amount of time to create a painting from scratch. It is a test of creativity, skills and ability to think on their feet. These kind of competition encourage artists to embrace spontaneity, think creatively and reflect their artistic prowess. The topics for on the spot painting were:- 

ઉત્સવોની ઉજવણી (Celebrating Festivals)

નારીશક્તી (Women Empowerment)

Hina Parmar from English Department participated in this competition. Here is her painting:- 

Here are a few paintings from the competition:- 

Folk Dance

Folk dance is a vibrant expression of culture. It weaves stories and traditions through the rhythmic movements and colourful costumes. Folk dance competitions, celebrate heritage and skill. They invite participants to share their passion for folk dance. This competition presented captivating performances of Garba. You can have a look at them here:-

Sugam Geet

Sugam geet is a type of singing competition. From Department of English, Hardi Vhora participated in this competition. You can watch that here. 

Poetry 

Poetry competition was also held on day 1. The following were the topics:-

મેરી મિટ્ટી મેરા દેશ (My land, my country)

 મારું બાળપણ (My childhood)

ઉમ્મીદ (Hope)

સ્મરણોની કેડીએ (Path of memories)

The student were given approximately an hour to write their poetry. It was judged by Parul Khakhar, Ketan Kanpariya and Snehi Parmar. Upasna Goswami, a student of Department of English, participated in poetry competition. She wrote her poem on - ઉમ્મીદ

One Act Play 

One-act plays are concise yet powerful theatrical performances that tell a complete story within a single act. Due to their shorter length, one-act plays demand a tight script, efficient storytelling, and impactful character development to engage the audience swiftly. In this competition, we saw such though provoking performances that presented intense emotional themes.

You can watch the One-act Plays here:- 

Themes presented in One Act Play - 

1. Kashmir Crisis 

In the first play, there is an exploration of horrors of Kashmir. We see how constant terror affect people’s lives. The Play begins with a wife digging graves in search of her husband’s body. She does not know whether he is alive or not and wants conclusive end to her search. Through character of Noor, who helps the wife in grave digging, we also see desensitisation towards violence. There is use of flashbacks that elevates the narrative. This play portrayed the tragedy in the life of Kashmiris and their struggle for survival. Themes of violence, terrorism and death are explored in this play. 

2. Laxmi

The second play is about a girl who was born with four hands. People around her start worshipping her as an avatar of goddess, however, she’s just a normal girl. She gets goddess like devotion but not the rights of a common woman. She is forcefully married to a physically challenged boy who happens to be the son of an evil man. He spreads fake superstitions to scare gullible people and even abuses and rapes his daughter-in-law (Laxmi). He was jealous of Laxmi’s popularity. The play ends tragically as Laxmi goes back to her old friend Madhav but cannot live peacefully with him so both of them commit suicide. 

This tragic play presents the theme of ill-effects of superstitions. A simple girl suffers because she’s given the title of a goddess. A similar concept is seen in R. K. Narayan’s “The Guide”, where the protagonist is believed to be a saint and he gives up his life trying to live up to the title. However, this play becomes much more sad when compared to that novel, because, unlike the protagonist there, Laxmi did not choose that fate. She was an innocent girl who was born with an abnormality a she was punished for it. 

3. Vat Ek Vyathani

This play examines the female characters of the epic Ramayana. Characters like Sita, Urmila, Kaikeyi, Manthara are focused. This play presented the female perspective of these characters. 

Apart from these, other plays examined the themes of rural life, struggles of orphans, etc. One play even examined the life of Christy Brown.

Collage 

Collage making is an artistic practice that involves the assembly of diverse materials into a unified composition. It’s a creative amalgamation of images, textures, and elements, often sourced from various mediums like magazines or newspapers. The beauty of collage lies in its ability to transform ordinary materials into a visually compelling narrative, where each piece contributes to a larger story. 

The themes of Collage competition were:- 

1. Rainy season 
2. Fish tank
3. Flowerpot 

Reshma Bilakhiya from our department participated in this competition.

Day - 2

On the Spot Photography 

On the Spot Photography took place on the second day. I participated in this event. In this competition, students are given the topics and have a time limit of two hours. They have to capture 3 photos related to the subject. Participants cannot go out of the university campus. It was a wonderful experience capturing all those pictures. Due to a technical error, I do not have the pictures I captured. The topics were:- 

1. યુથ ફેસ્ટિવલ 2023 (Youth Festival 2023)

2. કુદરતની સંગાથે (With Nature)

3. આજની નારી (Women of Today)

Folk song

Folk song competition was also very interesting. Participants presented some melodious songs. You can watch that here - 

Elocution 

I had the opportunity to attend the Elocution competition. It was captivating showcase of eloquence and passion. Participants spoke on the following topics:- 

1. આર્ટિફિશિયલ ઇન્ટેલિજન્સ: કેટલું પડકારજનક? (Artificial Intelligence: How Challenging?)

2. યત્ર નર્યાત્સુ પૂજ્યંતે 

3. ચાલો વૃધ્ધાશ્રમ ઘટાડીએ (Let’s decrease old age homes)

4. પર્યાવરણ અને માનવ: એક સિક્કાની બે બાજુ (Human and Environment: Two sides of a coin)

5. વૈશ્વિક આતંકવાદ: અસરો અને ઉકેલો (Global Terrorism: Implications and Solutions)

Trushali Dodiya from our Department also participated in this competition. You can watch it here:-

Clay Modelling 

In clay modelling, participants showcased their sculpting skills and artistic flair by moulding clay into intricate, three-dimensional artworks. The topics were:-

1. માતૃપ્રેમ (Maternal love)

2. ગ્રામ્ય જીવન (Rural Life)

3. સંગીતકાર (Musician)

From English Department, Rajeshvariba Rana participated. This is her work - 

These are a few other clay models:-

Classical Dancing  

Classical Dancing was an entertaining and colourful competition where students marvellously presented amazing dance performances. You can watch that here:- 

Cartooning 

Cartooning competition was also held on day 2. Dhatri Parmar from our department participated in this competition and secured 2nd rank. The topics were :- 

1. મોંઘવારી (Inflation)

2. ચૂંટણી (Elections)

3. ગાંધીજી અને જનતા (Gandhiji and Citizens)

Here are the artworks created for the competition:

Essay 

Essay competition was held on day 2. Insiyafatema from our department participated in this competition. The topic of the Essay competition were:-

1. India’s Space Odyssey 

2. From the Kitchen to Cabinet - Women don’t give up 

3. Are Wars Inevitable?

4. The Importance of Value based Education

5. Plastic Pollution - Problems and Resolution

One Act Play - 2 

One Act Play was performed in two parts. The other half took place on Day -2. You can check it out here:- 

Rangoli 

Rangoli competitions are vibrant celebrations of creativity and artistry, primarily in Indian culture. They involve the creation of intricate and colourful designs on the floor or ground using materials like coloured rice, flour, sand, petals, or powdered pigments. These designs are often geometric, floral, or depict traditional motifs.

Trushali Dodiya participated in this competition and secured second rank. Here is her Rangoli - 

Here are some other Rangoli done by different participants - 

Conclusion

The Youth Festival is an incredible convergence of talent, creativity, and energy. From the spirited camaraderie among students to the vibrant displays of art, music, dance, and theater, it’s a whirlwind of excitement and passion. It was a very amazing opportunity to witness all these.