National Youth Festival starts at Nagpur varsity

NAGPUR: The 27th National Youth Festival ‘Unifest’ being hosted by Nagpur University (NU) was seen fulfilling one of its aims, national integration, on the very first day. Students from Punjab could be seen waiting to click photos with the Maharashtrian girls in their traditionally draped saris.
Pankaj Chande, president, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and vice chancellor of Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University (KKSU), Ramtek, too pointed out the national integration fostered at such events, which helps dispel myths about others.
Around 68 universities from across India are taking part in the festival being hosted by NU for the third time. Unfortunately, the inauguration ceremony, which started more than half an hour late, was preceded by a small skirmish between some contingents over rules and regulations of the fest.
Later, the Unifest bulletin was released by chief guest Pankaj Chande. He urged students to take their talent seriously and make it a priority. “We need to change the attitude which relates success only to academics and puts everything else in the background. It is important talented children are given the freedom to pursue their passion and not forced into fields they are not interested in,” Chande said.
Pratiksha Lonkar, Marathi actor and special guest on the occasion, said that such fests were a great platform for youngsters. “I myself was once a participant and it is great to be back as a guest. These days are the golden period of your life and also when you have to work the hardest, because nothing can be achieved without hard-work and there is no short cut to success,” she said. Unifest was also the stepping stone for other celebrities like Ashutosh Rana and Adesh Bandekar, she said.
Vice chancellors of three universities – NU, KKSU and Himachal University, Shimla – were present on the dais. ADN Bajpai, secretary general, AIU, and vice chancellor of Himachal University said youth was not only a state of physical being, but also of thought.
Vilas Sapkal, vice chancellor NU, emphasized on the dynamic nature of art, saying that it was a sphere where constant development was possible. “The various forms of arts have always been successful in integrating latest technology, ” he said.