The VIIIth National
Youth Festival will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, from
January 12 to 16, 2003. This festival is organised every year
on January 12, as the day is celebrated as the birth anniversary
of Swami Vivekananda and is also observed as the National Youth
Day.
This year the
festival is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs
& Sports, Government of India and the Government of Kerala.
The National Youth Festival is like a mega national integration
camp. It is expected that approximately 2, 500-3,000 young persons
will participate in the festival this year. While delegates from
SAARC countries and Egypt have been invited to the festival, young
artisans from youth clubs will also be participating in ‘Yuva
Kriti’ – a social development fair.
The dominant theme
for the festival is usually chosen from a theme, which is both
topical and relevant for the youth of the country. The theme of
the festival this year is "Yuva aivam Vishwa Chunauti".
The last festival was held at Hissar, Haryana this year. Competitions
will be held in 16 individual items and two group items. The individual
items will include one act play, classical vocal solo, classical
dance and elocution etc. During the festival, the National Youth
Awards to outstanding youth clubs will be given. An interesting
highlight of the festival would be an item called ‘Suvichar’,
wherein the youth will get a chance to interact with chosen eminent
personalities from different fields.
Meanwhile, the
Union Ministry of Railways has granted 50% concession to all the
participants of the festival.
The National Steering
Committee on VIIIth National Youth Festival was chaired by the
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Vikram Verma
here today. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri A.K. Antony and
the Minister of State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation,
Shri O. Rajgopal attended the meeting.
