Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Central Youth Festival Begins With Debate, Elocution

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The three-day Central Youth Festival began with grandeur at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) on Monday. The festival began with elocution and debate competitions. Students from various colleges participated in the competitions and presented well-researched and impactful views on current affairs, technology, the environment and linguistic identity.

A debate competition was held during the festival on the topic, "Today's Youth: In an Ocean of Opportunities or a Storm of Expectations?" The competition sparked a vigorous discussion on the challenges facing today's youth and the options available to them. Speakers highlighted new avenues opened up by the digital revolution, start-up culture and globalisation, while firmly asserting that today's youth are capable of shaping their own futures. On the other hand, speakers realistically highlighted how the younger generation is being crushed by rising unemployment, mental stress and unrealistic expectations from family and society.

Subsequently, the elocution competition featured a stimulating exchange of ideas on various topics. Speaking on the subject "Classical Marathi: A Responsibility Beyond Mere Pride", students expressed their joy over the 'Classical' status accorded to the Marathi language but emphasised that celebrating this honour alone is not enough. The speakers articulated that we bear a significant responsibility to expand the use of Marathi as a language of knowledge, integrate it into higher education and technology, and pass it on to the next generation in its pure form.

While speaking on the topic "A Warning from Changing Weather?", students expressed deep concern regarding global warming, unexpected floods and shifts in seasonal cycles. The speakers emphasised that this is not merely a natural change but a final warning to humanity, highlighting the urgent need to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle and move towards sustainable development. Speaking on the topic "Will Algorithms Shape the World of Tomorrow?", students shed light from both technical and social perspectives on how human decision-making is being influenced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and social media algorithms.

Suraj Here, Suresh Hiwale and Ugale served as judges for these competitions. Meanwhile, Dr Ashwin Ranjanikar, Dr Dilip Birute, Dr Sudhakar Jadhav, Dr Valmik Waghmare, Dhammapal Jadhav, Ganesh Lokre and Prithviraj Mote worked hard to ensure the success of the event.

A one-act play competition was organised at 'Natyarang' (Stage No. 1) as part of the Central Youth Festival.

Dr Jitendra Pan-Patil, Mr Sushil Datta Bagde and Mr Pradeep Ghonsikar served as judges for the competition. The event commenced with the performance of the one-act play 'Aakada', written by Rajkumar Tangde. This was followed by the presentation of the one-act plays 'Vastav' and 'The Source of Life'.

Competitions were organised at Stage No. 04, 'Lalitrang' (Fine Arts Department), as part of the Central Youth Festival. The events included Spot Photography (themes: colourful portraits, abstract elements in nature); Clay Modelling (themes: motherhood, celebration, drought); Poster Making (themes: mobile phones and you, the water crisis, the education system); and Collage Making (themes: nature, Ganeshotsav, drought). Artists Raju Baviskar, Sunil Netragaonkar and Kishor Nikam served as judges for these competitions.