Bhav Gunjan Youth Festival 2025

 

This blog is a reflection on the various events of Bhav Gunjan Youth Festival 2025 organised by Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University. This reflective and interactive task is assigned by Prof. Dilip Barad and is based on his instructions.

It is only through events like this that the people of the city become aware of what activities, along with studies, are being carried out by university students. But it is also a stark reminder to those students who believe that university is only for study and academics. The students must reflect upon the artistic expression of their fellow students, of which they might have been unaware earlier. Here, I will try my best to provide you all with a concise and laconic description and my reflections on the various events of the Bhav Gunjan Youth Festival 2025.

The Youth Festival commences with Kalayatra on 8th October. Kalayatra started from Shamaldas Arts College and went to Sardarnagar. Kalayatra serves as the medium through which the city can witness the activities of the university. All the participants, volunteers, and students of the university joined Kalayatra. In Kalayatra, students display a vast amount of themes, concepts, and ideas using their creative minds. On 9th October, after the opening ceremony in which the Vice Chancellor and other prominent personalities were present, several events took place, such as a skit, mimicry, folk dance, one-act play, quiz, poster-making, and bhajan. As these events were to be held simultaneously at different venues, it was hard to choose which event to attend and which to skip. 

First, I attended the skit. The very first performance was on something that we are very familiar with and depend on nowadays—Artificial Intelligence—and it was so well integrated with the theme of one of India's most beloved web series, ‘Panchayat.’ But the main part was that it was primarily a critique of the government, which we were to witness in many upcoming events. I nearly watched all the skits, and what I found was that all of them were based on either societal issues or critiques of the government—two of the most prevalent contemporary subjects of the time. Issues of gender equality, the role of women, and the government's failures were portrayed on stage very effectively. Some famous and now controversial figures, such as Sonam Wangchuk, were also brought on stage, where the performances criticized the way the government treated a personality like him. Bhajan has always been a part of Gujarat's cultural heritage. I arrived there late and missed half of the performances, but the ones that I attended were joyous and energetic. Another interesting thing was that the participation of the girls was as much as the participation of the boys, which is rare in such events. Our English Department hosted the quiz competition, and the team from our department was also participating. In the evening, there were two major events—one-act play and folk dance—that took place. The students' hard work was clearly visible to everyone, and they demonstrated their skills enthusiastically. All of their performances filled the evening air with enthusiasm and exuberance. These performances made sure that this is the festival of the “youth.”

Another theme and subject that captured the attention of the audience was Operation Sindoor. On 10th October, the second day of the Youth Festival, there were many captivating events such as one-act play, elocution, debate, mime, western instrumental solo, Indian group song, western group song, western solo, cartooning, collage, clay modeling, classical dance, classical instrumental, rangoli, quiz final, and creative choreography. I am pleased to share that our department’s quiz team secured second place in the quiz competition. We are very proud of their constant efforts and dedication that made the whole department proud and pleased.

In the afternoon, there was to be an event of mime, and I watched all the performances. It had no words, but all the messages were conveyed artistically and skillfully. One subject that had prevalence was Operation Sindoor. Two performances were based entirely on how terrorists killed innocent Indian tourists and how India avenged marvelously. But the one I liked was based on the true story of Arunima Sinha. She didn't just fight against physical challenges but also against the weakness of the mind. She became India's first amputee and the world's first female amputee to scale Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kosciuszko, Aconcagua, Denali, and Vinson Massif. Creative choreography was another captivating event, and it was included in the Youth Festival for the first time. Two performances were based on the story of Draupadi from the Mahabharata. The main aim of both performances was to present the tragic event of Draupadi’s assault in a creative way, where Draupadi does not meet the same tragic end as in the Mahabharata; instead, in both performances, she resists and does not rely on Shree Krishna to save her; rather, she rescues herself. The modern idea of female agency was captured with stunning artistic creativity. It stated very clearly how the term "the modern world" operates now. At the end of the performances, Draupadi is a strong and self-reliant woman. One performance displayed the life of Shree Krishna in a creative manner. The students captured and performed this newly added event very well. I also watched classical dance events in which the hard work and dedication of the performers were clearly visible in their performance. Folk dance events were also a great treat to the audience. You love these events, but we rarely see the effort that goes into them. 

Concisely, all the events, in some or other way, were based on contemporary subjects. The exploration of the real deficiencies of the nation and the people who live in it were captured and displayed with great artistic ability. Literature has always been incorporating such subjects but here it found various mediums to express itself. Literature doesn't only comment and critique the shortcomings of society , it also provides solutions and guides it towards a positive end. This Youth Festival served as a medium through which I could comprehend and witness various theories with their practical implication. If you want to watch the live recordings of these events, here's the link to the university channel.