Rasiya captivates crowd at Kurukshetra varsity fest

Students from various colleges from across north Haryana districts rocked the stage with their performances on the second day of the 46th Inter-Zonal Youth Festival of Kurukshetra University at Arya PG College here on Friday.

As many as 2,000 students of various colleges from Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, and Panchkula showcased their performances in 42 genres, including Haryanvi Sang, Haryanvi dances, skits, Rasiya dance, Haryanvi orchestra, and various other performances.

In the morning session, the Rasiya group dance and Haryanvi orchestra captivated the audience at OP Shingala auditorium. Rasiya group dance is a traditional folk dance, based on the love between Lord Krishna and Radha, is performed during Holi in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

In the Haryanvi orchestra competition, students from Arya College played over 30 instruments from Haryana simultaneously, leaving the audience tapping their feet. The Haryanvi orchestra category involved compositions played on instruments that are not currently popular or have been forgotten by today’s youth. A total of ten participants participated in this competition, with each one playing three to four instruments, including shehnai, flute, algoja, sarangi, chimta, nagada, dhol, gadhwa, banju, morchang, ravanhattha and dheru.

The festival featured a Sang genre on Stage 6, where participants engaged the audience with their rendition of mythological stories. Sang has been a significant form of entertainment for the local population since ancient times. Students here performed songs composed by Surya Kavi Pt Lakshmi Chand, Pt Mange Ram, and others

Haryanvi comedy drama is a category involving plays lasting 8 to 10 minutes, attempt to convey a positive message to society by satirizing the prevailing social evils, the government, and the administration through humorous satire.

Panipat MLA Pramod Vij was the chief guest, and Ankeshwar Prakash, Controller of Examination, and Dr Maha Singh Punia, Director of Mass Communication, were present in the morning session.

Vij expressed his gratitude to the organisers and all the guests and encouraged the participants. He emphasised the need for students to work on their skills alongside their education. In the evening session, the chief guest, Prof Dr Rampal Saini, Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Jind, said that participating in such a festival benefits students by connecting them to the roots of their culture. Finally, Prof Saini captivated everyone in the auditorium by singing a ragini dedicated to the Ganga.