TIRUPATI: It was a convergence of various cultures at the 11th All India Sanskrit Students Talent Festival - 2017, as participants donned traditional attire representing respective regions, during the inaugural ceremony at the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSVP) here on Monday.
The four-day event, sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC), is conducted to offer a platform for students from Sanskrit institutions across the country, to showcase their talent in literary and cultural spheres.
The event began with a colourful procession of participating teams, hailing from 25 Sanskrit Mahavidyalayas and colleges, from RSVP's Administrative Building to SB Raghunathacharya's Open Air Auditorium, amid the chanting of Veda mantras.
The varsity Vice Chancellor V. Muralidhara Sharma said the festival would enable the participants to uplift the hidden ‘jnana’ (knowledge) in their respective fields and inculcate a sense of competitive spirit among them.
Retired principal of Gautami Vidyapeetham (Rajahmundry) Mahamahopadhyaya Viswanatha Gopalakrisha Sastry remarked that the ‘Vidyapeetha’ was the seat of Goddess Saraswathi. Sastras and ancient lore of Sanskrit could be protected only by such institutions. In this regard, he appreciated the efforts made by the varsity management.
Sri Venkateswara Vedic University Vice Chancellor K.E. Devanathan appealed to youngsters to compete skilfully and learn from mistakes made.
Science exhibition, Alphabet Gallery
In addition to regular events like Antyakshari, Song Competition, Mono Acting, Elocution, One Act Play, Quiz, Folk Dance (Indian) and other events, all of which are held in Sanskrit, Science Exhibition and Alphabet Gallery garnered the limelight during the inaugural session.
Highlighting accomplishments of ancient scientists, the varsity management displayed them in fields like Ayurveda, astronomy, physics, botany, phonetics, gemmology, and meteorology.
The Alphabet Gallery indicated the origin of alphabets and language. RSVP’s Registrar C. Umashankar, Dean of Academic Affairs R.L. Narasimha Sastry, Vagvardhini Parishad coordinator C. Ranganathan, and Additional Coordinators Bharath Bhushan Rath and O.G. Kalyan Sastry were present.
