Inaugurating the PAU Inter-College Youth Festival, Ludhiana deputy commissioner Vikas Garg said that PAU was the university with a difference that promoted both agriculture and culture.

Garg drew attention toward the need of dealing with the menace of drug addiction that was a cause of great social concern in rural areas, adding that PAU students could also chip in to eradicate the menace.

In his presidential remarks, the PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Manjit Singh Kang said that youth festivals were necessary for developing wholesome personality of students.

The main attraction of the cultural procession involving troupes of the constituent colleges of PAU was that it started from the Museum of Rural Life of Punjab, which is the cultural hub of the university. Cultural procession was led by the PAU troupe constituted by representative students of all the four colleges.

This was followed by the troupe of College of Agriculture (COA) that showcased the theme ‘Punjabi maan boli’, followed by that of College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAET) that spread the message of ‘Jaago’, that of College of Basic Sciences and Humanities (COBSH) with a banner of “Cultural kaleidoscope” and College of Home Science (COHS) that spread in clear terms the message to curb the menace of drug addiction. All these troupes had group of students dancing to the drum beats echoing the Punjabi folklore. The students held placards carrying befitting slogans and verses.

In the contest involving folk songs, Sumedh Singh Aulakh and Sunanda (both COAET) sang “Jagga” and “Kahe ko viahi”, respectively. Rajat Sharma and Anne Goyal (both COBSH) sang “Khete te launi aan main tahlian”, and “lungi”, respectively. Akshjot Kaur and Sumita Bhalla (both COHS) sang “Bol mitee diya baveya” and “loongi”, respectively, in traditional style. Balpreet Singh Sidhu and Iqbal Singh (both from COA) enthralled the audience by singing “Dullah bhatti” and “Chhalla”, respectively.

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