Badal to inaugurate North zone inter-university fest tomorrow

PATIALA, Nov 11: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will inaugurate the 15th North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival to be held at Punjabi University, on November 13. This mega event, Pun-Fest 99, sponsored by the Association of Indian Universities and Ministry of Youth Affairs, will be the last such inter-university youth festival of the century.

As many as 52 North zone universities will be participating in the 23 cultural items including classical, semi-classical, folk and tribal songs and dances and western music. Besides mono-acting by top artists of the universities from various parts of India, a rich variety of one-act plays in a multi-lingual panorama will be another highlight of this unique festival that will witness competitions in collage-making, cartoon-making, on-the-spot painting, on-the-spot poster-making, clay modeling and rangoli configurations. Classical folk and tribal musical instruments will be used to weave a web of rhythm and music. The quiz and elocution contest will put the participants8217; mental acumen to test and add an altogether different dimension to this festival of fun.

Eminent film actor Raj Babbar, a product of the Punjabi University Theatre and TV Department, will be honoured on November 13.

G.P.S. Sahi, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Punjab and Vice-Chancellors of the universities of the region will be the chief guests on different days of the festival which will conclude with a valedictory function on November 17, to be presided over by Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia.

The festival is being held under the auspices of the Directorate of Youth Welfare headed by Daljit Singh, the nodal authority for the entire festival.