Grand finale to Independence year celebrations

PATIALA, Aug 11: A cultural evening organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre to mark the grand finale of the celebrations of 50 years ...

PATIALA, Aug 11: A cultural evening organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre to mark the grand finale of the celebrations of 50 years of Independence at the Punjabi University auditorium last proved to be a big hit with the audience.

The programme started with Vande Matram recitation followed by a special ballet on freedom arranged by the kathak kendra, New Delhi. The ballet drew big applause from the audiences who despite the stuffy auditorium and humid atmosphere were very receptive.

Artistes from Himachal Pradesh dressed in their traditional colourful best presented the “Kinnauri nati” while Haryana girls performed “ghumar”. “Kalbeliya” dance by Rajasthani performers drew thunderous applause.

Story continues below this ad

“Jhau purlia” from West Bengal, “apdam” from Tamil Nadu, “garba” from Gujrat and “panthi” from Madhya Pradesh left the audiences spellbound.

The thunderous applause for the evening was reserved for Punjabi pop singer Gurdas Mann, who was at his best with his popular Punjabi numbers, the entire auditorium resounded with foot-tapping music and clapping from the as Mann rendered one Punjabi number after another.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi was the chief guest at the function, while it was inaugurated by Punjab Governor Lt Gen (retd) B.K.N. Chhibber. Chandigarh Member of Parliament Satya Pal Jain besides Punjab Minister for Local Bodies Balramji Dass Tandon were also present on the occasion.

Ram Murti Goyal, pro-vice-chancellor of Punjabi University, presented a set of publications of the university to Joshi and Chhibber. Chhibber also presented a momento to Joshi.

Story continues below this ad

Joshi and Chhibber announced a reward of Rs 51,000 each for the participating teams. Over 200 artists from different states participated in the programme.The HRD Minister also released a souvenir on the occasion.

According to S.K. Ahluwalia, the director of NZCC, the teams that participated in the grand finale here will also give performance at Kurukshetra, Shimla, Ropar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Moga and Muktsar.

After $102 million heist, Louvre moves crown jewels to Bank of France vault

World8 hr ago

The Louvre has moved valuable treasures to the Bank of France after a daring heist exposed security flaws. The transfer of select pieces, including France's crown jewels, was under heavy police escort. The heist, in which priceless items were stolen and damaged, has sparked national outrage and embarrassment for the government.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS