JOIN USMangalore turns out to be a microcosm of India
The Port Town was a ‘microcosm of India’ on Wednesday as over 3,500 participants of National Youth Festival arrived at Mangalore from various parts of the Country.
The participants who were in TMA Pai Convention Centre, which is the meeting point for all the participants were all smiles and were busy meeting their counterparts from other parts of the country. Exchanging smiles and pleasantries, the participants were in full throttle to take to stage on Thursday where they could pounce on their contenders.
The mood of dancing and singing was rife at the Convention centre itself. Some of the sporting participants did perform some dance pieces for shutterbugs at the venue itself. Many more teams were seen practicing their dance performance at the basement and all around the venue.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Turina from Meghalaya said that it is the first time she is participating in NYF. “We are going to present our traditional ‘Wangala’ dance at the folk dance category. As many as 49 members have come from Meghalaya,” she says and adds that she is happy to reach Mangalore as she will get a chance to visit the beach.
“I have never seen a beach before and it will be refreshing after a long five day journey in train,” she adds.
“It is like a summer break in between a cold winter,” says Muzafar Ashraf from Jammu and Kashmir. “It is snowing in Kashmir. We thought it would be cold here. Guess we should pack our collection of Pashmina shawls,” he smiles.
The Sikh team from Punjab are all set with their sharpened swords to present their skills in martial arts. Jarnail Singh shows his hands which are severed. “Hum Asli Talwaro Sai Kelthay Hain (We play with real swords),” he smiles.
The Kerala team is all set to show the beauty of ‘God’s own country’. We are going to present Katakali, Mohini Attam and Theyam will be the main attraction, says Latha, a participant.
Akhilesh Sharma, a tabla player from Rajasthan is all praises for the arrangements at NYF. “I loved the food, the stay, the city and most of all the people. I want to make the most of this experience. I am enchanted with the South Indian music,” he says.
Ramanjit Kaur from Chandhigarh is excited about the places she will get to visit in Mangalore. “I want to see the monuments as well as the beaches,” she says.
Atul Patel from Goa is all prepped up to present the lively Goan culture through a folk dance. “We have been practicing for days,” he reveals.
Ajay Kumar from Chattisgarh who is putting up a stall of artificial jewellery at the expo is excited to see the huge crowd. “I prepare the jewellery myself. I hope the sale turns out to be good this year,” he says.
With chatter, laughter and excitement, the temperature of Mangalore has risen even more with the NYF fever.