Udupi: A three-day state-level Yuvajana Mela was inaugurated on May 21 at the Town Hall Ajjarkad, Udupi. The progamme began with a Nadageethe. Dr Roshan Kumar Shetty, director of the district’s Sports and Youth Empowerment Deparment, welcomed the gathering.
Vinay Kumar Sorake, district minister in-charge and state Urban Development minister, inaugurated the state-level Yuvajana Mela by lighting the lamp and releasing a souvenir.
Abhayachandra Jain, minister for Sports, Youth Empowerment and Fisheries, presented the Swami Vivekananda State Awards to 10 persons and two organisation for the year 2014-15.
The individual awardees are: Lokesh D Kakkenhalli, Tumkur district; Siddappa Basappa Duradundi, Belagavi district; Shilpa, Raichur district; Sunil Bavikatti Ladageri, Bidar district; Andappa Giddappa Harogere, Gadag district; Mohammed Hasan N, Uttara Kannada district; Lingaraja Niduvani Sherevada, Dharwad district; N Anil Kumar Abalavadi, Mandya district; Prathima R Vinayakanagar, Tumkur district; S D Omkar Jain, Mysoor district.
The award winning organisations are: Abhinaya Janapada Havyasi Kalasangha Kodibengre of Udupi District and Jai Hind Cultural and Sports Youth Associaiton Karur, Haveri District.
In his inaugural message, Vinay Kumar Sorake said that the youth are the future of the country. To build good qualities, the youth have to engage in social activities. Yuvajana Mela is a good forum for the youth from rural areas to showcase their skills and talents. The youth should follow morals and values put forth by leaders like Swami Vivekananda. They must work towards building the nation rather than engaging in harmful activities, he added.
Speaking on the occassion, Abhayachandra Jain said that youth should take part in programmes like youth fairs which depict the art, culture and tradition of our nation. “They should engage in constructive activities where they will be able to expose their talents and at the same time, hold the integrity of the nation. Youth should have confidence in their capabilities and should develop self-esteem. Those who develop self-confidence are capable of achieving success in various fields.”
Dinakar Babu, President of Udupi Zilla Panchyat, presided over the function. Priyanka Mary Francis (Chief Executive officer, ZP), Shivaprasad (director of Sports Department Karnataka), Gananath Ekkar, Balaji, Manohar Kundar and others were present.
